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Eric Knisley
201 NC Highway 54 West
Chateau Apt. 620, Carrboro, NC USA
knisley@silent-k.net | www.silent-k.net
Phone:+1 919-491-7406

Goals    

To continue my growth as an animator and to use my creative skills and team-building experience.

Experience      
 
12/7-now
 

Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Senior Visualization Software Research Developer

At the RENCI Engagement Site, I work with collaborators at the University of North Carolina and elsewhere to develop new and innovative visualization methods, with a special emphasis on novel display environments.

At RENCI, I have created unique and compelling visualizations and animation for a variety of partners from across the University spectrum. In collaboration with my colleagues at RENCI, I have also overseen the creation of specialized software applications designed to allow greater immersivity and interactivity in a projected dome environment.

Specific projects have included:

On-going collaboration with Morehead Planetarium

Work consists of weekly review sessions to critique the Morehead's ongoing original content creation projects. I have brought my many years of dome content creation to bear on this collaboration, with outstanding results. I am credited as a Creative Consultant on the Morehead's first original show, "Earth, Moon and Sun".

"Pericles"

Realistic animated storm at sea for use in rear-projected stage for drama. Animation was created in collaboration with Francesca Talenti of UNC and the Playmaker's Repertory Theater.

CHAT 2010 project with Joyce Rudinsky

This ongoing project with UNC artist and RENCI domain scientist Joyce Rudinsky will be featured in the 2010 CHAT (Collaborations: Humanities, Artists and Technology) festival, to be held at UNC-Chapel Hill. The interactive art piece runs in the RENCI immersive dome system.


 
1/06-12/07
 

Immersive Display UK, Ltd.

Director of Content Research

I worked with clients to get their content running properly on the dome screen. Work included hands-on animation and video work, as well as consultation and support. Content included everything from architectural walkthroughs to flight simulation to games to “chill out” rooms for parties and live events.

Clients included the University of East London, PC World Stores (London, Colchester), Leeds Met University, the University at Edinburgh, Heriot Watt University (Scotland), Toys R Us (Dubai), Microsoft Games (Germany) and many others. Projects have included systems for use in perceptual research, dome theaters, marketing and trade show displays.

Other duties included ongoing content production for use in demos and promotions, and by our clients. I also installed dome systems, in many different formats, all over the world.

 

1/96-1/06
 

Elumens Corporation
(Formerly Alternate Realities Corporation)

Lead Animator
Directed and produced numerous animations for use in demoing the VisionDome, Elumens’ 3D display system. Served as lead animator, writer, editor, director and producer for major presentations shown at SIGGRAPH 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003, and the IITSEC show in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

Technical Coordinator/Sales Engineer
Worked with clients to enable their digital content for use in the VisionDome. Duties included reworking existing animation and real-time datasets, as well as creating new animation and data from scratch.

Personally rescued several challenging sales, including a large multiple order to the Federal Department of Energy, and tough sells to the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and to the Army’s Advanced Research Lab.

Traveled the world as a Sales Engineer, helping Elumens clients resolve their technical issues.

 

 
5/95-6/97
  Mind In Motion Multimedia
Art Director
Duties included 3D and 2D animation and design, information design, project management and general art direction.

While at MiM, I designed and created animation for CD-ROMs, web sites graphics, advertising and promo material and full-scale real-time immersive 3D environments.

 
 


 
 
 
Always
  Freelance Graphics
Created innumerable designs in a plethora of media, including art for business cards, T-shirts, CD-ROM and record covers, magazine ads, newspapers, comic books, animated film etc. etc.
Skills     Design/Art
Cartooning, layout, design, storyboards, character design, low-and high-polygon count modeling, animation, airbrush art, environment design, narrative, freehand drawing and sketching, conceptual design, storytelling, sound and video editing.

Project Management
I know how to plan and manage projects at the tactical level. I believe in careful, thorough planning.

Software
Expert: 3DS MAX, Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere, Painter, CorelDraw, Unity3D, trueSpace, Nendo, Bryce, Poser, ACID and Cosmo Worlds as well as many of the plugins and utilities for those programs.

Education 1979-1981   Mars Hill College Mars Hill, NC
Majors: Art, Music

  1982-1984   UNC-Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
Majors: English, History

Honors     Beta tester for 3DS MAX 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0; Eye Candy 3.0, trueSpace 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0, Interchange 5.0, OpenSpace 3D 1.0 and Character Studio 1.0., many others.

Caligari Corporation’s “Animation of the Month” for 3D animation, 10/96. Xeric Award winner for Flavor-Contra Comix and Stories, an independent comic book, 10/95.

       


 

News Works Resume Blog

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