Dan Schneider

Work History

• 

  Pipeline Supervisor

  Digital Domain

  January 2017 - Present

  Los Angeles

• Founder/Developer

  Simulacra Software

  March 2012 - Present

  ● Independent Research and Development of Houdini Tools, Libraries and Plugins
  HDA/”Smart Asset” development predominantly for anticipated release on Orbolt App Store
  Library development in Python, C++/HDK, Hscript
• 

  Senior FX Technical Director

  Method Studios

  June 2016 - November 2016

  Vancouver, Canada Area

  ● Dr Strange. Completed shot content and created tools for Tea Room Seq: Fractal floor tile animation and procedural geometry creation, animation and rendering of fractal shockwave eruption through tea room floor in Houdini utilizing assets, encapsulated networks, turtle, python (HOM), Hscript, VEX and VEX expressions.
  
  ● TBA Project. Created Fluid Shot Content: Made use of encapsulated networks, scripted operators, dynamic via use of FLIP fluids, particle systems and procedural geometry in Houdini.

  

  
• 

  Senior Technical Director

  Rising Sun Pictures

  July 2015 - May 2016

  Adelaide, Australia

  MORE DETAILS ON www.dansresume.com
  
  ● Created and Implemented Houdini Massive Arnold Crowd Rendering: Python API for Massive and Arnold crowd file types, geometry material mapping aggregater/resolver integrated with asset manager, python lib for editing crowd files, Houdini HDA upgrades for crowd editing, creation of new HDA and VEX based nodes for crowd edits, runtime render engine injector for Arnold materials.
  
  ● Design and Implemented Houdini Pipeline Overhaul: Modularization and creation of versions pipeline packages or inhouse software and HDA based toolsets, creations of HSITE package and centralizing configuration and UI integration, implementation of standards for HDA and py lib authoring and standardizing preexisting tools and libs, removal and consolidation of bloat and redundancy across departments.
  
  ● Designed and implemented Houdini “Assetizer” and modular HDA asset workflow: Round trip editing with Logic and Data separation and integration with preexisting publishing systems, Python api creation, native OTL manager replacement, HOM extent ions for presets, Htool, and HDA; high level integration for asset importing, creation, forking, cross shot use, editing, pipeline info tagging, in-session version rolling, publishing, render system integration and override system; custom programmatic Htool script creation and insertion.
  
  ● Houdini Pipeline Authoring Dev Suite: High level integration of in-house project management and deployment system and SVN into Houdini UI for quick and easy creation of pipeline standard conforming HDAs and pipeline packages;
  
  ● Upgraded Created and Consolidated Various File Utilities and UI Utilities: Created a parm reference tree navigator allowing navigation of dependencies in parameter references, created parameter dereferencing system allowing referenced values in expressions to “bubble up”, Automated cache setups, save replacements for hip files, standardizing names and allowing major/minor visioning and relocation.
  

  

  
• 

  Motion Capture Pipeline TD

  Wētā FX

  August 2014 - March 2015

  wellington, New Zealand

  ● Implemented Tools for manipulation and modification of small crowds in MoEdit: Asset manger IO integration,GUI tools for loading, saving, asf/amcs and swapping crowd proxies from Nuance, file processing outside of application to setup small crowds for Motion Editing, and for removing setup pre-publish.
  
  ● Created Solution for generation of crowd and proxies in MoEdit: Automated proxy generation including skeleton/asf reduction, geometry reduction, modifications for temp MoEdit usage, compliant with Nuance, configurable for dept scenarios, individual or show-wide missing or force all gen and publish, CLI's, admin GUI.
  
  ● Updated and enhanced in-house Motion Edit software for interfacing with commercial solutions: asf loading, version updating of motion, skeletons, or creature on load, test utilities, GUIs, and general py/qt development
  
  ● Created Custom timecode utilities in MocAp: Encoding/decoding timecode making use or user field info.
  
  ● Developed Audio and edit utility libraries in MoCap: extracting and decoding bwav info chunks.
  

  
• 

  Senior Pipeline Technical Director

  Newbreed Visual Effects

  January 2013 - February 2014

  Montreal, Quebec, Canada

  
  ● Implemented Houdini pipeline: Automation layer, associated GUI tools, and HDAs on top of Native OTL manager allowing asset manager integration and synchronization. Hsite deployment; Shot level asset system with in-session GUI round-trip editing and publishing of otls
  
  ● Houdini I/O: Remote Alembic exporter (python libs 2 HDA Rops); Renderfarm Integration (Rop Nodes and Houdini ROP to Condor dependency solver), render scripts ; Environment configuration, KDE integration
  
  ● Maya role geoCaching: Alembic exporter python api MEL wrapper; Auto department sensitive generation of abc export jobs (including role assets, Katana SceneGraphXML, asset manager specific data), XML spec for Alembic job creation, and publishing on main dept asset publish;
  
  ● Maya I/O and environment: GUI SaveAs native UI replacement integrating asset management system; userSetup replacement for cascading initializations via rez; In-house file menu replacement
  
  ● Katana Auto Shot building for lighting and lookdev: role gathering sceneGraphXML generation, 1-click shot build with all models or animated geoCaches, materials, camera and layout as needed
  Rez templates for 3D applications, general pipeline support, development, and package managing
  
• 

  Final Layout TD, Output Unit

  Dr. D Studios

  July 2010 - November 2011

  Sydney, Australia

  
  ● implemented initial Final Layout Dept Pipeline Layout
  
  ● Created and maintained mass instancing solution for setdressing: GUI tools (Houdini/Maya), HUD(maya);file specifications, keyshot/shot inheritance system, I/o, publishing and asset tools ( Houdini/Maya); Cortex procedural, and Renderman(3Delight) runtime helper procedural
  
  ● Created and maintained Footprint placement tools for paths/areas (Houdini): 6 HDA nodes, Python Sop; GUI tools, interactive editing tools; geometry generation, and override/refinement system
  
  ● Implemented Final Layout Auto Rigging, shot-building, and I/O scripts and utilities (Maya)
  
  ● Displacement cheating/editing tools (Houdini)
  
  ● Assorted Final Layout tools, scripts, pipeline, artist utilities, tools, HDAs/Otls
  
• 

  Senior Technical Director 3D R&D

  Charlex

  March 2008 - April 2010

  
  ● Created and maintained of lighting, pass, and rendering tools for Maya/MTOMR
  ● Integrated Houdini into existing pipeline
  ● Expanded Massive configuration and integration with pipeline applications
  ● Created and maintained Shader Bank of all shader sources Windows/Linux compilation
  ● Created and maintenance of project and rendering assets (OTLs) for Houdini
  ● Wrote custom Mental Ray C++ shaders and maintained preexisting shaders
  ● Upgraded pipeline to 64-bit for 3D applications and rendering
  ● Wrote and maintained preexisting Rush renderfarm submission and render scripts for 3D applications including Maya (Soft/Batch/Mental Ray), Massive/Mental Ray, Houdini/Mantra and maintenance of existing
  ● Implemented and revised file post processing and pre-render processing scripts for Massive and Maya
  ● Scripted Workstation 3D application environment configurations
  ● Beta Tested and evaluated applications and recommended potential integration
  ● Compiled assorted plugins, scripted, and general pipeline work
  
• 

  Systems Administrator

  Savannah College of Art and Design

  October 2004 - January 2008

  
  Spearheaded investigation into Massive Prime and implementation of pipeline integration
  Created system Images and application testing
  performed Renderfarm render troubleshooting and problem reports
  Scripted, and general updating, problem reports, troubleshooting, repairs, and workstation maintenance