I thought I was going to be an engineer.
Then a trebuchet launched me into the world of computer graphics at the largest restaurant supply empire in America:
Table of Contents
Virtual Photography
I was responsible for modeling and texturing hero assets.
Click on an image to view its product page.
Augmented Reality
Source assets for virtual photography now get auto-converted for real-time delivery.
Click on a model to view its product page, then click the 3D thumbnail to view it in-browser or in AR.
Customizables
Shoppers can interactively customize models in their web browsers.
Click on a model to view its product page, then click “Customize & Add to Cart” to add your logo in real-time
Technical Art
Selected projects, workshops, and workflow improvements
Standardizing Content Creation
July-present 2024
Our 3D department is growing rapidly. Conventions that used to work when we were a small team have not held up at our current scale of production.
Thus, I created standard frameworks for content creation in order to streamline and accelerate production.
Naming Conventions
I developed a syntax structure to ensure consistency between assets and artists.
Documentation Platform
One platform to rule them all. Our new MkDocs site is a single-source of truth.
Directory Layouts
I engineered a folder structure to standardize asset storage.
3D for Stylists
August-September 2024
Our first lesson in which we explored fundamentals of asset browsing and transformations.
A student’s render of their stylized cube diorama.
Transmogrifier
July 2023
Transmogrifier is a Blender addon I developed for batch converting 3D files and associated textures into other formats.
Boasting a robust, non-destructive set of tools for automatically optimizing delivery assets, Transmogrifier saves our team thousands of dollars annually.
In this workshop, I pitched to my 3D department how this addon is a more reliable, powerful, and flexible replacement to our previous workflow.
Our team officially adopted Transmogrifier in production last September.
3D for Designers
May-June 2023
My manager needed to teach an introductory course for our in-house graphic designers. He wanted them to learn the basics of Blender and explore ways they could use our team’s models for digital marketing, print marketing, and product documentation.
There was only a slight problem: he didn’t know how to use Blender at the time.
So, I showed him the ropes and collaborated to craft a “3D for Designers” course, which I helped facilitate as his teacher’s assistant.
Session 1
Basic navigation, glTF import, HDR lighting, and rendering with Cycles.
A student’s render of a Galaxy mixer.
Session 2
Object transformation, UV unwrapping, basic texturing, and lighting.
A student’s render of Acopa plates.
Session 3
Line art creation from models through Blender’s grease pencil system.
A student’s composite of an LT&S chair.
Customizables
May 2023
It had been years since our “Customizables” workflow had been documented. All expertise was locked inside the minds of myself and my team lead.
I wrote comprehensive documentation as a universal guide for Max, Maya, and Blender, then trained three team members during a workshop on the subject.
etc.
Additional contributions I’ve made to our 3D Team workflows.
Reference Boards
My individual habit of gathering image references in PureRef grew into a team-wide standard. Modelers, render artists, managers, and QC now shares a single, central .pur file for each virtual photography project.
Geometry Nodes
A coworker and I developed a simple, automated process of modeling and rendering gaskets via Blender's geometry nodes for our team's compositor, who now does the whole process on their own.
Camera Matching
With fSpy + Blender, I improved an existing workflow for compositing renders of PVC sink drains into staged photography. Now our compositor does the whole process on their own, which used to be a collaborative effort.
Conferences
I relish opportunities to travel, learn, and connect with other professionals.
SIGGRAPH 2023
Los Angeles, California
I learned much about glTF, OpenUSD, DevOps, and interactivity during my first SIGGRAPH ever.
Check out my notes below.
Click on the image to zoom in or download. Open the image in a new tab for more control.
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Book Club
A welcome diversion from the daily routine, the Design & Media Book Club reads many excellent titles.
I mind mapped two of my favorites.