Husband tag

So, my friend Tiffany tagged me on her blog. Usually, I pretend not to notice things like blog tags and email forwards, but I've been meaning to post something like this anyway. To show my rebellion, I've decided not to answer the questions in the tag. Instead, I made up my own. I'm sure you'll thank me in the end ;)


Interview with Chris

N:What do you do for a living?

Chris: I work for Dreamworks in the undefined* department writing shaders and finding out what the surfacing department needs so they can make things look better. I've also done texture synthesis and anti aliasing.
*I don't really have a department or a manager. I just make up things and pretend to be busy. I even had to decide when my last day would be, and inform the accountant that I was leaving. I sit with the research and development department, but I'm not part of them. If they were moved into a different location on campus, I'd be left behind in my corner, and then I'd have to talk to someone in management and have my self moved.

N: What is your job title?

Chris: Shading/effects developer

N: What is texture synthesis?

Chris: The way to generate images based on other images. Like if you have one little picture of grass you can make a pattern that doesn't repeat. Watch the patch-based texture synthesis here.

N: And what is anti aliasing?

Chris: This. In figure (a) there is all sorts of yucky bits and in (b), it has been anti-aliased.

N: What are shaders?

Chris: Programs that make the geometry look real.

N: What do you mean by Geometry?

Chris: characters, ground, rocks, buildings etc.

N: What do you do all day?

Chris: I go to meetings with the lighting department, the Shrek 4 team, and the rendering group. I walk around and talk to people trying to understand their frustrations and what needs to be improved.

N: What do you do after you've collected all your data from everyone?

Chris: I try to figure out how to change the shaders to give better results.

N: What shaders have you improved at Dreamworks?

Chris: Skin, metals, and reflections.

N: How do you improve shaders?

Chris: I look to see how I can make the shading tools easier for the artist to use, to look better and behave more realistically.

N:What movies have you worked on at Dreamworks?

Chris: Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar 2, Monsters vs. Aliens, How to Train your Dragon and Shrek 4.

N:Where would we find your name in the credits?

Chris: I'm currently under “surfacing”--“Global Surfacing.”*
* I have to be sure to ask to be put in the credits. Since I'm not really managed, I don't fall into one of the standard categories, so I can get forgotten if I'm not careful. (see KFP) N: (ya, I'm still sore about that)

N: What exactly is global surfacing?

Chris: It means I work with the surfacing teams for all the shows at Dreamworks, not just one show.

N: Are you excited to start your new job with Pixar?

Chris: I am. I worked with their software when I worked at Digital Domain, and there were some things I never really liked about it. I look forward to having the chance to fix it.

N: What will you be doing there?

Chris: I will be writing shaders, and re-writing shaders that come with Renderman when you buy it. Well, you probably won't buy it as it is really expensive, and doesn't come in handy for word processing or blogging.

N:What will your title be?

Chris: Renderman engineer

N: Will your name be in the credits of Pixar movies?

Chris: Yes, probably

N: Why do you think people call you a genius?

Chris: It's a joke they like to play on me. I think that Paul Schoeni propagated the myth that I was really smart. Or maybe it's because I can usually come up with a way to solve problems.

N: Thank you for the interview.

Chris: You're welcome

See! Wasn't that interesting/informative?
I know I learned a lot!