Cody woputz here!
Cody Woputz a.k.a. an award-winning AR/VR technologist and entrepreneur!
I'm an American Game Designer that loves building Multiplayer Mixed Reality Experiences.
SEE MY WORK FOR YOURSELF:
MISSION:
Reinvent the sandlot for virtual reality.
METHODS:
1) 3D engine development (Unity)
2) Networking (Normcore)
3) Custom live service API (Google Cloud)
3) Oculus Integration SDK (Quest 2)
4) Socials integration (Discord, TikTok)
RESULTS:
1) Shipped free and premium apps to Meta AppLab
2) 100k+ Derby players and quickly growing!
3) Discovery growth via millions of views on TikTok
4) Passionate, involved community via Discord
Portrait Studio
MISSION:
Replicate a 3D portrait studio to export 2D content faster.
METHODS:
1) 3D engine prototyping (Unity)
2) 3D engine migration (Unreal)
3) Asset exploration, optimization, and exports (Maya, 3D Studio Max)
RESULTS:
1) Reduced complexity of content creation pipeline for client
2) 2D images can now be exported in seconds
3) Recommendations to mitigate long-term 3D technical debt
Receipts
MISSION:
Make live conversation fun, immersive, and easily shareable.
METHODS:
1) 3D engine prototyping (Unity)
2) iOS development (React Native)
3) Wireframing and UX (Figma)
4) Cloud infrastructure (Google Firebase)
5) Cloud analytics (BigQuery SQL+Tableau)
RESULTS:
1) Shipped iOS TestFlight beta to hundreds of early users
2) Ashton Kutcher tried it and chatted LA crime statistics??
3) Collected robust user data to inform product updates and priorities
4) Built 3D visuals in Unity, prototyped Mixed Reality communication applications
Sankey
User
Migration!
Strivr
MISSION:
Enable brands and enterprises to lift the experiential power of VR in training and marketing.
METHODS:
1) 3D engine development (Unity, Unreal, OpenGL)
2) 360/3D production (RED, Sony, GoPro, Jaunt)
3) Post-production (Kolor, Adobe After Effects)
4) Cloud media wrangling (Java)
5) Cloud infrastructure + analytics (AWS)
6) Strategic brand planning
RESULTS:
1) Built prototype, then shipped and scaled launch product to first 25 enterprise customers
2) Managed product roadmap and updates until Seed round
4) Spun off a creative agency called Strivr Studios that served brands such as: Visa, Bank of America, Lowe's, and the NHL
3) Company raised a total of $86M and now works with Fortune 500 companies such as Walmart and Verizon
Virtual Human Interaction Lab
MISSION:
Remodel and reinvent a cutting-edge virtual reality research facility for student, faculty, and visitor use.
METHODS:
1) 3D engine development (Unity, Python+OpenGL)
2) 3D modeling (3D Studio Max, Blender, Maya)
3) Custom hardware installations (VR HMD's, room-scale tracking cameras, CAVE, ambisonic audio)
4) Community outreach and tours
RESULTS:
1) Shipped weekly software updates necessary to run hundreds of social science experiments
2) Managed dozens of computer science students new to digital content creation (DCC) tools
3) Hosted and led tours for thousands of visitors, including: executives, press, and celebrities (Mark Zuckerberg visited in 2014 shortly before the Oculus VR acquisition)
TechSummer
MISSION:
Identify major barriers in learning and creating user-generated content (UGC) for younger creators new to 3D real-time engines.
Methods:
1) 3D engine development (WebVR)
2) 3D graphics fundamentals
3) Custom hardware (Google Cardboard)
4) Diverse youth recruitment
Results:
1) Made 3D engine recommendations that were incorporated into a very early alpha Facebook product (now known as “Horizon Worlds”)
2) Presented findings at Games for Change conference
GraviTeam
MISSION:
Make enterprise team-building more fun, convenient, and data-driven.
Methods:
1) 3D engine development (Unreal)
2) 3D modeling (Blender, Cinema4D)
3) Mobile development (Java+Android)
3) Device wrangling (Open Sound Controller)
4) Microsoft Kinect v2, Leap Motion hardware
5) Oculus Integration (DK2)
Results:
1) Presented final application at Stanford University's Software Fair
2) Won a "Most Promising" award from Guy Kawasaki's venture firm
3) Incorporated "asymmetrical" design approach into early 3D Feed experiments at Facebook
Stupid Cupid
MISSION:
Make VR less isolating using the power of messaging.
Methods:
1) 3D engine development (Unity)
2) 3D modeling (Blender)
3) Message wrangling (Twilio API)
4) NLP sentiment analysis
5) HTC Integration (Vive)
Results:
1) Delighted TreeHacks visitors on Valentine's Day, who created hundreds of 3D valentines
2) Impressed former Greylock investor John Lilly enough for him to let it be his kid's first VR experience
The Crystal Reef
MISSION:
Educate about climate change through an interactive underwater scavenger hunt VR experience.
METHODS:
1) 3D engine development (Python+OpenGL)
2) 3D modeling (3D Studio Max)
3) Custom underwater shaders
4) HTC and Oculus Integration (Vive, DK2)
5) Data analytics (SPSS, Tableau)
RESULTS:
1) Premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival to 600+ visitors, then toured internationally (Italy, Luxembourg, Australia)
2) Press coverage included: The Times, Time Magazine, Vice, and Salon (Michael Cera also called it “kickass”)
3) Won a “Top Thinker” award from Pacific Standard Magazine
VR for Heritage
MISSION:
Enable Native American tribes to tell their own place-based stories using production skills and VR.
METHODS:
1) 360 production (Insta360 Pro)
2) Post-production (Adobe Premiere Pro)
3) VR hardware (Oculus Go)
4) Community outreach and development
RESULTS:
1) An original VR short film, ”Bear River, a Nation: What Can Eeling Teach Us?”
2) Story featured on Oculus “VR for Good” website, and Oculus Connect conference
3) Educational toolkit scaled to other tribes throughout Washington State
Global AR Readiness
MISSION:
Prepare international policy teams to understand the mechanics, ethics, and responsibilities of augmented reality.
METHODS:
1) Extensive literature and landscape reviews
2) Stakeholder interviews and workshops
3) Adobe Illustrator
4) Apple Keynote
People say mostly nice things:
RESULTS:
1) A beautiful 35-page thinking tool and executive summary, which broke down AR into 8 core paradoxes
2) Resources distributed to Policy Leads in every international market area (NA, LATAM, EMEA, APAC)
Go to
School/Library
MISSION:
Understand the market and educational value of VR in classrooms, public libraries, and at-risk communities.
METHODS:
1) VR hardware implementation (Oculus Rift, Go)
2) Oculus App Store data science (SQL+Tableau)
3) “Train the Trainer” workshops
4) Youth recruitment and community development
RESULTS:
1) Evaluated and scaled virtual reality to hundreds of public school classrooms and libraries
2) Built a live dashboard delivering Oculus Store app usage analytics
3) Findings incorporated into an unannounced Meta product and led to current “Meta Immersive Learning” initiatives
Curious for more?
Reach me at: Codexter at gmail dot com
Thanks for playing!