Derald Hunt

Derald Hunt has been a digital effects artists for over fourteen years. Derald is a versatile 3D animator who enjoys a successful career in both film and broadcast. He is able to solve a variety of production challenges in all areas of Maya. Derald is the co-author of a new training DVD for Alias and continues to work on materials that help the 3D animation community grow.

Derald's most notable film projects are effects for the two Xmen movies, the two ride films The Adventures of Spiderman in 3D and Corkscrew Hill, and the animated short Little Miss Spider. Derald is the Animation Director at Turner Studios and works with teams of animators who consistently win many of the highest awards in the broadcast design industry each year.

Q. How did you get involved in the computer graphics industry?
A. I clearly remember the first time I saw a 3D software package in action. I was a part owner and the creative director of a large screen print company in North Carolina when I was invited to a Christmas party at a local post production facility. I saw a short demonstration on how to create a transparent martini glass with an olive in it and just about passed out. I was completely stunned for days...OK, weeks. I could hardly concentrate on anything except how cool the world of 3D computer graphics was. I immersed myself in anything I could find having to do with 3D. I read magazines, bought videotapes, and looked into the purchase of any 3D software available.

Most importantly, I made numerous phone calls to people in the industry trying to learn as much as possible about it. I am eternally grateful to everyone who took ten minutes of their time to talk to me. My skills were heavy on the creative side and less so on the technical side so computer graphics was rather intimidating to me.

I had 12 years invested in United Screen Printers but after months of research, made the decision to sell out my interest in the company and follow my desire to work in 3D. In 1988 there were few, if any, 3D computer graphics classes available. I had to beg, borrow, and steal time on any of the few machines in the area to teach myself. After about six months of working on a few systems after hours, I was fortunate enough to have Richard Aldridge offer me a position at Catwalk Post in Charlotte, North Carolina working on Alias Power Animator version 2.4.2. I haven't worked a day since... I've been getting paid to play for the last 14 years.

Q. How do you use Maya software?
A. I am more of a creative guy. My background is in design and illustration. As a result I use Maya as a creative artists tool. Maya is one of the industry's most diverse and flexible tools to help artists express themselves.

Q. What projects have you worked on?
A. I have been fortunate throughout my career to be able to work with teams of people in both the broadcast and film industry. On the broadcast side it's a little hard to point out specific projects. At Turner Studios we crank out dozens of great looking projects each year.

We support all of the Turner Networks so we can be working on character animation for Cartoon Network one week, then building a new sports package for the NBA, MLB or NASCAR the next. We have to be able to change gears fast and adapt to the style of the different networks like Turner Classic Movies, TNT, CNN... and so on. We're never on a project long enough for it to get boring.

I guess some of the more notable projects in broadcast have been Toonami and Miguzi for Cartoon Network. Our team at Turner Studios wins dozens of awards each year. Because the range is so vast it makes it hard to make a list.

On the film side, I have enjoyed a great relationship with Kleiser-Walczak for the past seven years and have worked on a few ride films, The Adventures of Spiderman in 3D and Corkscrew Hill as well as effects for Xmen, Xmen2 and most recently, effects for The Son of Mask due out next year.

Q. What makes this industry so exciting to you?
A. You can never learn it all. I don't care who you are; there is always something new to learn. It may be from some paper recently written or from some green student at a users group meeting. This industry is so vast that there is an inexhaustible supply of new tools to learn and new software to explore.

There are so many challenges out there waiting to push people in new directions where we have never been before. It will always continue to grow and we as users are the driving force behind the direction it takes.

Q. Where do you see the industry going in the next five years?
A. It is very exciting to see the price of hardware come down and the performance go up. This development in the industry helps us all do better work, faster. Broadcast will be completely redefined and be full of new challenges as it transitions to High Definition (HD). Games will be able to process faster and handle more detail in motion, effects and rendering. As this industry also pushes into the HD realm, I feel like we have only scratched the surface of the advancements that we are about to witness.

Q. What words of wisdom do you have for anyone interested in entering the world of 3D computer graphics?
A. Remember that you can always achieve better product if you work as a team. There is power and knowledge in numbers.

You have to have passion to achieve your fullest potential. Don't wait for somebody to call you up and hand you cool work on a silver platter. You have to go out there and make it happen.

Don't complain. Everybody in our industry has to work hard and put in crazy hours. It's the price we pay to have a job that we love.

Be humble. Just as you think you might be doing groundbreaking work, somebody is out there raising the bar just out of your reach.

Respect the words and work of others. You can never be too sure who your supervisor will be a few years down the road.