Acknowledgments

This is my first technical book, and I am grateful for all the professional guidance and support I received from the amazing Sybex team: Mariann Barsolo, acquisitions editor, for believing in the concept and helping to define the content of this book; Gary Schwartz, development editor, for his expert editorial direction, patience, and encouragement throughout the project; Jon McFarland, technical editor, for his uncanny ability to ferret out and correct my mistakes; Tiffany Taylor, copy editor; and the numerous unsung heroes behind the scenes at Sybex. My thanks to Sue Olinsky for making the introductions at Wiley that led to this project—I still owe you a dinner!

This book would not have been possible without the devotion and support of my wife Cathleen, who gave up many weekends to help me clarify concepts and wrestle my ungainly writing into readable prose.

I also extend my gratitude to three faithful readers who gave me feedback throughout the process: Lawrence Kaplan, Barclay Shaw, and Stephen Youll. Devoting the time to slog through a buddy’s book is a test of friendship, and you are all true friends.

I want to acknowledge people who read individual chapters and provided their expert feedback: Craig Barron, Harrison Ellenshaw, and Eric Reinfeld.

Also, thanks to the individuals and companies that provided photographs and reference materials included on the DVD: Walton Dornisch, Ron Lyons Jr. of great-castles.com, Tomas Babinec of environment-textures.com, Simon Morse of 3dtotal.com, and Marcel Vijfwinkel of cgtextures.com.

Big thanks to Michele Moen, Eric Chauvin, and Dylan Cole for agreeing to be profiled in this book.

Finally, my deepest gratitude to the matte painting students at the School of Visual Arts and Pratt Institute—you make every semester an adventure!