James Arndt
Senior Technical Artist - Unity Technologies
New Smyrna Beach, United States
Summary
I have 16 years combined experience as a real-time artist and programmer in the gaming and simulation industries. I have been part of development teams working on projects for NASA, Lockheed Martin, Electronic Arts, Activision, THQ, Disney/Pixar, Codemasters, Wizards of the Coast, Mattel, Hasbro, Digital Extremes and Majesco. I've also worked on mobile games for the bands Train, Panic! at the Disco and Sia. Through my career I've also experienced teaching Unity and game development principles as a college professor. My most recent experience at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center allowed me to teach STEM principles to students through the creation of software interactives. I am currently a Senior Technical Artist with Unity Technologies creating world-class interactive and immersive real-time experiences that bring products and ideas to life.
Current Software Proficiency
Game Credits
The game titles below are all projects in which I was an active developer for that specific project. I've held multiple roles in each studio and have contributed to these projects in various ways over the last decade. The games listed below have been deployed on a variety of platforms but most of my work experience has been with handheld and mobile platforms.
Work History
Senior Technical Artist at Unity Technologies
Dec. 2020 - PresentNew Smyrna Beach, Florida
Currently a Senior Technical Artist with Unity Technologies creating world-class interactive and immersive real-time experiences that bring products and ideas to life.
Software Developer at NASA
Sept. 2018 - Dec. 2020NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Software developer position that involved the creation of a wide range of media to create exciting, engaging, and interactive online experiences by providing high impact visual solutions using both specialized and the latest technologies. Tasked in the creation of multimedia assets for websites, educational games, multimedia presentations, and for interactive displays and exhibits as well as other products as requested.
3D and 2D Artist at Roblox
Feb. 2018 - April. 2021San Mateo, California
Freelance 3D modeler and 2D texture artist for the Roblox game platform. Work entailed creating headpieces, armor and clothing sets for digital avatars within the virtual sandbox. I used 3ds Max, Adobe Photoshop and Substance Painter for production. Daily tasks include modeling assets from provided concepts or imagery, producing texture coordinates and importing these assets into Substance Painter. In Substance Painter I complete the texturing process and produce the final art asset.
3D and 2D Artist at Lockheed Martin
Feb. 2016 - Feb. 2018Orlando, Florida
3D and 2D artist position creating model and texture assets for usage in simulation databases. This includes working with Autodesk 3DS Max, Presagis Creator and Adobe Photoshop for most of the production. My daily tasks were creating and/or modifying 3D models to function optimally within the SAGE and Unity engines and creating and/or modifying texture maps for those 3D models.
Technical Artist at nSpace
April 2015 - Aug. 2015Orlando, Florida
Four month on-site contract position as a Technical Artist for Sword Coast Legends. My duties included the technical setup for the look and feel of character and weapon materials in game. This work was accomplished using Unity game engine and Adobe Photoshop. Some of the work involved the creation of productivity tools for the art team such as a Photoshop PBR texture packer and exporter.
Final Project Instructor at DAVE School
Jan. 2015 - April 2015Orlando, Florida
Four month contract as an instructor teaching Unity game engine to final-block students. Managed a team of seven student artists during the development of a three month vertical slice game demo. Utilized agile development methods to track tasks and time management during production of all game assets. Provided creative direction and continuity guidance in maintaining the look of the franchise based on the Aliens IP. Provided course lectures on general game development subjects such as rigging, animation, modeling, lighting, particle VFX, texturing, technical setup and lectures specific to aspects of Unity game engine.
3D Generalist at nSpace
April 2011 - Nov. 2012Orlando, Florida
Eight month on-site contract position as a 3D Generalist. I was responsible for modeling, texturing, lighting, rigging and animating a variety of real time assets. These assets included static world objects, NPC characters, Main boss characters, vehicles and UI/Menu 3d objects. My shipped titles during this time frame were Jaws: Ultimate Predator and the yet to be released iOS Skylanders
Programmer/Artist at fatbox Software
Jan. 2013 - Dec. 2014New Smyrna Beach, Florida
fatbox Software is an independent game development studio specializing in the development of entertainment products for mobile and desktop platforms. I am currently working on multiple titles in development. Shipped titles are: Skate n Crash (iOS/Android), Thoroughbred World (Facebook), Red Bull Augmented Racing Reloaded (iOS/Android), Panic! in Vegas, (iOS/Android), 50 Ways to Survive (iOS/Android), The Longest Second (iOS/Android - unreleased) and Bob Job (iOS/Android). My work with fatbox Software filled gaps between experiences working in various studios.
Senior Environment Artist at Firebrand Games
April 2008 - June 2010Merritt Island, Florida
3D artist at Firebrand Games, specializing in environment, vehicle and prop modeling/texturing. Shipped titles within this time frame are: Need for Speed Undercover (Nintendo DS), Need for Speed Nitro (Nintendo DS), Dirt 2 (Nintendo DS), Cars 2 (Nintendo DS), Spongebob Boating Bash (Nintendo DS), Hot Wheels: Track Attack (Nintendo Wii and DS) as well as Octane Demo for the Nintendo Wii. I utitilized Maya 2008 and Adobe Photoshop CS3 to create entire worlds and all props and set pieces within these worlds. I was responsible for creating the art assets, setting up PVS culling systems for the worlds, exporting the environment and animations, running a local build to the Nintendo Dev Kits and testing my progress to completion.
Motion Graphics Artist at DXD Post FX
Jan. 2008 - April 2008Mission, Kansas
Held position of 3D Motion Graphics Artist utilizing Autodesk Maya to model, texture, light, rig and animate scenes. I also used After Effects to do the final video composites. I was hired on as a contract worker to help with game graphics for the upcoming MLB season. During this timeframe I completed work for the San Fransisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Tampa Rays, Washington Nationals and other national sports teams.
Graphic Designer at LR Publications
Sep. 2003 - Sept. 2004Port Orange, Florida
Graphic designer working with real estate agents to concept and create advertisements for publication in the Digest of Homes real estate magazine. Daily duties included interfacing with clients, designing ads, revising designs per customer feedback, ensuring designs were proofed and fit within print guidelines for publishing.
United States Marine Corps
Oct. 1998 - Sept. 2003MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina
4611 Combat Illustrator and Combat Photographer. Combat illustrators create two and three dimensional artistic and illustrative products for use in a broad range of programs including, but not limited to, briefs, training, investigations, etc. Typical duties include layout, design, illustration, and artistic projects.
4641 Combat Photographers use digital and film cameras and equipment to take photos in a range of conditions and environments. This includes taking photos at night, in inclement weather, during battle operations, and underwater. Their photos may be used for civil affairs, intelligence gathering, investigations, research, recruiting and for documentation purposes.