CONOR COLLINS Technical Artist | AI Creative

conor.read.collins@gmail.com • Portland, OR 97214 • 213-797-0345 • linkedin.com/in/conorcollins

SUMMARY

Technical Artist with 15+ years of experience specializing in AI-enhanced production systems. Expertise bridging 3D content creation with cutting-edge generative AI tools. Demonstrated success developing modular components that generated millions of assets while maintaining artistic quality. Strong collaborator with both technical and creative teams, with proven ability to translate research concepts into production-ready implementations.

EXPERIENCE

Synthesis AI, Technical Artist Sep 2022 – Mar 2025

Presented at Houdini HIVE 2024, showcasing integration of Houdini, Nuke and ComfyUI in cloud and production workflows

Developed AI-driven pipeline for an automated 3D human asset system capable of outputting millions of diverse identities

Created generative AI production tools that generated 70,000+ unique synthetic assets, increasing production capabilities and efficiency by orders of magnitude

Built custom ComfyUI nodes and workflows enabling procedural and deterministic asset creation via JSON specifications

Defined the visual communication of Synthesis using video, imagery and presentations to build layouts, web designs, storyboards and campaigns

Designed procedural environment generation systems combining hundreds of 3D assets with generative AI

Collaborated with ML engineering team to optimize AI tools for production

Integrated technical solutions into cloud-based production systems, reducing processing time by 50%

Outer Gamut, Technical Director / Owner Jan 2014 – Aug 2022

Built and managed a boutique retouching and motion design studio delivering 5000+ high-quality assets annually

Developed custom technical tools for clients including UGG, Uber, Liberty Mutual, Amazon, and Apple

Designed workflow automation and standards systems that increased production efficiency by 20%

Sourced and managed a team of retouchers to meet aggressive deadlines while maintaining consistent quality

Created modular asset development processes ensuring consistency across distributed production

Portus Imaging, Digital Imaging Specialist Mar 2013 – Jul2014

Engineered technical workflow systems for multinational advertising campaigns

Managed quality control processes ensuring color accuracy and visual consistency across deliverables

Created technical specifications and file management systems improving team collaboration

PROJECTS & COMMUNITY

Founder & Organizer: Portland Houdini User Group (June 2024 - Present) - Building local technical artist community through monthly meetings, demonstrations, and knowledge sharing

GitHub: Custom ComfyUI nodes for advanced image processing github.com/Conor-Collins/coco_tools

Technical Presentation: Automated Character Creator in Houdini and ComfyUI - Houdini HIVE 2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITbxJeCoaQY

EDUCATION

BFA Photography, California College of Arts and Crafts, 2004 (Honors)

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Houdini, Maya, Nuke, Unreal Engine, Zbrush, PBR rendering, Cinema 4D, ComfyUI, LoRA fine-tuning, custom node development, Substance Suite, Photoshop, Figma, Cavalry, Adobe Creative Suite, Davinci Resolve and Fusion, Python, VEX, JSON, HScript, USD, Perforce, Jira, Plastic, Git