Brian Ustas

Brian Ustas

Software Maker

Creating Hub3’s logo with the Golden Ratio

My process for creating Hub3’s logo using the Golden Ratio, which helped me design faster and confidently.

  • Hub3
  • logo
  • Golden Ratio
  • design constraints
  • Sketch

Hitpic, LLC

Competitive, location-based photo sharing app. Rate photos with emoji and yesterday’s top-rated pics become hitpics!

  • JavaScript
  • Ruby on Rails
  • Objective-C
  • React Native
  • Redux
  • PostgreSQL
  • Redis
  • Sketch
  • image editing
  • geolocation
  • app design

Kitchen Study

3D rendering of my family’s kitchen in South Africa. I modeled the entire scene from scratch, and this is the project I’m most proud of.

  • Maya
  • Mental Ray
  • ZBrush
  • Photoshop
  • computer graphics
  • 3D rendering
  • modeling
  • texturing
  • lighting

Conditional Github Actions via Git Commits

Save money by only running Github Actions when you need to.

  • tidbit
  • Github Actions

Reducing React Query Boilerplate

A pattern for managing multiple async queries concisely with React Query.

  • tidbit
  • React Query
  • async frontend state

Preserve Facebook Likes With Nginx

How to preserve Facebook likes after migrating the URL scheme from HTTP to HTTPS.

  • Facebook like button
  • Nginx
  • URL Scheme
  • HTTP to HTTPS

Cryptocurrency Pairs Trading

High-frequency quantitative trading bot implementing statistical arbitrage strategies on a cryptocurrency exchange.

  • Python
  • NumPy
  • Pandas
  • Matplotlib
  • Scikit-learn
  • statistics
  • machine learning
  • algorithmic trading
  • pairs trading
  • cryptocurrency

‘Structure from Motion’ Pipeline

Dockerized CLI tool for quickly generating 3D models from a set of images using OpenMVG and OpenMVS.

  • Ruby
  • Docker
  • CLI
  • OpenMVG
  • OpenMVS
  • SfM
  • photogrammetry

Knightly Dashboard Demo

Dashboard for campus police dispatchers that shows students in distress or panic, and the officers that are responding to incidents.

  • JavaScript
  • Webpack
  • React
  • Flux
  • Google Maps
  • simulation
  • app design

Where in the World

Educational quiz to aid the learning of world country locations and capitals. Little planes fly around for entertainment!

  • JavaScript
  • jQuery
  • jVectorMap
  • app design
  • educational quiz

Pandify

Web app for creating Spotify playlists from your Pandora ‘likes’. Featured on ProductHunt.com, Lifehacker.com, and others.

  • Ruby on Rails
  • Angular.js
  • JavaScript
  • web scraping
  • app design

Pandata

Ruby gem for downloading a user’s Pandora.com data. It’s been downloaded over 12,000 times and ported to Node.js.

  • Ruby Gem
  • RSpec
  • CLI
  • library
  • web scraper
  • open source

Emoji Soup

A bunch of interacting, emotional emoji. With simple rules around happiness and sociability, interesting relationships form.

  • JavaScript
  • jQuery
  • computer graphics
  • simulation
  • billiard physics
  • game engine

Dunkin’ Donuts Auto-Survey

Web app that automatically completes a Dunkin’ Donuts feedback survey to earn you a free donut.

  • Ruby
  • Sinatra
  • Capybara
  • Poltergeist
  • app design

Horror Level Design

Prototype level for a horror game concept similar to Slender Man.

  • Maya
  • Mental Ray
  • Photoshop
  • computer graphics
  • 3D rendering

Cubecraft

Voxel engine written with raw WebGL (no libraries) and inspired by Minecraft. The terrain is procedurally generated and editable.

  • WebGL
  • JavaScript
  • computer graphics
  • linear algebra
  • voxels
  • procedural terrain
  • Perlin Noise
  • game engine

WebGL Confetti

Interactive confetti simulation written with raw WebGl (no libraries).

  • WebGL
  • JavaScript
  • computer graphics
  • linear algebra
  • confetti physics

Face Study

3D rendering of my dad’s face that I modeled from scratch. It turns out that it’s pretty hard to escape the uncanny valley…

  • Maya
  • Mental Ray
  • ZBrush
  • Photoshop
  • computer graphics
  • 3D rendering
  • modeling
  • texturing
  • lighting

Office Snake

Competitive Snake game with a Minesweeper twist. Featured on four web-based gaming sites and received 6,000+ high scores.

  • JavaScript
  • jQuery
  • Python
  • WSGI
  • game engine
  • app design

Infinite Jest Music

My very first website! I still think it looks cool.

  • HTML
  • CSS
  • JavaScript
  • jQuery
  • UI design

TJ Maxx Redesign

3D rendering of a TJ Maxx redesign concept that I built from scratch.

  • Maya
  • Mental Ray
  • Photoshop
  • computer graphics
  • 3D rendering
  • modeling
  • texturing
  • lighting

Human Form Study

3D model of the human body that I made from scratch.

  • Maya
  • computer graphics
  • modeling
  • topology
  • anatomy