- Game Engines:
Unreal Engine (VR simulation)
Unity (VR, AR, mobile, WebGL) - Languages & Frameworks:
C#, .NET - Platforms:
Meta Quest, Oculus Rift, Windows, Web, Android
Don Grout
Unreal Engine Developer
VR Training Sims
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
Unreal Engine developer with hands-on experience in VR training simulations for industrial equipment and hazard identification. Skilled in modular architecture and intuitive interaction. Also proficient in Unity, with 8+ years developing VR simulations, WebGL and mobile games. Collaborative, detail-driven, and passionate about scalable design.
Professional Experience
Unreal 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
- Created inspection and hazard identification systems
- Integrated real-world equipment with VR via sensors for synchronized physical/virtual interaction
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 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
- Published educational and family-friendly games on itch.io
The Most Amazing...
Professional Roles
-
Unreal VR Developer
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.
-
Unity 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.
-
Unity Apps Developer
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 | |
|---|---|
| Unreal Engine & Unity 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 | |
|---|---|
| Game Dev Guide, git-amend & Code Monkey | 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)