Bruce Evans

www.brucein3d.com | brucein3d@gmail.com | 424-362-7186

Technical Art | Game Design

Los Angeles, CA

Passionate technical artist and designer with over 9 years of production and international experience creating some of the best gaming experiences imaginable. My own work is a mix of shaders, VFX, game design, and academic research contributing as a programmer, 3d artist, and designer.

EXPERIENCE

Blizzard Entertainment - Technical Artist, February 2020 - Present

Research and develop new shading techniques for DirectX 12 and next-gen platforms.
Write and maintain pipeline code for Substance Designer and Painter for speedy exports to proprietary game engines.
Create tools written in Python and PyQt to assist various animation departments and increase productivity for the Diablo IV in-game cinematics and quest cinematics. Examples include submission tools, status tools, motion capture transfer, animation caching, and various Maya tools.
Write and maintain the shader library for Diablo IV's real-time cinematics.
Diagnose and solve animation pipeline problems ranging from rigging issues, pipeline errors, and shader debugging.
Optimize shaders for real-time playback while maintaining Blizzard cinematic quality.
Work with artists and designers to achieve artistic goals while maintaining performance standards.
Establish a pipeline for Substance tool development for Blizzard’s real-time cinematics.
Implement real-time cinematics inside of proprietary game engines, making sure they are performant while holding to Blizzard’s quality standards.

Pixologic - Designer and Plugin Developer, April 2019 - February 2020

Create a diagnostic tool to assist the support team in troubleshooting user issues.
Design and develop sculpting tools and plug-ins for future releases of ZBrush written in C++ using proprietary SDKs.
Sculpt high poly meshes, retopologize, and test new features in ZBrush.
Work with teams of developers and designers to create unique, artist-focused approaches to software, UI, and interaction.

Ohio State University - Graduate Research Assistant, August 2016 - April 2019

Published "The Message in the Mechanics", game design research thesis.
Invited to show Escape from the Glass Factory at the UCLA Game Art Festival where the game was played by over 200 people.
Organized the 2018 Global Game Jam ACCAD location with over 40 students in attendance resulting in 5 playable games.
Scripted a procedural UI system and model viewer for Canine Anatomy, an iPad app made in partnership with the OSU Veterinary School.

Sendai Board of Education - Assistant Language Teacher, September 2014 - August 2016

Taught English lessons for eleven Japanese classes through the JET Program (Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program).
Managed classrooms of approximately 40 non-native English-speaking students.
Volunteered as an English teacher at the Nagamachi Children’s Club in Sendai, Japan.

ASCD - Associate Producer and Video Editor, March 2012 - August 2014

Worked with teams of designers and producers to create video and graphics concepts for feature documentaries.
Routinely solve creative problems and complete digital products under strict deadlines.
Operate camera, set up lighting, and record audio for over fifty productions.

SKILLS

Tool Development / Shaders / Game Design / Level Design / Environment Art

Unreal / Unity / Blender / Maya / Substance Designer & Painter / ZBrush / Marmoset Toolbag / Photoshop

Python / C# / C++ / Node Based Shaders / HLSL / PyQt / Javascript

EDUCATION

Ohio State University - M.F.A. Design, May 2019
Ohio University - B.S. Communications, May 2011

PUBLICATIONS

The Message in the Mechanics: Designing Game Mechanics that Reflect a Character's Mental State