About

My name is Nick Shelton. I’m a computer vision and real-time graphics engineer based in Los Angeles. I build 3D reconstruction pipelines, GPU-accelerated rendering systems, and deploy ML models into production. 13 years of shipping research into real products, from theme park attractions to surgical navigation to AR hardware.

tools

C++ ◦ Python ◦ CUDA ◦ C# ◦ GLSL / HLSL ◦ Vulkan ◦ OpenGL ◦ Metal

OpenCV ◦ PyTorch ◦ ONNX ◦ Unity ◦ Houdini ◦ Docker ◦ ROS ◦ Linux

expertise

3D Reconstruction ◦ Gaussian Splatting ◦ NeRF ◦ Structure from Motion ◦ SLAM

Realtime Rendering ◦ GPU Compute ◦ Shader Development ◦ Performance Optimization

Computer Vision ◦ ML Deployment ◦ Camera Calibration ◦ Sensor Fusion

publications & patents

2025SIGGRAPH PosterSkylight: Real-Time Projection Mapping for Surgical Navigation

2025SIGGRAPH WorkshopXR in Medicine

2025U.S. Patent Application (Disney)High Frame Rate Light Beam Collision Detection

2025Patent Application (Disney) ◦ Interactive Sensing Technique (in-progress)

2025Provisional Patent (Illuminant) ◦ Real-Time Projection of 3D Medical Imaging via Fiducial Tracking

experience

2026Snap Inc. ◦ Software Engineer ◦ Gaussian Splatting Mobile Optimization ◦ Los Angeles

2024 - 2026Illuminant Surgical ◦ Senior Software Engineer ◦ Surgical Projection Mapping ◦ Los Angeles

2023 - 2024Disney Imagineering R&D ◦ Computer Vision & 3D Reconstruction ◦ Los Angeles

2020 - 2024Sheltron LLC ◦ Graphics Consultant ◦ Los Angeles

2017 - 2020The Wave VR ◦ Technical Art Director ◦ Los Angeles

2015 - 2017Occipital ◦ Graphics Lead ◦ San Francisco

2012 - 2015Lynx Laboratories ◦ R&D Scientist ◦ Austin

2011 - 2012Facebook ◦ Software Intern (2 summers) ◦ Menlo Park / Palo Alto

2010UT Austin AI & Robotics Lab ◦ Autonomous Vehicles Research ◦ Austin

clients

Disney ImagineeringSnap Inc.Facebook Reality LabsIntelPolycamNexus StudiosEyejackIan ChengPossible ProductionsRap Research Lab

teaching & speaking

2025SIGGRAPH ◦ Poster Presentation & Workshop ◦ Vancouver

2021Woodbury University ◦ Adjunct Lecturer, Advanced Programming

2018GPU Technology Conference ◦ Technical Poster ◦ San Jose

2016Google Tilt BrushArtist in Residence ◦ San Francisco

2016Gray Area Foundation ◦ TA, Creative Code Immersive ◦ San Francisco

2014UT Austin ◦ Guest Lecture, Realtime Computer Vision

2012Idea To Product Global ◦ First place, Lynx 3D Scanner ◦ Stockholm

2012GPU Technology Conference ◦ GPU Accelerated Computer Vision ◦ San Jose

live visuals

I spent several years developing custom VJ software and performing live visuals for musicians and events. Full archive of 40+ shows on the live page.