Summary
I am currently a Character and Animation Technical Director at FuzzyBot, working on multiple aspects of game production. My passion is for facial rigging and I have expertise in pipeline development for character art, customization, rigging, procedural and performance captured facial animation. I enjoy working with artists, animators, programmers and actors to bring real-time characters to life.
Software
Maya, 3DS Max, Motion Builder,
FaceFX, Photoshop, ZBrush
Programming Languages
Python, MEL script, Maxscript
Some experience with C++ and C#
Experience
2022 - PRESENT
Character and Animation Technical Director | FuzzyBot Canada | Toronto, Canada
In this role I am working on many aspects of game production, including Rigging, Animation, and developing animation tech and pipelines for an unannounced project.
2016 - 2021
Character Technical Director | Ubisoft Toronto | Toronto, Canada
I was Senior Technical Director on facial animation and character customization systems. I developed tools and pipelines for character modelling, rigging, customization, face creation and facial animation (for procedural, performance and keyframed face animation). I provided technical direction for artists, animators, riggers, and programmers working on engine, tools, and gameplay, collaborated with project directors, as well as with other teams in Ubisoft’s worldwide technology group and motion capture studios.
2011 - 2016
Character Technical Director | Ubisoft Montreal | Montreal, Canada
As a Senior Character Technical Director I oversaw development and creation of the pipelines used for multiple projects. I oversaw the work of programmers, technical directors, tech artists, and riggers to build content pipelines, tools and engine technologies. I also evaluated and provided feedback on internal and third party software and services, and provided training for facial animators and face riggers on multiple projects.
My first mandate at Ubisoft was developing facial rigging and animation pipelines on Far Cry 3, R&D for performance capture, and creating facial rigs for cinematic characters. Then I moved into developing pipelines for modelling, character creation and customization.
2008 - 2010
Character Technical Artist | Krome Studios | Brisbane, Australia
I was the studio’s Lead Character Technical Artist, building animation tools and pipelines for several projects across all three Krome offices. My primary role was developing and maintaining our modular rigging system and animation pipeline, as well as managing and mentoring a team of riggers and character tech artists. I started this role within the centralized Cinematics Department, before my team joined to a new centralized Tech Art Department to create animation pipelines used across all projects.
2005 - 2008
Character Artist | Krome Studios | Brisbane, Australia
During this time I worked as a Character Artist and Rigger creating character models, textures, rigs for faces, characters, and robots, setting up runtime cloth simulation, and some tools scripting.
Publications
Character Pipeline and Customization System for Far Cry Primal
GDC - Game Developers Conference | 2017
I co-presented this talk about designing and developing a new character modelling and rigging pipeline that allowed artists to work in Max or Maya, and how it integrated with a new character customization system.
Creating Insane Characters for Far Cry 3
Autodesk 3December Event | 2012
I presented a talk about the pipeline for facial rigging and performance capture on Far Cry 3.
Education
Bachelor - Communication Design | Major in Animation
Queensland University of Technology - 2004
Certificate II - Multimedia
Qantm - 2001
Credits
Watch Dogs Legion | Ubisoft Toronto
Technical Direction for everything to do with characters, from art, animation, rigging, as well as tools and engine code for character customization and facial animation. Generally working on the anyone part of Play as Anyone.
Rainfall (feat. Tiana Major9) - Stormzy | Ubisoft Toronto
Character TD for the pipeline used to capture and animate Stormzy for his music video for “Rainfall”, created inside the world of Watch Dogs: Legion
Far Cry: Primal | Ubisoft Montreal
Technical direction for characters and animation. Oversaw creation of new character art and animation pipelines, engine and tools improvements for facial animation, and facial and body rigging.
Unreleased Title | Ubisoft Montreal
Oversaw the development of new character art and animation pipelines. Tools scripting, batch animation retargeting, character rigging and various other R&D initiatives.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon | Ubisoft Montreal
Pipeline support and facial animation R&D.
Far Cry 3 | Ubisoft Montreal
Facial performance capture, facial rigging and retargeting, tools scripting, character technical direction. I rigged the faces of principal characters and developed the facial animation pipeline.
Blade Kitten | Krome Studios
Cinematic animation pipeline development and other technical support for the central cinematics department. Rigging and tools development.
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole | Krome Studios
Facial rigging and blendshapes for cinematics.
Star Wars: Clone Wars: Republic Heroes | Krome Studios
Technical art, rigging, character modelling, cloth setup.
Star Wars: Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels | Krome Studios
Additional character modelling and rigging.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed | Krome Studios
Character modelling, rigging, cloth setup.
Spryo: A New Beginning | Krome Studios
Promotional art, additional character art.