Currently Seeking Modeling And Animation Work...

Preferred Software Package:  Lightwave
Alternative 3D software: 3D Studio Max., Sketchup

2010 Reel

Product Development and Marketing

I have worked with dozens of entrepreneurs and inventors to illustrate existing or potential products.  These animations have helped to raise capital, communicate with manufacturers and vendors, and market to customers.  I have worked with large companies and individual inventors.  An inventor myself, I really enjoy the process of using technology bring new ideas to life.  Much of the new product work I do is under a non-disclosure agreement and cannot be presented here, but take a look at some of the work that has made it to market.

Case Study #1 

Crowleyjones, L.P. - Austin, TX

This successful new product development and marketing firm has a great track record of getting innovative products to market and into a variety of sales channels including retail, direct response, and QVC/HSN.

These were created in a 2 to 3 week production schedule and output to a standard broadcast quality.

Production ready CAD files were available to work from, but most of the objects had to be modeled from scratch to cut down on file size and render times.

I have a copy of the Sweepeze vacuum being presented on one of the TV shopping channels and will post it here when I locate it.

Case Study #2

Rayovac, Inc.  - Madison, WI.

Rayovac is primarily a battery company, but they also create and produce hundreds of other products that use batteries.

I worked as a contractor to their innovation division on a number of projects including the one presented here.

A large company, they generate many product ideas that do not ultimately make it to the store shelves.  Their process to determine which ideas make the cut includes creating 2D and 3D visualizations of the product and presenting them to small focus groups for feedback.

I worked in this 'pitch' phase of development.

Case Study #3

Excel Stud Remover  - Austin, TX.

I worked with a local video production house to update the marketing materials for an already successful product line.  They were looking for an illustration of the product mechanism and a 'transitional' animation to be used to bridge video sections.

Here you can see how the two animations were edited into the final video.

Crime Scene Recreation

My wife worked as a criminal defense attorney for 8 years, and through her connections I ended up working about a dozen criminal cases on the defense side.  In most cases I was working with a crime scene investigator who analyzed the evidence and worked with me to create 2D or 3D animation illustrating the defense's position.

Generally speaking, this was frustrating and unrewarding work because most of the jobs were abandoned before completion.  The vast majority of court cases are settled out of court, and announcing your intention to bring a recreation video is just another bargaining tool.  Three of the cases did make it to trial and in one I was called, questioned,  and recognized as an expert in forensic crime scene recreation. 

I worked three high profile cases, two murders (one involving the death of a police officer) and one injury to a child.  All hard cases, and all three defendants were convicted.  I am not currently seeking out this kind of work,

Case Study #1

The State of Texas v Edwin Delamora

Deputy Keith Ruiz and other SWAT team members were attempting to serve a narcotics warrant to the mobile home of Edwin Delamora in the early hours of February 15th, 2001.

This was another in a series of botched raids by Austin area SWAT:
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid:574028

The case hinged on whether the police announced themselves as they attempted entry.  The State's witnesses said they did, the defense's heard nothing.

This ambitious animation was requested in response to the State commissioning a video reenactment.  Two weeks before trial the State decided not to use their video, and as a result, this was abandoned.  Creating something like this is difficult. You are working from fuzzy witness testimony, and crime scene photos taken after police have ripped up everything in search of drugs.

I had no access to the defendant and getting a time line of character movement is tricky.  I had roughed out the basic timing when the project was scrapped.

Work History

I started messing around with 3D in 1992 when I began working on the Newtek Video Toaster.  It was a computer based video editing system that included the Lightwave 3D animation package.  My focus at the time was on video production, but there was something about the software that worked like my brain.  I liked the combination of being a virtual draftsman and cinematographer. 

Over the years, I have devoted about 15% to 20% of my time on 3D, and that feels about right.

My First Professional Job - 1993