Brad Blanchard
Experienced real-time rendering programmer with a strong background in developing advanced interactive experiences for games and mobile platforms. Expert in real-time graphics, game engine architecture, and CPU/GPU optimization. Passionate about leveraging the latest advancements in 3D graphics and rendering to push the boundaries of immersive technology.
Skills
- Real-time rendering (PC, Consoles, Mobile)
- Custom game engine development
- Performance optimization
- GPU programmer
- Leverages tech and art experience
- Mentoring and technical leadership
- Communication and collaboration
- Productivity and efficiency
- Meticulous and quality-focused
- Motivated quick learner
- Simple, clear, maintainable code
Experience
2016 - 2024
2K Games | Hangar 13 | Senior Rendering Engineer
- Shipped Top Spin 2K25, Mafia Series.
- Project lead and developer of rendering systems.
- Modernized engine architecture and rendering technology in custom engine.
- Researched and implemented new rendering techniques.
- Profiled and optimized rendering systems for consoles and PC.
- Worked with art teams to develop and build art tools and pipelines.
- Leveraged art background to develop shaders and visual features.
- Mentored and helped grow team members in rendering techniques and art.
- Worked cross-functionally with leadership, art, tech, gameplay and external teams in rendering support roles.
- Triage and debugging to harden products for shipping.
2014 - 2015
Google Inc | Google ATAP | Graphics Programmer
- Shipped Spotlight Stories: Duet and HELP.
- Implemented many rendering and asset systems to support stories.
- Optimized engine systems to improve workflow and iteration for content creators.
- Collaborated with engineers, artists and external teams to build and support systems and pipelines to create stories.
- Worked closely with external partners to develop methodology and techniques for 360 video production.
2013 - 2014
Motorola Mobility | Motorola ATAP | Graphics Programmer
- Shipped Spotlight Stories: Windy Day and Buggy Night.
- Designed and implemented optimized rendering backend for mobile in custom engine.
- Implemented many rendering and asset systems to support stories.
- Created and optimized tools and pipelines for content creators.
2010 - 2012
OnLive Inc | Game Services | Software Engineer
- Provided engineering and art skills to port over 20 PC and console games to the OnLive game service.
- Integrated or replaced game features such as multiplayer matchmaking, networking transport, voice chat, achievements, filesystem.
- Traveled worldwide in developer relations role to provide software engineering and support resources for game developers.
- Worked closely with OnLive SDK team to optimize developer porting workflow.
- Performance optimization and cloud debugging.
2010
Intel Corporation | Project Offset | Graphics Programmer
- Graphics programmer on the Project Offset team.
- Used graphics and rendering knowledge and experience to help team optimize engine.
- Implemented rendering systems and effects (SSAO, HDR, exposure control, mixed-resolution rendering, anti-aliasing, refraction, etc).
- Refactored code to improve performance, efficiency and readability.
- Worked with artists to add features per request.
2002 - 2009
Maraizon International | Senior Programmer, Artist
- Developed high performance custom game engine and tools for architectural and product visualization.
- Developed standards, guidelines and implemented an efficient workflow for artists.
- Created art assets for all aspects of projects.
- Developed educational game demo that was featured at E3 2005.
- Adapted idTech3 engine and tools for real-time architectural visualizations.
Projects
2024
- Project lead and developer of a real-time material layering system.
- Designed and built material authoring tools and pipelines using the Substance suite.
- Designed and built runtime material caching system based on on-demand software virtual texturing.
- Implemented material rendering features such as layering, blending, displacement mapping, scattering, refraction.
- Researched, optimized, and improved image stability through temporal anti-aliasing solutions.
- Optimized ray-tracing with physically based rendering and importance sampling.
- Implemented real-time spatio-temporal importance resampling (ReSTIR) and other denoising solutions.
- Profiled and optimized rendering systems for consoles and PC.
2020
- Shipped Mafia: Definitive Edition, Mafia 3.
- Implemented physically based rendering.
- Implemented volumetric water simulation and rendering systems.
- Integrated GPU water simulation with CPU boat physics systems.
- Researched, optimized, and improved image stability through temporal anti-aliasing solutions.
- Implemented and optimized temporal screen-space ambient occlusion (SSAO).
- Profiled and optimized rendering systems for consoles and PC.
- Worked closely with art and tech art to develop efficient visual effects.
2015
- Shipped Spotlight Stories: Windy Day, Buggy Night, Duet and HELP.
- Designed and built custom rendering engine, tools and pipelines for mobile devices.
- Worked closely with content creators to develop technologies for interactive storytelling.
- Content creator for Windy Day and Buggy Night.
2009
- Implemented virtual texturing rendering technique similar to MegaTexture in idTech5.
- C# implementation using D3D10.
- Open Source, MIT license.
Recomendations
Pavel Hradsky | Lead Software Engineer at 2K Czech
It's incredible what we managed to squeeze out of our engine with Brad over the years, resulting in proudly shipping three games across generations of consoles and PC. TopSpin 2K25 even sports our advanced layered virtual texturing solution thanks to Brad, plus countless other rendering sub-systems that he took over and that he helped fine-tune and maintain. I've always appreciated his ability to work mostly independently, literally across the ocean, on the hardest technical challenges, while supporting the team as needed. Having his experience at hand, learning from it and with him has been truly enriching. Thank you, Brad!
Doug Rogers | Graphics Programmer
Brad is a great asset to the team. He is smart, learns extremely quickly and contributed to the project immediately. He implemented screen space ambient occlusion in record time and is always willing to help out in any part of the codebase. On top of all that, he is a really great guy and would be a valued contributor to any project.
Tobin Coziahr | Senior Principal Engineer - AWS Region Services
As the most senior engineer on the Game Services team, Brad was an invaluable resource not only for me, but for the entire rest of the team. His in-depth knowledge of graphics and game engines meant that he was able to help quickly diagnose issues that could have taken days to puzzle through. He really tackled all of the game titles that he ported for OnLive with dedication, and engineering rigor. Brad is one of those rare engineers that you can assign a project to, and know it will be delivered on time, with high quality, without guidance. He was able to work well alone on titles, or in groups of engineers who divvied up game components, and helped coordinate their integration and delivery. He's also got a great sense of humor, which keeps morale high, even when you're working long hours under a tight deadline.
Walter Gray | C++ and Rust Developer
At every job, there's one guy on the team that no matter how much you learn always knows more than you but is happy to teach, and is the go to guy for help fixing obscure problems or knowing the best way to do something. I've heard union workers describe old hands that walk into a room, walk out 20 minutes later with the work of 10 men having been done, and then offer you a soda. Brad is that guy. On top of being extremely helpful and fun to work with, the man's an amazing engineer. "Oh yea, that reminds me of the time I linked a bunch of graphics cards over Ethernet. That was pretty cool".
Education
Sonoma State University | Computer Science, Mathematics
Santa Rosa Junior College | General, 3d artist
- Dean's Honors for 3D animation.
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