Product Lead | Head of Research
2013 - PRESENTSmaaash Entertainment, Asia- Created many hugely successful, technically novel, 3D and VR attraction products, many being household names in cities with Smaaash's sports-oriented urban theme parks.
- Led research in fields such as generative mesh, novel VR, generative motion control platforms, spline-handling, game generation involving heuristic and light learning systems.
- Engineered in-house packages and toolsets for unusual networking (from low-level to cloud), 3D, graphics, novel motion capture and similar fields as well as practical needs such as payment processing.
- Created the single highest money-making VR product in existence—the Fingercoaster. Engineered simulator attractions for the world's biggest sports celebrities such as soccer superstar Ronaldo. This year, invented and executed the 2019 product line of industry-first technology.
- "Imagineered" with a broad range of robotics (such as ABB), image processing, sensors, novel networking—production of motion capture, animation work, and also conventional filmmaking segments.
- Created hit rides which were key to the organization's expansion into the Middle East and their recent first opening in the USA.
Technologies: Unity3D, Oculus, Vive, Robotics, Product EngineeringCTO
2017 - 2018Spur.io- Led programming, staffing, and research for this novel social media project for a major California VC team.
- Personally engineered the extremely unusual game-like physics interface of the project, in native low-level iOS, Android. May was initially approached for the project due to his 3D/physics background, after a number of attempts to achieve the unusual interface had stumbled.
- In particular, used Unity3D pipeline for discovery and prototyping, vastly reducing costs and time requirements.
- Utilized Firebase and other BaaS as part of the real-time "occasionally connected computing" service. Achieved for example substantial cost savings with a novel Swift backend approach for certain subsystems.
- Led the data science team for the predictive/recommendation systems, incorporating Neo4J with "conventional" cloud technology.
- Led the complete development (security, topology, algorithms) of an in-house online-offline app currency system.
- Completely managed all the "everyday" ancillary systems typical of modern product on both platforms such as app provisioning, messaging, 3rd party testing services, etc.
Technologies: iOS, Data Science, Cloud, BaaS, Server-side Swift, Low-level Physics AnimationCloud Engineer | iOS Engineer
2016 - 2017Service Fusion- Implemented the in-house device-cloud system for this high-volume white-label provider. Maintained an emphasis on racetrack solutions to the real-time cloud-server issues.
- Programmed the real-time iOS libraries and apps—emphasis on threading, instantaneous response, performance programming, for the complex UX.
- Worked on the SQLite engines (iOS and Android apps) for the real-time occasionally connected computing system, with PostgreSQL on the AWS cloud-side.
- Wrangled day-to-day app and server development—led problem discovery, tracking, OCC testing; developed the APIs, etc, from transport to high level.
- Handled all everyday app provisioning, app store issues, transactions, detail such as social, analytics, pipeline and workflow.
Technologies: iOS, Android, OCC Cloud SystemsGame Lead
2012 - 2016Defy Media (Viacom), LA- Created the enormously financially successful, hit celebrity game for kids: Super Head Esploder X, for the top YouTube celebrities of the day. One of the fastest ever apps to the top 10.
- Helped establish the Unity3D cloud architecture and corporate game pipeline.
- Conceived and executed many highly financially successful features. For example, a crowdfunding campaign which generated $258,000 in a few weeks, and an in-app-purchase which cost $3,000 to produce and which generated low six figures in a few weeks.
- Organized the Unity3D cloud architecture for the social integration of the huge user base. Introduced BaaS systems.
- Streamlined the Unity3D, multiplayer networking and in-app-purchase systems for Defy's stable of game development companies.
Technologies: Unity3D, App Store, Play StoreOwner
2009 - 2016SMHK Ltd- Engineered for many brands with major successes for 15+ years.
- Built projects for clients in the US, Europe, and Asia.
- Focused particularly on difficult high-value technical challenges. For example, cloud engineering, "maker-" technology for games, and complex mesh generation research.
Technologies: Unity3D, C#, VR, iOS, CloudCloud Architect | App Engineer
2005 - 2016Sourcetop, NY- Handled all the app engineering for this East Coast web development company.
- Executed projects such as a complex iPad app BRANY for a pharmaceutical major; a streaming reviews startup for Android and iOS.
Technologies: iOS, Android, Cloud (Parse, PubNub, Firebase)App Engineer
2009 - 2015360Design, NY- Handled all the app engineering for this design and web studio.
- Executed projects such as the AR catalog app for Metrie building products (iOS and Android); developed a Tylko-like AR app for a furniture manufacturer (iOS, Android, cloud).
Technologies: iOS, Android, CloudCTO | Lead Programmer
2011 - 2012de Clermont-Tonnerre, Belgium- Created, in a few months, a social dot-com for a European startup that was associated with high-profile investors.
- Performed the complete iOS and Android engineering, architecture, and staffing. Executed the cloud-side for a full-featured social dotcom using Parse and other BAAS. Created a novel prototyping framework in Unity3D.
Technologies: Android, iOS, BaaSCTO, Online Transactions and Gaming
1997 - 2009InterSoftware Ltd, HK- Created one of the first in-browser software sets for online casinos. It was highly successful for a number of gaming properties in Asia and Europe at the time with mid-six-figure sales to a number of properties.
- Built the PSB server for online blackjack and poker, an early server (C++) for real-time, secure, multiplayer, card-gaming. It had three installations with some 20 million hands played and was bought out.
- Operated a very successful white-label prepaid debit card company. it provided software services for a number of card companies in Canada and Europe.
- Created the SplitBot robotics prototype for a European startup—a wheeled robotics device, one of the first robotics/cloud-connected devices.
- Provided software services for a number of digital currencies—particularly bank card interoperability and secure server provisioning.
Technologies: Financial, Real-time Gaming Technical Software
John-Paul May
C# Developer in Madison, AL, United States
Member since October 24, 2016
JP is an extremely experienced figure in novel 3D/game/physics engineering, challenging and low-level iOS, Unity, hardware-software devices, and cloud systems with a long roster of multimillion-dollar product successes for clients. Unusually, he combines a savvy marketing outlook with leading technical expertise in a number of difficult fields. He has led teams of all types, creating many significant successes for clients.
John-Paul is now available for hire
Portfolio
- Smaaash Entertainment, AsiaUnity3D, Oculus, Vive, Robotics, Product Engineering
- Spur.ioiOS, Data Science, Cloud, BaaS, Server-side Swift, Low-level Physics Animation
- Service FusioniOS, Android, OCC Cloud Systems
Experience
- iOS, 10 years
- Games, 10 years
- C#, 7 years
- Unity3D, 7 years
- Virtual Reality (VR), 3 years
Availability
Part-time
Preferred Environment
Native (particularly iOS), Unity3D, Cloud Systems
The most amazing...
...thing I've done was to create Fingercoaster—which is by far the most technically advanced VR system and by far the highest money-making VR technology.
Employment
Experience
- Fingercoaster (Development)
I created Fingercoaster for Smaaash Entertainment, Asia—by far the world's most successful VR ride.
It's the most complex existing VR product. A rack of PCs builds worlds in real-time, driving novel VR-motion-platform software and hardware.
Riders "draw their own world" on kiosks and then pay to ride a multi-user, VR-motion experience.
A huge industry hit, it immediately achieved seven figures in machine sales. It is far and away the highest ticket sales VR attraction. It often outsells competitors (such as Cruden, Simuline, etc.) by 10-to-1 in side-by-side sites. - Goalstopper (Development)
For Star Sports Asia and for the world's biggest sports brand, Ronaldo, I created a number of complex Unity-based installations and simulators. Goalstopper is a hit. It's a showpiece of Unity to low-level engineering.
- Super Head-Esploder X for Viacom (Development)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNTzKHkxki8
One of the fastest ever hits to make the top 10 in the App Store. It's a perfectly executed kid's game for the number one YouTube celebrities. A particular focus was paid on perfectly handling in-app purchases and other "annoying" technical aspects such as keeping it social in a high-volume setting.
Celebrity apps are a difficult field: the direct competitor's app which was created in response completely failed—wasting some $200,000. Just the "silly" promotional video had some 13 million views—indeed it was and remains far and away the most successful promo video for a digital product for that organization. - PadRacer (Other amazing things)http://padracer.com
We made the hit—PadRacer—at the time of the launch of the iPad. It had $200,000+ in sales. It was the first phone-to-pad networking game.
It's an excellent example of generating huge sales, through being the first with a technology. The app received much coverage at the time in Mashable, Wired as well as the mainstream press. It's an excellent example of combining a gimmick with a new technology—resulting in excellent press coverage and hence financial success. - TrackTool (Other amazing things)
Built the first good finger-to-mesh system. Starting with a line drawing, it creates a 3D mesh and other assets needed for racetracks for car-racing games. The tool set was sold to a number of studios—an example of financial success by executing a technology first.
- ProtocolBuilder and Other Dot-Coms (Development)http://protocolbuilderpro.com
Built for the pharma industry, this is a typical complex iOS/Android apps for dot-coms with a complex server-side.
Other examples in recent years include:
• Bookmovement.com (web architecture, app, staffing).
• Metrie.com (AR-catalog apps).
• Skywall (a European social startup).
Skills
Languages
Swift, C#Frameworks
Unity3D, MetalLibraries/APIs
Social APIs, Parse SDK, Facebook APITools
AWS Mobile HubPlatforms
Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift, iOS, Android, FirebaseStorage
SQLiteOther
Game Design, APIs, Transactions, Games, Virtual Reality (VR), App Store, 2D, 3D, HTC Vive, Google Play Store, 3D Games, Mesh Development, Credit Card Processing, 3D Math, Shader Technologies, Image Analytics, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Math
