Vilas Tewari

Programmer, 3D Artist

Platforms Steam, SteamVR, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, MacOS, Linux, Oculus
Engines Unreal Engine, Unity 3d
Languages C/C++, C#, Unreal Blueprints, HLSL, Python, MEL
Tools Git, Perforce, Maya, Jira, Jenkins, PlayStation SDK + kit, Xbox SDK + kit

⚒️ Experience

Senior Software Engineer at Bladework Games | 2020 - 2022

Unannounced Title [ TBD ]

  • Networked combat in Unreal; system provides designers ability to develop new actions in Blueprints.

  • Networked buff / debuff system in Unreal.

  • Helping mid and junior-level developers resolve design, code, and engine issues.

Founder, Lead at Candescent Games | 2011 - 2022

Lacuna Passage V2 [ Steam, PC, MacOS ]

  • Celestial simulation of solar system w/ time-accurate planet surface views, i.e. physically accurate objects in sky from Earth's surface, or any body ( planet or moon ) in the Solar System.

  • Python scripts to convert Mars Hi-RISE & MRO satellite DTMs to height-field data used for UE landscapes.

  • Day-night cycle lighting logic and shaders for Martian surface.

  • Martian weather and atmospheric storm systems that allow dynamic changes at runtime.

Weapon Kit for Unreal [ PC, MacOS, Linux ]

  • Plug 'n play weapon fire, reloading and attachment customization systems for Unreal marketplace.

  • Projectile launching and attach system for weapon arrows, knives, and axe.

  • Art direction guidance on weapons and attachments.

  • Weapon rigging and animation.

Tinertia [ PlayStation 4, Steam, SteamVR, PC, MacOS, Linux ]

  • Development Lead: Managed my 4 person team and coordinated with dev partner Section Studios.

  • Core game mechanics: physics based movement, camera-axis switching, level editing tools, etc..

  • Art-style implementation w/ Section’s art director and optimized it for target platforms.

  • Camera systems, character physics, input processing, cross-platform saves, replay system, Steam & PlayStation platform integrations.

  • Shaders for characters, bosses, and environments. Lighting and FX for characters, levels, and boss battles.

  • Scripted in-engine cutscenes.

  • Cross platform services layer to abstract PlayStation and Xbox integrations from game logic.

Tutankhamun: Enter The Tomb [ PC, Voyager, Oculus ]

  • Worked with The Third Floor production team to integrate app with Voyager.

  • Unreal profiling and project FPS optimization.

  • Resolved third party C++ plugin issues.

First Man VR [ PC, Voyager, Oculus ]

  • Worked with CreateVR production team to integrate app with Voyager.

Jurassic World: Blue [ PC, Voyager, Oculus ]

  • C++ networked API lib for Felix & Paul VR player to interface with Voyager.

Positron Voyager [ PC, Oculus, Windows Mixed Reality ]

  • C++ networked API for Unreal Engine apps to interface with Voyager.

  • Showroom app to visualize Voyager manufacturing specs and color options.

  • Managed 3D artists working on key art renders for Voyager.

Dead Realm [ Steam, PC ]

  • Advice on general networking architecture and built listen-server / client model in Unity 3d.

  • Integrated ULink networking-layer with Steam’s lobby system.

  • Networked gameplay mechanics based on specs.

Gameplay Programmer at Surge Inc | 2010

Soccer-Play Simulator ( Cancelled ) [ PC ]

  • Animation systems for simulated soccer players.

  • Player movement, character physics, and ball physics.

  • Character AI and pathing based on defined plays.

3D Technical Artist at Hangout Industries | 2008 - 2010

Superstar City [ PC, MacOS, Facebook ]

  • Avatar art-style & rendering systems w/ guidance from creative director; Also tuned avatar perceived age based on target demo and focus tests.

  • Created spec for avatar tri-counts and joint limits based on projected min spec and engine capabilities.

  • Male & female character rigs, optimized for mo-cap anim transfer. Helped direct mo-cap actors.

  • Avatar customization + facial anim system w/o joints and had ability to define anims / moods in XML.

  • Managed 2 junior artists w/ guidance from creative dir + bi-weekly release of new clothing, hair styles, makeup etc.

Superstar City Mini Games [ PC, MacOS, Facebook ]

  • Designed, modeled, textured 2 environments for mini-games; Setup GI lighting and created lightmaps in Mental Ray.

  • Camera system that tracks models walking down runway, w/ transitions & cuts to different viewpoints.

Superstar City Sandbox [ Internal Dev Tool ]

  • Single-player internal prototype of Superstar City virtual world. Used for external demos, rapid-prototyping of new features, optimizations, and extensions to avatar systems.

  • Room system that allowed users to create 3D rooms from an image/photo of a location. Users could walk around in a 3D space as if walking around in photographed space.

  • Camera system to track avatars as they moved around and switched rooms.

Hangout Hoops [ PC, MacOS, Web ]

  • Designed, modeled, and textured a stylized college-basketball stadium for 1st person game.

  • Environment lightmap and reflection map creation using Mental Ray.

  • In-game lighting, particle effects, hoop and net physics, and environment colliders.

Center for Digital Imaging Arts | 2007

Paid Teaching Assistant [ Maya ]

  • Assisted students with 3D animation and modelling coursework.

  • Created Maya tutorials for lessons and built character rigs for student use.

Student Practicum [ Flash, Web ]

  • Architectural visualization for Zumix Performance Center.

  • Modeled building exterior structure from on-site measurements.

  • Created 360-pano interior renders, optimized render process, setup GI and other passes in Mental Ray.

  • Built Flash web page and embedding for interactive 360 VR in ActionScript.

🧱 Methodology

I've worked for video game studios, film studios, independent clients, and developed my own titles under Candescent Games, a company I founded in 2011. My approach is to build systems that let designers harness their creativity without being too limited by implementation details. I have a similar philosophy when designing player-facing mechanics; fun designs let players experiment and rely on the underlying mechanics to draw out desired behaviors.

I have deep expertise in engines like Unreal and Unity and have built networked multiplayer games in both. For my indie projects I enjoy taking on art direction, lighting, and look development. While I'm not a seasoned 3D artist I can help with some asset creation and solve art-pipeline issues. I've managed both developers and artists on various projects, and I’m always glad to help junior developers solve issues.

EDUCATION: BA Computer Science 2007, Boston University.

HOBBIES: Gaming, sim-racing, 3d printing, ultimate frisbee, and giving pats to cats and dogs.