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Austin Booker
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Mentor, OH, United States
Toptal member since July 14, 2020
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.
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
Portfolio
Avatar Rendering | Fitness App
Character RiggingCharacter Animation3D RenderingArt DirectionAdobe Creative SuiteUnreal Engine 5
VR Classroom Environment - Lenovo
Virtual Reality (VR)Art DirectionAdobe Creative Suite
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
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