1) Who are you?
I'm an artist who specializes in scifi and fantasy artwork. I am currently a Technical Director at Pixar in Emeryville, I previously worked for Blur Studio in Venice, and I still do personal art when I find the time. I also run a metal webzine called Soul Killer, where I review new metal and have a news section. I also wrote a bunch of MAXScripts for 3DStudio MAX. For my biography, go here.

2) What software and computer do you use?
My main piece of 3d software is 3DStudio MAX by Autodesk, I also use Adobe Photoshop to paint textures and do compositing, Brazil for rendering, and Fontographer to make my fonts.

• All work pre 1998 was done on a P100 with 64megs of RAM.
  
• 1998 to 2001 on a PII333 with 128 megs of RAM.
  
• 2001 till 2005 on an AMD 1800 with a Gig of RAM.
  
• 2005 till 2008 on a Dual Opteron 248 with 2 Gigs of RAM, nVidia Geforce 6800 Ultra Extreme 256MB.
• 2008 till the present on a Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450, 8 Gigs Of RAM, nVidia Geforce GTX 280 1GB.

3) What graphics card would you recommend? What computer should I buy?
I really don't know much about hardware, that is one area of computers that really doesn't interest me, I ask friends what they recommend and I buy it, beyond that I don't know much I'm afraid.

4) Where can I get cracked versions of software? Can you help me use my cracked piece of software?
I am a registered user of 3DStudio MAX, and have been for many years. If you choose to illegally use the software instead of buying it, that's your decision, I am not going to play police, however, I can't help you steal stuff.

5) Why didn't you answer my email immediately?
I promise I will answer all email as promptly as I can, but due to high volumes, I cannot answer everything instantly, so I ask you to be patient.

6) Could you include a link to my website in your Artist Links page?
My 3D Artists links are to works that totally inspire and blow me away. It's not a list of any and all the artists on the web. I get a lot of people asking to be included on this list, which is troubling since you've now placed me in a position where I have to tell you if your work "blows me away". I have in fact got several threatening emails from people who were furious that I chose to not include their webpage on this list because their work was not top 1% in my opinion (and my opinion is just that, an opinion, not worth more or less then anyone else's opinion), so I'd ask you to please avoid directly asking me for a link. Thanks.

7) Can you send me the max file for your artwork?
That would be the equivalent of asking a traditional artist "can I have one of your original oil paintings". While computers do allows us to all have exact copies of the same information, giving someone one of my original max files means I no longer have control over it's use, distribution, and it's the only concrete proof of ownership. So I'm afraid the answer is no. However, I have been know to give materials and pieces of max files away in the CG Education section. And I'm willing to answer specific questions via email.

8) What is your ICQ number?
I don't use ICQ or any other instant messaging system. I have been known time to time to appear on the Brazil IRC chat, I'm usually the guy called Wheedle.

9) The images on your website are small, why don't you release larger ones?
I used to release larger images in the past, until some nasty people printed those images and started selling them without my permission and without any credit given to me as the original artist. I have also had my artwork appear mysteriously in magazines and on cd covers without my consent, so now I only release smaller images so they don't look good when printed.

10) What school should I go to to learn 3d? / How did you learn 3d?
I'm not well aquatinted with 3d schools, I did all my 3d learning at home, first reading the tutorials, then making image after image, working on technique and content for over 10 years. I personally believe that learning how to be an artist, drawing, painting, color theory, anatomy, composition, these are the things to learn, and then apply that knowledge to any medium you choose, 3d software is something you can learn from tutorials on your own. So maybe going to an art school is a better idea. While some 3d schools are getting better at teaching a variety of topics, others teach nothing more than which buttons to press. Without a good grasp of basic artistic skills, no matter how many buttons you know how to press, you'll probably still have a hard time, so I do recommend finding a school that teaches good art fundamentals.

11) Can I use a piece of artwork that already exists on your website for our band's album cover?
Sorry, but no. When I make a piece of art, I make it for a purpose, and I don't like to then take that art and use it for another purpose later. It's like hearing a specific song you loved in your teens used 10 years later to sell hotdogs, I don't care how good the hotdogs are, the song is not about hotdogs, and using it sorta devalues the original purpose of the song.

12) Can you help me with an advanced technique in max? Where can I learn more about max?
General question about techniques in max should be asked at the The Area, an Autodesk support forum, lots of professionals there ready to answer questions (including me). More general 3d questions can be asked at another good forum, CGTalk. I've had several people ask me questions like "How do I animate a completely believable human?" Well, if you look at my site, I have never modeled a human, and I really don't do a lot of animating (I much prefer modeling, texturing and lighting), so those are the kinds of questions I'm really not qualified to answer, and why I recommend these forums. But if you have a question that's specific to me, like how I achieved a specific effect in a particular piece, please email me.

13) Where can I learn more about Brazil? Can you tell me how to use Brazil?
Brazil is a renderer by Splutterfish that I currently use for most of my work. I have included several tutorials on the subject in my CG Education section, and for questions and such, I'd ask you to visit the Splutterfish Public Forum.

14) Can I include some of your images on my website?
Yes, you may include 2-3 images from my site on your site if you're starting an art gallery. All I ask is my name is with them, a link to my site, and send me some email when they're online so I can make sure they're represented properly. Thanks.