Although you may have heard of Star Trek: First Contact the movie, I assure
you that you never saw the game. After two arduous years of production,
it was canceled because of technical issues, and everyone on staff except
one programmer and one artist were let go. I was fortunate enough to keep
my job, and we started working on concepts for the next project. For
obvious reasons, I started working on my portfolio again and looked
around for new opportunities.
Q: What 3D software do you use, and why?
A: Although there are a lot of different 3D packages available today, Maya,
Softimage, 3ds max, and LightWave are the most popular. I prefer the 3D
Studio line because I have used it for many years, ever since the 3D Studio
R4 (DOS) days. I like max because it gives me the flexibility to build some
of my most complex projects with speed and simplicity, which I have
found lacking in some of the other packages.
I've also worked with Maya and think that it has a better renderer than
max, but Maya requires more knowledge of scripting and programming to
use. Although it is extremely powerful, I feel that it is designed for larger
teams, such as movie effects groups, that can afford a team of full-time pro-
grammers devoted to creating custom tools for it. For this reason and the
fact that it's not that great for polygonal modeling, most game companies
use 3ds max or LightWave for producing their work.
Speaking of the games industry, it increasingly matures into a larger and
more complex medium, and the publishers are consolidating from dozens
of small outfits into a few major players. Gone are the days when a teen
with an idea, some computer knowledge, and a little space in his garage
can write a game and start up his own company. Now there are investors,
stockholders, marketing firms, and conglomerates that pour millions into
development. Soon, we'll be seeing games that have the budgets of feature
films. As that happens, we'll see more game companies opting for the more
expensive programs and procedures that Hollywood employs today.
Q: How did you get in with Westwood Studios, and what do you
do there now?
A: I worked for Mondo Media for about a year when they decided to switch
their business focus from 3D work to 2D work. I was extended an invita-
tion to learn 2D cel-style drawing and animation, but as I can't draw well
at all, I decided that it was time to pack up and leave. Mondo really helped
out with my transition to my current job; they let me use their systems to
3 D G
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