Bus Bound

For this project, we expanded and improved the custom road generation tool, integrating it with the new features of Unreal Engine 5. By combining Houdini with the updated workflow, we were able to create more complex roads with higher visual quality, while making the process significantly more efficient for both designers and overall game optimization.

Highlights

• 🛠️ Led the Tech Art side of street generation using Houdini, iterating on and improving the previous version of our internal tool to support better performance, increased flexibility, and full Nanite integration in Unreal Engine 5.

• 🎮 Worked closely with Game Design to support route planning and street placement based on their level design layouts.

• 🧍‍♂️ Implemented vertex animation characters for use as static NPCs, and developed a custom tool to mass-generate animations for each NPC.

• 🧩 Built artist-friendly tools using Unreal’s PCG system to streamline area design and support faster iteration.

• ⚙️ Developed optimization tools to improve asset performance across the project.

Bus Simulator 21

I was mainly responsible for the creation and maintenance of the road network using Houdini, as well as a variety of general tech art tasks such as optimization and visual effects generation.

Together with the team, we developed a custom tool in Unreal Engine connected to Houdini, which allowed us to procedurally generate the roads and the assets distributed along them. This workflow became a core element in building the game’s expansive and detailed environments.

Highlights

• 🛣️ Led the procedural road generation pipeline using Houdini and our proprietary Unreal Engine toolset. This was the first project where Houdini was integrated into our production workflows, setting the foundation for its continued use in future titles.

• 🌿 Developed a procedural cluttering system in Houdini to populate the environment with props and details efficiently.

• 🧰 Created custom tools to optimize assets and streamline the production process.

• 🎨 Collaborated closely with environment artists to decorate and refine different regions of the map.

Bus Simulator 18 – Map Extension

In this expansion I was responsible for the cluttering and level design of the new area, shaping the rural Alpine-inspired environment with detail and atmosphere. My work also included asset optimization to ensure smooth performance and the implementation of several visual effects to enhance the overall immersion and player experience.

Highlights

• 🏞️ Designed and decorated the pre-defined street area to give it a unique identity and create a welcoming transition into the new zone.

• 🏘️ Implemented and optimized new assets to meet project-specific standards and ensure seamless integration.

• ✈️ Implemented the airplane object with fully material-driven lighting (non-emissive in the world), including a fade-out effect triggered at a specific altitude.

• 🏗️ Optimized the newly added area to prevent performance spikes and maintain smooth gameplay.