About the Authors

Randi Lorene Derakhshani is a staff instructor with The Art Institute of California—Los Angeles. She began working with computer graphics in 1992, and was hired by her instructor to work at Sony Pictures Imageworks, where she developed her skills with 3ds Max and Shake, among many other programs. A teacher since 1999, Randi enjoys sharing her wisdom with young talent and watching them develop at The Art Institute. Currently, she teaches a wide range of classes, from Autodesk 3ds Max to compositing with Apple Shake and Adobe After Effects. Juggling her teaching activities with caring for a little boy makes Randi a pretty busy lady.

Dariush Derakhshani is a visual effects supervisor and head of CG with Radium, a creative design and VFX boutique, and a writer and educator in Los Angeles, California, as well as Randi’s husband. Dariush used Autodesk’s AutoCAD software in his architectural days and migrated to using 3D programs when his firm’s principal architects needed to visualize architectural designs in 3D on the computer. Dariush started using Alias PowerAnimator version 6 when he enrolled in USC Film School’s Animation program, and he has been using Alias/Autodesk animation software for the past 14 years. He received an M.F.A. in Film, Video, and Computer Animation from the USC Film School in 1997. He also holds a B.A. in Architecture and Theatre from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. He worked at a New Jersey architectural firm before moving to Los Angeles for film school. He has worked on feature films, music videos, and countless commercials as a 3D animator, as a CG/VFX supervisor, and sometimes as a compositor. Dariush also serves as an editor and is on the advisory board of HDRI 3D, a professional computer graphics (CG) magazine from DMG Publishing.