David A Ruiz
www.davidaruiz.com
dave.id.ruiz@gmail.com
 661.212.4686

Objective:
To be a Level Artist/Designer contributing to the growing success of a development team, while building my personal growth to further improve my skill set.

Skills:
--Highly proficient in building low poly models for game assets and modeling high poly detailed objects for in-game normal maps.
--Professional experience texturing from photo-real and scratch to generate diffuse, normal, specular, ambient occlusion, as well as emissive maps.
--Knowledge of the Unreal Engine (inc. Kismet and Shaders)
--Understanding of Game Design elements (inc. Level Flow, Level Art, Functionality)
--Well organized and able to work efficiently under a tight schedule and deadlines.
--Great communication skills with great knowledge applied to the production pipeline.

Technical Proficiency:
--3Ds Max 08
--Maya 08
--Photoshop CS3
--Unreal Editor 3 (inc. Kismet & Shaders)
--After Effects
--Premiere
--Flash

Professional Experience:
Game Wizards Production team     

--LEGION              January 08- March 08
Lead Level Designer /Level Art for a student based next-gen Fantasy themed singleplayer game.
-Collaborated with co-designer to create the game play and flow to meet the needs of the project.
-Arranged assets and lit the environments to adhere to the concepts for intended environment.
-Collaborated with co-designer to problem solve technical issues.

--DETOX              August 07- December 07
Art Direction Lead/ Lead Level Designer for a student based next-gen Sci-Fi themed multiplayer game.
-Managed a team of 10 artists and collaborated with a producer, an art director and a technical director.
-Used the Unreal 3 engine to create next-gen materials and shaders.
-Problem solved new technology and next-gen techniques.
-Gave in depth demonstrations to over 80 students instructing the workflow of next-gen games.
 
--THUNDERFLASH      April 06- August 07
Environmental Artist for a student based WWII themed multiplayer game created for Day of Defeat:Source.
-Created professional quality environmental props and textures.
-Organized the workflow of in-game assets and textures.

Isopod Labs           March 07- June 07        
Internship: Modeling and Texture artist for an upcoming Xbox360 Title.
-Efficiently modeled stylized vehicles for use in a vehicular combat arena.
- Created detailed diffuse, normal and specular maps from scratch based off concepts.

Honors and Accomplishments:
-Best of Quarter for Game Design; Art Institute of California LA @ Santa Monica
-Sustained 3.9+ grade point average; Art Institute of California LA @ Santa Monica

Education
-Art Institute of California Los Angeles: Bachelors of Science in Game Art & Design.        January 2006 -    
-College of the Canyons: Santa Clarita, California               October 2002- June 2005

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