John first saw LightWave when he was about 16 years old. He saw a friend's friend create a really cool robot animation, which made him think "Wow. How the hell did he make that?" Even now, he's enamoured with the package as a whole and doesn't use any third party plug-ins.

Where are you from?

I actually come from a place that no-one has ever heard of called Colne. It's a small town/village and has nothing there, not even a PC store LOL!

When did you first start using LightWave?

I started using it about two years ago in my first year at university. I am now in my final year.

What do you like about the package?

It's got an excellent renderer and I think a lot of people will agree with me there. The modelling tools are also superb. I love how LightWave is split up into two different programs, it helps you keep a track of things and keeps things tidy. Also, the weighting function is really nice for getting subtle deformations.

What could be improved for you?

The only things that really need improving for me are its animation tools and the IK system. As an animator I want real-time playback when I press play - I don't want to have to preview all the time.

What spec machine(s) are you using it on at the moment?

P4 2.5, GeForce ti500, 1 gig of rambus ram, and 120 gig hard drive, 22" monitor

Are you at university to study 3D animation?

Yes, Lincoln School of Art and Design in Hull. I'm on a three-year program. Our course consists of drawn animation, 3D model animation and CGI animation.

I took the path of a CGI character animator, though our course does not specialise in character animation. I took it upon myself to get good at it! And will continue to do so until I... well, you know.

I know what you did last summer... :) Tell everyone else?

Last summer I had the great opportunity of animating at Passion Pictures for work experience with some of the most talented animators I ever seen in my opinion. People like Wes Coman, Geoff Sutter, Phil Dale and the rest of the crew. Here I learned a lot about timing in poses and tips and tricks in lighting from Stu. I have Chris Knott to thank for me even being at Passion. Thanks Chris!

How did Chris Knott get you into Passion?

Well Chris and I first met at London Effects and Animation Festival. I got his card and gave him my card and told him that I was a student. Chris then followed up by sending me an email. Saying that if my work was good enough he would get me work experience placement there. So I then sent him some walk cycles. A few months later I had a work experience placement!

What else turns you on?

When I'm not animating I act in my spare time. As a matter of fact, I have made TV appearances on Hollyoaks, Coronation Street, Brookside, League Of Gentleman and Byker Grove among others. Just recently I just missed out on several MTV Commercials.
I'm an actor at heart, not a CGI animator.