Don Grout

AutoCAD Developer

Montreal, QC, Canada
403-660-5542
dongrout@yahoo.com
www.linkedin.com/in/dongrout

Technical Skills

  • CAD Platforms: AutoCAD, PROCAD, Navisworks
  • Languages & APIs: C#, .NET Framework, AutoLISP, ObjectARX
  • Development Tools: Visual Studio, Git, Jira
  • Database Systems: SQL Server

Core Strengths

  • Attention to detail & critical thinking
  • Fast learner, highly adaptable
  • Strong collaborator & independent contributor

Profile Summary

Specialized in automating CAD workflows with C#.NET, ObjectARX & AutoLISP. Developed scalable tools, integrated CAD with enterprise systems, and streamlined workflows.

Professional Experience

AutoCAD Developer — Plant & Piping Design Software

  • Led full-cycle development: new features, legacy maintenance, client-specific customization
  • Automated build/deployment with SourceSafe; developed SQL-driven 3D metadata tools
  • OpenGL-based 3D viewer for enhanced component visualization
  • Streamlined drafting workflows via model templates, reporting tools, batch plotting, and overnight cleanup operations
  • Created AutoLISP routines and ObjectARX commands to standardize and accelerate drafting tasks

AutoCAD Customization & Support Services

  • Maintained AutoCAD and third-party apps
  • Standardized project environments and drafting workflows with custom templates and commands
  • Automated nightly model updates for Navisworks integration
  • Delivered user training, authored documentation, and managed installations across drafting teams

Unity VR Developer — Medical & Industrial Simulation Training

  • Designed immersive VR simulations for healthcare procedures and heavy machinery operation
  • Applied scalable Model/View architecture for dynamic patient interaction and modular training scenarios

Unity App Developer — 3D Home Design Platform

  • Engineered precision wall-editing tools (sloped, curved, straight) for architectural layout and structural modeling
  • Developed parametric drag-and-drop interface for placing doors, windows, and furniture with real-time snapping and alignment
  • Integrated vendor catalogs into a searchable, filterable UI for seamless material and fixture selection

Professional Roles

  • AutoCAD Developer — Plant & Piping Design Software

    • Sole developer for PROCAD 2D, responsible for designing new features, maintaining legacy code, providing user support, and customizing solutions tailored to client needs through a secure keycode system.
    • Managed licensing with CrypKey and installation workflows with InstallShield; automated builds and distribution by integrating SourceSafe versioning, compilation, and installer creation.
    • Developed metadata-driven modeling tools to import and visualize SQL database components directly in AutoCAD, collaborating closely with the 3D piping software team.
    • Created a standalone and AutoCAD-integrated 3D viewer using OpenGL, enhancing visualization of complex model components.
    • Built a custom Open Drawing Dialog system to organize project files with visual previews, improving navigation across large drawing repositories.
    • Designed model templating tools to copy previous projects, reposition models, and automatically update labels and tags for rapid project setup.
    • Developed reporting tools capable of scanning hundreds of drawings and generating engineering reports from extracted data.
    • Automated plotting processes by dynamically determining pen settings, page layouts, and inserting/removing client-specific stamps based on project metadata; included batch plotting support.
    • Implemented an overnight processing system that cleaned models (purged unused layers, reset settings), generated updated Navisworks walkthroughs, and uploaded progress files to client FTP sites.
    • Created a suite of custom AutoLISP and native commands to automate repetitive drafting tasks, improving efficiency and ensuring compatibility with future AutoCAD versions.
    • Maintained a corporate block library with embedded placement rules to ensure all inserted elements complied with drafting standards for layer control and orientation.

  • AutoCAD Customization & Support Services

    • Provided support for AutoCAD and third-party CAD applications such as PROCAD, Bentley AutoPlant, and ProStructures.
    • Customized, configured, and maintained CAD systems to uphold consistent standards and settings across projects.
    • Organized the CAD environment, including project folder structures and networked file systems.
    • Standardized company-wide custom menus, layering systems, block libraries, and plotting procedures.
    • Developed and maintained custom commands to streamline and simplify drafting workflows.
    • Implemented a templating system to accelerate model creation for similar projects.
    • Built an automated nightly system to clean AutoCAD models and generate updated Navisworks plant models.
    • Designed and conducted training sessions on custom AutoCAD tools and workflows.
    • Authored detailed documentation and work instructions to support end users and promote consistency.
    • Installed and updated CAD software across drafting workstations.

  • Unity App Developer — 3D Home Design Platform

    • Developed 3D home modeling software where individual rooms were created as modular, standalone components and assembled like a puzzle to form complete house layouts.
    • Built a wall generation system with intuitive drag-and-stretch controls, enabling users to place, modify, and resize walls in real time, with dynamic dimensions displayed.
    • Engineered smart corner handling to automatically align walls at varying angles and thicknesses, including support for sloped and curved wall designs.
    • Improved the placement and duplication of windows and doors with real-time snapping and dragging mechanics for a smoother user workflow.
    • Designed and implemented complex triangulation algorithms to handle wall surface faceting, curved geometry, and clean joins between internal and external wall layers.
    • Customized a generic 2D triangulation library for 3D use cases, including extending end lengths for seamless corners and adjusting wall thicknesses to prevent rendering conflicts.

  • Graphical Interface Developer

    • Modernized graphical user displays by converting legacy SCADA system screens to updated platforms.
    • Imported old screens into Catalyst's Myriad application, retagged dynamic elements, and exported them to AutoCAD for cleanup and final translation into the OASyS DNA system.
    • Developed tools to automate the process, including a screen-scanning utility that generated detailed reports and custom AutoCAD commands to streamline cleanup tasks.
    • Implemented batch processing workflows to accelerate large-scale screen conversions and reduce manual effort.

Employment History

UbiSim
Unity VR Developer

Dec 2020 to Apr 2025

Montreal, QC (remote)

ICOM Productions
Unity & Unreal VR Developer

May 2018 to Apr 2020

Calgary, AB

Picture This Today
Unity Developer

Apr 2017 to Aug 2019

Victoria, BC (remote)

Integrated Geomatics
AutoCAD Software Developer

Jan 2017 to Jun 2018

Calgary, AB

Accalia Accounting Ltd.
Microsoft Windows Developer

Jun 2016 to Aug 2016

Calgary, AB

Vista-Mustang JV Corporation
Website Developer

Nov 2015 to Feb 2018

Calgary, AB

Longhorn Geomatics Limited
AutoCAD Software Developer

Nov 2015

Calgary, AB

Vista-Mustang JV Corporation
AutoCAD Systems Management & Support, AutoCAD & Windows Software Developer, and Website Developer

Nov 2009 to Nov 2015

Calgary, AB

Wood Group Mustang / IMV Projects Inc.
AutoCAD Systems Management & Support, and AutoCAD Software Developer

Dec 2007 to May 2009

Calgary, AB

Upside Engineering
AutoCAD Systems Management & Support

Feb 2006 to Dec 2007

Calgary, AB

Cimarron Engineering
AutoCAD Systems Management & Support

Oct 2005 to Jan 2006

Calgary, AB

Catalyst Realtime
Graphical Interface Developer

Jan 2005 to Jul 2005

Calgary, AB

PROCAD Software
AutoCAD Software Developer, and AutoCAD Systems Management & Support

Jul 1999 to Mar 2008

Calgary, AB

AGRA Monenco
AutoCAD Drafter, and AutoCAD Systems Management & Support

May 1989 to Jul 1999

Saskatoon, SK

Education History

YouTube
git-amend, Code Monkey & Jason Weimann

Ongoing

Online

Unity Certified Professional: Programmer
Unity Technologies

Oct 2020

Calgary, AB

Android Developer
Udacity

Dec 2016 to Feb 2017

Online

Web Design for Everybody (Basics of Web Development and Coding)
Coursera

Jul 2016 to Aug 2016

Online

Software Product Management
Coursera

Feb 2016 to May 2016

Online

Programming Mobile Applications for Android Handheld Systems
Coursera

Jul 2015 to Aug 2015

Online

Advanced ObjectARX
Autodesk University

Oct 2004

San Francisco, CA

Computer Science Courses
Athabasca University

Oct 1998 to Jun 2001

Calgary, AB

An Intro to Programming in C
Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science & Technology

Oct 1992 to Dec 1992

Saskatoon, SK

Computer Aided Design & Manufacturing Engineering Technology
Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science & Technology

Sept 1987 to May 1989

Saskatoon, SK

Languages

  • English (Fluent/Native)
  • French (Beginner)
  • Spanish (Beginner)