benjames.me

Education

University of Cambridge. (2013 – 2016)
BA Computer Science (2:1)
  • Wrote a dissertation on simulating and rendering fluids in real-time in Unreal Engine 4.
  • Implemented a tool for procedurally creating planets as a team project.
  • IT Officer of the Spring Ball committee, involving maintaining and adding new features to a ticketing system for 2000 guests, and designing and creating the landing page.
  • Part of the university-wide Amateur Dramatics Club as a Chief Electrician.
Wilson’s School, Wallington. (2006 – 2013)
  • A Level: 4 A*s in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Computing.
  • GCSE: 10 A*s including Maths, English, Triple Science, German and Business Studies.

Work Experience

To Play For – Technical Director: (July 2016 – Now)
  • Creating games, interactive stories and simulations using artificial intelligence.
NaturalMotion – Software Engineer Intern: (July – October 2015)
  • Wrote application code for Euphoria, an animation engine.
  • Implemented new debugging tools for in-house developers to visualise a scene’s data hierarchy, including a graph-based node editor and new views onto the application database.
  • Created a new workflow for adding basic lighting into the editor’s viewports.
  • Fixed many bugs, including ambient occlusion, collision and lighting issues.
Ninja Theory – Programming Intern: (June – September 2014)
  • Worked on the Disney Infinity platform, contributing to a large code base on a daily basis.
  • Implemented an algorithm to procedurally cut meshes at runtime.
  • Added some limb-slicing features so characters could play animations when limbs were cut off.
  • Involved working on multiple consoles to ensure consistency in rendering.
Jagex Games Studio – Technical QA Engineer: (July – September 2013)
  • Responsible for testing changes to game engine, including writing scripts to test new commands.
  • Investigated technical bugs such as crashes submitted by players and regressed fixes for them.
  • Engaged with the community in live-streams on Twitch and on forums to give updates on bug fixes.
  • Designed and scripted a boss in personal free time, with multiple special attacks and fight phases.
Amazon Development Centre – IT Assistant: (July – August 2012)
  • Implemented corporate website involving liaising between the design and system architecture teams.
  • Lead of a project to set up a multi-monitor rig displaying a graphic to welcome clients to the office.
  • Handled configuration and testing of communication devices in new office.
Pushbutton – Work Experience: (June 2011)
  • Collated and implemented content into an application built for a client to exhibit at the IBC Trade Fair in Amsterdam, showcased for worldwide audiences.
  • Designed the user interface and aesthetics for the application.
  • Rooted out various glitches and tested functionality fully to ensure suitability for the client’s specification.

Technical Skills

Programming. Strong knowledge of C++. Sound knowledge of Java and C#, as well as HTML, JS and WebGL.

Project tools. Adept with version control systems (Git, Perforce) and bug tracking software (JIRA).

Rendering. Knowledge of DirectX/OpenGL, shader languages and shader pipelines.

Engines. Good knowledge of Unreal Engine, and experience of writing MOBA-like networking code in Unity.