- Game Engines:
Unity (VR, AR, mobile, WebGL) - Languages & Frameworks:
C#, .NET - Platforms:
Meta Quest, Oculus Rift, Windows, Web, Android - Certifications:
Unity Certified Professional: Programmer
Don Grout
Unity Developer
VR Training Sims, Apps & Indie Games
403-660-5542
dongrout@yahoo.com
www.linkedin.com/in/dongrout
dgsoftware.itch.io teammathiasgames.itch.io
Technical Skills
Core Strengths
- Attention to detail & critical thinking
- Fast learner, highly adaptable
- Strong collaborator & independent contributor
Profile Summary
Experienced Unity developer with 8+ years in VR, WebGL, and Android. Focused on modular systems, immersive interaction, and cross-platform optimization. Built full-cycle projects from training sims to indie games and commercial apps. Skilled in scalable design, UI, and remote collaboration. Passionate about creating polished, intuitive experiences across genres and audiences.
Professional Experience
Unity VR Developer — Immersive Medical Simulation Training
- Engineered dynamic simulations for IV insertion, suctioning, auscultation, and more across adult/pediatric models
- Applied Model/View architecture for scalable workflows & patient interaction logic
- Integrated multiplayer and localization
- Worked with healthcare professionals to ensure clinical accuracy
Unity VR Developer — Mining Equipment Training Simulations
- Built modular walkthroughs and open-world scenarios for heavy machinery operation
- Developed content authoring tools in VR for designer use
- Tracking metrics and playful "Easter eggs" for immersion
Unity Apps Developer — 3D Home Design Platform
- Created intuitive wall-editing tools (sloped, curved, straight)
- Enhanced drag-and-drop interface for doors, windows, furniture
- Integrated vendor catalogs into a sleek browsing experience
Indie Games Developer — Original & Remade Games
- Designed engaging mechanics for target platforms
- Revived classic titles and pushed immersive gameplay in VR
The Most Amazing...
Professional Roles
-
Unity Apps & VR Developer
Nursing Simulation Training Software
- Developed over 100 VR simulation features for nursing education, focusing on medical procedures (e.g., IV insertion, auscultation, NG tube suctioning) and patient interactions across adult and pediatric scenarios.
- Built modular Unity systems using the Model/View design pattern, applied to control panels, wrist menus, EHR interface, Hook UIs, and supply cart interactions.
- Implemented dynamic VR UI components such as tooltips, wrist-mounted menus, floating labels, and checklist systems to guide users through clinical workflows.
- Engineered complex medical equipment mechanics, including IV infusion pumps, blood culture sampling, NG tube attachment systems, and suction regulators with real-time physics behaviors.
- Integrated hardware feedback and sensors to synchronize physical object manipulation (e.g., IV bags, blood pumps) with virtual interactions and animations.
- Diagnosed and resolved critical VR multiplayer synchronization issues, cross-platform exceptions (Meta Quest VR and PC VR), and real-time state desynchronizations.
- Collaborated closely with medical experts and instructional designers to align scenario designs with real-world nursing protocols and best practices.
-
Industrial Training Simulations
- Developed a VR training simulation for electrical circuit breaker maintenance, requiring users to select proper PPE, perform hazard checks, coordinate with a switchman, and complete a full racking procedure.
- Designed a progressive learning system with three training modes: fully guided, semi-guided, and open-world, where task sequence errors resulted in failure, reinforcing real-world safety protocols.
- Integrated real-world physical equipment with VR via sensors, allowing users to see and control live equipment movement within the simulation.
- Built a VR inspection experience for large mining equipment, enabling users to teleport around machinery, inspect components, identify hazards, and interact with moving parts like doors.
- Enhanced user navigation with guided visual cues and an animated robot demonstrating inspection procedures.
- Optimized performance for both Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest and Oculus Go VR hardware, tailoring controls and visuals for platform capabilities.
-
Home Design Visualization Software
- 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.
-
Unity Games Developer
Indie Games
- Develop and publish small games on https://dgsoftware.itch.io, focusing on both original creations and recreations of classic titles like Pong, Breakout, Asteroids, Space Invaders, Diamond Mine and Tetris.
- Design a highly customizable, modern version of Othello, supporting 2-4 players (human or bots), adjustable board dimensions (8x8 to 16x16), randomized tile blockouts, and speed-based Dash Mode with timed turns.
- Experiment with innovative design techniques, including vector-line and voxel-based versions of Asteroids and Space Invaders, featuring dynamic destruction effects.
- Revive and modernize older games, such as Alien Invasion, a resurrection of a 1999 space shooter, and create new original titles like Tank vs Tank, a head-to-head tank battle game.
- Develop educational games like Mathscape, a multiplayer dungeon escape game that challenges players' math skills in a collaborative environment.
- Recreate mobile games such as Unblockable and Ballz, adapting mechanics for fresh gameplay experiences.
- Adapt traditional game genres into VR experiences, including the Unity Tower Defense Template (playable from a full-map or first-person perspective) and a Shooting Gallery optimized for immersive 2D and VR play.
- Designed and published a suite of family-friendly games for young children using Unity (URP) and C#. Built intuitive, touch-optimized interfaces with Unity UI Toolkit and Input System. Developed reusable gameplay systems, browser-based text-to-speech, and dynamic camera/environment effects. Deployed to itch.io (WebGL/Android), optimizing builds for low-spec devices. Handled all design, coding, UX, and publishing.
Available at: https://teammathiasgames.itch.io/
Employment History
| UbiSim | |
|---|---|
| Unity VR Developer | Dec 2020 to May 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)