Francois-Xavier Inglese
Verified Expert in Engineering
3D Software Developer
Wavre, Belgium
Toptal member since August 24, 2023
FX is a senior 3D software developer with a Ph.D. in computer science and 15+ years of experience building interactive applications, including car simulations, video games, and VR experiences. He specializes in Unreal Engine 4 and 5 using Blueprint and C++. FX has mastered Unreal Engine's assets, including replication, UI, behavior trees, profiling, materials, animation blueprints, Control Rig, the Niagara visual effects system, and the Gameplay Ability System (GAS).
Portfolio
Experience
Availability
Preferred Environment
Windows, Unreal Engine, Virtual Reality (VR), C++, Blueprint, Blueprints Visual Scripting
The most amazing...
...VR experience I've developed is a training simulation that adapts its scenario to a cloud DB, reducing new Scenario development time from 3 months to 2 weeks.
Work Experience
Unreal Engine VR Developer
Starks Media
- Optimized a VR application using animated MetaHuman characters to make it run natively on Meta Quest 3, retaining high graphics quality and performance.
- Optimized scene (meshes, materials, and textures) by reducing triangle counts (meshes), using appropriate LODs (MetaHuman characters), appropriately resizing textures, and replacing unnecessary consuming opacity shaders (materials).
- Optimized RAM usage with Soft Pointers, reducing RAM usage at startup from 18 GB to 3.5 GB (Meta Quest 3 has 8 GB RAM).
Unreal Engine Expert
Eversio Studios
- Developed a multiplayer (local and steam) game prototype from scratch that the client will be able to conduct play tests and can build upon to make a full game, running on PC and the Steam Deck platform.
- Developed game AI, including Player Minions tasks decision and completion.
- Developed UI, mixing Common UI and Enhanced Input, to create the Main Menu, Player's HUD, Skill Tree and Player Actions menu.
- Developed and Replicated Gameplay features such as Planet Generation with custom gravity, Weather Events, Resources Gathering, Resources Pool, and Building Items.
Unreal Senior Developer
Deep Worlds SA
- Developed and integrated into game code a replicated, optimized breakable windows system.
- Integrated and developed a game code for a replicated item-throwing system.
- Profiled and optimized a Chaos-based breakable windows system with Unreal Insights.
Unreal Engine Developer
Freelance Clients
- Developed a training simulation with a scenario that adapts according to a database stored in the cloud.
- Created multiplayer support for a single-player game, with Epic Online Services support and various gameplay and UI features.
- Added features to the Datasmith plugin for 3D modeling software.
XR Developer
N-Gone
- Developed a mobile language-learning application in Unity.
- Built room-scale multiplayer VR applications and a demonstration project for STR4P technology in Unreal Engine.
- Added features for the Sky-AR application in Unity.
Unreal Engine Developer
Freelance Clients
- Built an iOS health app. Integrated Swift and Objective-C 3rd-party SDKs and developed the app's communication with the back-end API, environment, and UI.
- Developed a game prototype, including the environment, UI, and quest with a non-player character dialogue system.
- Added a speech-to-text recognition feature to the existing project.
XR Expert
UCLouvain
- Built a simulator for generating photorealistic images of road traffic in Unreal Engine 4.
- Developed AR/VR applications and a VR room management app.
- Created modules to produce tutorials and quizzes for a mobile language-learning application in Unity.
Senior Developer
Guru Training Systems (aka "Swinguru")
- Developed new features for Swinguru Pro 2 and added a third-party device for golf clubs (Swingbyte) using Bluetooth communication and external API for data retrieving and display.
- Designed and developed anti-copy protection for MySwinguru that was then applied to all Guru Training Systems products.
- Refactored the MySwinguru application, then designed and added features, such as a video export system of captured and analyzed golf swings.
- Designed and developed both Swinguru Pro Golf 3 and Swinguru Pro Baseball 1, switching from Creative Engine (Softkinetic Studios proprietary C++ game engine) to Unity.
- Designed and developed MySwinguru 2, switching from Adobe AIR to Unity.
- Architected and developed launcher, updater, and language selector applications for Swinguru Pro Golf and Baseball.
3D Software Engineer
Softkinetic Studios
- Developed SKMC, Softkinetic, now known as Sony Depthsensing Solutions, Media Center. Demonstrated it at Las Vegas CES 2012.
- Developed the user interface of Broadcast CI and demonstrated it at Las Vegas CES 2012.
- Developed, and actively participated to design, Meerkat project.
- Completed some research work on interfaces that could be used along 3D cameras, specifically Nintendo Wiimote + HMD.
- Added features to Creative Engine (Softkinetic Studios proprietary C++ game engine).
- Developed the user interface of DanceWall, a game released only on Chinese set-top-boxes, that got a remix for PC (DanceWell Remix).
3D Development Engineer
ECA Faros
- Added features to the proprietary game engine, such as particles system, road-smoothing using Bezier splines, PhysX files import, and integrated new security Dongle.
- Developed MAX Scripts and Plugins to ease and accelerate artist work.
- Worked on game engine porting from proprietary engine to OpenSceneGraph.
- Proposed alternatives to OpenSceneGraph (CryEngine3, Unreal Engine 3, Trinigy Vision Engine), which led to the evaluation of those alternatives (mockup development) and, finally, the adoption of Trinigy Vision Engine.
- Worked on game engine porting to Trinigy Vision Engine and created particle system with Trinigy vForge.
Research Engineer
General Concil of Maine-Et-Loire
- Designed and developed a fun educational augmented reality application for Terra Botanica, an amusement and botanical park, as a school group attraction.
- Wrote application Statement of Work, scenario, architecture, and game specifications documents.
- Searched for software solutions, developed interaction techniques, and created 2D art assets, specifically icons, user interface, and particle textures.
Experience
Quest Challenge Application
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABiT5iSN8EYThis 6-step challenge starts with a jigsaw puzzle representing the Sheikah alphabet from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. A QR code on the back of the puzzle leads to the 2nd trial—a web page containing a quiz where questions are written with the Sheikah alphabet. When all the correct answers are given, an instruction page is displayed to the user so they can download and play the app until the final and surprising trial: the godparent request.
Vizvoda – The Factory
https://n-gone.com/en/projects-en/vizvoda-en/I was the project's leading developer and was in charge of integrating user avatars, interactions, teleportation systems, and optimization.
Education
PhD in Computer Science
University of Angers - Angers, France
Master's Degree in Computer Science
Université du Maine (now Le Mans University) - Le Mans, France
Skills
Libraries/APIs
OpenGL, Crypto++, OpenCV
Tools
Subversion (SVN), JetBrains Rider, Jira, Adobe AIR, NSIS, Visual Studio, OpenSceneGraph, CVS, Autodesk 3ds Max, ARToolKit, Photoshop CS3, Xcode, Perforce
Frameworks
Unreal Engine, Blueprint, Unity, Unreal Engine 4, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), PhysX, Unity3D
Languages
C++, C#, Swift, Objective-C, ActionScript 3, MaxScript, Lua, GLSL
Platforms
Windows, Win32, Oculus Rift, Android, iOS, MacOS, Steam, Oculus
Paradigms
Scrum
Other
Virtual Reality, Gameplay Development, Game Development, Blueprints Visual Scripting, 3D Games, Multiplayer, HTC Vive, Game Design, Augmented Reality (AR), Unreal Engine 5, Video Games, Optimization
How to Work with Toptal
Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.
Share your needs
Choose your talent
Start your risk-free talent trial
Top talent is in high demand.
Start hiring