Nick da Silva

Work History

• 

  Principle Procedural Technical Artist

  Parallel Domain

  December 2021 - Present

  Responsible for procedural world building toolset with Houdini and Unreal. Fully procedural, photo real city building. Supporting team with python tools for workflow optimization. Some noteworthy systems:
  
  1. Dynamic geometry caching
  2. Procedural UI generation
  3. Parking lot generator
  4. AWS Houdini integration
  5. Perforce Houdini integration
• 

  Lead Technical Artist

  Ascendant Studios

  January 2020 - June 2023

  San Rafael, California, US

  Built procedural world building pipeline using Houdini and Unreal 5. Most tools have a front end UI for use in engine, and a back end built around PDG for batch processing. Some noteworthy tools were:
  
  1. Procedural Rivers/Streams/Lakes/Waterfalls
  2. Custom animation with VAT, with dynamic slicing for camera culling. Blueprint assembly in Unreal.
  3. Damage/surface treatment (stone, metal, wood)
  4. Cliffs
  5. Biomes
  6. Landscapes

  
• 

  Instructor

  Gnomon School of Visual Effects, Games + Animation

  July 2018 - December 2022

  I run the VFX Demo Class and guide the students on how to create compelling pieces that will best showcase their abilities.
• 

  Senior Houdini TD and Tech Artist

  Walt Disney Imagineering

  August 2015 - November 2021

  Worked with R&D on realtime workflows using Houdini and Unity. Built custom lidar meshing toolset. Built custom image driven water simulation toolset. Additionally worked on Houdini technical setups for FX shots and projections.

  

  

  
• 

  Lead Houdini TD

  The Famous Group

  August 2020 - September 2020

  Developed custom fluid simulations in Houdini for use inside Unreal engine.
• 

  Instructor

  The Master's University

  August 2016 - December 2018

  I teach a variety of VFX related classes that give students a solid overview on creating visuals for use in a VFX environment.
• 

  Intern

  Sidefx Software

  March 2015 - August 2015

  Greater Los Angeles Area

  I developed FX rigs for film or game cinematics, the main purpose is to showcase what Houdini can do. Focusing more on mastering VEX/VOPS and learning more about the core of how Houdini works under the hood (microsolvers, custom fields and volumes, etc).
• 

  Teaching Assistant

  Gnomon School of Visual Effects, Games + Animation

  September 2014 - March 2015

  Greater Los Angeles Area

• 3D Design Team Manager

  Compusoft South Africa

  April 2004 - December 2012

  South Africa