As an artist, I’ve run the full spectrum of duties: I’ve sculpted high poly characters down to pore level detail in Zbrush and modeled all manner of mechanical components and armor in CAD applications, I’ve textured everything from shaggy buffalo, to petite females, to Peruvian Lilies, I’ve rigged characters with tentacles instead of arms, I’ve animated walk cycles of gorillas, and I’ve made many, many special effects, as well as thousands of obscure animations. One thing never changes though: it’s always been hard for me to give up fresh work into someone else’s care.
It’s for that reason, above all else, that I first learned to program. I wanted to breathe life into my own work; to program behaviors and quirks of character, and to watch my creations fight amongst themselves and shed blood. It’s fascinating, rewarding, and fulfilling.
And sometimes… sometimes it’s even kind of a rush, you know?
I’m currently a Senior Graphics Engineer. C++ and Python are my two main programming languages these days. I do a lot of prototyping, and VR technologies are of great interest to me. There’s so much potential, and so many applications for the technology. Hell, these days surgeons are beginning to use VR technology to collaborate and communicate with each other during live operations. Other fields are slowly adopting the technology as well, and honestly, it isn’t hard to see why. It’s an exciting time, to say the least. Being a Graphics Engineer puts you at the forefront of the tidal wave, and having an eye for aesthetics and form is as vital as understanding the technical side of the equation.
I have a number of small side projects I’m working on, and one large one.
GREEN KNIGHT is a VR title, and the first in a trilogy of Strategy RPGs. It’s been a monumental undertaking, and it’s also taught me a great deal. I talk about it a fair amount in posts here, and often muse over design decisions, player psychology, and the nature of innovation and creativity
Of my smaller projects, some have a practical uses, such as my own personal asset creation pipeline; while others are simple experiments and forays into technology I’m still learning and toying around with. I’ll be posting some screenshots and other tidbits here in weeks to come.
If you have any suggestions, or criticisms, then feel free to post a comment below, or shoot me an E-mail at jonnynewo@lasttechstanding.com. You’re also welcome to visit my Github.
