Originally posted on Craigslist
CAST is presently seeking an exceptional 3D graphics software developer to help us take our 3D CAD/Visualization Windows applications to the “next levelâ€.
Our applications – wysiwyg and Vivien – are fully integrated 3D CAD/VizSim Windows applications customized for the Entertainment Lighting and the Special Event Production markets. Our applications are used on big-time real-world events, from U2 rock concerts and DJ Tiesto raves, to the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games. So, we visualize LOTS OF LIGHTS – in real-time.
As you'll know, lighting scenes with lots of lights is a hard problem in real-time 3D graphics. Trade-offs have to be made, and tricks have to be played. In this respect, we share as much in common with video games as we do with traditional low light-count 3D CAD/Visualization systems.
We want to take our current architecture to the “next levelâ€, and we need you to help us do it. To start with, you'll be developing enhancements to our current applications, using Visual C++, MFC/Win32, and OpenGL. From there, you'll quickly grow into a leadership role, where you'll play a key part in the definition and development of our next generation architecture. You'll help us evaluate and integrate new technologies such as OpenSceneGraph, high-level shader languages, fast/scan-line render engines, and the Windows Presentation Foundation.
In short, you can look forward to the opportunity of exercising your full creative potential, rapidly growing into a technological leadership position, all in the context of a unique and exciting company and product space.
Objectives
Within the first 3 months at CAST, you'll have demonstrated outstanding software development expertise and technological leadership ability by taking ownership, delivering results, and becoming a respected technological resource within the software development group. In particular:
- Feature designs and implementations are completed with minimal supervision, and “push the envelope†in terms of quality and innovation
- The existing system architecture and development methodology are rapidly assimilated, and insightful, pragmatic, valuable, and well thought out improvements are articulated and implemented
Within the first year at CAST, you'll have grown into a software developer team lead role, and will have become a respected technological leader in the organization as a whole. In particular:
- Small teams of software developers have been led to produce large feature implementations, wholesale re-architecture/componentization of major sub-systems, and/or new product development
- Significant contributions have been made to refine and enhance the organization's vision and strategy through high-level collaboration with senior management
Responsibilities
- Design: Collaborates with the Product Manager, Software Development Architect, and other stake-holders to produce software designs balancing business value, customer value, and implementation/maintenance cost. Analyzes requirements & existing system architecture. Formulates design knowns & unknowns. Conducts technological/scientific/usability research including prototypes & mock-ups to resolve unknowns. Synthesizes & communicates results in the form of design alternatives/decisions/rationales achieving informed consensus among all stake-holders.
- Implementation: Implements software designs in source code and integrates changes into shared source code repository. Ensures delivery of desired functionality by coordinating with the Product Management team for Acceptance Testing. Ensures quality standards are met by proactively seeking/giving code-reviews, updating source-level unit tests, and coordinating with the Quality Assurance team to ensure adequate coverage in system test plans. Ensures changes are documented in product literature (eg – online help, release notes) by coordinating with the Information Development team. Ensures change impact is communicated to relevant stake-holders (eg – Software Development team, Tech Support).
- Maintenance: Designs and Implements solutions to assigned change requests.
- Methodology: Keeps abreast of, and adheres to the CAST software development methodology. Contributes to the evolution of the methodology, so as to improve efficiency, quality, and job satisfaction.
- Professional Development: Maintains up to date skills and knowledge of software development, and industry specific body of knowledge.
Qualifications
- An undergraduate degree in computer science, related field or the equivalent
- A visionary and strong entrepreneurial spirit, a self-starter, ambitious and driven
- Creative, investigative, practical/pragmatic, and insightful
- Tolerant of ambiguity, willing to backtrack, and seek multiple solutions
- Willing to take intelligent risks, not afraid of failure, learns from mistakes
- Able to see from and sell to multiple viewpoints (eg – high and low level), confident and articulate
- High emotional intellect and ability to thrive in team environments
- Outstanding organizational and English communication abilities
- Strong software analysis, research, and design capabilities, expert in abstract level thought, object/pattern/component design, refactoring, user interface design, 3D graphics, multi-threading, and client-server programming
- Broad knowledge of computer technology and programming languages, with expert skills in C++, the STL, Win32, MFC, OpenGL and/or D3D, XML, and Microsoft Visual C++
- Understanding of at least one software development process model (eg – Waterfall, XP, Scrum, etc…)
- Hands-on development experience with video games, 3D CAD, 3D Visualization/Simulation engines is a BIG plus
About CAST
Since 1994, CAST develops, markets, and sells the most advanced computer software programs for planning and 3D pre-visualization of entertainment lighting productions: wysiwyg for the entertainment industry, and Vivien for the meetings and special events industry.
A pioneer in the field of entertainment lighting planning and 3D pre-visualization, wysiwyg was launched in 1994. wysiwyg is used around the world for such prestigious events as the opening and closing ceremonies of numerous Olympic Games, the Queen's Jubilee at Buckingham Palace, Cirque du Soleil's Delerium production, rock concerts by U2, Elton John, and others. Large theatrical venues, such as the Royal Opera House (Covent Garden) and the new Toronto Opera House rely on wysiwyg, as did major film productions, such as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Spiderman, X-Men and Charlie and the Chocolate factory, plus many more. For these successes, wysiwyg has won multiple Gemini and Emmy Awards.
In April 2005, in response to requests from professionals in the meetings and special events community, CAST released Vivien after 2+ years of research and software engineering. While Vivien shares many qualities with wysiwyg, the most important distinction is that Vivien focuses on the whole venue in a static sense whereas wysiwyg deals with stage lighting design and moving scenery. Both wysiwyg and Vivien provide simplified CAD tools to plot or lay out a floor space or lighting plan, present wireframe and 3D virtual views of these plans, and then also deliver photorealistic 3D renderings of these drawings. Vivien is more conceptual whereas wysiwyg is more detailed. Both programs have the ringing endorsement of their End Users. Indeed, many wysiwyg End Users are lighting designers who work in both the entertainment and event industries, two markets that are closely aligned.
For more information on CAST Software, check out our web site at www.cast-soft.com.
Apply
Send your resume to [email protected]