George Carty's IT Portfolio (last updated 11th June 2012)

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Mapper 2 (Eutechnyx's 3D Editor)

While working for Eutechnyx Ltd, I spend most of my time working on the Mapper 2 program, which is an in-house tool used by the company’s artists to edit 3D models into a form suitable for in-game use. Mapper 2 uses C++ for its core functionality (including DirectX rendering) with wxPython being used for the user interface functionality.
One of my more significant pieces of work was to make a 64-bit version of Mapper 2, which would allow more game assets to be worked upon at a time. This required a customized version of PyOpenGL version 3 to be built, as the standard version 3 did not work with Mapper 2, and the version 2 then being used for Mapper 2 did not have a 64-bit version.
For Eutechnyx’s NASCAR 2011: The Game I developed functionality to make SAFER barriers made up of identical blocks (these were needed for compatibility with game code that damages these barriers when they are hit by cars). For the upcoming NASCAR The Game: Inside Line the track surfaces are now generated in a segmented form in order to allow LODding of the track surface for improved performance.
Mapper 2 is also used to set up race track assets for rendering in Autodesk Maya, using the Turtle for Maya rendering add-on. This is used for generating both lightmaps, and low-polygon environment meshes.
For the cars in Auto Club Revolution, I developed a system of “restrictions” that checks that the object hierarchy, polygon meshes, materials and textures are correctly configured for use in game, and which warns artists if any conditions are violated.

Screenshots

Figure 1: NASCAR The Game: Inside Line track in Mapper 2, showing segmented track and instanced SAFER barriers

Figure 2: Autodesk Maya’s Hypershade, showind a Maya material generated using a script (shown in Notepad++) exported by Mapper 2

Figure 3: Mapper 2 showing warnings displayed when an ACR car contains errors

Other Graphical Tools for Eutechnyx

Another tool I worked on was TerrainEd, which was used for developing open-world games. TerrainEd allowed multiple users to paint different terrain colours and vegetation onto a terrain mesh, with each user being able to update their local copy of the terrain and apply changes made by other users.
I have also worked on a Unity 3D-based viewing program used by the artists when developing car models for Auto Club Revolution.

Screenshots

Figure 4: TerrainEd, use for designing scenery for open-world games

Figure 5: Unity 3D tool for applying vinyls to Auto Club Revolution cars

In-Game Code for Eutechnyx

While at Eutechnyx, I have also written code for in-game use. One of the tasks I worked on was to compress images stored in the graphics memory of Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 game consoles into the DXT format. This was used in NASCAR 2011 The Game in the vinyl editor which is used for editing the liveries displayed on the cars.
For the upcoming Auto Club Revolution game, I wrote code that calculates mipmaps for environment cubemaps generated in real time during the running of the game. These environment cubemaps are used to generate convincing reflections on the cars, and mipmapping improves the performance and/or quality of the display when such reflections are visible.

Screenshots

Figure 6:The Vinyl Editor in NASCAR 2011 The Game. My DXT compression code was used here.

Figure 7: Screenshot of Auto Club Revolution, showing use of real-time cubemap to generate reflections on car

CAT (Candidate Application Tracker) for Scott Logic

Developed for Scott Logic Ltd to keep track on new applicants for posts at the company. Site runs on the company's intranet.
My work at the company (in late 2006) involved adding multiple user types with different privileges (superuser, manager, administrator and interviewer. I also (of my own volition) made many other changes to the site in order to improve its usability.
First site I worked on which involved extensive scripting (both client-side JavaScript and server-side JavaServer Pages). The back-end database is a MySQL database.

Screenshots

Figure 8:The home page of CAT

Figure 9: The 'Add Candidate' page of CAT

WorkAble Solutions Access database

In early 2008 I prepared a database for WorkAble Solutions (a supported employment agency run by Durham County Council) to store information about their clients.
The database was implemented using Microsoft Access, and allows information to be looked up and displayed either in tabular form or as a printable report.
In the screenshots below, some information is deleted or blurred out for reasons of confidentiality.

Screenshots


Figure 10: Data entry form	Figure 11: Query form to search for clients.	Figure 12: Example page from report.

Computational simulations of superconductivity (during Physics PhD)

Finite differencing solution of the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations (non-linear coupled partial differential equations – see below for simplest form):

Time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations

Extra parameters added to simulate a system containing multiple materials.
Numerical solution using a semi-implicit Crank-Nicolson method.
Used to obtain critical current density for simulated 2D and 3D polycrystalline materials.
Computer code was written in FORTRAN 95, and compiled and run under Microsoft Windows, Solaris and Linux environments.

Images of calculated data

Figure 13: Example order parameter from 2D simulation.

Figure 14: Example critical current data from 3D simulation (plotted as a Kramer plot).

New Historic Jetliners Group website

Site offers add-ons to download for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004, concerned with American first-generation jetliners (Boeing 707/720, Convair CV-880/990, Douglas DC-8). I decided to develop it further both to further my flight simulation interest and to showcase my web programming skills (as the ScottLogic work was for a company intranet, not the Internet). Site has been confirmed as valid XHTML 1.0 by the W3C validator.
The new site available for viewing at http://hjg.awardspace.com/. Replaces old HJG site (static-HTML) with a new dynamic site. Site uses PHP scripting with a MySQL database. Developed early 2007.
Site includes a (password-protected) editor to modify the database. JavaScript is used in the editor.

Screenshots

Figure 15: Example screenshot from the 'Downloads' page

Figure 16: The database editor page.

Boeing 707 and 720 Panels for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004

Project involved image editing in Paint Shop Pro and gauge programming in C.
Includes working wipers, full fuel system, engine instruments customized for different engine types, multiple lighting switches, working weather radar and (not on 1959-era panel) inertial navigation system.
All gauges have been programmed for full functionality, calibrated to reflect real-world performance and in accordance with actual Boeing aircraft operating manuals.
Available for download from the Historic Jetliners Group web site.

Movie of engine startup and takeoff (1965-era panel)

Movie 1: Engine startup and takeoff in the 707-420

Screenshots (1959-era panel)

Figure 17: Climbing away after take-off in the 707-120B

Figure 18: 707-120B Flight Engineer Panel (aircraft on ground)

Screenshots (1965-era panel)

Figure 19: 707-420 overhead panel (showing twin ADF radios)

Figure 20: 707-420 pedestal view (including working INS and weather radar displays)

Figure 21: 707-420 on a night-time final approach

Screenshots (1970-era panel)

Figure 22: Late-model 707-320C about to touch down

Figure 23: Climbing away after take-off in the 707-700 at night

PC Pilot Issue 32 - Boeing 707-420

A version of my 707 panel was the featured freeware add-on in issue 32 (January/February 2005) of PC Pilot Magazine, included on the cover CD-ROM.
This version of the panel predates my involvement with the Historic Jetliners Group (and also HJG's development of a -420 aircraft model). For this reason I included a model of my own, modified from an existing Boeing 707-320B model by Rok Dolenec by altering the engine nacelles and adding the ventral fin.
The panel is similar to the current 1965-era 707 panel available at HJG, but has only a single ADF radio, no customized engine gauges and no weather radar.

Figure 24: Scan of the PC Pilot magazine article

Upgrades to other Historic Jetliners Group panels

Old Boeing 727, Douglas DC-8 and DC-9, Convair CV-880 and -990, and Lockheed L-1011 TriStar panels for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 updated.
The panels now have individually-customized engine gauges, twin ADFs and working weather radar as with the Boeing 707/720 panels.
All panels except the DC-9 panel are now compatible with Flight Simulator X.

Screenshots

Figure 25: Douglas DC-8-63 about to touch down

Figure 26: Climbing away after take-off in the CV-990A at night

Figure 27: Cruising flight in a Boeing 727-200

Figure 28: On final approach in a DC-9-50

Figure 29: Coming in to land in a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar