To combine technical skills with a passion for 3D art creation to be an effective bridge between art and tech teams.
Background
My goals in the industry have been to be a well-balanced mix of technical ability and aesthetic sense, and to contribute to visual quality, performance, and problem solving. My educational background includes both a bachelor's in Computer Science and a master's in Digital Media where I studied 3D art creation, animation, and game development art pipelines.
Titles I've worked on:
- Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (released)
- Blitz: the League II (released)
- The Wheelman (released)
- This is Vegas (2009)
Some of my skills:
- 3-D art pipeline tools, and modeling / rigging / setup
- Unreal Engine, Maya, 3D Studio Max, Zbrush, Photoshop
Problem: Dozens of characters needed multiple LOD (level of detail) meshes for in-game performance.
Solution: A script that automatically generates all needed LOD meshes starting from the base mesh, saving 100+ hours of modelling time
LOD Mesh Auto Generator tool for Blitz: the League II
PoseBlender is a very flexible tool that allows any number of poses to be stored and blended between on either a full skeleton or parts of it. The poses can be stored to the shelf and pulled back up later. It can also be used in hand animation as an alternative or a complement to set-driven keys. Written in Mel.
PoseBlender tool for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Problem: The existing exporter lacked flexibility, exporting by hand was arduous and time consuming for artists
Solution: A custom vehicle exporter script that gives more flexibility to the artists and greater control over what gets exported and how
Custom vehicle exporter for This is Vegas
Problem: As updated versions of art assets were made, 100+ art assets has to be repeatedly exported
Solution: A batch automation script that allows the user to input exactly which files to export automatically
Custom batch exporter for Blitz: the League II
Problem: Blitz characters were composed of body parts as separate meshes, sometimes the weighting where the edges come together could be inconsistent
Solution: A tool that automatically finds where meshes meet and makes the weighting the same to avoid tearing
Fix Seam Weights Tool
Problem: Different permutations of each clothing asset was needed for a CAP system
Solution: A script that automatically generates the larger versions using body blendshapes
Clothing Permutation Script for Unannounced Prototype
Rigging / Setup
This facial setup done by me, with the help of Mel scripting to enhance automation. (Rig by Tony Lewellen)
Facial setup for "The Wheelman"
-Dynamics on hair and tail, using Maya hair follicles to drive the joint chains
-FK/IK blending on the legs, and "reverse hoof" setup
-FK/IK switch on the arms, and set-driven keys to control the hands
-IK Spline on the horse spine
-FK human spine with set driven keys
Centaur Rig
-IK spline driven spine
-IK/FK switch for arms, forearm twist, set driven keys on hands
-IK/FK blending for legs, with twist
-Reverse foot setup
-Facial setup
Human Male Rig
Rigging and animation was done by me to simulate environment destruction. The physics was simulated in Maya. Optimizing collisions was also important for smooth movement around the environment, especially over destroyed buildings. The particle and decal effects are also by me.
Environment rigging, animation and collisions for independent game Master Plan
Unreal Engine / Kismet Scripting
A game prototype was developed by my team, the Central 3D group. I was responsible for the unreal technology, art pipeline, and Kismet scripting to drive gameplay. I was also responsible for optimizing environment collisions and pathing so the AI could behave appropriately.
Unannounced prototype developed using the Unreal Engine
Kismet was used extensively to prototype gameplay aspects such as arcade-style, unrelenting action counter-balanced by rescue and survival objectives.
Kismet scripts implemented by me to drive the gameplay
