More tools, faster: how I build now
AI coding assistants have changed what one animation and tools programmer can build. The tools in this reel are all personal projects: a face rigging system spanning Maya and Unreal, a conversation editor and runtime for Unreal Engine, a creature rig with a custom C++ picker, a frame review platform, and a studio timesheet app. None of them were made for clients, and the tools I build for clients and studios aren't shown here.
AI didn't design these tools. I did: the rig architecture, the animation workflows, the interfaces, and the decisions about what each tool should and shouldn't do. What changed is the distance between an idea and a working version. AI writes and refactors code with me, helps build the tests, and helps measure the results. That's where numbers like 20–46 µs per face or a 0.99 match to an artist's sculpts come from.
The result is more tools, better tested, in less time, and more of my time spent on what matters most: making them feel right for the artists who use them.