Dariush Derakhshani is a Creative Director and Head of CG for Radium|ReelFX - Santa Monica, a creative and design studio with offices in Dallas, Texas; San Francisco; and Santa Monica, California. Dariush has been working in CG for over twelve years and teaching classes in CG and effects production for close to ten. He is the best-selling author of a handful of books, including the popular Introducing Maya series. Dariush started using CAD software in his architecture days, then migrated to using 3D programs when his firm’s principal architects needed to show their clients design work on the computer. Starting with Alias PowerAnimator version 6, which he encountered when he enrolled in the University of Southern California Film School’s Animation program, Dariush has been using Alias animation software for the past twelve years. He received an M.F.A. in Film, Video, and Computer Animation in 1997 from USC. Dariush also holds a B.A. in Architecture and Theatre from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and worked at a New Jersey architecture firm before moving to L.A. for film school. He has worked on feature films, music videos, and countless commercials as a 3D animator, CG lead, and sometimes compositor. He is bald and has flat feet.