Clay is available for hire

Clay Budin

Verified Expert in Engineering

Graphics Developer

New York, NY, United States

Toptal member since June 2, 2021

Expertise

Algorithms Freelance Programming User Interface (UI)Game Development Shaders Computer Vision Data Visualization Windows MacOS Linux C++Python Microsoft Visual Studio Unity3D Unreal Engine Video Processing Arduino

Bio

Clay has over 20 years of experience creating amazing software at the highest performance standards, efficiency, and ease of use. With a master's degree in computer science, there is no programming task that Clay cannot accomplish, specializing in software for graphics, entertainment, interactive, and game industries. He's experienced with all graphics and game programming platforms and frameworks, as well as the underlying mathematics.

Portfolio

Framestore

Unreal Engine, Cinder, Blender, Photoshop CC, 3D Graphics...

Leo Villareal Studio

DMX, Networking, Unreal Engine, Raspberry Pi, TouchDesigner, Arduino...

Symbiote Inc | 3D Portraits Brooklyn

3D Printing, 3D Modeling, iOS, Augmented Reality (AR), Game Development...

Experience

Graphics - 20 years Unity - 8 years Computer Vision - 6 years Processing - 6 years Three.js - 5 years Unreal Engine - 5 years Mixed Reality (MR) - 4 years A-Frame - 4 years

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

Processing, TouchDesigner, Cinder, OpenFrameworks, Unreal Engine, Unity, Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), X Reality (XR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), WebGL, Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, 3D Graphics

The most amazing...

...room-sized installation I've designed and developed enabled 30+ people to walk around while colorful halos appeared at their feet and followed their movements.

Work Experience

Senior Immersive Developer

2021 - PRESENT

Framestore

Developed immersive interactive experiences using Unreal Engine, Unity, Cinder, TouchDesigner, Processing, Maya, Cinema 4D, Blender, Houdini, Photoshop, Illustrator, Nuke, Gimp, and other graphic tools.
Wrote software to interface with various external hardware systems such as QR scanners and 3D cameras, coordinate file transfers, and trigger events in the graphic system.
Built image processing software to recognize, isolate, and enhance human facial features, normalize skin tones and remove background artifacts.
Developed scripts in Python and VBS to automate the creation of digital portraits. Used Anaconda to spin up a machine learning system for facial and clothing segmentation of images.

Technologies: Unreal Engine, Cinder, Blender, Photoshop CC, 3D Graphics, Unreal Development Kit (UDK), Blueprints Visual Scripting, Unreal Engine 5, Git, JSON, TCP/IP, UDP, Video Processing, Video & Audio Processing, NVIDIA CUDA, Videos, FFmpeg, 3D Animation, JavaScript, Shaders, C#, Microsoft Visual C++, Microsoft Visual Studio, OpenGL, Image Processing, Godot, HTML5, Node.js, Games, Scripting, React, User Interface (UI), Plugins, API Integration, Unity2D, CSS, HTML, Python, Python API, LED Lighting

Interactive Software Developer

2018 - PRESENT

Leo Villareal Studio

Maintained and developed interactive graphics software tools utilized in creating small- and large-scale LED art installations worldwide using C++, Python, and TouchDesigner.
Designed and developed complex software systems and user interfaces in TouchDesigner, Python, and C++ to control, trigger, and sequence dynamic art installations using Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and other embedded systems.
Designed and developed software to support lighting communications protocols such as DMX, KiNET, sACN, and Art-Net.

Technologies: DMX, Networking, Unreal Engine, Raspberry Pi, TouchDesigner, Arduino, Touch Design, 3D Graphics, Git, TCP/IP, UDP, Video Processing, Video & Audio Processing, Videos, FFmpeg, Microsoft Visual C++, Microsoft Visual Studio, OpenGL, Image Processing, HTML5, Scripting, User Interface (UI), Plugins, API Integration, Python, Python API, LED Lighting

Founder | President

2012 - PRESENT

Symbiote Inc | 3D Portraits Brooklyn

Developed the custom photogrammetry processes for 3D scanning of people and automatically editing, cleaning up, and enclosing models in preparation for 3D printing.
Built the systems for creating lifelike 3D printed portraits in various media and sizes using multiple 3D printing processes.
Performed iOS software development, specializing in games, augmented reality, and virtual reality. Recently, I posted an action and puzzle game called Dink! to the App Store.

Technologies: 3D Printing, 3D Modeling, iOS, Augmented Reality (AR), Game Development, 3D Scanning, Photogrammetry, 3D Graphics, Git, TCP/IP, Video Processing, Video & Audio Processing, Videos, FFmpeg, 3D Animation, Three.js, JavaScript, D3.js, Shaders, Game Design, Microsoft Visual C++, Microsoft Visual Studio, OpenGL, HTML5, Games, Scripting, User Interface (UI), Plugins, API Integration, CSS, HTML, Python, Python API, LED Lighting

Senior Developer

2020 - 2021

Silver Spoon Animation

Contributed to developing a C++ plugin for Unreal Engine to control, manipulate, and trigger 3D geometry for BroadcastAR applications.
Developed a system in Unreal Engine with C++ and Blueprints to communicate with the American football statistics server and visualize scoring drive data with colorful animated arrows for broadcast during SuperBowl LV in February 2021.
Created a system in Unreal Engine (C++ and Blueprints) to position and trigger animated characters used during the March Madness college basketball tournament broadcast in March 2021.

Technologies: Unreal Engine, 3D Graphics, Unreal Development Kit (UDK), Blueprints Visual Scripting, Unreal Engine 5, JSON, UDP, 3D Animation, JavaScript, Shaders, Microsoft Visual C++, Microsoft Visual Studio, HTML5, Scripting, Unity2D, Python, Python API

Interactive Graphics Software Developer

2018 - 2020

GRAFX Co.

Created and developed interactive graphics applications on various platforms, including augmented reality applications for iOS and Android using Unity and Vuforia.
Engineered a large-scale interactive video installation for Marriott Hotels using projectors and Intel RealSense cameras to display lively real-time graphics that reacted to people passing by.
Built an augmented reality multilingual concept application for iOS and Android for the Turkish Museums Directorate to highlight and explain fragile antiquities in the collection.

Technologies: Unity, iOS, Cinder, Android, Augmented Reality (AR), 3D Graphics, Git, JSON, 3D Animation, Three.js, JavaScript, Shaders, Game Design, Microsoft Visual C++, Microsoft Visual Studio, OpenGL, Image Processing, HTML5, Scripting, API Integration, LED Lighting

Principal Engineer, Content

2017 - 2020

Madison Square Garden Company

Developed VR software in Unity to visualize architectural plans for an arena still under construction. Developed tests for line-of-sight, screen coverage, vantage point, and other quantifying metrics.
Designed and developed an augmented reality (AR) application for iPads using Unity and Objective-C to interface with a 360-degree camera and present live-streaming video into a 3D scene with extensive user-control features.
Tested and evaluated cutting-edge VR, AR, digital signage, wayfinding, motion capture, and holographic technologies for inclusion in 21st-century state-of-the-art venue facilities.

Technologies: Unity, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), iOS, 3D Graphics, Unreal Development Kit (UDK), Git, JSON, TCP/IP, UDP, Video Processing, Video & Audio Processing, NVIDIA CUDA, Videos, FFmpeg, 3D Animation, JavaScript, Shaders, C#, Game Design, Microsoft Visual C++, Microsoft Visual Studio, OpenGL, Image Processing, HTML5, Games, Scripting, User Interface (UI), Plugins, API Integration, Unity2D, CSS, HTML, Python, Python API, LED Lighting

Creative Coder, Data Visualization

2016 - 2017

Gensler

Designed and developed software tools using Processing for artists to create unique colorization effects of satellite climate temperature data, with user interfaces for artists to control numerous parameters, including colors, graphs, and animations.
Created the particle system visualizations of live world climate and wind pattern data containing over 800,000,000 particles for display on high-resolution monitors at the IBM corporate headquarters.
Built and designed wave simulation software for the IBM corporate headquarters to visualize live world climate rainfall data.

Technologies: Processing, Cinder, Java, C++, Data Visualization, DataViz, 3D Graphics, Git, JSON, 3D Animation, Three.js, JavaScript, D3.js, Shaders, Microsoft Visual C++, Microsoft Visual Studio, OpenGL, Image Processing, HTML5, Games, Scripting, User Interface (UI), API Integration, LED Lighting

Interactive Software Developer

2016 - 2016

Potion Design

Built hardware and software for Raspberry Pi to playback various kinds of music while monitoring the user's heart rate. The system used sensor inputs (buttons, heart rate monitor) to control the audio output from the Raspberry Pi amp and speakers.
Designed and developed a touch table system for perusing recipes, assembling ingredients, viewing nutritional and caloric information with explanatory text, and extensive use of high-quality food photography to create a fully interactive experience.
Designed, 3D printed, and assembled self-contained cases for physical user experiences, such as monitoring heart rate data while playing various music.

Technologies: Cinder, Python, Raspberry Pi, 3D Printing, 3D Graphics, Git, TCP/IP, 3D Animation, Three.js, Shaders, C#, Microsoft Visual C++, Microsoft Visual Studio, Games, Scripting, User Interface (UI), API Integration, Unity2D

Interactive Software Developer

2016 - 2016

The Mill

Developed a system for displaying animated magazine covers in AR for iOS and Android, using Unity and Vuforia.
Designed and developed a fully-featured text animation and display system using Cinder with SdfText and Arduino to inject lyrics and display them under the real-time control of a live DJ.
Created a system for visualizing song moods as determined by the IBM Watson AI, using colors, textures, waves, and frequencies applied to abstract geometric shapes.

Technologies: Cinder, Arduino, Augmented Reality (AR), Unity, Android, iOS, Data Visualization, DataViz, 3D Graphics, Unreal Development Kit (UDK), Git, 3D Animation, D3.js, Shaders, C#, Microsoft Visual C++, Microsoft Visual Studio, Image Processing, Games, Scripting, API Integration, Unity2D, LED Lighting

Creative Coder | Interactive Developer

2010 - 2015

HUSH Studios

Developed an iOS app using Unity for Exxon Mobil's chemical division, which interactively displays the chemical products used in automobiles. The app displayed an interactive "X-ray" view of a car in 3D, and side menus displayed chemical components.
Built a custom interactive display application in Cinder for Exxon Mobil, demonstrating their offshore drilling operation in the Upper Zakum region. This app was part of their booth at ADIPEC and won 2nd place out of over 500 entries.
Developed a custom interactive display application in openFrameworks to visualize sound waves bouncing around a room. This used real-time wave simulation to include interactive barriers, dampeners, and refractors.
Built a multi-touch kiosk using Cinderfor Twitter displayed at the Cannes Film Festival. It featured real-time updates of World Cup statistics and Twitter feeds.
Created an immersive interactive environment for Oculus/Leap VR headsets using Unity, which allowed users to visit 3D worlds and interact with whimsical creatures. Used input from the Leap sensor to detect and interpret hand and finger movements.

Technologies: 3D Modeling, 3D Art, 3D Images, Cinder, C++, Python, Unity, iOS, Touch ID, OpenFrameworks, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Objective-C, Data Visualization, DataViz, Git, TCP/IP, UDP, 3D Animation, Three.js, Shaders, C#, Game Design, Microsoft Visual C++, Microsoft Visual Studio, OpenGL, Image Processing, Games, Scripting, User Interface (UI), Plugins, API Integration, Unity2D, CSS, HTML, Python API, LED Lighting

Senior FX Technical Director

2003 - 2005

Blue Sky Studios

Created the "Dominoes Sea" effect for the 3D animated feature film "Robots" involving millions of dominoes, which the principal characters swam in and surfed on.
Developed the "Oil Fountain" effect for the 3D animated feature film "Robots," which appeared in numerous scenes to help convey the wealth and prestige of one of the main characters.
Created "Ball Bearings" effect for 3D animated feature film "Robots" in which thounsands of ball bearings spill out and two of the principal characters fight and then dance on.
Researched and developed fur effects for upcoming film productions using an in-house volumetric rendering system. Wrote C++ code to extend and enhance the capabilities for use in the feature animated film "Horton Hears a Who."

Technologies: 3D Modeling, 3D Art, 3D Images, Autodesk Maya, C++, Python, 3D Animation, Shaders, Microsoft Visual C++, Microsoft Visual Studio, Plugins, API Integration

Experience

Museum of Feelings

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/09/nyregion/museum-of-feelings.html

Served as the lead developer from November 24th to December 15th of 2015 on the Museum of Feelings, a pop-up experiential installation in Lower Manhattan. Worked on an "invigorated" room in which colorful halos surround and track users and the "scent table" where animations responded to user movements.

Dink! the Game

https://symbiote.digital/images/Dink.html

An action and puzzle game developed in Swift and Objective-C for iOS devices, published on the Apple App Store. Combined real-time gameplay with physics simulations to create a unique and challenging experience for users.

Mother and Children

http://www.3dportraitsbrooklyn.com/gallery/uf120obqlb2zl27xf7kt8xyxttq2r1

A 3D printed sculptural portraiture piece from a live scan of models that included extensive automated and manual editing and manipulation of the 3D model. Printed in ABS using the fused filament fabrication technique.

Temperature Visualization GUI

https://symbiote.digital/images/TemperatureVizGUI.jfif

Developed and designed a tool for artists to apply unique colorizations to live world climate heat and temperature data gathered by satellites. Responded to the needs and requests from artists and designers to incorporate the controls they wanted to allow them to achieve their artistic goals of the project.

Precipitation Visualization

https://symbiote.digital/images/PrecipitationViz.jfif

Designed and developed software to inject live satellite rainfall data from all over the world and visualize it in a way that is both beautiful and informative. Worked with creative directors to achieve their artistic goals.

Global Wind Visualization

https://symbiote.digital/images/GlobalWindViz.jfif

Built and designed a particle system visualization of live satellite global wind pattern data using over 800,000,000 particles to create a one-minute animated movie of the Earth's wind patterns, including vortices, eddies, and other phenomena. Rendered an 8,000x2,000 image for display on high-resolution monitors at the IBM world corporate headquarters.

AR Magazine Covers for Garage Magazine

Created the iOS and Android applications that displayed lively and colorful animations when triggered with specific images from magazine covers. Distributed the apps to promote Garage fashion magazine and give it a cool techno vibe.

Alex da Kid and IBM Watson

To promote its Watson set of AI tools, IBM hired the DJ Alex da Kid to perform a live mixing of songs from the past decade, which Watson had analyzed for emotional content and temperament.

While working with a team to bring visual brilliance to the lyrics, I designed and developed a tool for displaying song lyrics in real-time as many interlocking streams, which changed size and speed dynamically to fit the tone of the music.

Innit Pirch Table

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-24/the-kitchen-of-the-future-knows-what-s-in-your-fridge

A demonstration system using a touch-sensitive table to guide users through the "home of the future." The demonstration system helps the busy user choose a recipe, assemble ingredients and learn nutritional and caloric information about the meal. I designed and developed this system in Cinder using text and high-quality food photography to be fully responsive to the user's touch.

The following link displays a larger image of the table surface: Tinyurl.com/9mxvs9z7

Exxon Mobil Chemical iPad Application

https://symbiote.digital/images/ExxonMobilIPadApp.jfif

At their shareholder meeting, Exxon Mobil wanted a cool toy to showcase its chemicals division. I designed and developed an iPad application that showed a car in regular and X-ray mode and identified numerous internal parts which used various Exxon chemicals. The app worked in full 3D with the ability to rotate around the car and zoom in on tiny details. There were two different menuing systems based on the type of chemicals and their uses in the car.

Illuminated River

https://illuminatedriver.london/

The LED artist Leo Villareal has covered the bridges across the Thames river in London with LEDs that sequence and pulse to numerous visual rhythms. I wrote software that communicates between the generating PC and the LEDs and software to test and deploy the LED layouts on the bridges.

Robots – 3D Animated Feature Film

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0358082/

A feature-length 3D animated movie with a theatrical release. As part of the FX department, I created numerous visual effects for this movie, including a sea of dominoes in which the characters swam, a fountain made of oil, and a rolling floor of ball bearings with which the characters interacted. I also did software development for tools, fur generation, and other projects.

Education

1992 - 1996

Coursework in Design and Photography

School of Visual Arts - New York, USA

1988 - 1992

Master's Degree in Computer Science

New York University - New York, USA

1983 - 1987

Bachelor's Degree in Cognitive Science

Harvard College - Cambridge, USA

Skills

Libraries/APIs

Cinder, WebGL, Three.js, D3.js, FFmpeg, Turtle, OpenGL, Python API, Node.js, React

Tools

DataViz, Microsoft Visual C++, Microsoft Visual Studio, Photoshop CC, Canvas, Unreal Development Kit (UDK), Git, Blender, GoPro Studio

Languages

Processing, Python, C++, Java, HTML5, JavaScript, C#, CSS, HTML, Swift, Objective-C, C

Frameworks

Unity, Microsoft Kinect, Unity2D, Unity3D, Unreal Engine, A-Frame, OpenFrameworks

Platforms

Raspberry Pi, Windows, MacOS, Linux, TouchDesigner, iOS, Arduino, PlayCanvas, Android, Vuforia, NVIDIA CUDA, Godot

Paradigms

UI Design

Storage

JSON

Other

Computer Vision, Graphics, Algorithms, Operating Systems, Freelance Programming, 3D Printing, Game Development, 3D Scanning, Photogrammetry, Data Visualization, 3D, 3D Art, 3D Graphics, Shaders, Scripting, User Interface (UI), Plugins, API Integration, LED Lighting, X Reality (XR), Design, Aesthetics, Typography, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Interactive UI, 3D Modeling, DMX, Networking, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Mixed Reality (MR), Touch Design, Blueprints Visual Scripting, Unreal Engine 5, TCP/IP, UDP, Video Processing, Video & Audio Processing, Videos, 3D Animation, Game Design, Image Processing, Games, Data Science, Touch Interactions, 3D Images, Autodesk Maya, Touch ID

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