Ian Ooi

Computer Science · Game Design

contact@ianooi.com

About Me

I am a game designer, computer scientist, and game developer, with a fondness for both the realistic and abstract visuals that can be produced by computers. I recently completed my Master's thesis in Computer Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as part of the co-terminal program, a 4+1 bachelors and masters program. My undergraduate degree is in Computer Science with a dual major in Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences. My research focused on physics-based animation of a humanoid character, as described in more detail here. Other areas of interest include non-photorealistic rendering, realistic lighting techniques, landscape and city generation, participating media, and hardware acceleration of graphics techniques.

Game Design

My game design interests are varied, but I tend to create games with short storylines that incorporate an interesting visual effect, usually with puzzle-based or competitive games with very little story. I enjoy incorporating non-photorealistic techniques into games, such as the watercolor effect used in Mar. In past situations, given a game project to be completed, I have found a way to make the project something I enjoy and will be proud of, whether the genre, style, or type of game is something I normally play or not. One of my ambitions is to create an MMORPG, though I also aspire to work on a competitive game and short story based titles.

Outside of Work

Outside of work I am an avid martial artist and have practiced Tae Kwon Do, Eskrima, and most recently Capeoira. Additionally I amuse myself with origami, playing music on flute and piano, and fiddling with various code projects. I am also a gamer, playing League of Legends consistently, though I have in the past played numerous MMORPGs such as FlyFF, Cabal, Rappelz, Megaten, Lord of the Rings Online, and Guild Wars 2. I have also played a fair share of Team Fortress 2 and Terraria, and made my way through a number of single player games, my favorites of which include Spyro the Dragon, Jak and Daxter, Mirror's Edge, Antichamber, Limbo, Borderlands, Thomas Was Alone, and Dishonored. The list of games I like and have played is constantly growing and changing.
  • Education
    • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (expected graduation date Spring 2016)
      • Computer Science M.S.
      • Computer Science B.S.
      • Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences B.S.
    • Honeoye Falls-Lima HS (graduated June 2010)
  • Work Experience
    • FactSet Charting Team Intern (charting infrastructure for desktop applications)
    • Nvidia Corporation Software Engineering Intern (CUDA Tools)
    • Rensselaer Center for Open Source: Open source application development
    • Junior Engineer at Deadmans Productions: Web application and game development
  • Programming Languages
    • C++
    • C#
    • C
    • Python
    • JavaScript
    • GLSL
    • Cg
    • PHP
    • Tcl
    • Haskell
    • Matlab
    • Java
  • Libraries/Technologies/APIs/SDKs
    • OpenGL (Most familiar with 3, inexperienced with compute/tesselation shaders)
    • Direct 3D (DirectX 11)
    • OpenFrameworks
    • WebGL
    • CUDA
    • GLFW
    • pygame
    • Android SDK
    • LaTeX
    • HTML
  • Software
    • Unity 3D
    • LaTeX
    • Maya
    • GIMP
    • Blender
    • Audacity
    • Vim
    • git
    • Perforce
    • gcc/g++
    • clang/clang++
    • gdb, cuda-gdb
    • valgrind
    • nvcc
    • Linux (I have previously used Ubuntu, Linux Mint, OpenSUSE, Fedora, and ArchLinux systems)
    • Windows
    • Visual Studio
  • Computer Science and Programming Experience
    • Physics-based character animation
    • Cloth simulations
    • Fluid simulations
    • Ray tracing
    • Photon mapping
    • Real-Time Hatching (Hoppe et al)
    • Example-based texture synthesis
    • Watercolor rendering
    • Front-end web development
    • Web application development
    • Machine learning techniques including the perceptron, order transforms, data normalization, and neural networks
    • Computer vision techniques including feature detection, matching and object detection, color correction
    • Matting
    • Match moving
    • Web game development
    • Android game development
    • OpenGL and Direct3D drawing
    • Polygon triangulation
  • Game Development Experience
    • 2D/3D physics
    • 2D/3D rendering
    • Lighting and shading
    • Image/Screen-space effects
    • Level design
    • Mechanic design
    • Particle systems
    • UI/Overlays
    • Narrative/Writing
    • Basic environment and terrain modelling
    • Basic character modelling and rigging
    • Basic initial concept art
Note: All games produced with a group unless otherwise noted.

findingfeather:

into-the-weeds:

eerian-sadow:

It’s true. I started calling “the cloud” offsite storage, and the comprehension that dawns in my customers’ eyes is super gratifying. They understand external hard drives, but many couldn’t wrap their heads around this mystical floating in the air storage–because that’s not how it works at all. You’re just using space on someone else’s hard drive.

[Image is a t-shirt which reads:

There is no cloud
It’s just someone else’s computer
]

I explain this to eeeevery patron who comes in to ask for tech help etc. I find ways to explain it, because it’s important.

“Oh ‘the cloud’ is just what they decided to call it. What it actually means is that you use the internet to connect to some dedicated computer somewhere where your file is stored, and then you can access that file, which is why it only works with an internet connection. You’re just renting space on a computer the company owns.”

Suddenly everything is less mysterious.

Mar 18, 2024
View on Tumblr

toss-a-coin-to-your-stan-account:

hey since it’s coming up again: no it’s not a good thing that the government wants to ban tiktok. no you should not be glad that the government might ban tiktok. no you should not respond to this with “good riddance” or “hurry up I hate that app”. I should not have to explain this to you but the government banning a social media app is still a bad thing even if you don’t like the UI or booktok or having to say “unalive” or how you think it’s killing the very notion of attention spans. It’s still bad. It’s bad.

Mar 13, 2024
View on Tumblr
Mar 11, 2024
View on Tumblr
Mar 11, 2024
View on Tumblr

lingonberry24:

wakewithgiggli:

flightyquinn:

wakewithgiggli:

itgetsbetterproject:

Some proof that there ARE elected officials out there, like Vice Mayor Sean Cummings in Oklahoma, who are standing up for LGBTQ+ youth like Nex Benedict and calling out the fact that our words and rhetoric DO matter.

[Context: In this video, Sean Cummings is seen speaking to Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters referring to the death of student Nex Benedict].

wow, thats earnest. We should have more people talking like this.

All of my respect to this man for not being afraid to tell the truth.

After being reposted by Chaya Raichik and getting death threats, he said (paraphrashing), “I live alone. If any of you keyboard warriors want to try something, come at me.”

I CALLED THE NUMBER LISTED FOR HIM ONLINE TO SAY THANK YOU AT 10 AT NIGHT AND HE PICKED UP

If you’re considering showing your support personally, maybe consider doing so online or calling during the day

Mar 10, 2024
View on Tumblr

ebookporn:

LeVar Burton Is Still Fighting For Your Right to Read

In an age of unprecedented book bans, the actor and literacy advocate is going to the mat for the freedom to read. “America loves to live in the shadows,” he says, “but we’re living in an age when the truth wants to come out.”

by Adrienne Westenfeld

Nearly two decades after PBS’s long-running series went off the air, the Reading Rainbow generation is all grown up. Their love of reading and knowledge is an enduring gift, courtesy of host LeVar Burton and the show’s producers—but in an age of unprecedented assaults on the freedom to read, what’s to become of today’s young readers in the making?

As ever, Burton is looking out for them. The actor and literacy advocate recently served as the honorary chair of Banned Books Week, an annual October event dedicated to raising awareness about attempts to remove reading materials from libraries, schools, and bookstores. Now, he’s making his second appearance as the host of the National Book Awards, where “censorship” will no doubt be the word on every honoree’s lips. “I’ve put in work in this field; I’ve put in time on these issues,” Burton told Esquire. “I’m happy to be the face of it and represent it, because these are matters that I care deeply about.”

READ MORE

Great interview, worth the read.

“The whole idea of Americans being in control of their own bodies, their own minds, and their own destinies is a political issue, which is weird, given the fundamental underpinnings of the creation of this nation. But here we are, having this conversation about bodily autonomy, what kids should read, and what we should think. For me, it’s a fight worth fighting. It’s not only a conversation worth having. It’s a fight worth fighting… The fight for reproductive freedom is tied to the effort to ban books. They’re definitely linked. What we’re looking at is authoritarian control, and that’s just not part of the charter.”

Mar 07, 2024
View on Tumblr

spacecatsunited:

andreathemagpie:

mmeveronica:

quasi-normalcy:

You might think that I’m joking when I say that we need cyborg rights to be codified into law, but I honestly think that, given the pace of development of medical implants and the rights issues raised by having proprietary technologies becoming part of a human body, I think that this is absolutely essential for bodily autonomy, disability rights, and human rights more generally. This has already become an issue, and it will only become a larger issue moving forwards.

No but seriously we need cyborg rights, in case you don’t know how many people count as cyborgs here are some examples;

  • People with cochlear implants are cyborgs
  • People with pacemakers are cyborgs
  • People with insulin pumps are cyborgs

There are even edge cases revolving around how much electricity and integration into the body are necessary to make someone a cyborg.

  • People with replacement hips or other bones are by some definitions cyborgs
  • People with implanted medical devices such as artificial valves or stents are by some definitions cyborgs
  • People with prosthetic limbs are by some definitions cyborgs
  • People with ostomy bags are by some definitions cyborgs
  • People in wheel chairs, electric or not, are by some definitions cyborgs

The list could go on but I think I made my point that cyborgs are a lot more than just people with robot arms, they are the disabled deserving of the rights to the technology their lives literally depend on.

This is needed.

Earlier this year, a woman was forcibly deprived of a brain implant that was treating her epilepsy because the company that made the implant went bankrupt. Here’s a link to one of several articles about it:


This story happened back in the 2010s according to the first article but is still relevant. Also if my cochlears were repossessed by the company for some asinine reason I would literally stop being able to do 80% of the things I do and my future would be ruined. Cyborg rights are necessary and should have been codified decades ago

Mar 06, 2024
View on Tumblr
Mar 06, 2024
View on Tumblr

mostlysignssomeportents:

The real problem with anonymity

A group of corporate executives seated behind a boardroom table. In the center of the table is a poop emoji, radiating stinklines and flies, perched atop a squashed Tinyletter logo. Their papers and faces are smeared with shit. A sign on the wall bears the Intuit logo. The CEO is wearing a Guy Fawkes mask.ALT

I’m on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me in TUCSON (Mar 9-10), then San Francisco (Mar 13), Anaheim, and more!

A yellow rectangle. On the left, in blue, are the words 'Cory Doctorow.' On the right, in black, is 'The Bezzle.' Between them is the motif from the cover of *The Bezzle*: an escheresque impossible triangle. The center of the triangle is a barred, smaller triangle that imprisons a silhouetted male figure in a suit. Two other male silhouettes in suits run alongside the top edges of the triangle.ALT

According to “the greater internet fuckwad theory,” the ills of the internet can be traced to anonymity:

Normal Person + Anonymity + Audience = Total Fuckwad

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/greater-internet-fuckwad-theory

This isn’t merely wrong, it’s dangerously wrong. The idea that forcing people to identify themselves online will improve discourse is demonstrably untrue. Facebook famously adopted its “real names” policy because Mark Zuckerberg claimed to believe that “Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity”:

https://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2010/05/14/facebook-and-radical-transparency-a-rant.html

In service to this claimed belief, Zuckerberg kicked off the “nym wars,” turning himself into the sole arbiter of what each person’s true name was, with predictably tragicomic consequences:

https://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-believe-about-names/

Facebook is, famously, one of the internet’s most polluted reservoirs of toxic interpersonal conduct. That’s not despite the fact that people have to use their “real” names to participate there, but because of it. After all, the people who are most vulnerable to bullying and harassment are the ones who choose pseudonyms or anonymity so that they can speak freely. Forcing people to use their “real names” means that the most powerful bullies speak with impunity, and their victims are faced with the choice of retreat or being targeted offline.

Keep reading

Mar 04, 2024
View on Tumblr
Mar 03, 2024
View on Tumblr