Better late than never... - 3DAllusions

Sphynx · #1 (**permalink**) 08-10-2006, 01:45 PM

Well, seeing as Russell pushed this forum again a short time ago, I suppose that I'd better put something about myself in it.

Sorry if this sounds like a CV, it is actually ripped (and slightly modified) from my online profile.

While I've been coding and into digital art since I was six, I started my professional career about 20 years ago when I joined the UK civil service from leaving a short stint in the RAF. I was one of the few members supporting an entire civil service department's Unix systems, all of which were considered system critical, as well as writing many of the security systems. As a result of various occurences I gained two commedations at the direction of the British Home Secretary (at that point Douglas Hurd).

My first commercial art and applications were written in low-level assembly language when I was 6, a time when I needed to hard-code the vectors in Hex - ooh, fond memories

) then I've worked my way backwards through machine code, forth, C and C++ into the more familiar and now common languages such as Visual Basic and other Visual Studio products, PHP and now REALBasic, which allows me produce single code-base applications for cross-platforms as part of my new company, Esferico.

I've written tutorials for a number of languages and applications, of most internet note being for an online series called 'Blending for the faint hearted', which are acknowledged to have helped students on the right path where other tutorials, books and the application manuals have failed miserably. I'm a member of the CGSociety (Computer Graphics Society) and the BCS (British Computing Society) and currently finalising moves to gain the BCS Chartered IT Practitioner status - I should have it already, but for one minor issue (see last paragraph).

My current endeavours are in my new company (my second since leaving the civil service, the first having been sold last year) which concentrates on one arm in applications for small business, and on the other in a range of digital artwork - at present, mainly architectural visualisation. Our main contracts at present are with spanish construction firms, and we are about to begin our first national advertising campaign in construction related magazines (the first set being "Self-Build and Design" and "Grand Designs")

Despite all of the above, I never went to Uni and I'm currently going about rationalising my experience with academic qualifications. I'm just about into my final year or so of an IT degree and fortunately passing everything with distinctions, and I'm about to start the equivalent in art. Don't know yet, but this may be the start of an architectural degree - I've to decide in the next 6 months or so.

TheAllusionist · #2 (**permalink**) 08-10-2006, 03:00 PM

Great getting to know you, didn't hear mention of a Commodore 64 in there! LOL Wish you the best of luck with your endeavors and new enterpirses

Sphynx · #3 (**permalink**) 08-10-2006, 03:05 PM

'Twas there - but I started on a Vic20

At home, I was Commodore all the way until they went under - and probably even then some as the UK arm was solvent for a lot longer. As a result, I used Imagine, Caligari (now Cinema4D) and Lightwave when they were out on the Amiga.

TheAllusionist · #4 (**permalink**) 08-10-2006, 03:06 PM

I knew it! LOL

pradipta · #5 (**permalink**) 08-10-2006, 08:04 PM

Sphynx, it's great to know you more

Mugan · #6 (**permalink**) 09-03-2006, 03:03 AM

Thanks, yeh really, It is good when people write about their chosen paths through life/work/play it gives pointers to those of us that have it all to do and have no idea where to start

All the best Sphynx!

Da_RoCk · #7 (**permalink**) 09-04-2006, 02:54 AM

Better late than pregnant.... hmmm i mean never.

Thanks for the background of yourself sphynx. atleast we get a peek on how you are behind the monitor.

Sphynx · #8 (**permalink**) 06-02-2007, 05:02 PM

Curiously enough....

I can't believe that its been a good 7 or 8 months since I was in here, but hopefully I'll be back in the frame soon. Never did get that Pyramid finished, but thats because all sorts of things have hit me over the last year or so - not least of which has been college / uni. courses, a silly workload, immenently starting lecturing at a local Univ. (IT) and, oh yeah, welcoming my new daughter into the world (which is the link Da_Rock's post

)

Still very busy, but hopefully I can show some of the work I've been doing over the last year. Most is NDA'd and most has been non-arch viz, so I'll need to dig to find something applicable, or otherwise just start something afresh.

TheAllusionist · #9 (**permalink**) 06-02-2007, 05:15 PM

Sphynx, CONGRATULATIONS on the new addition to the family! Glad to hear things are going well if not busy. And pray tell, what is your daughters name?

Sphynx · #10 (**permalink**) 06-02-2007, 05:47 PM

Thanks Russell.

Samantha Leia Robinson was born 4 weeks premature, and ultimately by emergency C-Section last Tuesday, so shes just over a week old right now (or is that still -3...).

Samantha was my choice; Leia was Veronica's as we wanted a second name that reflected her own heritage. In theory it's Leya (Spanish) but Gallego does not have a 'Y' in the alphabet so it comes out Leia, like Princess Leia.