Curriculum Vitae: Dr John
Spackman
Personal: Highly motivated; varied project management experience; extensive knowledge and experience of computer graphics; high technical competence
Technical: Strong mathematical and programming skills
Languages: C++ (5 years), C (16 years), x86 assembler, FORTRAN
APIs: Development with DirectX Graphics and OpenGL; implementation of novel rendering algorithms within 3d graphics APIs such as RenderWare and LightWorks.
Platforms: MS Windows (9 years), proprietary UNIX (11Years), Linux (5 years), PlayStation 2 (2 Years)
Tools: MS Visual C/C++ Developer Studio and .net, Intel C/C++ compiler, GNU/gcc, GNU/emacs, Metrowerks/CodeWarrior, Intel/VTune, Metrowerks/CATS, Perforce
Expertise: 3D Graphics/Rendering (17 years)
Developer Relations Specialist / Rendering and Optimisation Consultant
· Providing graphics and performance consultancy services to PC based games and graphics developers
· Supporting and educating PC developers on the features offered by the latest DirectX9 hardware and how to best exploit them
· Demonstrating the rendering capabilities of the latest generation of ATI Radeon products to developers
Technology Evangelist for the `RenderWare Platform’ middleware product for games developers.
· Site visits with sales staff to provide technical information to prospects and clients
· Technical support for sales teams
· Managing a team developing RenderWare plug-ins to provide various effects
· Responsible together with HR manager for recruitment of new engineers during company expansion
· Working with documentation group on RenderWare guides and example code.
· Implementing an automated documentation system in product source code for the production of API reference guides in HTMLHelp format
· Development leader for various mathematically oriented projects and optimisation of rendering code on MS Windows with MS .net, Visual C/C++ and other environments including GNU/gcc
· Liasing with solicitors for all Criterion's patent applications
· Represented Criterion at various exhibitions and conferences
Product Manager/Senior Software Consultant: Project manager/software lead for the `Radio Ray’ radiosity/ray tracing plug-in to 3DS-MAX marketed by Kinetix/Discreet.
· Responsible for project management from initial specification through to final delivery
· Development leader on MS Windows in C++ with MS Visual C/C++
· Instigated project control procedures
· Undertook developments and enhancements to the LADS rendering toolkit, including SSE optimisation of rendering algorithms
· Implemented real time Direct3D renderer for the Kazoo product
· Represented LightWork Design at various exhibitions and conferences
Managing Director: Running my own consultancy.
· Worked with LightWork Design Ltd to develop and enhance the ray tracer and other software in the LADS rendering toolkit
· Development on MS Windows with MS Visual C/C++, Developer Studio.
· Represented Criterion Software at Multimedia Japan 96 as an invited speaker with the presentation `Real Time Texture Mapping Algorithms for the PC’
Manager of Research and Development Group: Responsible for R&D team producing novel algorithms for the RenderWare 1.x family of real time PC-based rendering products.
· Managing team activities throughout the development cycle to coordinate with product release dates
· Development on MS Windows in C/C++
· Undertaking development of the product myself, implementing new rendering algorithms
· Responsible for liasing with solicitors for all Criterion's patent applications
· Represented Criterion at various exhibitions and conferences
Senior Software Consultant: Responsible for the design and implementation of various modules within the LightWork Application Developer's Toolkit.
· Developments included: accelerated ray tracing; interactive binary space partition rendering; hidden line and triangulation algorithms; a range of shaders for texturing and other visual effects
· Development on MS Windows and a range of UNIX platforms in C/C++
· Responsible for the installation and maintenance of system software
· Represented LightWork at various exhibitions and conferences
Lecturer in Department of Computer Science at the University of Edinburgh.
· Taught the computer graphics module of the MSC course
· Taught a first year introductory computer science course
· Supervised two final year BSc graphics projects
· School liaison office for the department of Computer Science
CAD/CAM software engineer:
· Developing and enhancing a scan-line based interactive shaded viewer for the MEDUSA system
· Prototyping a ray tracing renderer for MEDUSA
Undergraduate student placement in the management services group of ICI.
1986-89 Doctorate: The University of Bath. http://www.bath.ac.uk/math-sci
· Research into algorithms for increased efficiency of ray tracing in CGI, allowing the technique to move from academic research into the industrial mainstream for real applications.
Subject: B.Sc. (Hons.) in Mathematics and Computing (Sandwich Course)
· Qualification: First Class; final average 92% (highest in the year).
· Distinctions & Prizes:
o 1986 University of Bath / Institute of Mathematics prize for highest graduating degree in school
o 1986 University of Bath Computing prize.
· Invited panellist at EGUK2000
· Invited speaker at Multimedia Japan 96.
· Senior Management Program ``Governing Change'' run by Mitchell Phoenix Ltd in 1995.
· Several SIGGRAPH and EUROGRAPHICS conferences; Microsoft and Sony technical courses.
· `The Smart Navigation of a Ray through an Octtree' pp 185-194 Computers and Graphics Vol 15 #2 June 1991, Pergamon Press.
· `Scene Decompositions for Accelerated Ray Tracing' Bath University Computer Science Technical Report 90-33.
· Submissions to Ray Tracing News; see http://www.acm.org/tog/resources/RTNews
· `Spackman's normalization method’ in the book `Graphics Gems IV’.
· US Patent 5739818: Apparatus and method for performing perspectively correct interpolation in computer graphics
· US Patent 5714975: Apparatus and method for generating half toning or dither values
· Referee for a computer graphics academic journal
· Referees available on request