• Directed technical art for a PvPvE FPS, using Unreal Engine 5 with a small experienced team to rebuild and surpass the UE4 prototype in less than a year.
• Supported art, engineering, and design teams by creating materials, custom HLSL functions, VFX with custom Niagara modules, custom PCG functions, editor utilities, gameplay systems, UIs, and abilities.
• Created a number of major systems, including crafting, loot scanning, a holo map, interactive and destructible foliage, armor visuals, radial menus, intro and exit cinematics, level phases, and lighting presets with transitions.
• Optimized the game with many approaches, from profiling and refactoring classes, to rearchitecting blueprints in C++, simplifying physics assets, implementing Niagara Data Channels for VFX, and tuning configs and scalability.
Healing Gun and Graft Pack Fluid VFX
Interactive and Destructible Foliage
SDCC 2023: Tech Breakdown Teaser
Halo Infinite
Certain Affinity
Tech Art
• Prototyped unique visuals and VFX for new multiplayer items.
• Created custom vertex deformers and shaders.
• Built editor tools to improve map creation, adding features like procedural foliage volumes to the Slipspace Engine.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered
Certain Affinity
Tech Art
• Contributed a mix of tools and production tech art work during codevelopment on the remastered FPS.
• Developed photogrammetry workflow improvements.
• Rigged and simulated foliage and airplane oxygen mask animations using Houdini.
• Created various texture maps using Substance Designer to bring old materials into PBR.
• Created asset batch tools using Python and PyQT to replace assets and tune parameters like LOD distances.
• Fixed bugs and improved gameplay scripts.
DOOM
Certain Affinity
Tech Art, User Interface
• Contributed to the FPS multiplayer mode on both UI and technical art fronts.
• Created and polished user interfaces using C++ and Flash.
• Wrote UI pipeline tools using JSFL and artist tools using Python.
• Fixed gameplay and camera issues in C++.
DC Universe Online
Sony Online Entertainment
User Interface
• Built a massive number of user interfaces using Scaleform for Unreal Engine 3, C++, and Actionscript.
• Supported and improved all UIs throughout launch of the PS3/PC MMO, the PS4 release, 44 game updates and 13 DLC expansions.
• Rebuilt the entire MMO UI from the ground up to have better usability with both gamepad and keyboard + mouse, featuring custom pixel shaders, screen buffer blurring, and more.
Unfortunately the new UI never made it live due to the transfer from SOE to Daybreak, but you can see an old preview below.
New User Interface (Unreleased)
Find me in the Watchtower!
Projects
Notable Solo Game Jam Games
Favorite Shaders
About
Hello, my name is Ian Reichert-Watts. I've been in the game industry for {{calculatedExp}} years, starting as a
Technical Designer, then Programmer, and finally Technical Artist.
I was most recently Technical Art Director at 5BY5 Interactive, working on Last Expedition.
When I'm not creating or consuming content, I enjoy observing birds, critters, and plants outside. I work to maintain the small piece of forest I live in with
permaculture in mind, and believe we have a responsibility to be stewards of the land that we enjoy living on.
Shadow Helm Studio has been the label I've put my personal projects under since 2002, and I've maintained this website since.