About
My name is Kevin M. Castaneda and I am a highly adaptable and skilled 3D artist with 7 years of professional experience. I have worked in a large range of industries and I’m knowledgeable in them as an artist and product such as blockchain, web3, Esports, game development, and VR/AR.
In addition to that, I am currently a Co-Founder at Decoy Labs, where we are building Buku, a platform that simplifies the process of creating and minting non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and as well uses social media as one of the forms of utility we offer. Our platform is the first to create an ecosystem with the creators lifecycle in mind.
At Buku, we believe in rewarding original content and breaking the trend of rewarding unoriginal, repetitive content on social media. Our mission is to create an ecosystem that supports creators from the discovery phase to monetization, and we are also working on reinventing what "attention" means by changing how advertisement works.
With my background in 3D art and photography, I have a unique understanding of creators' needs and am dedicated to building an ecosystem that is tailored to them. My skills include product development, product management, user experience (UX), user interface design, networking, business strategy, and business development. I am excited to be a part of the growing NFT community and am eager to see where this technology will take us.
As for my experience as a 3D Artist, I began pursuing my passion for game design and 3D in 2013. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an Oculus DK2 at the time, which helped me explore the developing VR industry ahead of others. Since then, I have launched products on various platforms, including Web, WebGL, Google Cardboard, Oculus Rift, Gear VR, HTC Vive, and PSVR. I have earned lead roles on every project I have taken on due to my high adaptability and ability to bring products from concept to launch.
I have also had the opportunity to work with some of the biggest companies in the industry, including Amazon, Meta, and Cisco Systems. My time at Amazon was spent working on a AR experience that utilizes Firestick and mobile devices to connect together for an escape room experience. At Meta, I worked on several projects for the Messenger Kids app, creating content that kids could enjoy and share with their friends using AR Spark. At UsTwo, I worked with Peloton to create a music-inspired workout that pushed boundaries. And at Cisco Systems, I was responsible for piecing together visualization diagrams of their technology, and demonstrating this within a virtual environment.
Resume PDF
ViewSkills
Software proficiency
Productions
- Video GameLanebreak
- Year2022
- RoleTech Artist
- CompanyUstwo (Peloton)
- Video GameMy Loft
- Year2021
- RoleSenior 3D Artist
- CompanyAmazon
Experience
During my time with Meta, i worked on several projects that were targeted for the Messenger Kids app. The goal of the
team and my role were to create content that kids could enjoy and share with their friends using AR Spark.
My responsibilities were to create concepts with a GDD, sketches, and then pitch to the team for approval. Once the
concepts were approved, i would turn the into either games, or AR face filters.• Full responsibility of my own games, and working with tech artists to implement my game design requirements
• Ownership of individual project launches from concept to launch
• Creative direction of music team to implement into game experiences
• Full responsibility of my own games artwork (low poly) to run on mobile devices
• Work on Creative AR masks for kids to share with their friends using AR SparkImmerse yourself in a music-inspired workout that will have you pushing yourself like never before. Only on the Peloton
Bike and Bike+.
Due to the nature of the project and the work which i was responsible for, most of it isnt something i can display. My
responsibilities included mostly tech art tasks, such as optimization, concepting particles, shaders, environments, and animations.
The original target frame rate of the game was 30 FPS. After I did an entire game optimization pass we were achieving over 60 FPS. The game is now running at 60 FPS on android tablets from 2014.
In addition my responsibilities were to conceptualize animations, and particle effects in real time to be presented to the team.• Entire project optimization, such as FPS improvement, textures, and shaders.
• Conceptualizing animations, particles, visual effects, shaders, and environment artMy responsibilities on this team at Amazon is to help the art director in maintaining a consistent art style by providing
feedback to existing assets that were received by outsourcing teams, as well as continue maintaining the art style on
props which i work on. I work on bug fixes and polishing tasks for the game we are working on.• Modeling hard surface assets that need to be optimized for three.js workflow
• Maintaining art style throughout the game
• Optimizing existing assets such as polycount reduction, and fixing issues that arrive from outsourced art
• Fixing texture related issues and re-optimizing textures to fit our performance needs
• Environment art optimization, including create unique textures for better performance
• Coordinate between product management, art director, engineers, and tech artistsCisco Systems, Inc. engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of Internet Protocol based networking products and services related to the communications and information technology industry.
I was brought onto take ownership of the VR and AR visualization and demonstration of their technology during a harsh deadline. The project was initially being built in Unreal Engine 4, but because i am more proficient in Unity, i scrapped the project and started over in Unity.
My responsibilities at Cisco Systems is to piece together visualization diagrams of their technology, and demonstrate this within a virtual environment. I am responsible for all aspects of the tech demo application including 3d modeling, texture creation, lighting, and simple VR interactions. I also model assets on an as needed basis, which will be implemented in the tech demo application, or be used in video demonstrations during meetings / talks.
The application i am building will be used during Cisco Live.• Ownership of product decisions within VR
• Turn existing hardware into 3D models on an as needed basis
• Implementation of VR functionality using Oculus SDK, interactions with the touch controller (built for Oculus Quest)
• Piece together framework prefabs in Unity for future additions to the application like video playback with narrative based on specific scenes, Scene specific UI for navigation, Level loading, and triggers for animations.
• Ownership of the repository, and manage all assets / branches.
• 3D model assets needed to complete environments in each scene
• Composition and lighting
• Visual direction within the VR application based on engineering teams diagram sketchesContinuing the Esports direction that BoomTV was known for in the VR space. Using our core tech for real time full 360 CSGO and League of Legends spectating, we dived head first into building a platform using all the components from our Hypernet Arena project. In Hypernet Arena, you were able to create a massive tournament system from just a push of a button. Your viewers were able to participate in a fast past tournament for cash. We handled all the scoring, and live spectating experience.
We have now created a brand well known as Code Red. Code Red is a tournament series we created to show how we could help create an Esports experience for any brand, using our platform. Our platform is the first and only fully self driven platform for Esports. We automate the process of tournament brackets with real time score tracking technology. We have opened the door for influencers to run their own tournaments by allowing any number of participants compete in events, all while our platform does all the heavy lifting of the score tracking (no score keepers needed!).My responsibilities
• Drive product to build platforms for streamers, and gamers for console and PC
• Manage jira tickets for product
• managing art related branches in source tree
• Leading QA tests, and reviewing deliverables for developers
• basic agile / scrum experience with product team & developers
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, start up environment.
• Very hands on, works on UI / UX flows with fleshed out designs for developers
• relay requirements from brainstorm to finished specs / requirement documents for developers and designers and artists
• Work closely with big influencers like Ninja, DrDisrespect, Summit1G, Shroud, and many more
• first hand experience creating environments for Esports teams, and professional gamers alike
• experience creating UI / UX for streaming tools, and streamer widgets for developers to implement
• Experienced in creation of product requirements, user flows, and documentation for projects
• Manage collaboration and communication with other team, including outsourced companies, developers, and contracted artists.
• Have created specification documents for big tournament events that involved juggernaut companies like Activision, Epic Games, and Blue Hole
• able to deliver specification documents based on high level details providedCheck it out at the following links
boom.tv/codered
Apex Legends Tournament: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8yAwPnmy7Y
Fortnite Tournament: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu9LhvFADf4&t=4s
Call of Duty Tournament: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSThWz9_w9wOriginally i was brought on to do 3D Environment Artist for Boom.tv's Social VR streaming application.
We slowly transitioned away from VR, and entered game development for WebGL. We built a arcade shooter for big tournament style experiences. From this came Hypernet Arena.Some of my responsibilities include (For VR Experiences & Hypernet Arena):
• Art direction
• Re-creating art styles based off of other games / experiences
• Concepting new environments for players to explore
• Pitching gameplay mechanics to the team, and creating requirements for developers to implement
• Creating particle systems / VFX for real time
• Creating cutscenes for use in our live streams
• Implementing art pipelines to better suit all of our supporting platforms
• Optimization for Mobile VR, Desktop VR, and WebGL
• Managing 2D animations which are used by top name streamers like Dr.Disrespect!
• Lead in UI / UX team and follow up with developers on implementation
What is Boom.tv?
Boom is the first 3D live-streaming platform for watching eSports on any device. Streamers use the platform to provide instant replays and multiple viewing angles for viewers on their PCs and mobile devices. For viewers with VR headsets, Boom simulates actually being in the game.Hundreds of millions of viewers watch eSports, but they are all held captive to the camera angle of the player. We believe the experience should be far more exciting, social, and interactive than even traditional sports broadcasts. Our mission is to put 3D technology in the hands of millions of gamers and revolutionize the way eSports content is produced and consumed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwebjmpHB1E
http://boom.tv/g/survivalThis position includes modeling, texturing, and optimize low poly assets for mobile devices on Google Cardboard / Gear VR. My workflow includes PBR materials (physically based rendering) & texture atlasing.
Looking Glass VR is a mobile application for Google Cardboard which brings historic stereographic 3D photos from yesteryear into focus.
http://lookingglassvr.com/
https://www.oculus.com/experiences/gear-vr/1107766839328808/Short term contract for an indie Playstation VR game. I designed the entire environment art, everything is optimized for console and VR use. I arranged models for gameplay, worked on all the lighting, and texturing. This title is on Playstation Store & Steam Store.
Step into an online Game Show! Trivia has never been so much fun. Featuring thousands questions, on a variety of genres/topics. Experience Trivia like never before. Play with or without VR.
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/quiz-night-tonight-ps4/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/549280/Quiz_Night_Tonight/The gameplay of this game has also been viewed by 2 million people on Youtube!
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=quiz+night+tonightContract work remotely as part of their design, development, and production team. This includes creating custom textures, as well as creating 3D assets ready for use in Unreal Engine 4 with the Oculus Rift.
Virtual Xperience creates VR content for real estate, with a focus on residential, commercial and new development markets. Pre-sell or pre-lease your new developments with VR visualizations of the unbuilt environment. Clients include home builders, multi family developers, real estate agents and brokers, interior designers, architects, owners, and more.
https://www.virtual-xperience.com/