Haldean Brown

[email protected], haldean.org, +1 320 584 9293

Film and Animation Credits

Independent

Pixar


Professional Experience

Pixar

Sr. Animation Tools Engineer
2019 – current

  • Developing tools for animators to enable novel 3D computer animation workflows.

Symmetry Labs

Technical Director
2018 – current

Java, C++, OpenGL, Houdini, ImGui, Processing

  • Wrote generative volumetric animations for art installations and music performances seen by millions of audience members.
  • Worked directly with artists and designers to design stage elements for live music performances, including the twenty one pilots Bandito tour, the Kelly Clarkson preshow performance at the US Open, and the 2019 NYC Pier 17 Summer Stage program (21 nights of shows, including Billie Eilish, Passion Pit, The Lonely Island and OneRepublic).
  • Led a team of software engineers to create an authoring environment for 3D generative content.
  • Architected a new frontend for Symmetry's high-performance LED control software, using modern OpenGL and an immediate-mode UI paradigm.

Stealth-mode medical startup

Geometry Consultant
2017 – 2018

C++, CGAL, vcglib, WebGL, Bazel

  • Created a web-based CAD system to assist medical practitioners in designing prescription medical devices.
  • Implemented a number of cutting-edge geometry algorithms for 3D medical data analysis.

Stanford Neural Prosthetics Translational Laboratory

Robotics Consultant
2017 – 2018

C++, ImGui, AVR, CMake

  • Developed a robot controller to take data from a brain-computer interface and translate it into robot motion, allowing users with physical disabilities to complete grasping tasks with a robot arm using their mind.
  • Designed a miniature USB sensor package that allowed for real-time data collection from an infrared proximity and location sensor, then manufactured the PCB and integrated it into the robot arm.
  • Created a Linux GUI that allowed medical technicians to modify robot control parameters easily and understandably during medical trials.

PRENAV

Senior Engineering Consultant
2016 – 2017

C++, CUDA, OpenGL, GTSAM, Bazel

  • Built a system capable of generating flight paths for a drone to autonomously take dimensional measurements of large-scale outdoor structures.
  • Implemented and extended state-of-the-art point-set algorithms for understanding unstructured scene data in a combination of modern C++ and CUDA.
  • Created a position and attitude estimation system capable of performing sensor fusion and loop-closing SLAM tasks at 50Hz using the GTSAM factor graph library.
  • Migrated a large C++ codebase with significant external dependencies to the Bazel build system and introduced a continuous integration workflow, leading to significantly fewer broken builds and lower engineer frustration.

Plethora

Senior Computational Geometer
2014 – 2016

Python, Parasolid, OpenCascade, Solidworks

  • Led a team that built a novel system to calculate toolpaths for CNC mills given a 3D model.
  • Developed software tools and manual procedures to ensure the safe operation of third-party robotic systems.
  • Developed geometric algorithms (two of which were patented) for toolpath generation, including robust algorithms for planar curve offsets, arbitrary curve interpolation, and optimal material removal.
  • Purchased, installed, and maintained on-premises servers and networking equipment for toolpath and simulation systems.

Google

Software Engineer, Tech Lead
2012 – 2014

Android, Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee, App Engine, Google APIs

Android Wear

  • Led development of the Android Wear phone app and the media control, fitness, and retail mode systems of the Android Wear runtime.
  • Made a number of userspace changes to the Android framework and operating system to allow the entire framework and many Android apps to run with as little as 128MB of RAM and on sub-GHz low-power CPUs.
  • Co-created a patented algorithm for gesture recognition on extremely-low-power dedicated coprocessors.
  • Make a number of improvements to the Android framework, including improving support for notification listeners and a modification to the Android window manager to allow windows to be swiped away.

Android at Home

  • Worked on a team developing embedded devices for home control.
  • Implemented a remote-input system capable of remotely controlling a hardware device over a wireless network.
  • Contributed to an Android app that allowed users to control IoT devices in their home.

Google App Engine

  • Contributed to the first version of the App Engine Search API.
  • Evaluated internal search product vendors, then wrote the integration between the App Engine application servers and the chosen internal search service.
  • Created a mock search API in Python that was distributed in the App Engine SDK, which developers could run their code against locally, and created a test suite to ensure the mock API and production API behaved similarly.

Education and Professional Organizations

ACM SIGGRAPH

2015 - present
Member

Columbia University

New York, NY, 2008 – 2012
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science