Student Spotlight: Scott Ryan Talks 3D Animation

April 18th, 2009 | admin

When Scott Ryan was growing up, he would visit his father’s office and watch him experimenting with early 3D programs like VistaPro. “My earliest memories of 3D graphics are of me sitting on the floor next to my father’s chair, watching the line-by-line rendering of computer generated landscapes,” recalls Ryan, an art student who both lives and attends school in the College Area. “I called out requests of what to do next and he indulgently moved the camera through the virtual map or added a new river.”

“I know this is not a sophisticated program by today’s standards,” says Ryan, a media arts student at Platt College.. “But the idea that I could recreate things from my own imagination began then.”

Today, Ryan is studying 3D animation and graphic design technology, such as Maya, MotionBuilder, Boujou, After Effects, Photoshop and ZBrush. Ryan has also earned his bachelors of science in physics from Arkansas Tech University, where he was on the Dean’s List and in the Honors Society. Later, he served as a teaching assistant at Notre Dame University. His work will be on display at the Mission Valley branch of the San Diego Public Library through the spring.

“The technology grows exponentially, and each year, artists are able to create more dynamic and life-like work,” says Meg Leiker, President of Platt College. “It is exciting to see students like Scott expressing their artistic vision and creating professional quality design.”

Platt College opened its doors in San Diego nearly thirty years ago, providing the first computer graphic department in San Diego. Today, the purposefully small media arts school offers 300 students bachelor of science, associate of applied science and diploma programs in such fields as graphic design, 3D animation, digital video production and web design and development.

Published 4/18/09 by the Mission Times Courier

Written by Jennifer Coburn