Resume
My name is Thomas Kole, a Dutch born Technical Artist living in Zaandam.
In 2014 I graduated highschool with a science-oriented diploma, and moved to Belgium to study and obtain my degree cum laude as a Technical Artist. I did my graduation internship at ForceField VR, and was later hired there. I was tasked with solving a variety of problems between tech and art, including VFX and framerate optimization. I also helped develop tools and new workflows.
I then worked at NEP The Netherlands, where I worked in team to bring real-time Augmented Reality to live broadcasting using Unreal Engine. Think set extensions, full virtual sets, motion graphics.
Now I’m at YIPP, a studio in Amsterdam that develops real-time interactive installations / games for museums and other places.
I’m interested — and experienced – in the entire game/real-time development pipeline, but I specify in TechArt. I’m a capable artist and programmer, but I enjoy myself most when I’m bridging the gap. I understand the difficulties in both disciplines, which makes me a suitable mediator, and I’m employable wherever I’m needed in a team or project.
I have in-depth knowledge about the technical aspects of modern rendering pipelines and game engines, utilizing them to achieve maximum graphical fidelity, but always with an eye on scalability and performance.
You can also download my Resume in PDF format.
TECHNICAL 3D
Techart often requires in-depth knowledge about the technical aspects of 3D. I know first hand about 3D from how it’s created in software, to how it’s rendered on screen.
PROTOTYPING
The prototyping phase is one of the most crucial phases of a project. I can help explore visual ideas fast, by focusing on what’s important early on.
VISUAL TECHNOLOGIES
If it’s digital and visual I’ve worked with it. Think technologies such as photogrammetry/3d scanning, image processing, stitching, and analysis. I try to find new ways to use pre-existing hardware and software to get better results faster.
OPEN SOURCE
I enjoy working with open-source software, as it allows me to look inside and experiment. Additional bonus: it’s free!
VIRTUAL REALITY
I’ve worked with Cardboard, GearVR, Oculus Rift and Vive. I have my own virtual reality setup at home. VR brings along additional challenges, making it an interesting platform to develop for.
TOOL DEVELOPMENT
When an experiment becomes a pipeline, cumbersome steps in the process can cost a lot of time. I can write small applications that automate these steps, making for a more user friendly — and time saving —workflow.
Software
Unreal Engine 4
Unity
Blender
3DS Max
Maya
Photoshop
Substance Designer
Common Linux Distros
Meshlab
VisualSFM
Agisoft Photoscan
Programming
C++
C#
Shader Languages
Additional Skills
Photography
Filmmaking / Editing
Multimedia knowledge
HTML/CSS
contact
If you want to get in touch with me, why not shoot me an e-mail? I’ll try to reply as quick as possible.
Otherwise, you could connect with me via LinkedIn or Twitter.