Prem Subrahmanyam
614 Ashberry Lane
Altamonte Springs, FL 32714
prem@premdesign.com

Skills/Proficiency:

Proficient in the following programming languages/skills:

• C and C++ – 15 years
  (with a strong emphasis on, but not limited to, 3d algorithms related to 3d animation)
• Java – 8 years
• Technical writing – 8 years
• HTML/Web Page design – 10 years
• Javascript – 3 years
• VBScript – 1 year
• ActionScript -2 years

Proficient in the following Software Platforms:

• LightWave 3d – 13 years
• Adobe Photoshop – 9 years
• Flash – 2 years
• Macromedia DreamWeaver – 3 years
• 3d Studio – 3 years

• August 2005 - February 2006: Software Engineer II - Electronic Arts/Tiburon Studios, Orlando, Florida
  As part of the development team for the video game NFL Head Coach, I accomplished the following:
  • As a member of the user interface development group, I developed many user-interface screens, components, and elements using MacroMedia Flash (including heavy use of ActionScript), many of which were quite complex in operation.
  • Developed statistics tracking algorithms to determine a user’s progress during the course of the game and tied this to user interface elements accessible to the user. This included accessing an in-game SQL engine to retrieve data, perform calculations and store data to the internal database.
  • Co-developed an internal e-mail system within the game that informs the user of various events that occur during the course of the game. This included both the front-end interface code design and significant re-engineering of the back-end system that used SQL to retrieve and store data to the internal database, as well as the parsing and replacement of lexical tokens embedded in the e-mail template to generate the finished e-mails to the user.
  • Re-engineered behavioral algorithms for 3-dimensional entities within the game.


• May 1993 - July 2005: Freelance Software Engineer
  During this period, partially overlapping my employment at CMS/Data listed below, I have accomplished the following:
• Designed procedural animation rigs for animated characters in Wet Cement Productions’ “Roach Approach” series.
• Lead software developer on “Burning Issues II” and “Wild Horse Basin”, joint software development efforts between Florida State University and the Bureau of Land Management – Burning Issues is an interactive DVD-ROM combining HTML pages, Quicktime 3-dimensional panoramas and videos, and a number of interactive lessons designed from-the-ground-up in Java. These lessons are designed to teach students about wildfires, their ecological impact, their prevention (through prescribed burning and fire management) and FireWise construction practices. DVD-ROM of “Burning Issues II” software available on request. “Wild Horse Basin” is an interactive website that delivers lessons on wildfire-based issues via six interactive lessons, two of which I designed from-the-ground-up.
• Designed many of the 3-d models, environments, animations, and 3-d panoramic environments used in “Burning Issues II”, as well as the Java and HTML code needed to deliver these to the students.
• Developed a library of custom lightweight component Java classes for "Burning Issues II" and “Wild Horse Basin” designed to handle all user interface needs via custom controls drawn with various levels of translucency and irregularly shaped regions. These classes also include animated sprites used to deliver moving, sequentially-framed animations during the course of the java-based lessons and 2-dimensional particle systems to simulate the spread of wildfire throughout an ecosystem.
• Successfully developed and marketed three 3-d commercial software products, "Surface Effectors", “Relativity”, and “Shadowblatt”, plug-ins for the 3-dimensional animation package, LightWave 3D (by NewTek, Inc.). All are used internationally in the special effects industry for television broadcast and theatrical productions.
  • Relativity is a relational animation system that enables 3d animators to link motion values of “actors” within an animation using mathematical equations via a proprietary programming language developed by myself.
  • Surface Effectors is a procedural texture animation system using virtual particles to animate textures and surface values within LightWave 3D.
  • Shadowblatt uses raytraced illumination functions to determine attributes of a surface based on illumination values. It is most frequently used to create virtual shadows when compositing 3-dimensional objects over a pre-rendered or photographic background.
  • All manuals for these software packages were produced by myself.
• Authored chapters in two highly acclaimed books, Inside LightWave 3d 5.5 and Inside LightWave 3d 6, published by New Riders publishing. The chapters ranged in topic from 3-dimensional modeling to mathematical expression script-based animation.
• Taught classes on mathematical expression programming at several animation studios based in the Los Angeles, California area.
• Developed other proprietary 3d software applications on a case-by-case basis for several special effects studios.
• Developed a proprietary client/server communications package in Windows for Vcampus Corporation (http://www.vcampus.com). including complete design of the software interface and implementation of a number of graphics algorithms for display of proprietary character sets and graphically formatted server output.
• Developed interactive lessons in Java for web delivery for VCampus corporation.
• Software Clients Include:
  • Walt Disney Pictures/Walden Media
  • Rhythm and Hues
  • Digital Domain
  • REZN8
  • Dreamworks SKG
  • Flash Film Works
  • OCS/Freezeframe/Pixel Magic
  • Barbed Wire FX
  • Eden FX
  • PXE, International
  • United States Bureau of Land Management
  • United States National Interagency Fire Center
  • VCampus Corporation (Falls Church, VA)
  • Florida State University
• My software has been used in the following productions:
• IMAX films utilizing my SFX software:
  • James Cameron's "Aliens of the Deep"
• Television Programs/”Made-for-TV” Movies utilizing my SFX software:
  • Star Trek: DS9
  • Star Trek: Voyager
  • Babylon 5
  • Hercules: the Legendary Journeys
  • Xena: Warrior Princess
  • Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles
  • The Hunley
  • Max Steele
  • Feature Films utilizing my SFX software
  • Russ Mulcahey’s Tale of the Mummy
  • Mortal Kombat II
  • My Favorite Martian
  • Tomb Raider
• Television (or other) Commercials made utilizing my SFX software:
  • Pontiac: Metal Desert
  • Pontiac: Metal City
  • Budweiser Ants
  • Coca Cola: Skydivers
  • Got Milk? Animal Cookies
  • Chevy Cruze “Half Pipe” (aired in Japan)
  • AIG Auto Insurance: FairyTale
  • Command and Conquer: Generals - E3 Promotional Trailer
• Computer Games produced using my SFX software:
  • Starfleet Academy
  • Shattered Steel
    
• July 1993 - June 1995:C++ Programmer/Windows Software Engineer - CMS Data, Tallahassee, FL
  • Developed numerous Windows-based applications in Borland C++/OWL using a proprietary SQL (Sybase, MS SQL Server) client-server and development tools API designed by CMS Data
  • Participated as a member in the tools development team producing CMS's proprietary tools API – these became the foundation for the application developers.
  • Maintained development of several applications within the CMS Open software suite, designing user interfaces for the same.
  • Maintained development of the internal bug tracking and CMS Open suite navigation software
  • Developed a suite of automated interface testing tools to test the quality and reliability of CMS developed applications, as well as database function under heavy stress loads. This allowed testers to record a series of actions and then replay that series of actions at a later time to performance-test the software.


• July 1991 - April 1993: Computer Animator/ Graphics Artist/ Programmer - Pietrodangelo Production Group, Tallahassee, FL.
  • Developed software in Borland C/C++ as a licensed Truevision software developer. The software was designed to augment the 3d special effects produced by the studio.
  • As the senior animator, produced numerous 3-D animation shorts, graphical stills, and other special effects for television commercials, video programs, music videos and interactive disks, including 6 fully animated 30 second television commercials, one of which entailed 3-D character animation with full lip-synching.
  • Won two local Gold Addys, two local Silver Addys, local Judges’ Choice Addy and a national Bronze Telly for work in animation and special effects.
  • Produced several high-resolution images portraying 3d-modelled and rendered architecture digitally overlaid and composited into existing site photographs. These images were used as legal evidence in cases throughout Florida.

Education:

• Graduated Florida State University, Spring 1992, B.S Computer Science
  • Completed Liberal Studies Honors and Honors in the Major programs
    (Honors in the Major project in computer graphics)
  • Minors: Physics, Mathematics, Biology
  • Graduated with Honors (Liberal Studies Honors and Honors in the Major)
  • Honors in the Major thesis entailed programming of 3-dimensional graphics algorithms - optimizing ray-traced renderings using spatially sorted linked lists.
  • GPA: 3.453
• Awards/Scholarships:
  • National Merit Scholarship, 1987
  • Florida Undergraduate Scholarship, 1987
  • Member Golden Key National Honors Society, 1989
  • Charter Member, FSU Chapter of Upsilon Pi Epsilon Computer Science Honors Society, 1992
• Graduated Covenant Community Academy of Tallahassee, FL class of 1986
  • Valedictorian
  • SAT Score: 720 Math, 720 Verbal