Robin Hoover
Robin Hoover, also known as Moosedog is a regular here on SpinQuad and several other Lightwave websites. His design style, technique and eye for lighting are excellent and have earned him respect from his colleagues over the years. Born In Philadelphia and now living in Vermont he speaks to us about his life and his art.
http://www.mdogstudios.com/index.html
By Paul "PabloGrca" Hutchens
SQ – Tell us a little bit about yourself, where were you born? When did you become interested in art or computers?
Born and raised near Philadelphia, PA, I now live in Stowe, VT. Currently doing a little bit of everything. That's how we survive in Vermont!. Small scale web design, 3d "stuff", father and professional chef pretty much covers everything. My first interest in computers was when IBM aired those Charlie Chaplin commercials waaayyyy back when (just to date myself for you guys!). I remember endlessly annoying my mom: "If you got one of those, right now!, you could find all your recipes in one place". That went over like a lead balloon, but it didn't kill my inner geek. Art in computers came much later, maybe about 4-5 years ago, but it's now a passion that won't die :).
SQ – Web design, 3D, professional chef and probably most time consuming but with greater rewards, father. I’m guessing with all the great snow resorts there in Vermont that finding work as a professional chef comes fairly easy; is there a big market for 3d and web design there in Stowe as well? The only thing big in Vermont are the mountains! The serious answer is that there is a livable market, i.e. enough activity swirling around the state from which to earn money with Lightwave. Honestly though, the web is much more important in that sense, not just here but for all of us in terms of promoting oneself.
SQ – Tell us a little bit about your background in 3D? I started out at an enthusiast level, creating mods for a racing simulation. The initial "Wow, isn't this cool!" flowed into a more detailed exploration of what exactly was involved in the 3d world, it's software, it's communities, it's theories, it's practice.
Being the thorough type, I tried all the demos I could find, and eventually settled on Lightwave as the application I would invest in. For me it had the easiest learning curve, without sacrificing the hardcore features that define the 3d software market.
At the end of the day, most people don't care what software package you use, only that your art meets a certain need, evokes a certain reaction. That is a larger and more difficult education and learning process, but rewarding enough to keep me going.
I'm entirely self-taught, though it is safe to say that the internet taught me. The on-line Lightwave community is mainly to blame :), both for being so passionate and sharing. Sitting in my office here, I've got the world's largest research library right at my fingertips!
