My Journey So Far
About me
Free lance 3D Modeller
Published game developer
Interests :
Drone Photography
Qualified private pilot
Tennis, Rock Climbing and Swimming
Travelling
My Recent Timeline :
2023 - 20 Years old
The continuation of my university work led to an interesting project involving full-body 3D scanners, Blender modeling of my university room, and Unreal Engine with VR.
For the module I decided to make something a bit more challenging than what was required, I used the University 3D Scanner to scan myself in full body, Then added a hair particle system and rigged the model to allow movement and animations.Then took this into Unreal engine where it was used as the avatar of the VR Character.
Click Play to watch
During the iterative game development process, a board game was created with the objective of playing in teams of up to four people and defeating various monsters. The game was developed by a team of four individuals, which encouraged collaboration throughout the project.
Iterative Game Developement Module
2023 Came the Launch of my Second youtube Chanel Dedicated to my 3D Work
https://www.youtube.com/@harropstudios2270
2022 - 19 Years old
While continuing with my business, I also started my first year at university. There, I got back into real-time game engine development with Unreal Engine. I focused on VR and PC development, and began learning Blueprints, VR interactions, as well as modules in Agile project development and 3D modeling.
Another Notable achievement from 2022 was the completion of my Private Pilots Licence, This was a multi year process and has always been a passion of mine.
Pictures taken While flying Solo above Portsmouth in September of 2023
2021 - 18 Years old
Why a recent focus on ArchVis?
Back in 2021 A couple living in Nottingham hired me to help remodel their home.This taught me about being precise and accurate and offering photorealistic results within deadlines. I fell in love with this project because it was the first time I had worked in a "team" where I was collaborating with my clients to achieve what they wanted. This led to me finding a mistake in their floorplan which required a redesign of the roof from the architect which gave me a real appreciation for my craft.
After considering financial and time management impacts, I realized that it is very hard to 'break through' as a sole indie developer - so I focussed on Architectural Visualization
During this period
I was completing my
A - Levels in :
ComputerScience
Product Design
Business
With an A* in an EPQ(Extended Project Qualification) in 3D animation
A link to this can be found here :
https://youtu.be/QFRJbKsSSzI
2020 - 17 Years Old
After dedicating a few months to learning Blender, I offered my services on Fiverr to work on small projects. This platform helped me understand the importance of ensuring high-quality work, managing my time efficiently, and keeping costs under control. Using Fiverr as a way of earning while learning turned out to be a smart decision as it helped me discover my passion and interests in my work.
OPEN WORLD 2
In the first few months of lockdown I developed with the Meta Quest. This was an exciting new device with 6-DoF and 2 motion-tracked controllers, a massive step up from its predecessor.However, publishing required an established company rather than Indie developers, so I pivoted into asset creation.
I started learning Blender to create the models required for game development and started to enjoy the creation of assets, which became my main focus for the year.
2019 - 16 Years Old
2019 was the launch of my first "Big Project". Many months of work in developing what was at the time a new hardware device: the Oculus Go, a standalone VR headset with 3-DoF and a single controller.
My first paid app was called "Open World", which I created using Unity. I applied my knowledge of Android development to it since Oculus is built upon the Android platform. The process of building APKs for this app was similar to my previous project, making the development process fairly straightforward.
This was the first app I created that I sold for money. It was installed around 490 times and made me approximately $500. As a result, I was invited to join the Oculus Start Program. Facebook sent me a "Gift Box" which included a free Rift headset that I used for future development.
2018 - 15 Years Old
At the age of 15, I created and published my first mobile app on Google Play called "Race 3D". The game was a simple driving circuit where the player raced against a pre-determined opponent, with the fastest one declared the winner. It featured only two maps and a few vehicle options, which may seem limited in comparison to today's games, but it was a great accomplishment for me at the time.
Made using Unity, this was my first project with the engine. I enjoyed it, which led me to create the next installment, "Pitch and Power."
During the summer of 2018, I released my second app named "Pitch and Power". The idea behind this app came from my recent flight training where I learned the technique to avoid stalling in an aircraft. Compared to my previous app, this game is more advanced, with a focus on mobile development and gameplay efficiency. It can be described as a simple flight simulator with minimalist design.
2017 - 14 Years Old
In 2017, I launched my own YouTube channel dedicated to drone photography. My main aim was to capture the essence of every place I visit from a fresh perspective.As I delved deeper into my interest in photogrammetry, the process of converting multiple pictures into a point cloud with a textured mesh, it eventually led me to explore 3D art.I continue to upload videos to this channel, showcasing my travel videos from around the world.
https://www.youtube.com/@thomasharrop9821