Motiongate Dubai, Theme Park

[OFFICIAL LINK]

AREA ART DIRECTOR (& VR Specialist)

Motiongate Dubai is currently under construction, to be completed December 2016, part of Dubai Parks & Resorts.

My role involved providing design direction to a variety of park areas, notably the Dreamworks Zone, namely the 'Circus of Madagascar' area. I created sketches, drawings, 3D models, as well as comprehensive VR models to look around the land.

Expanding on the VR related activities, which used both Unreal Engine 4 and an Oculus DK1 and DK2 (2014), I created simulations for the How To Train Your Dragons ride. This involved quickly creating models, textures, and setting up the system to move the user through the unique coaster. Along with other VR examples, this became a critical communication tool for internal teams as well as with our clients and IP holders (Dreamworks, Sony, etc).

Public details remain limited.

Disney Infinity E3 Booth, 2015

In cooperation with Disney Interactive and Ichi Worldwide

ENVIRONMENT (3D) DESIGNER

I helped create the designs for the Disney Infinity 3.0 E3 Booth in 2015. After 3D Prototypes and rapid iterations (involving the different Disney teams, inc. Marvel and Lucas Film), I worked with the show and fabrication teams through installation.

The signature piece,The FIGURE ARCH (shown right) continues to travel to different Disney Infinity events.

SIGGRAPH Conference

Technology, Research, Entertainment Conference

COMMITTEE CHAIR (2015), Subcommittee Producer (2012 - 2014)

As the committee chair for The Studio at the SIGGRAPH 2015 Conference, the role covered several responsibilities, which included planning and execution, building a subcommittee and integrating with the different contractor groups. It was critical to build a fiscally responsible program, and supported through connecting and fostering donor networks. It was at least as critical to build out a program direction that fit within where SIGGRAPH as a community represents and where it's going, which included bringing in world class courses, talks, and hands-on workshops from the best academic and professional institutions around the world.

In previous years, including for both The Studio and Emerging Technologies, I have acted as the Producer on the Subcommittee. Much of this work involved developing a floor-plan for the projects (Studio) and organizing logistical information, including on-site and in advance of the conference with Contributors.

To learn more about The Studio at SIGGRAPH 2015: [GO HERE]

THE RED SEA ASTRARIUM

Concept Design for Theme Park in Jordan

INTERACTION ARCHITECT (Interactive Experience Designer)

Most my time on this project was spent working with a small team to develop initial insights and prototypes for interactive attractions. I supported the development of interactive 3D simulations with Unity and interface prototypes.

PUBLIC DETAILS ARE CURRENTLY LIMITED.      [NEWS LINK].

MORE VIRTUAL REALITY...

 Below you will find more examples of work related to VR.

Virtual Environments with Hardware Simulation

Much of my work in virtual reality involves not only creating the real-time digital environments, but implementing them on hardware systems that allow them to be experienced in deeper and more direct ways.

The images on the right show some of the various digital environments and their integrated simulators, including projection domes, 8DOF Simulators, and more basic driving simulators.

As you’ll see further down, I am also familiar with HMDs, both with magnetic trackers and the more recent Oculus Rift.

I have worked with many different real-time software tools, including modern game engines as well as more professional solutions. I have also honed creating visually compelling real-time 3D content very quickly that can scale in quality based on needs.

VR Prototyping and Interactive Entertainment Experiences

Carnegie Mellon University

DESIGNER and ARTIST

With of 4-5 people, we explored the rapid creation of interactive virtual worlds. To the right are two examples created in less than two weeks each that look at different types of entertainment content for Head Mounted Displays (a modern example is the Oculus Rift). For these examples we also made use of sensors that could track where your head and hands are at in 360 space.

For the example in the top two images, we wanted to test forward locomotion (walking). The challenge is creating an abstraction on how to map that interface that makes at least some sense contextually. This is how we fell into a ‘Zombie’ idea, which embellishes on the typical arms out way they are often represented. Players hold their arms old while moving them up and down to move forward. Players can also grab NPC characters and then ‘eat’ their brains through different movements with the hands and head. We attempted ‘first person eating’ but it became difficult to convey the idea.

The second example is a puzzle game that requires players to look around the 3D world. Players act from the center of the map, with the goal of moving blocks in order to create a path for small characters reach the finish. ‘Grabbing’ is a key interaction, but with only knowing hand location, we explored feedback mechanisms in the virtual world, including rumbling before being grabbed.

DIGITAL PHOENIX VR

Virtual Reality Research Project; Arizona State University

RESEARCHER and 3D ARTIST

With 2-3 people, we created a large 3D representation of Phoenix, AZ with simulated traffic in order to create a flexible tool for studying construction and other environmental developments. During the project, we explored the use of photogrammetry as well as integrating with various simulator hardware. [LINK]

3D PRINTING

Though I’ve worked with 3D printers since the fall of 2012, I purchased my own Solidoodle 4 in September 2014. It has been a great tool to bring some of my 3D work to physical reality. Some of this work is shown to the right.

In one of the examples to the right, you can see a large toy-type figure. With this example, I experimented with creating simple custom ball and socket joints that allowed for a wide range of free movement.

I tend to find it fun and exciting to tackle 3D Printed objects that require no glue to hold together, and instead rely on the friction of the ABS plastic. Many of the items shown to the right are glue-less and can be taken apart and put back together with little effort.

Other types of projects ...

SPEAKEASY

Mobile Language Learning Game Prototype, Carnegie Mellon U.

DESIGNER and 3D ARTIST

This is a difficult project to summarize because of its intricacies, but it's a favorite of mine. As a team of 5, we worked with a client who wanted to take their product – designed to help those with developmental challenges communicate in sentences – and use it for general language learning, starting with Spanish. We had to deep-dive into understanding everything from neuro-plasticity to testing the basics of an icon-based input system. What separates its goals from other language learning experiences is the focus on proper syntax and structure rather than word memorization. Play testing was critical to understanding how effective this could be, yet the timelines (4 months) limited the data pool. This project was shown at Games for Health in 2011.

ONE UP

LEGO Stop Motion Short Video, Carnegie Mellon University

With only 48 hours, 4 of us created a short LEGO Stop motion video called One Up. This was developed in response to 4 elements we needed to blend: 'Garden', 'Envy', 'Mirror', 'Yellow'. This was an intense project within the time-frame, but we enjoyed the process of learning stop motion while wanting sleep!