For software, Crane says he uses just about everything Adobe makes (Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, et.) and most commercial-grade 3D animation packages and translators. He tries to let the project dictate what software tool is best. "I'm highly familiar with most applications and have a pretty good sense of when one provides an advantage over another on a given assignment."

Although Crane puts a high value on passion and artistic training; he admits you have to be a bit of a geek to stay on top of the latest technologies. "I'm addicted to learning new software," Crane says. "So I'm always experimenting, looking for faster, better ways of accomplishing the mundane, repetitive tasks so I can spend more time creating, experimenting and getting to the fun part of the projects."

Faster systems will decreased rendering times and increase the productivity of the digital artist. Being able to quickly create a variety of project versions gives the artist, and occasionally the client, multiple options to choose from. Crane says, "Faster computers allow you to try more things in less time, and pick the best version."

Crane wants to grow his business, but says increasingly many of his peers are independent contractors and freelancers who collaborate on projects as needed. Over the years, he has built a reliable, trustworthy pool of talent any one of us is able to bring to bare on any project the other needs help with. "With resources like this, the liability of employees seems a unnecessary," Crane says.

As it is Crane, often sends drafts and files to collaborators and clients over the Internet, as if they worked in the same office using a local area network. For finished products, most files are still burned onto a disc and sent overnight. "Sometimes it helps to save that extra day FTP'ing allows just to tweak it a little more," Crane says, "but FedEx is my most important bill each month."