Tell us a bit about how you came to LightWave?

In 1990 Newtek released the Video Toaster for the Amiga - it had LightWave 0.9 as part of the package. At the time I was working as a practical (analogue) VFX guy. I was building and shooting miniatures, doing motion control and so on. I set myself a task to build one of the models I had made practically, but in LightWave. It took a while, but the results were good. Showed the stuff to Newtek, then got hired by Todd Rundgren to work on his track called Theology. I had been talking to a producer for years about a Sci-fi show called Babylon5. I did some tests which ended up being part of the pitch for the show. Warner Brothers loved the concept and we were picked up. Foundation Imaging was born.

What shows have you worked on that people might know?

Babylon5, Star Trek Voyager, Deep Space 9, Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles, Max Steel...

How did you come to be involved with this project?

Not to toot my own horn... but I'm in the enviable position of being one of maybe four or five people in the world that has done long form CG in reasonable quantity.

Prior to starting this I had produced 75 half hours of exactly this type of show. They were having problems, so I was called in.

What's your role on the project?

Big cheese, CG-producing, antagonistic bruiser. Crossed with teddy bear!

Do you get to do any modelling/animating yourself these days?

I'm re-learning LightWave 8... There are several things I want to build over the next few months.

Now you've got 8, what improvements would you like to see made to LightWave for the future?

Direct real time Mocap input. Designer brain scan interface... Plug LW into the designer's skull, and think the work to be done... and it will!

What do you want to build in LightWave?

An alternate past atomic steam engine... I'm serious!

Why did you choose LightWave for Captain Scarlet?

Quite honestly I hate ALL computer software.... Every package has problems, they ALL crash. I chose LightWave for this show because of the schedule and the high level of quality required by the show's producer, Gerry Anderson. Gerry's vision is a stylish, but photo-realistic world. This show is NOT animation in the traditional sense of the word... People who come from the traditional cel animation world have a way that they like to do things. Gerry wants a show that's more like simulated live action, so he is using live action directors, and live action designers and storyboarders.