Jonathan G Edwards Resume Email: [email protected] Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonedwards3d/ Website: http://jonedwards3d.com/ Phone: (818) 282-3032 Introduction: Technical Artist with over 7 years of experience specializing in the development of animation and motion capture pipelines for games using Maya and Motionbuilder. Python is my primary language and I develop using the PyMel, PySide and pyfbsdk toolkits.
Rigger with experience setting up characters suitable for real-time engines and high-fidelity, pre-rendered workflows. I thrive on making the iteration and integration process as painless for artists and engineers as possible by becoming the bridge between the two.
Animator with experience in pre-visualization, rough layout, data clean-up, keyframe, camera and final polish workflows for both Motionbuilder and Maya.
Projects: VR / AR ● Microsoft (2018) - Technical Artist / Rigger / Animator Games ● Agents of Mayhem (2017) - Technical Artist / Animator ● Injustice 2 (2017) - Technical Artist / Animator ● Allegiant | VR Experience (2016) - Technical Artist / Animator ● BattleCry (2014) - Technical Artist / Rigger / Animator ● Junga World (2014) - Technical Artist / Rigger / Animator ● Saints Row IV (2013) - Technical Artist / Animator ● Tomb Raider (2013) - Technical Artist / Animator Commercials: ● Muppets Band-Aid Commercial (2012) - Rigger / Animator After Effects: ● Frame Machine - Look dev projects (2014) - FX Artist / Animator / Technical Artist
Skills: Pipeline Development: Python / PySide / Motionbuilder / Maya / Shotgun Maya: Rigging / Animation / PyMel Motionbuilder: Rigging / Animation / pyfbsdk Unity: Animation / C# / Shading(HLSL). After Effects: Scripting / Mettle / Compositing / Animation / VFX Photoshop: Texture Touch-ups / Texture Management
Pipeline Development: ● Data Management: Modules that handle how data comes in, gets conformed, how to store it, organize it and access it, either abstractly on a platform like Windows or app-specific i.e. Maya or Motionbuilder. ● Data / File Ingest: Developed PySide interfaces that could be fed data (YAML, JSON, CSV) that allowed users to ingest files, based on project configurations. ● Data / File Delivery: Get all data pertaining to the deliverable and conform it to fit the delivery standards based on project configurations. ● Mocap Processing: Developed a few different pipelines on processing and ingesting mocap data, fixing any consistent issues that arise.
Some proprietary tools I’ve developed: Maya: ● Scene Assembly Tool: Allows artists to reference and apply the correct animation for their characters. ● Asset Import: One-button-click tool that references and updates all assets in the current scene by sifting through the asset’s directory structure. ● Asset Export: One-button click tool that exports all asset meshes and skeletons associated with them to an Export directory in Unity that ensures the art structure is mirrored exactly. ● Vert Adjust Weights Tool: An interface that allowed riggers to adjust skinned weights on a per-vertex level more quickly and interactively than the Component Editor. ● Scene Quality Control Tool: This tool would allow an artist to ensure their scene is clean and ready to be exported for either a client or game engine. ● Spline IK Tool: This would allow artists to freely add a complex spline IK rig to any joint chain, with options on toggling squash, stretch or both. It includes a dynamic blend feature and the ability to attach to a chain in any pose, even already animated joint chains. ● Transfer UVs: Converted a workflow a fellow artist discovered to a usable tool that non-destructively transfers UVs from source to skinned target mesh. ● Batch Transfer Textures: Utilized maya’s built-in Transfer Maps tool to conform several textures to a new UV layout. ● Other Batch Processes: A collection of tools that allow for batch importing FBX data onto characters, playblasting, ingesting and quality control.
Motionbuilder: ● Retime Tool: Allows an artist to safely retime their entire scene, shifting keys forward or backward in time, from any part of the scene. ● Animation Database Tool: Allows an artist to save keyframe data from any object or character to a file and later import into another scene or object. It allows for several export and import options including saving animation layer data, separate takes, etc. ● Scene Assembly Tool: Automatically assembles a scene based on which project context an artist is in. ● Scene Quality Control Tool: Automatically processes a scene based on project configurations and current step in the pipeline the artist is in. ● Scene Delivery Tool: Automatically prepares file(s) to be delivered to a client, ensuring the client specifications are met. ● Camera Tool: Allows an artist to create a camera, with settings based on a config file within a project context that automatically applies the settings to cameras. ● HUD Tool: Allows artists to automatically create and update camera HUDs that contain information about the file, scene, project, etc. The HUDs are fully configurable via a config file. ● Batch Processes: Several tools that batch process any kind of scene, with options on what users would like to do with the scenes, such as applying a Quality Control Tool config to each file while processing. ● Character Plotter: A more robust and artist-friendly plotting tool that supports plotting several characters on several takes with just one click. ● Camera Shake Tool: Allows artists to generate realistic camera shake animation, with several presets and the ability to create a custom preset by tweaking every single aspect of the shake. The tool also supports applying shakes to any animatable object in a scene as well as a damping / drop off feature. ● Replace Asset Tool: A robust tool that allows artists to replace any chosen object / prop / character in a scene without plotting while retaining all animation layer and constraint data. ------Project Experience: Position: Technical Artist / Pipeline Developer Apps: Autodesk Maya, Unity 3D Studio: Microsoft Project: VR Prototyping Experiences Date: May 2018 - Present ● Collaborated with technical artists, riggers and engineers to develop a custom pipeline and framework for standardizing character rigs and expedite the prototyping process in Unity as well as assisting other teams with shader optimization. ------Position: Technical Artist / Pipeline Developer Apps: Autodesk Motionbuilder Studio: Frame Machine Project: Custom pipeline, tools and framework development Date: Fb 2012 - Jan 2018 ● Helped develop a custom pipeline and framework for standardizing how studio-wide data, files and tools are handled. ------Position: Technical Artist / Animator Apps: Autodesk Maya and Motionbuilder Studio: Frame Machine Project: Injustice 2 by NetherRealm Studios Date: Oct 2015 - Feb 2017 ● Keyframe animation, Layout and camera animation for Previs ● Pipeline Development and implemented a series of animation tools for Cinematics workflow in Motionbuilder and Maya ● Created a few tools in Maya for the Facial Animation team to help artists with redundant tasks and issues ● Assisted over 35 artists with training, technical workflows, issues, and tools. ------Position: Technical Artist / Animator Apps: Autodesk Motionbuilder Studio: Frame Machine Project: Agents of Mayhem by Volition Studios Date: Jan 2015 - Oct 2017 ● Mocap cleanup and animation ● Pipeline development for conforming inhouse workflows to client’s workflow ● File delivery to client using tools to conform to client’s delivery specifications ------Position: Technical Artist / Animator / VFX Artist / Compositing Apps: Motionbuilder, Maya and After Effects Studio: Frame Machine Project: Internal look dev projects Date: Aug 2014 – Dec 2014 ● Mocap clean-up and Animation in Motionbuilder and Maya ● Pipeline Development specific to stitching together several different mocap clips to create entirely new animations ● Textured and Rendered environment in Maya to match concept art given ● Composited Sequence images in After Effects and generated several template effects to implement into final scene such as light effects, desintegrations, gun fire, and particle clouds and smoke ------Position: Technical Artist / Animator / Rigger Apps: Motionbuilder and Maya Studio: Frame Machine Project: BattleCry by ZeniMax Studios Date: Apr 2014 - Aug 2014 ● Pipeline Development for In-game animations to Ingest, conform and deliver files to client based on given specifications ● Mocap clean-up, animation and character rigging for body and face. Position: Character Rigger Apps: Autodesk Maya Studio: 9K9 Studios Project: Band-Aid Magic Vision Commercial Date: Jan 2012. ● Collaborated with lead Animator and rigged Muppet characters and props for use in the Unity engine. ● Animated Muppets responding to certain situations. ------Position: Technical Artist / Animator Apps: Autodesk Maya Studio: Frame Machine Project: Tomb Raider by Crystal Dynamics Date: Jan 2012 - Jul 2012 ● Worked with lead TD in applying MoCap Data onto character rigs in preparation for animators and animated body / props. ● Prepared character's final animation for application to the client's game engine. ● Was able to learn the production pipeline in a couple of days and was later responsible for entire production pipeline to finish the project. ● Character Rigger in Autodesk Maya at Just Cause Studios for an unannounced project in Aug 2012. ● Responsible for Rigging a scanned, Hi-Resolution face to simulate hyper-realism. ------Position: Animator Apps: Autodesk 3DS MAX Studio: Frame Machine Project: Saints Row IV by Volition Studios Date: Oct 2012 - Aug 2013 ● Helped set up previz scenes as well as built actor props and sets during the MoCap shoot on location. ● Prepared delivery of MoCap data to client. ● Responsible for Face Animation and Body Animation on all characters. ------Position: Character Rigger / Animator Apps: After Effects Studio: Frame Machine Project: Wizard's Quest by Amazon Date: Jun 2013 - Nov 2013 ● Responsible for Photoshop Clean-up, Color and preparation for After Effects. ● Rigged 2D Character Heads in After Effects using the Mettle plugin. This allowed me to turn a flat drawing into a face rig with 20 degrees of turning motion in all directions, complete with controls for the eyes, mouth, forehead and jaw. ● Animated character bodies and heads in After Effects. ------Education: The Art Institute of California, Los Angeles: Bachelor of Science – Media Arts / Animation