Paul Kruszewski

Kruszewski completed his bachelor's degree in computer science at the University of Alberta. During this time he received the most prestigious award available to Canadian students majoring in science and engineering, the NSERC 1967 scholarship. He was also President of his school's computer science association.

Krusszewski moved on to McGill University, to complete his Master's and PhD in computer science. Here he completed his thesis, The botanical beauty of random binary trees: a method for the synthetic imagery of botanical trees, suggesting a method to produce realistic images of trees digitally. His work was inspired by The Algorithmic Beauty of Plants, by Przemysław Prusinkiewicz. After finishing his doctorate, Kruszewski was able to fully develop and commercialize the software, which he called "Tree Druid."

Work in industry

After leaving the world of academics, Kruszewski held multiple positions across North America, Europe and Asia. Some notable accomplishments include him having developed the first cloud based human simulator on behalf of My Virtual Model and driving the development of both the PS2 and Xbox game engines at Behaviour Interactive.

Entrepreneurial initiatives

BioGraphic Technologies

BioGraphic Technologies (BGT) was Kruszewski's first real foray into the entrepreneurial world, previously working as a software developer at various companies around the globe. BGT is best known for developing AI.implant, a program allowing for realistic crowd simulation, making characters capable capable of interacting with the environment set around them. Taking his previous experience in video game development, Kruszewski originally focused the BGT's vision on the film and gaming industries, working with companies like Lucas Films and Sony Computer Entertainment. Engenuity Technologies, a Canadian defence contractor, saw the benefits of simulating large civilian crowds for training purposes, and purchased the company in 2005.

GripHeavyIndustries

GripHeavyIndustries, better known as Grip, is recognized for developing complex game AI characters. Before its sale to Autodesk in 2011, Grip had been an integral part of games produced by companies such as EA, Disney and BioWare. Some titles it has been credited on includes Army of Two: The 40th Day and various Deus Ex: Human Revolution iterations.

Wrnch

Kruszewski's latest venture builds on previous experience gained from working with computer vision technology. Wrnch's newest piece of tech, BodySLAM, has continued pushing those boundaries. It can now track and emulate 23 different points on the human body, and is being integrated into augmented reality experiences at theme parks and in video games.

Publications

• The Botanical Beauty of Random Binary Trees, (1995)
• A Note on the Horton-Strahler Number for Random Trees, 1995
• On the Horton-Strahler Number for Random Tries, (1996)
• An algorithm for sculpting trees, (1999)
• A probabilistic technique for the synthetic imagery of lightning, (1999)
• A Note on the Horton-Strahler Number for Random Binary Search Trees, (1999)
• Crowd Modeling For Military Simulations Using Game Technology, (2005)
• Believable and Reactive Crowds in Next Generation Games, (2006)
• Navigation Challenges in Massively Destructible Worlds (2007)
• Integrating Crowd-Behavior Modeling into Military Simulation using Game Technology, (2008)
• Engineering Fun, (2011)

Patents

• Method and Stem for On-Screen Animation of Digital Objects or Characters, (2004)
• System and Method for Displaying Selected Garments on a Computer-Simulated Mannequin, (1999, 2009, 2011, 2012)