First of all I wants to thank the whole community for all those big help and support. I have found the last two years some special new persons and friends and it would be fun to meet them any time personally. Thanks folks. Renderosity: Who is robert.sharkey? About me, my whole life I was fascinated by everything which is fantasy-related. I collected all tin-leaded fantasy-figures I could found, especially all Elves. Most of them where converted and painted individually, because I'm not abble to leave them as they came out of the box. Now I'm 37 and I can't resist to collect all those fantasy-stuff. It's so fun after a hard day as Chief Technical engineer in a cable-company to come at home and to continue to be a boy while playing with my son a warhammer-game or Magic the Gathering. I hope I would never become a 100% adult and keep my chieldish fantasys. There's one thing I have learned from our so beloved children Steven and Vivian, as long as we believe we can do it, we don't have to give up and at end we do it. My slogan now is: Believe on yourself and you will reach at any time the experience to do it. Renderosity: How long have you have you been rendering? In 1998 as I searched for a new desktop-wallpaper I found the site of David A. Runyon and was impressed what everything is possible in 3D. This was the initiall ignition to take a closer look to 3D-Art. About a search trough Metacrawler I then found Renderosity and was impressed about the sheer mass of info and freebies. Run the next day into the biggest book-librarie in Zich and purchased Poser. But not long as it was with those tin-leaded figures, I wanted to create my own things. Started with painting clothes on the standard-templates but was never really satisfyed. Because with it there's to much limitations. Then we had a party with some other familys and a friend told me that his company changes their software from 3D-Studio MAX to AutoCAD. I ask him, "hey what are you doing whit those old MAX1.2-Version ?". He told me that he can give it to me, because they hadn't no longer use of it. You can believe me, my evening was solved. With this old MAX1.2 I created my first props which the best I think from this time was the Giger-stuff. Now when i take a look on them i see what can be done better, but I will leave them as they are. Let's say just a little bit of nostalgia. For me they woukld never be the same when I changed em. Renderosity: What software do you use and why? As MAX1.2 had given me some limitations especially in organic-modelling I was impressed what can be done in Rhino. First I downloaded a 30day-demo and tryed it out, with all the great help from the Rhino-forum here and especially from Spike soon i was abble to create thing which I never could do with MAX. All my things from the last 1and a half year where created in Rhino and Poser4. One year ago, I think, I wanted to create my own clothings. The ones who help me most by answer all my questions trough messages here and mails was Steve Shanks and PhilC. Thanks a lot for staying there and allways give your helping hand. And then there was this great Tutorial from Styxx which was written the way I could follow with ease. Thanks Styxx. For creating the needed Textures I use first UVMapper to create the Templates and assigne materials. Then in PhotoImpact I create the textures itself. But i confess, creating textures isn't my most beloved thing. Renderosity: What are you currently working on? For the moment I'm not really working in 3D. Dalinise is in the stage to convert all my latest items to self-installing EXE-files which i recognized first on her pieces and beloved so. Thanks really much Dalinise. At the same time I'm in the process to collect the needed info and material for my next pieces. Since a long time I wanted to modell some fashion-style clothes, I decided to do some of the well known Italian fashion-designers. I have found some I like and hope in the next days to start again with modelling of them. Now a short sidestep, it's a recall of all those talented 3D-hairstylist: Please, please create some fashion-style hairs. Most of the time I doesn't plan months before, but the next thing I got in mind is to create a hugh Ice-palace. And well, at anytime I will start this Smilodon (Sabre-Tooth Tiger) I dream on. Renderosity: Why do you like 3D art? It gives me the chance to bring my fantasys to life. But what I most like where the images which much more talented people then me create with my stuff. Renderosity: What inspires you? I can't exactly say what inspires me. It's shure all fantasy-related comics and especially the art of H.R.Giger and Dorian Cleavenger. In most cases I walk trough life, see something and think: "Hey this would be fun to model and see as a 3D-Image" Renderosity: How has this online community (Renderosity) enhanced your work, relationships, and learning? I have met here a lot of generous people who always had given their time and teached about their experience. I also learned a lot whyle taking a closer look on how all those fantastic stuff is made. It's fun to stay here not only for 3D-art, but here where some people which I'm proud to say friends. In physical life, people behold their experience. Here at the Community it's completelly the other way, everybody takes the time to share all their experience. I have read 3 books for 3D-Studio MAX and one for Rhino, but all of them only explains general things. They don't give you a workflow, and that's what I like here. If you have a problem, the Community gives always more then one answer. And that's what makes it special. Thanks folks and keep on going this wonderful spirit. Never limit yourself. Robert aka SHARKEY