Software Quality Assurance & Maya Specialist, Animation Production Technology, Dreamworks Animation SKG (formerly Dreamworks SKG)

Responsibilities:

• Authoring, maintaining, and executing automated test suites (primarily Python) to ensure Maya stability for various film productions in active R&D environments.
• Software Quality Assurance testing, triage, and evaluation of core proprietary and third party animation tools.
• Coordination, support, and standardization of Maya within feature film production needs.
• Prioritizing new Maya feature development with the Autodesk Custom Engineering office in Santa Barbara.
• Defining Maya problems, workarounds, and solutions for production artists.
• Testing internal proprietary and third party 3d animation software packages, as well as associated hardware.
• Facilitating solutions with internal development as well as 3rd party vendors Autodesk (Formerly Alias), nVidia, HP and Red Hat.
• Linkedin page

1998 - 2002

Quality Assurance Product Specialist for Maya, Alias Systems (formerly Alias|Wavefront,) Santa Barbara, Ca. In 2003, Maya won an Oscar for scientific and technical achievement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Responsibilities:
Authoring and executing test plans for Maya software and hardware; authoring and publishing qualification pages; defining application feature user view requirements, oversight and education of interns; describing software problems and verifying solutions with developers both internal and external to the company; individual and team production testing of Maya; verifying readiness of software for release engineering process; customer issue escalation participation and resolution.

Quality Assurance Projects at Alias|Wavefront:
Maya 1.0 IRIX, Maya 1.0 (Windows NT port), Maya 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 Trax Nonlinear Animation, 3.0.1 (Linux port), 4.0, Maya 3.5 (Mac OS X port), Maya Personal Learning Edition, Maya 4.5.

Maya Skills:
Polygonal and NURBS modeling, Rendering/IPR, MEL, Cloth, Particle Dynamics, Rigid Body Dynamics, Expressions, Paint Effects. Examples in the Gallery.

Kung Fu Panda - Software Quality Assurance
Bee Movie - Software Quality Assurance
Shrek the Halls - Software Quality Assurance (Unlisted)
Shrek The Third - Software Quality Assurance
Flushed Away -Software Quality Assurance / Triage
Over the Hedge -Software Quality Assurance / Triage
First Flight - Modeler
Madagascar - Software Quality Assurance / Triage
Kelso Loco - Director, Digital Effects Artist
Shark Tale - Software Quality Assurance / Triage
Shrek 2 - Glendale Animation Technology (DVD only)
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas - Software Quality Assurance / Triage
(IMDb)

Madagascar 2
Monters vs. Aliens
How to Train your Dragon
Shrek 4

3D - Maya 1.0 - 2008 (x32 & x64) on IRIX, Linux, Windows and OSX.
2D - Photoshop
Compositing - After Effects, Shake
Web Page Authoring - Dreamweaver
Number Crunching - Excel

Languages:

• MEL (Maya Embedded Language) for automated build methods and runtime 3d manipulations in Maya.
• Python - Automated regression testing and Maya execution
• C++, Assembler for IBM TPF facility mainframes while maintaining core seat inventory software of United Airline's 'Apollo' reservation system.

FAA issued Commercial Pilot License - Glider/Sailplane rating. Most recent Biennial review completed 26-MAR-2005, currency valid to 26-MAR-2007. Geoff Larkin CFIG, Instructor. 1029 flights, 360 hours as of July 2005.

• Photos of Gliding.
  
• Photos of me Gliding in Santa Ynez, California.

USHGA issued Paragliding License - P3 rating. Rob Sporrer, Instructor 153 flights, 29 hours as of August 2005.

• About Paragliding
• Movies of me Paragliding at Don Pedro Lake, California
  

National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)

• Wind River Wilderness Course, Wyoming, 30 days.
• Cascade Wilderness Course, Washington, 30 days.

Soaring Society of America
United States Hang Gliding Association