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I am a self-motivated, fast-learning and broad-skilled Technical Artist specializing in procedural content solutions. I also enjoy creating tools and pipelines that free up artists to be creative while enhancing visual quality, reducing bugs and reducing costs. |
Skills and proficiencies: |
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3d Studio Max, Photoshop, MaxScript, Powershell, C#,
javascript, Havok, Maya, HLSL (writing custom code and node based editors),
modeling, texturing, rigging and animation, procedural geometry, special
effects, build systems (MSBuild in particular), audio engineering,
understanding and translating complex systems, basic Python,
basic lua |
Microsoft Game Studios |
2000 - 2012 |
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Cog in the Machine |
July 2012 |
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- Lead designer, Audio design and engineer, Audio programming for
2 week Windows 8 app – javascript and HTML 5
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Technical Art Lead for Flight Game Studio |
2009 - 2012 |
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- Prototyped and helped develop a procedural content system that enabled high-fidelity, hugely variable content with very low performance cost
- Worked closely with the art director and art leads to prototype and develop the look and feel of shaders in Flight
- Created and maintained an art production pipeline in 3ds Max using MaxScript and dotnet integration with internal tools and libraries
- Created additional tools in C# and powershell, including a Photoshop Dashboard using C# and Photoshop COM
- Created course content and training for 3rd party developers as well as created an external environment that helped enable vendors to use our full internal toolset and build system
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Technical Art Lead for Aces Game Studio |
2006 - 2009 |
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- Created and documented the external 3d art pipeline SDK, enabling an add-on community of thousands
- Researched, developed and prototyped new visuals and technologies
- Created and maintained a multi-title art production pipeline in 3ds Max using MaxScript with dotnet integration and the Max SDK
- Sole special effects artist for the studio
- Helped staff up a technical art team of 4 people
- Gold Star award recipient in 2009
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Animation Wrangler for Forza Motorsport 2 |
2006 |
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- Edited and looped mocap animation as well as hand animating new loops for crowds
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Technical Art Lead for Flight Simulator X |
2004 - 2006 |
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- Created technical art team and maintained art production pipeline in 3ds Max
- Managed external vendors who created over 1000 assets
- Managed the technical art and animation teams
- Developed an internship program with the Art Institutes of Seattle and Denver which benefitted both the students and the studio
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Environment Art Lead for Flight Simulator 2004 |
2002 - 2004 |
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- Helped with concept, development and created all art tools for industry-standard, real-time cloud and weather system
- Managed production of thousands of assets
- Responsible for look and feel of environments for Flight
Simulator 2004
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Environment Consultant for Combat Flight Simulator 3 |
2001 - 2003 |
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Environment Artist Combat Flight Simulator 2 and Flight
Simulator |
2000 - 2001 |
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Crave Entertainment |
1997-1999 |
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Environment and animation artist for Shadow Madness |
1997 - 1999 |
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- Created pre-rendered background images using Power Animator
- Researched and prototyped the 3ds Max animation pipeline
- Animation for world characters and battle sequences
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Siggraph : "User Created Content for
Video Games" |
2008 |
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Panel member for a discussion about games that have user generated content |
The Game Developer’s Conference : "The Make Art Button:
Batches, Actions and Scripts" |
2006 |
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Two hour lecture about using the tools that you have to spend more time iterating in the creative realm and less time doing manual labor |
Aces Developer’s Conference : "Best Practices in
Creating Content" |
2007 & 2008 |
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Lectures on creating efficient and performant art for the Flight Simulator engine and platform |
Art Institute of Seattle Internship coordinator for
Flight Simulator X |
2004 - 2007 |
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- Helped coordinate interneship program for students
- Regular guest lecturer on creating game assets
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Digipen : MaxScript Lecture |
2004 |
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Lectured on the basics of MaxScript, how to use it, where to apply it and what can be done with it |
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The Evergreen State College : Bachelor of Arts |
1993 - 1995 |
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- Senior Thesis: Hammerhands: A Brown Comedy. (Writer / Director
/ Set Designer) - Full length play performed in the studio
theater.
- Studied multitrack composition.
- Performed on the Evergreen
compilation CD.
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Carnegie Mellon University : Theater Studies for
Directing |
1991 - 1993 |
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- I enjoy building and playing my own drums, percussion and electronic instruments.
- I once directed and acted in an Off-Broadway play.
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