After working as the "audio guy" and XR Developer for 11 months, I was appointed as the first Developer Lead at the Virtual Experiences and Simulation Lab at the University of Miami. I led 13 junior and 3 senior developers for their respective XR projects in the Unity game engine.
I helped solve technical issues, game design, audio programming, was responsible for signing-off projects for development, oversaw hiring and interviews of developers, code reviews, documentation framework, and a structured tool selection process for projects, and most importantly, try and manage a vibe in the workplace!
My responsibilities also included researching and implementing technological solutions in the context of XR development that are necessary for future growth.
My most prominent project is Mangrove City as described below.
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Mangrove City
Mangrove City is a VR experience designed to educate middle school students on the importance of utilizing Mangroves and their ecosystem as a means to combat climate change, and to promote the co-existence of human civilization and nature. The game is made using Unity.
Watch the trailer below:
I wore many hats throughout the project's development. My initial role as an Audio Engineer saw me implement every audio experience and interaction including but not limited to - recording voiceovers, sound designing, audio programming, spatial audio implementation, and ambisonic recording.
I transitioned into a lead developer for this project over the summer of 2023, also building some game mechanics, overseeing game design, and project visualization, utilizing agile methodology as part of a scrum team, performance profiling AND optimization along with small tasks like graphics editing.
Watch the playthrough demo below:
About
Experience
Complete Audio implementation - dialogue recording, ambisonic recording, sound design, and programming.
Implemented a dynamic footstep system based on two floor materials (concrete and grass).
Implemented a dynamic water splashing system based on the speed of the paddle movement and impact.
Utilized Meta XR Audio SDK for immersive and realistic acoustic simulations.
Development (mostly fixing!) of game mechanics and interactions.
UI elements like signboards, and instructional pop-ups.
Graphic design and video editing for certain UI elements.
Game design for key UX events.
Performance optimization -> Leading the effort of making the game optimized to ship it as a standalone application on the Meta Quest 2 & 3 headsets. Created a document detailing the process, for the principal investigator.
Voiceover documentation to help the overseas team translate into regional languages.
Awards
Augmented World Expo 2023 XR Prize Challenge - Best in Educate winner.
Best in Florida at Filmgate Interactive 2023 festival, Miami, FL.
QS Reimagine Education Awards 2023 Abu Dhabi - Gold Winner in Sustainability Education (US & Canada).
Official entry from the University of Miami for Games For Change 2024 - Best XR for Impact and Best Student Project categories.
Showcased at the eMerge Americas 2024 event in Miami, FL.
More in XR
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Other activities at the VESL:
Supporting the junior developer in NCI (305) 360 Project.
Programming and development support on the UMVerse project, which plans to put the University of Miami campus in VR with projects made by the VESL like Mangrove City.
Designing audio tools for Unity like the Wind Synthesizer Plugin and AudioManager.
Conducting technical interviews and overseeing the hiring of developers and audio programmers.
Product design for Dean's Blue Hole VR Project.
Solving technical issues related to XR development in Unity and assisting student developers.
Dean's Blue Hole VR Project Presentation @Cosford Cinema, University of Miami on World Water Day, March 25.
Presented the Dean's Blue Hole VR project in conjunction with the esteemed faculty of the School of Communication to a community of filmmakers, media personalities, and the Dean and students of the School of Communication.
