Shawn Olson
Art was always around me growing up. My father Donald Olson was a multi-talented wildlife artist whose skills and insight greatly influenced me over the years. Dad was a beautiful man full of love and compassion--and I try to share with my family, friends and fellows the joy of nature he shared with me for decades. Dad, along with his best friend Harold Pennington, deeply affected my approach to life. My other great influences have been John Dewey, Thomas Jefferson, Carl Sagan, Bruce Lee, Michael Jordan, Stephen Covey and Robert Fulghum.
I've spent most of my adult life working as a freelance writer, photographer, web developer and 3D artist/programmer. I spent nearly three years as a staff writer for the Columbus Messenger Newspapers. After that I spent a decade developing database-driven web applications; since 2010 my main focus has been developing 3D scripts and plugins for 3ds Max. I'm most widely known for developing Wall Worm for 3ds Max.
When I try to describe myself, phrases like "jack-of-all-trades", "inquisitive" and "analytical" come to mind. Trying to learn something creative and new everyday is one of my little quirks... as is trying to teach something to others.
I am the father of five kids.
My professional experience includes journalism, 3D (design, programming), photography, web design, graphic design and web programming.
If asked what my most important characteristics are, my answer would be as follows: I am very diverse in interest and understanding, and I have a well-refined ability to bring together seemingly unconnected fields to find solutions and innovations. I am naturally skeptical, analytical and inquisitive.
My mission in life is to to learn as much as I can in the time I have; to raise warm and intelligent children; to leave something of value for this world that wasn't there before I came along.
My Professional Skills
- 3D Generalist
- I have been dabbling in 3D since around 1998. I've built several maps for the game Counter-Strike and now focus on building levels and models for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Black Mesa. Since 2015 I've been a technical artist for the game Black Mesa. In 2016, Autodesk gave me Expert Elite status. Some of the software I've become expert in include:
- Web Development
- The majority of my work between 2003-2012 was web development. I have experience in every facet of web development, from the back end to the front end. A list of specific skills:
- XHTML/HTML5
- CSS
- JavaScript
- Flash
- Flex
- ActionScript
- PHP
- MySQL
- Web Graphics
- Journalism
- I was a beat reporter for a few years. My articles have appeared in magazines and newspapers in the Ohio region. Some of the publications:
- Now It's Dark Magazine
- CMH Lifestyle
- Melt
- Columbus Messenger
- Photography
- I have been photographing my entire adult life. I started on 35mm but moved to digital cameras in 2001. Over a thousand of my photos have appeared in newspapers, magazines and college textbooks. I currently shoot with a Canon 6D Mark II.
Other Skills
- Cartooning
- Although I've been paid for a few cartoons, I don't consider it a professional skill as it's mainly a hobby.
- Maze-Making
-
I've always loved drawing mazes. It's mainly just a hobby. Some mazes I've made have made their way onto apparel, live theatre promotions and even the cover of the Sandiego Reader.
What's on my mind...
Moving to Montreal
I took a job in Montreal to work as a Product Owner for 3ds Max.
The Catheterized Cat

Cartoon about what can happen when you don't listen well.
Adventures with Chris































Slideshow of Photos and a little about my cousin and dear friend Chris Himes, who died on April 26, 2019.
Reflections and Infections
An essay about the need for more philosophy (love of wisdom) in an age of growing xenophobia.
But Words Will Never Hurt Me
Editorial on negativity and entitlement amongst online communities.
A Little About John Dalmas























A short overview of the life of my friend John Dalmas.
Education in the Digital Age
Essay on education in the modern digital age.
Updating Custom Attributes to use AttribID
Discussion on using attribID in custom attributes inside 3ds Max, including pros, cons and solutions.
Crazy Neighbor





A little story about a crazy neighbor.
Selecting a Percentage of a Collection Randomly in MAXScript
Example MAXscript for collecting random subsets of an array based on a percentage.
Wrong Side of Bed

Cartoon about people with negative outlooks.
Passion and Humility
Some thoughts on passion and humility.
Chris Graduates



















Photos of Christian Pugh, who graduated in June 2015.
The Dreaded -1.#IND
A solution for DOT products of two normals that result in -1.#IND when passed to acos().
Fix for OpenCart Error: The security header is not valid
A solution for the error 'The security header is not valid' in OpenCart when using PayPal Express Checkout.
Later Dude




















Cringe Bassist Ryan Butcher has died.
Everton Henrique Balduino
Jul 11, 2006
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Crys Latham
Jun 26, 2006
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