Hi, I'm Daniel

I’m many things to many people.But to myself, I'm a technical creative—bridging the expressive world of interactive media with the rigor of applied mathematics and software engineering.What I think of myself:
- I like to make, mod, and play games.
- Design and build websites, apps, and databases.
- Read—and occasionally write—published papers.How I’m known:
- 4× Software Engineer Intern
- 2× Award-Winning Interactive Media Artist & UX Designer
- Published Researcher in VR + UX
- BASTA / Google SWE-P / Bloomberg / Capital One / Patina Fellow & Mentee
- Mysterious teenage modder who quietly dropped a project involving reverse-engineered rendering pipelines, experimental dual-layered Kuwahara filtering (UV + screen-space), GPU-driven neural upscaling, and meticulous hand-painted textures—then quietly stepped away, leaving behind press coverage, community buzz, and a lasting sense of curiosity. (See Wildrim entry below for more.)

FEATUREDSkyrim Total Conversion Mod
2019-2020

Breath Of The Wildrim

Breath of the Wildrim is a total conversion mod where I reverse-engineered Skyrim’s closed DirectX 11 pipeline to create a cohesive, painterly shading system inspired by Breath of the Wild. I designed advanced HLSL shaders, integrating both UV-based and Kuwahara-inspired screen-space filtering, then complemented that with AI-upscaled and meticulously hand-repainted textures—ensuring a seamless NPR aesthetic.Through custom ESRGAN models, Python automation scripts, and careful normal map adjustments, I transformed low-resolution assets into high-fidelity visuals compatible with popular mods like ELFX, RLO, and Cathedral Weathers. Rigorous performance profiling helped keep frame rates stable (~40 FPS at 1080p) on a modest GTX 1060 laptop GPU, balancing visual depth and real-time playability.Featured in NintendoLife, PCGamesN, and ZeldaDungeon, the project earned acclaim for its blend of technical innovation, artistic discipline, and collaborative design—showcasing how deep-learning workflows, nuanced shader engineering, and meticulous art can reshape a legacy AAA engine.

Responsive Search Website
2025

Design @ CUNY

Design @ CUNY is a fully responsive site that lets users explore design-related academic programs across CUNY campuses. I built a dynamic filtering system in vanilla JavaScript and styled the layout with CSS Grid, enabling users to sort programs by borough, discipline, and degree. The site includes nine pre-filtered category views, a retro-styled hero banner, and was deployed via GitHub Pages for a clean and accessible frontend experience.

Full-Stack Episodic Media Site
2025

SYNDICATE

This is a responsive, accessible website built with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Python, featuring a lazy-loaded, paginated episode browser powered by custom-scraped OMDb data.I engineered a Python scraper to automate metadata and asset generation, designed semantically structured layouts with mobile-first responsiveness, and implemented Intersection Observer-based lazy loading for efficient frontend performance.The project balances clarity, accessibility, and dynamic content delivery in under 100 lines of core logic.

UNITY GAME
HONORABLE MENTION IN THE BEST AUDIO CATEGORY
JAN 2025

Mythical Messenger

Mythical Messenger is a surreal, fast-paced shooter where players deliver fateful messages via a bubble gun before their shift ends.I scripted core gameplay and physics in C#, modularized scene management and audio systems, and contributed 3D models, particle effects, and transparency shaders to craft its distinctive, immersive aesthetic.Developed in 48 hours for Global Game Jam 2025, it earned an Honorable Mention for Best Audio.

FIGMA App Concept
Oct 2024

PRISM

PRISM is a student-focused productivity app that combines daily journaling, LLM-powered search and indexing, and automated deadline reminders.Designed for undergrads, ADHD learners, and busy non-traditional students, it’s cross-platform (Android, iOS, Web) and easy to set up.I built a fully interactive Figma prototype with complete UX/UI design and technical documentation.

p5.js Playable Experience
NOV 2024 - DEC 2024

KINETICS

KINETICS is a generative, physics-driven canvas where elastic collisions and waveforms visualize the raw interplay of energy, motion, and decay.I engineered a real-time simulation system from scratch—modeling momentum, restitution, and fluid dynamics—then optimized rendering and collision detection for smooth interactivity with input from my Google SWEP mentor.The result is both a meditative digital sculpture and a high-performance physics playground.

Steam Game
JUN 2024 - AUG 2024

GlaiveBound

GlaiveBound is a stylized co-op adventure where four heroes battle the forces of Klaydem and uncover elemental relics across the world of Élodia.As a 3D Modeler Intern, I created optimized assets and custom shaders in Blender and Nvidia Omniverse, applying procedural workflows to achieve a painterly, performant aesthetic.I collaborated with designers and engineers to integrate assets into Unity with LOD systems and environment-aware shading—merging artistic direction with real-time performance for our upcoming Steam release!

WINNER IN THE BEST DESIGN CATEGORY
AUG 2022

Tomato Master

Tomato Master is a gamified productivity app where users earn "tomato splashes" as playful nudges to complete tasks and build healthy habits.I led a five-person team through a 48-hour hackathon—using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Bootstrap, and a polished Figma prototype—to overcome skill gaps and time constraints, delegating asset work while mentoring teammates and ultimately carrying the pitch solo.The project was awarded Best Design at the 2022 Rough Draft Ventures Hackathon with Major League Hacking for its engaging UX and innovative integration of social dynamics and task management.

© 2025 Daniel Foulen. All rights reserved.