Don Grout

Don
Grout


AutoCAD Developer

Montreal, QC, Canada


403-660-5542


dongrout@yahoo.com


www.linkedin.com/in/dongrout

Technologies

  • AutoCAD
  • AutoLISP
  • C#.NET
  • ObjectARX
  • Navisworks
  • Unity
  • PROCAD
  • AutoPLANT

Skills

  • Attention to detail
  • Problem-solving & critical thinking
  • Adaptable & flexible with a readiness to learn
  • Work in a team or independently

Availability

  • Full-time / Part-time
  • Employee / Contractor

Profile

Based on drafting with AutoCAD, I have expanded my knowledge and expertise into maintaining and supporting CAD systems as well as customizing AutoCAD in 2D and 3D environments.

Experience

AutoCAD Software Developer

Was the sole developer on 2D software for piping drafting, creating new features and providing user support. Also developed a viewer on the 3D software for plant modeling. Went on to providing customization services for companies to streamline their drafting process.

Unity VR Developer

Developing a virtual training platform for nursing.

Developed software to train personnel in VR on how to inspect and use large mining equipment. The levels of difficulty ranged from completely guided, to varying visual prompts, to open world with no help. Metrics were tracked to provide a report upon completion or failure. Created a system to help design the experience right in VR.

Unity Apps Developer

Worked on software in which users could design their house and decorate with furniture from manufacturers. Was tasked with simplifying creating rooms with doors, windows, along with peaked and curved walls. Also updated the UX for placing furniture and the redesigning UI menu system.

The Most Amazing...

... software I develop involves graphical elements that the user can interact with.

Professional Roles

  • AutoCAD Software Developer

    • Worked on the PROCAD 2D software as the sole developer and was responsible for developing new features, maintaining existing code and providing user support.
    • Customization was also done to suit the specific needs of clients. The customization code was placed along side of the normal code and was unlocked with a unique client key code.
    • Controlled licensing of the software with CrypKey and the software installation using InstallShield. Automated the process of getting the latest source file versions from SourceSafe, compiling the programs, building the installation, and having a folder ready to burn to CD for distribution.
    • Worked with the 3D piping software team to develop the metadata code to model components from the SQL database into AutoCAD.
    • Developed a 3D viewer using OpenGL to view the model components in both Windows stand-a-lone programs and AutoCAD-based programs.
    • Developed custom open drawing dialog which shows drawings organized according to project along with a preview of the drawing. This makes it easy for users to quickly find drawings without having to navigate a complex network path.
    • Templating models where a model from a previous project is copied, moved to new coordinates, labeling and tags updated to quickly create a model in a new project
    • Create reporting tools that can quickly scan hundreds of drawings and generate reports on the data
    • Automating the plotting procedure to determine the client, drawing type, drawing size and output printer to automatically set the correct pen settings and page setup required. Inserting any engineering stamps or date stamps required before printing and removing them after the drawing has been printed. Also providing the ability to batch plot a number of drawings.
    • Developed a system that ran overnight where models that were modified during the day are cleaned up with unused layers purged and settings reset to default. AutoCAD models would be incorporated into a Navisworks 3D model for walk-through viewing and uploaded to a client's FTP site so they can see the progress being made.
    • Develop commands that take a number of tasks and incorporate them into a single command
    • Develop and maintain a library of blocks and the commands to place them to ensure that they go on the correct layer and orientation according to the corporate drafting standards
    • Custom commands are created in AutoLISP if possible. This keeps the code in an easy to edit format by any developer and also provides the most compatibility for the commands to work on all future versions of AutoCAD.
  • AutoCAD Systems Management & Support

    • Providing AutoCAD and related 3rd party CAD applications support. 3rd party apps like PROCAD, Bentley AutoPlant and ProStructures.
    • Customization, setup and configuring of the CAD systems to maintain standard settings
    • Organize the CAD environment and network folder structure of project folders
    • Standardize company custom menus, layering system, blocks and plotting procedures
    • Develop and maintain custom commands to enhance and simplify the drafting process
    • Set in place a system for templating models to reduce time on similar projects
    • Developed a system for automatically cleaning AutoCAD models and generating a Navisworks plant model on a nightly basis
    • Develop and run AutoCAD related training sessions
    • Write documentation and work instructions on the use of custom AutoCAD tools
    • Install CAD software and their latest updates on drafting computers
  • AutoCAD Drafter

    • While employed in the Electrical Department, drafting experience included CAD drafting of cable tray, lighting, power, grounding and MCC layouts in plan view, elevations and details
    • Worked in the mechanical, piping, structural and geotechnical departments as required.
    • Following standard layering conventions and using externally referenced drawings
    • Some interesting projects included hotel floor plans, dam cut & fill calculations and determining the optimal cutting layout for a faceted diamond roof.
    • Also finding a container's center of gravity for a drop test onto its corner was a unique task. The calculation was precise enough that the container balanced on it's corner for a moment before tipping over during the test.
  • Unity Apps & VR Developer

    Training & Inspection Software

    • Developed a VR training simulation for switching out an electrical circuit breaker rack. Users have to select the correct PPE, check area for hazards, communicate with a switchman for orders and finally perform the racking out. The system had 3 levels of training from being fully guided, to partially guided, and finally to an open world. The open world let users perform tasks in any order but they failed if performed out of order. The racking was performed with real physical equipment and a sensor attached so they would see it moving in the virtual world.
    • Creating a virtual reality experience for inspecting large mining equipment. Made the controls for users to teleport around the equipment, inspecting parts, identifying hazards and interacting by opening doors. To aid the users, arrows were placed on the ground to guide them to the next inspection location. Also a robot was animated to demonstrate the controls and inspection procedure. This was with the Oculus Rift system while a stripped down version was created for the Oculus Go.

    Home Decorating Software

    • Creating software to easily model houses in 3D. Implemented the method that each room was standalone, created on it's own and then all rooms put together like a puzzle to form the house. Focused on generating walls with commands to easily place and modify them. Implemented wall dragging to move and stretch them into position along with real-time dimensions displayed. Corners were drawn to automatically match up walls at different angles and with different thicknesses. Walls could have a sloping top line and could curve inwards or outwards. Window and door openings were improved for placement and duplication, again using dragging techniques.
    • The detailed manipulation of the walls required lots of triangulation calculations. A generic library was used for the creating the openings on a flat 2D surface but then faceting and extra triangulation was required to curve the surface. Also the wall needed to be made from 2 pieces for the inside and outside, end lengths extended so nice corners were created, and thicknesses shaved off to prevent interference from overlapping walls.
  • Graphical Interface Developer

    • Convert graphical user displays from older SCADA systems to newer versions. The process involved importing the old screens into Catalyst's Myriad application. Then dynamic elements were tagged and the screen exported to AutoCAD. Once in AutoCAD, cleanup was performed and then the final screen is translated to the OASyS DNA system.
    • Programmed a tool to scan the screens and generate reports of required information. Created AutoCAD commands to make the cleanup process a lot easier and quicker. Batch processing was done on the screens to automate many of the changes.

Employment History

UbiSim
Unity VR Developer

Dec 2020 to Present

Montreal, QC (remote)

ICOM Productions
Unity & Unreal VR Developer

Nov 2018 to Apr 2020

May 2018 to Jun 2018

Calgary, AB

Picture This Today
Unity Developer

May 2018 to Aug 2019

Apr 2017 to Sept 2017

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

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)