FFT Ocean SimFFT Ocean using OpenGL and C++
- Houdini Pyro Sim (low-res) to UE4April 30, 2019
Houdini Pyro Sim (low-res) to UE4Pyro Sim Flipbook Animation. Houdini to Unreal.
2D Fluid SimSmoke simulation in 2D
3D CloudsReal-time-ready 3D Noise based clouds.
Physically Based Particle SystemsParticles animated based on physics forces.
Comet VFX – Das Homunculus ProtokollStylized comet FX for prototype trailer of 'Das Homunculus Protokoll'
Dome Destruction and FX – Das Homunculus ProtokollMagic Shield Dome Shader and RBD Sim
- Procedural HD Grass AssetApril 30, 2019
Procedural HD Grass AssetReal-time-ready Grass asset creation
Audio DetectionReal-Time Onset Detection and Audio Analysis
Maya Library ControllerCustom Python plugin for Maya
Real-Time Ocean Shader & BouyancyGerstner Wave Shader and Bouyancy
‘Die Blunies’Technical Direction and Gameplay Programming
Texture SynthesisTexture Quilting Tool
About
Hi, my name is Marvin Kaltenbach and this is my portfolio website!
I’m a technical/VFX artist and programmer from Germany with a deep interest in modern real-time applications and a passion for video game development. In today’s society art and science are intrinsically linked together. Finding someone who is good at one of them is easy. Merging these areas can be tough. Lucky for you, I specialize in both of them.
After finishing my B.Sc. in Computer Science (∅ 2,3) in 2016, I then successfully graduated from my M.A in Communication Design in 2019 (∅ 1,0).
Using not only my academic training but also experience from practical projects and self-study, I’m always pushing myself to learn state of the art tools, algorithms and designs.
Art and Science. If you are looking for a person who can work with and support both departments, then you found someone who is capable of doing so.
Going beyond the horizon, overcoming my own faults and finally being part of a better future is what drives me. Constantly pushing my skills further to the edge, helps me to improve myself on a daily basis.
Since I was lucky enough to specialize in both art and science, I have a wide set of skills fitting into nearly every modern media production. However, developing and adapting to new ‘terrain’ is where my true strength comes into play.
I consider myself a person who works responsible with available resources and someone who (most of the time) knows what he’s doing and therefore can defend the work that was done. In a time where nearly everything is available in a dozen different versions, it is important to filter out what you really need and meets your requirements.
Teamwork is key to every big enterprise! The lone wolf might be a somewhat romantic concept but it is not how economy and society works. I like to reimagine the phrase ‘being a cog in a wheel’. I think it is not about being a small, insignificant part, no, it is about an identity formed by a group of people who work together so well that the outcome is something remarkable.
My Skills
With 4+ years of experience in Unreal Engine 4 and a broad knowledge of all it’s features and functionalities, I consider myself a confident Unreal Engine 4 generalist with focus on material shader creation, FX and blueprint scripting.
Regarding Unity I’m by far not as versed as with UE but I have worked on and released bigger projects. Therefore I had to work on gameplay programming, shader works and several more features of Unity as part of my role as Technical Director.
Houdini is one of the most recent softwares I added to my repertoire. It does what it’s named for.. magic! Simulations, procedural generations and VFX or even optimization workflows. It is an all-in-one beast which is hard to tame but once done it provides remarkable outcome. Figuring out how to bring that magic to real-time applications is definitely my cup of tea!
While my academic training I had the choice which programming languages I’d want to learn. As C++ being one of the most performant and low-level languages, I just had to get my hands on that one. Now I have 3+ years of experience using C++ not only as standalone but also in corporation with modern game engines.
Since I worked with Unity of course I also worked with C# and the .NET framework. In my opinion C# is one of the most elegant languages out there. Less performant than C++ but still near the top of the race C# has a lot of helpfull features like delegates, lambda expression etc. It is my go-to language when I have to write smaller or even bigger applications that don’t have to operate on peak performance levels.
Python as well was part of my B.Sc. where we were tought how to use it for basic data structures. But it is way more than that. Python is increasingly the scripting language of choice for most of the modern 3D software such as Houdini, Maya etc. As such I used it to write scripts and plug-ins for maya to support artists with tools which would improve their workflow.
Besides Delphi which I learned back in school, Java was the first object oriented language I learned when I started my academic training. However, I have to say that it’s already some years ago when I lastly coded something in Java since I prefer C# which both share a lot of similarities.
Specialized in texture creation the Substance suite is a perfect addition to the toolset of every game dev pipeline. Personally I use Substance Designer to create procedural textures for FX or material shader work. It’s non-destructive workflow and node-based graph is ideal for experimenting and a playground for creativity.
To be honest, I’m far away from being an expert for Maya or Max but I have a basic understanding of how the software works and I use it to support my FX pipline. I prefer Maya over Max since I don’t like Max’s stack functionality. However, sometimes 3ds Max lets you achieve your goals faster than Maya would.
Who am I kidding? We all know and love Adobe’s Creative Cloud. Most of the time I use Photoshop® for texture creation/editing or even quickly write up a litte guide. Illustrator® is good when it comes to vector graphics. In combination with After Effects® I used it to assemble animations for commissioned work.
