Resume Senior Capstone thesis paper Senior Capstone thesis presentation
Areas of interest:
- Cloud architecture
- Project design
- Video game development
- Algorithms and datastructures
Projects:
Recently, I have been developing software for Martial Arts gym management. It is based on a tornado framework utilizing bootstrap and a SQLite database.
Short Circuit
Short Circuit is a tower defense game made in jMonkeyEngine 3. This game was the result of an independent study at Colorado College with professor Matthew Whitehead. I learned an incredible amount about good coding practices and new algorithms through the development process. The game features A* pathfinding and custom datastructures, as well as original music/sound design.
Here is footage of a different level, which shows a secondary texture pack.
Algorithms
Critical ToolsI have coded numerous algorithms, including:
Merge Sort, Quick Sort, Breadth-first-search 01 knapsack pruning, m-Coloring, HAMPATH, Dijkstra's, Kruskal's, Prim's, as well as a number of O(n^2) algorithms. The link above will bring you to the repository for these algorithms, please see the "labook.xls" file for discussion of run times and complexity.
Music software suite designed to aid in the production of a Musical Critical Edition. This project was accomplished partly due to a grant from the Mellon Foundation. This software was a part of my Senior Capstone thesis paper at Colorado College, which is linked at the top of this page next to my resume. I also discuss this software in my thesis presentation, which is also linked. Below you can see the main features of the software, which allows the user to find a particular measure of music from a library of images that is in processed by the user. It provides a structure for organizing images that represent a score.
Short Circuit SDK
Along with Short Circuit, I developed an SDK program which reads in an XML level file and creates a serialized object of the level that is more accessible and faster to load by the game engine. Eventually, this project will allow users to create their own levels.
Data Structures
Java implementations of various data structures. Pictured below is a data structure that I built especially for Short Circuit.
Come Together
Game I designed in a now defunct engine called "Slick2D", and in a custom engine. The original implementation was a project that I developed on my free time during the semester that I attended University of Colorado - Colorado Springs. It's a game about trying to bring two squares together, only to have them torn apart by other, slightly smaller squares. I would really like to refine this game, and bring it to the Android platform.
"Yahtzee" clone
Here is a clone of the ubiquitous board game "Yahtzee." Written in C++/CLI. I am not a huge fan of CLI forms. The automated GUI builder inside of Visual Studio is easy to use, but passing data through CLI forms is a bloody nightmare. C++ is a language that I would really like to develop more in, but I usually find myself working in Java.
Cube rotator
Fun application I made in Computer Graphics. This the first 3D object that I created without the use of a formal game engine. I was able to develop the algorithms and matrix arithmetic classes with dedicated help from the wonderful professor Steven Janke at Colorado College. It uses custom implementations of matrix storage and arithmetic objects, and was really enjoyable to work on.
jPath
Example of A* pathfinding. This application was the basis for the pathfinding implementation in Short Circuit. I wanted to create a project independent of Short Circuit that I could later integrate with the core game. I was able to experiment and refine my pathfinding algorithms with this project. It creates a grid that represents the graph connected to the pathfinding implementation. It provides an easy way to manipulate edges of the graph, and provide an animation that illuminates the pathfinder's decision at each node of the graph.
Other related work:
Cigar box gamelan
Arduino project that I worked on during the first CS class I took at CC, which was a really interesting course that was all about the role of Computer Science in art. This course was what really got me interested in learning more about CS, and I will always remember it. One of my big influences musically has come from the Colorado College Gamelan, which is an Indonesian music ensemble. I made one of the instruments that is used in Gamelan using a cigar box, some wood from Home Depot, and an Arduino. Some day, I would really like to further develop this idea into something a bit more polished, as it would be really nice to have a portable Gamelan instrument that could be easily used for practice.
Musical work
In addition to computer science, I completed a degree in Music at the Colorado College. My primary instrument is drum set. I am really interested in progressive rock, jazz, indie pop, and folk music. I'm currently working on a couple of projects, one being a prog rock band, and the other being my electronic composition thesis project. Here you can see my music studio, where I spend a lot of time practicing and composing.
I also have done a fairly extensive amount of musical transcription and copying. I am proficient in the use of MakeMusic's Finale notation software, and have contributed to a handful of musicological publications. I owe my proficiency in notation software in great part to the wonderful faculty of the CC Music Department.
If you would like to contact me about anything, please email me at connor [dot] rice [at] coloradocollege [dot edu]
All projects © Connor Rice, 2013-2016
