DEVIN WEIDINGER
Maker of other realities, AR, VR, and beyond
Skills
Unity, C#, and Unity project architecture
XR UX and Interaction Design
Time management and communication
S.O.L.I.D programming principles for clean and modular code
Fluent in Object Oriented and Data Oriented architecture and design
Vast experience with XR platforms such as Quest, PSVR, Hololens, and Vuforia
Full 2D/3D Art pipeline experience and Technical Artist tool development
DevOps development for build server, deployment, development, and analytics
Graphics & Memory optimization for low end platforms
Network engineering (Mirror + Photon)
Shader programming (HLSL & ShaderGraph)
Photoshop, Blender, 3D Modeling, Rigging & Animation
Professional Work
ForgeFX Simulations
Technical Director
Apr 2021 - Present
XR Training Simulator
Using high-fidelity 3D graphics, ForgeFX provides custom virtual and augmented reality application development services for clients who are looking for interactive 3D training simulations.
XRCADIA
Founder and CEO
Aug 2020 - Present
To Be Announced
Working toward starting my own XR indie games studio. The first title to be announced soon!
Owlchemy Labs
VR Engineer and Designer
Jul 2015 - Aug 2020, 5 yrs 2 months
I met Alex Schwartz (former CEO of Owlchemy) when we were both speaking in the 2015 SXSW panel "The Casual VR Scene". Shortly after that he poached me to help him and his team of five build the now well known Job Simulator games. I hit the ground running at Owlchemy and moved away from evangelism into a full-time developer role where I have been constantly doing whatever it takes to make our games the best that they can be. Over the years I've helped Owlchemy become a well known name in the VR space and helped secure us a wonderful acquisition from Google. Over time my programming skills have sharpened and I'm now responsible for all of our platform releases due to my in-depth knowledge of every SDK and VR hardware on the market.
A VR-only title for HTC Vive, Oculus Touch, and PlayStation VR. Experience a simulation of the past from within our inevitable fully-automated robot future with Job Simulator.
Experience Rick and Morty in VIRTUAL REALITY! A sweet collaboration between Owlchemy Labs and Adult Swim Games!! Wubba Lubba Dub Dub!!!!
First you JOB, then you VACATION. Experience RECREATION, optimal RELAXATION, and classic human pastimes like SUNBURN on Vacation Island! Available for SteamVR & Oculus
Merge Labs
Lead Developer and Technical Artist
May 2014 - July 2015, 1 yr 3 months
I joined Merge as the first employee of this rapidly growing startup. I was building our AR / VR tech demos for our investors and pitches, speaking on behalf of Merge at events, and being a part of all the crazy things that come with starting a tech company at the dawn of VR. We developed a Mobile AR / VR foam headset before Google Cardboard was even announced and I had an absolute blast going out to as many events as I could to spread the word that Merge VR was a super comfortable and fun VR headset for everyone. The Merge VR headset was the only mobile headsets to allow for both VR and AR and with that, I was able to make many investors happy showcasing all of our cool demos and experimenting with some really cool ideas hybridizing apps using both AR and VR.
While at Merge I had the nickname “Road Warrior” because of how often I was on the road and while still being able to make progress on our internal demos. At events solo, or with a founder, I was the point of contact for all technical and industry-related XR information. It was my job to get out there and rub elbows with all the right developers to get them on our platform and find the right investors to fund us in our efforts. I absolutely loved sharing my experience with others and getting to meet some of the coolest people in this space.
Hold anything with the Merge Cube; it’s used by schools in classrooms, libraries, makerspaces, and at home learning in home schools, online school, and remote learning to engage kids in hands-on lessons for science, engineering, art and more wherever they are
VR Headset for kids, classrooms, libraries, online school, home school, and remote learning; made of durable and flexible foam that’s comfortable, easy to wipe clean, and has adjustable lenses
Sony Online Entertainement
Technical Artist Intern
Jan 2014 - Mar 2014, 3 months
While at Sony Online Entertainment I worked on the MMORPG DC Universe. I interned directly under the Lead Technical Artist and optimized over 150 shaders. My work ranged from halving the instructions in shaders to dramatically reducing draw calls and memory footprints. I also optimized various special effects working in-depth with Unreal Engine's Cascade system and with the Lead VFX Artist. After finishing all optimization tasks, I moved on to solving issues in the artist's import pipeline where I used Pymel and pv4 to run multiple checks on imported character models where I would check for naming conventions as well as if a consistent blend shape bug was recurring.
Personal Work
Created over the course of 20 hours for the 2016 Austin VR Game Jam. Proof of concept for tabletop gaming in VR.
I absoutely love game jamming and have been doing it for many years. Check out my itch page to see some of my projects.
Events
SXSW 2015 - "The casual VR scene"
Most has focused on the hardcore, PC based application via the Oculus VR products but what many may not know about is the budding mobile and casual VR scene which represents a much larger market and users because ideally it will use the power of the everyday smartphone to create new VR experiences. Come listen to a panel of experts paving the way for these accessible mobile and casual experiences.
Education
Bachelor of Arts (BA) - Game Art and Design