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Portfolio

Nathan Mysona

I am a proficient technical artist specializing in the dynamic intersection of entertainment technology, real-time content creation, creative coding, and technical integration. I recently graduated from Miami University with a major in Games + Simulation with a focus on Entertainment Design, accompanied by a minor in Computer Science. My portfolio showcases some of my current and past work with merging technology with captivating visuals to craft immersive and unforgettable experiences.

Resume

Senior Capstone 2024 - Ongoing

During my senior capstone course in Spring 2024, I contributed to the grand opening of Miami University's McVey Data Science building. This hybrid event, both in-person and live-streamed, utilized Miami's XR stage. I managed three Unreal Engine XR scenes for distinguished speakers like President Gregory Crawford, benefactor Richard McVey, and keynote speaker Billy Beane. As content integrator, run-of-show programmer, and DMX lighting operator, I ensured the smooth execution of this important event.

Working with Unreal

For this project, I led the creation of the Welcome look in Unreal Engine and oversaw the integration of all scenes into our Disguise Media Server. Working closely with fellow artists, I ensured the efficiency and visual quality of their scenes, optimizing them for display on the LED volume.

Pre-Show Programming

I contributed to the run-of-show programming by configuring Stream Decks to control Disguise Cues via OSC and implementing custom events. Additionally, I managed failover content using TouchDesigner, serving as a backup in case of Disguise system failure during the show.

During the Event

For this show, my primary role involved programming DMX lighting and operating the grand MA console throughout the event. I programmed cues in advance and made real-time adjustments during the show as required. This served as my first experience as a lighting programmer for a live event, necessitating a rapid learning curve in operating the grand MA console and mastering event lighting conventions.

Video of the Grand Opening Event

We collaborated with an external company to host the event, managing both the in-person experience and the live stream on YouTube. Our team took charge of operating the LED stage, handling content delivery, XR camera operation, and controlling the lighting setup.

Laptop Ensemble

I had the opportunity to work with Miami's music department on their Laptop Ensemble event. This live music experience showcased students performing compositions using their laptops, synchronizing music with real-time visuals. I was in charge of creating a TouchDesigner project to drive the event, as well as run of show programming.

Starting Simple

The theme behind the event was to start simple with a black and white visual. For this we gave each student a section of the stage that was controlled by OSC signals from their laptops.

Adding Color

As the event continued the students composed a piece and created visuals for each of the primary colors. For this I used NDI to stream their visuals from their laptops to our TouchDesigner machine and combine the streams into one visual.

Sound Reactive

This is a visual that I created in TouchDesigner to accompany their Blue piece. I made the visuals react to the live music being played so the students could play any notes and still have a visual that matches the theme they wanted.

The Finale

The final piece of the event was a combination of all the colors and techniques. This marked the end of the first live music event held at Miami's XR stage.

Clips from the Event

Senior Capstone 2023

I served as the technical director for my senior capstone course in Fall 2023. I led a team in creating six dynamic demo projects for Miami University's cutting-edge XR stage. Our projects encompassed virtual production scenes in Unreal Engine and Notch, XR scenes in both platforms, as well as interactive experiences in Notch and TouchDesigner. My role involved overseeing the integration of visual content, generated by talented team members, into our Disguise media server. Additionally, I tackled technical challenges and provided solutions, ensuring smooth production and troubleshooting any issues that arose.

Unreal Engine XR Scene

This Unreal Engine XR scene, crafted by team member J Scherrer, showcases immersive visuals. My role in this project involved preparing the Unreal scene for Disguise Renderstream, ensuring seamless integration. I developed a blueprint enabling an actor to transition between front plate and back plate rendering. Moreover, I ensured critical elements were accessible through Renderstream, facilitating real-time adjustments in Disguise Designer.

Unreal Engine XR Front Plate to Back Plate Switching

This video showcases the final implementation of front plate to back plate switching in Unreal Engine. Please note that while the functionality is complete, the color balance of the front plate elements is not yet perfected, resulting in a noticeable difference when the render plate changes. Despite this, it served as an intriguing proof of concept and an interesting challenge to tackle within Unreal Engine.

Unreal Engine XR Front Plate to Back Plate Switching Testing

This video showcases a simple Unreal project created to test the concept of front plate to back plate switching. In this experiment, I explored the implementation of a dynamic trigger volume that consistently positioned itself between the tracked camera and a specific actor in the scene. As the ball entered or exited this trigger volume, it transitioned between render plates. We thought this would be an unique way to demonstrate some of the capabilities of the new XR stage.

Unreal Engine Virtual Production Scene

This Unreal Engine virtual production scene, created by team member Jude Hoy, showcases an immersive virtual production environment. My contributions to this project involved preparing the scene for Disguise Renderstream, optimizing performance, and resolving development challenges. I implemented features such as variable exposure for lighting intensity and train speed, enabling real-time adjustments through Disguise for enhanced flexibility and control.

Notch Virtual Production Scene

This Notch Virtual Production scene, created by team member Noah Davis, offers a captivating experience. My role in this project included integrating the Notch block into the Disguise media server via Renderstream. Additionally, I enhanced the scene's functionality by implementing event-triggering capabilities through a controller, ensuring seamless interaction and control.

Notch Virtual Production Scene Controller

This video showcases the TouchDesigner controller I engineered to activate events within the Disguise project. Due to limitations with traditional MIDI controllers, I designed a custom TouchDesigner solution. It sends OSC signals to the Disguise project, enabling precise event triggering and value manipulation within the Notch block.

Notch XR Scene

This Notch XR scene, created by team member David Harkness, showcases innovative visuals within Notch. In this project, I played a key role in configuring the front plate rendering layer within Notch. Additionally, I tackled the challenge of integrating Notch's front plate functionality into Disguise, ensuring compatibility between the two platforms.

Notch Interactive Experience Scene

This Notch Interactive Experience, envisioned by team member Shelly Boehm, was the showcase of technical complexity within our capstone projects. My contribution to this endeavor was particularly intricate. I programmed a Raspberry Pi equipped with a gyroscope to convert raw data into usable degrees. This data was then transmitted via OSC to a TouchDesigner project, where I smoothed and manipulated the values to synchronize the prop box with the screen. Subsequently, the modified data was sent over OSC to the Disguise project to control exposed values within a Notch block.

Notch Interactive Experience Scene Testing

This is a video demonstrating the functionality testing of the Raspberry Pi gyroscope setup and its integration with the Disguise project.

During the Live Demo

Throughout the live demos of these projects, I took charge of troubleshooting any technical issues that surfaced and provided guidance to others on operating the various technologies involved.

Meptik Internship

In October and November, I served as an intern with Meptik's build crew during the installation of Miami University's groundbreaking XR stage. Under the mentorship of Meptik's technical lead, I delved into the inner workings of XR stage technology and media servers. During my internship, I gained hands-on experience operating a Disguise media server and familiarized myself with other technologies pivotal to the XR stage setup. Additionally, I actively contributed to the team by assisting in content integration testing and troubleshooting, further enhancing my skills and understanding of this innovative technology.

XR Stage Technology

During my internship with Meptik, I learned a lot about how and XR stage works behind the scenes. I also learned how to operate the different technology associated with the XR stage; Disguise media server machines, Red Komodo camera, Red Spy tracking, ROE LED panels, grandMA lighting console, and more.

During the Installation

During the installation I mainly helped with the construction of non-critical stage elements like mobile KVM work stations and lighting fixtures. For most of the time I shadowed the technical lead as he taught me how the XR stage is networked and routed to get a seamless output.

Disguise Media Server

I learned about the vast amount of networking that has to be done to make a Disguise media server run, how all the machines work together to seamlessly create the XR experience. Meptik taught me how Disguise machines communicate over d3 net to distribute computation load and how to add new devices and technology into the system.

Troubleshooting

During the installation, there was quite a bit of troubleshooting that took place. I helped Meptik troubleshoot areas that I had prior knowledge about like Unreal Engine, TouchDesigner, and Notch. I learned how to troubleshoot a Disguise system and some of the common problems that can occur during project integration.

Project Integration

During the internship I learned how to integrate projects to the Disguise system, through the use of both layers and Renderstream. I learned how to set up an Unreal project for use in Renderstream, and how to load those projects into the render nodes.

Teaching Others

During and after my internship with Meptik I did my best to teach my team members from my senior capstone how to use the technology for the XR stage. As technical director of that capstone it was my job to communicate important information regarding the capabilities of the XR stage.

Maintaining the XR Stage

After my internship with Meptik concluded, I was hired on by Miami University as a student XR Stage Technician, where I work to operate and maintain the system. This includes troubleshooting problems that come up, helping students learn and use the stage, and helping students integrate their projects.

Personal Projects

My personal projects serve as a creative outlet where I dedicate my spare time to testing innovative ideas and exploring various technologies. From experimenting with new concepts to delving into cutting-edge technology, I immerse myself in the technical and coding aspects of real-time content creation to craft visually captivating experiences.

TouchDesigner Audio Reactive

This is a sound reactive visual I created in TouchDesigner to challenge myself. I wanted to expand on my skills of creating interactive visuals

Interactive Wall Painter

This project was born out of my passion for experimentation and serves as an engaging interactive experience for prospective students touring Miami University. It's a straightforward TouchDesigner project that tracks hand positions and enables painting or erasing based on which hand is used.

Real Time AI Image Generation

This a video of testing the use of Stream Diffusion AI image generation for real time AI images in TouchDesigner. In this video I used a background remover to isolate the person in front of the camera and use that as a reference image for Stream Diffusion

Interactive Mandelbulb Tracked with TouchDesigner

This is a personal project I've been actively crafting. It showcases a procedural mesh in Notch, utilizing custom HLSL code to render a real time 3D Mandelbulb. With the Kinect Azure and TouchDesigner, I tracked hand positions and measured the distance between the user's hands to dynamically alter the shape.

Mandelbulb Rendered

This is a video of non-interactive Notch project.

Mandelbulb Still

This is a still image from the Notch project.

GLSL Raymarched Mandelbulb

This video showcases a GLSL program I wrote, using raymarching to render a Mandelbulb on Shadertoy.com. This my first major project in graphics programming, it furthered my understanding of shader languages and real time rendering.

Unreal DMX Connection

I'm presently engaged in linking virtual lighting fixtures within Unreal Engine to a grandMA 3 console via Art-Net. My focus lies in replicating virtual renditions of the actual lighting fixtures utilized at Miami University's XR stage. This technique is beginning to see applications in both Virtual Production and live event environments