Austin Booker, Designer in Mentor, OH, United States
Austin is currently unavailable

Austin Booker

Designer

Mentor, OH, United States

Toptal member since July 14, 2020

Expertise
3D AnimationAnimationVR DesignAdobe Creative Suite DesignUX DesignArt DirectionPhotoshopFigma
Bio

Austin is a technical artist and designer who has extensive experience working with games, simulations, and virtual reality using the Unreal Engine, Unity game engine, and other proprietary systems. Austin believes in versatility, diversity, and exploring new avenues of technology in order to achieve the best results for his clients.

Portfolio

Work Experience

Senior Technical Artist

2023 - 2025
Mindshow
  • Bridge between creative and technical teams, enhanced visual fidelity while maintaining performance.
  • Led real-time lighting for high-profile client projects using URP and HDRP rendering pipelines.
  • Developed custom PBR shader with Keywords for pipeline automation from Autodesk Maya.
  • Implemented feature requests including physics systems and ray tracing capabilities.
  • Optimized asset import processes through documentation, scripts, and editor tools.
Technologies: 3D Lighting, Shaders, 3D Rendering, Pipelines, C#, Virtual Reality (VR)

Technical Artist

2016 - 2024
eGYM
  • Managed complete project lifecycle. Directed visual design from concept to delivery of exercise cinematics.
  • Developed Maya/UE5 pipeline for rigging and cleaning Motion Capture Data to Control Rig for animations.
  • Automated blueprints for Sequencer and Movie Render Queue for streamlining rendering workflows.
Technologies: Character Rigging, 3D Lighting, 3D Rendering, Visual Design, 3D Animation, 3D Character Animation, Art Direction, Shaders, Unreal Engine, Rendering

Technical Artist

2021 - 2022
FabuLingua
  • Led 3-person team as Lead Technical Art, managed task assignments for in-house artists, technical artists, and outsourced collaborators while providing mentorship and conducting regular performance reviews.
  • Developed comprehensive technical documentation and optimized art pipelines using Spine2D, URP, and custom shaders for the interactive Story Book System.
  • Collaborated directly with the Head of Product to implement UI improvements and technical solutions that enhanced the language learning experience.
  • Assisted talent acquisition through creating specialized art tests, conducting technical interviews, and developing onboarding processes for new team members.
Technologies: Unity2D, Spine, Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, Trello, Adobe Experience Design (XD), Interaction Design (IxD), Prototyping, UI Design, Motion Design, Visual Design, Adobe Creative Suite, Animation, 3D Character Animation

Technical Artist

2021 - 2021
Virbela
  • Enhanced performance by assisting the team in optimizing existing assets and stress testing for the launch of Virbela 2.0.
  • Organized and integrated all assets into Unity 3D.
  • Assisted the team in developing tools, pipelines, and workflows for Unity 3D.
Technologies: Unity3D, Motion Design, Visual Design, Adobe Creative Suite, 3D Animation, Animation, 3D Character Animation

Technical Artist

2020 - 2020
IT People Corporation | Lenovo
  • Created and integrated static and dynamic environment assets for a virtual reality project using the Unity game engine.
  • Optimized, animated, and integrated UI interfaces for a virtual reality project using the Unity game engine.
  • Assisted the team in creating custom C# tools and mobile shaders for Android using the Unity game engine.
Technologies: UI Design, Prototyping, 3D Lighting, 3D Modeling, Unity3D, Virtual Reality (VR), Blender, Adobe CC, Interaction Design (IxD), Motion Design, Visual Design, Adobe Creative Suite, 3D Animation, Animation

Technical Artist

2018 - 2019
Shield AI
  • Organized and integrated assets and tools into Shield AI's simulation system.
  • Created static and dynamic environments and human behavior and developed procedural and parameterized tools that utilize Unreal Engine 4 and Shield AI's simulation system.
  • Assisted the team in researching and implementing technologies, specifically motion capturing, VR, and AR, for utilization in Unreal Engine 4 and Shield AI's simulation system.
Technologies: Character Rigging, Character Animation, PBR Workflow, Prototyping, 3D Lighting, Arch Viz, Virtual Reality (VR), 3D Modeling, Interaction Design (IxD), 3D Design, Houdini, 3ds Max, Autodesk, Linux, 3D, Unreal Engine, Motion Design, Visual Design, Adobe Creative Suite, 3D Animation, Animation, 3D Character Animation

3D Artist

2014 - 2017
Grover Gaming
  • Developed and implemented UI/UX assets into the Unity game engine.
  • Created the design, modeling, texturing, and rigging assets for the Unity game engine.
  • Assisted my team in the scripting, particle effects, and animation sequences for the Unity game engine.
Technologies: Character Rigging, Character Animation, Proof of Concept (POC), PBR Workflow, Game Design, UX Design, UI Design, 3D Modeling, Interaction Design (IxD), Unity3D, 3D Design, Adobe CC, Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, Autodesk, 3D, Motion Design, Visual Design, Adobe Creative Suite, 3D Animation, Animation, 3D Character Animation

3D Artist

2013 - 2014
PHL Collective
  • Handled the modeling and texturing of 3D assets for Knight Strike.
  • Assisted the team in designing characters, the rigging, and animations for Knight Strike.
  • Assisted the team in developing and determining player interactions.
Technologies: Character Rigging, Character Animation, Proof of Concept (POC), PBR Workflow, Game Design, 3D Modeling, Interaction Design (IxD), Unity3D, 3D Design, ZBrush, Adobe CC, Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, Autodesk, Motion Design, Visual Design, Adobe Creative Suite, 3D Animation, Animation, 3D Character Animation

3D and Technical Artist

2013 - 2013
Carnegie Mellon University
  • Designed the art and UI/UX tasks for Project Spearhead and My Hero Journey.
  • Assisted Project Spearhead in developing and designing 20 rapid prototypes and experiments for the virtual reality headset, Oculus Rift, the first development kit for the Unity game engine.
  • Helped My Hero Journey in designing, developing, and play-testing a child-friendly user interface that encouraged children to read and create stories.
  • Assisted My Hero Journey in designing, building, and installing the interactive exhibit at the San Antonio Children's Museum of San Antonio, Texas.
Technologies: Character Rigging, Character Animation, Proof of Concept (POC), PBR Workflow, Game Design, UX Design, UI Design, Prototyping, 3D Modeling, Interaction Design (IxD), Unity3D, 3D Design, Virtual Reality (VR), Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, Autodesk, Adobe CC, Motion Design, Visual Design, Adobe Creative Suite, 3D Character Animation

Education

2012 - 2014

Master's Degree in Entertainment Technology

Carnegie Mellon University - Pittsburgh, PA, United States

2005 - 2011

Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Sculptural Fine Arts and Art Education

New Jersey City University - Jersey City, NJ, United States

Skills

Tools

Adobe CC, Unreal Engine, Adobe Creative Suite, Houdini, ZBrush, Git, Substance Painter, Substance Designer, Arch Viz, Blender, 3ds Max, Autodesk, Spine, Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, Trello, Adobe Experience Design (XD), Pixologic ZBrush 4R8, Autodesk Maya

Platforms

Linux, Figma

Languages

C#

Other

Virtual Reality (VR), Unity3D, Proof of Concept (POC), PBR Workflow, Interaction Design (IxD), 3D Design, 3D Modeling, 3D Rendering, 3D, Visual Design, 3D Animation, Animation, Unreal Engine 5, 3D Character Animation, Sculpture, Game Design, Character Animation, Character Rigging, 3D Lighting, UX Design, UI Design, Prototyping, Unity2D, Character Creator, Art Direction, Motion Design, Game Engine Programming, Shaders, Pipelines, Rendering, Unity

Experience

  • Unity3D - 9 years
  • 3D Character Animation - 7 years
  • Prototyping - 7 years
  • Virtual Reality (VR) - 7 years
  • Interaction Design (IxD) - 7 years
  • UI Design - 6 years
  • UX Design - 6 years
  • Unreal Engine 5 - 2 years
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