Christopher Hurwitz

150 Hamakua Dr, PMB 300
Kailua, HI 96734-2825
ate-oh-ate tree-ate-svn fv-ate-fv-ate

web aht whitesands dt org
http://www.whitesands.org

 

EDUCATION

BS, Engineering and Applied Science, Aeronautics
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA

June 1990
GPA: 3.5

 

WORK EXPERIENCE
Freelance Consultant, 1995-present
Over seven years as a freelance consultant developing bleeding-edge interactive pieces. An overview of my work is available online in my interactive portfolio. Highlights include:

Deluxe Digital's pocket BLU®, 2010-2012
Lead architect and developer of the Mac/Windows client for Deluxe Digital's pocket BLU® platform.
Blu-ray™ companion app offering:

  • Virtual Blu-ray remote control functionality from any Mac/Win system.
  • Interactive timeline allowing direct access to supplemental and behind-the-scenes content during Blu-ray playback.
  • Video-on-demand purchase and playback system (since deprecated for marketing reasons).
  • Digital Copy download and playback.
  • Download and management of value-added content.
  • Customized per-film content including 3D model viewers of cars, props, and artifacts from films.
  • Streaming of trailer content.

Deluxe Digital's User Commentary system, 2008-2010
Lead architect and developer of Deluxe Digital's User Commentary system.
User Commentary (2008-2010, now deprecated) was a web-based interactive video commentary system that allowed users to:

  • Record audio and video commentary on Blu-ray titles during synched Blu-ray film playback.
  • Upload and share their commentaries with other users.
    When activated, a selected commentary would appear as an inset (picture in picture) window during film playback on a user's Blu-ray device.
  • Compete in contests judged by the directors and producers of the films.

Electronic Arts interactive advertising, including Madden Football, Burnout Dominator, Sim Pets, 2006-2007

Burton interactive boards, boots, bindings, and "Kit Connector" clothing catalogs, 2006

Vega 52, a multiuser, collaborative music video creation environment. Users design unique animations based on templates, then trigger the animations in real-time in a multiuser environment. Each animation enables a different music track. When animations from all genres are triggered simultaneously, the full musical composition is enabled.

Chatmaster 3000, a multiuser, animated chat environment, providing a digital canvas for collabrative composition and expression.
Macromedia Site of the Day, 9/20/2001.

Nike Freestyle Remixer, a real-time, keyboard-driven, video remixing tool. Allows user to create custom remixes of Nike's Freestyle commercial, and email their cuts to friends.

Spiderman.com Interactive Teaser for the 2002 feature film.

Excite Extreme - Tech lead for joint Intel / Excite development of 3D Java search interface. Site died when Excite folded.

HP Pong Banner - Considered Internet's first fully interactive advertisting piece - 1997 Communication Arts award, 1998 MC Icon Gold & Platinum awards

Nike Zoom Air - Interactive advertising for the Atlanta Olympic games campaign - 1997 Communication Arts award

Outlook Express Banner - 1998 Clio award

 

Morgan Interactive, Vice President, Engineering, 1993-1995
Technology lead at edutainment CD-ROM development firm.

Morgan Interactive Multimedia Engine
Led development of realtime, multitasking, multimedia engine in C++.
The engine was designed to handle the flow of parallel streams of realtime media using a plug and play, object-oriented, component based architecture.
Long term goal involved using the engine as an interface to an online, interactive, edutainment world for children.

Edutainment Multimedia Authoring
All the details that arise from being the technology slinger at a startup firm.

  • Authoring, optimization, and mastering of Director based multimedia titles for Macintosh and Windows
  • CD-ROM mastering, one-off replication
  • Macintosh and Windows installer creation
  • Game concept development
  • System and network administration
  • Technical support

 

SimGraphics Engineering, Software Engineer, 1991-1993
Computer Graphics programming for Virtual Reality related applications on high end SGI workstations.

VActor Performance Animation System, Digital Puppetry
One of the original programmers on the Performance Animation System, now VActor. The system allows actors to control computer generated, digital puppets directly with his or her facial muscles. Additional special effects are achieved with Polhemus 3D sensing devices, hand-based input devices, and bodysuits.

  • Implemented expression mixing subsystem which cross referenced realtime input frames to drive puppet geometry modeling.
  • Expanded expression mixing technology to include recognition of emotional and mood characteristics.
  • Created X/Motif user interfaces for VActor development and runtime tools.
  • Created object-oriented interface libraries for VActor input devices.
  • Reengineered device drivers for Polhemus 3D motion capture.

VActor Venue Management
Managed remote VActor productions, including those in Japan and Germany.

  • Configured SGI workstations for optimal performance.
  • Trained actors in the use of the VActor system.
  • Managed all aspects of technical production.

VActor Character Design and Development
Designed and implemented VActors for commercial clients.

  • Worked with Viewpoint Datalabs to develop character geometry to client specification.
  • Designed animation and facial expression repertoire for each character.
  • Developed necessary morphing geometry targets with Viewpoint.
  • Mixed morphing components and expression generation matrices.
  • Created shell script system that automated character data management, shipping directory builds, and licensing/encryption for production release.

VRW, Virtual Reality Workbench
Revised and expanded functionality of realtime, 3D, CAD assembly testing environment.

SOFTWARE SKILLS
Web Authoring: HTML5, CSS, Javascript, Java, Flash/Flex, Actionscript, Shockwave
media streaming, parallel animation, physics simulations, multiuser programming
Media Tools: Flash/Flex, Director, Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere, Soundbooth
Environments: Unix, Mac OS X, Windows
Languages: C, C++, Java, Actionscript 3 & 2, Unix bash/ksh/csh scripting
Assembler, BASIC, Pascal, Director Lingo
Miscellaneous: Internet fluency.
3D Rendering, Lighting, and Modeling techniques.
Algorithmic texture generation.