Michael Spaw — Senior UX Designer

About

I design for people who work at the edge of what software can do. For over a decade, that meant shaping the experience of 3ds Max and Maya at Autodesk — but the real through-line has always been complexity: making powerful systems feel as fluid and intuitive as they are capable.

At Autodesk I operated as both Senior Product Designer and Product Owner — co-owning the roadmap, running research with professional users worldwide, and defining design patterns that scaled across an entire product ecosystem. I've integrated AI-assisted features into production workflows, facilitated alignment across engineering and product teams, and presented at Siggraph and Autodesk University.

I've brought that same sensibility to structural engineering platforms and medical visualisation. If the problem involves sophisticated users, dense information, and zero tolerance for friction — I'm at home.

Research

Contextual inquiry
Usability testing
A/B testing
Beta & charter programs

Design

Interaction design
Prototyping
Design systems
UX workshops

Domain

3D / DCC software
Maya · 3ds Max · Houdini
Procedural workflows
AI-driven tooling

AI in Practice

AI tools have changed how I work — not by replacing design judgment, but by dramatically expanding what's possible to explore, prototype, and build. I use them daily for research, planning, and document creation, and have pushed into more sophisticated territory: from directing the creation of this portfolio site to prototyping C++ plugins for 3ds Max.

The workflow that works best for me pairs Perplexity for deep research and technical grounding, Claude AI and Claude Code for prototyping and implementation, and ChatGPT for ideation and iteration. I direct the architecture and logic — the AI handles the heavy lifting.

This is a fast-moving space and I'm committed to staying at the front of it. Not as a novelty, but because the designers who understand these tools most deeply will be the ones who can build, test, and ship ideas at a pace that wasn't previously possible.

Tools in regular use

Claude AI + Code

Prototyping, implementation, this portfolio site

Perplexity

Research, technical grounding, pre-prototype exploration

ChatGPT

Ideation, writing, iteration and refinement

Daily practice

Research, planning, documents, design exploration

3ds Max tool explorations

Surface packing · MAXScript + C++

SurfPack — Surface Circle Packing

Packs variable-radius spheres across the surface of any mesh using a greedy placement algorithm. Supports surface offset and containment within volume. Shown here packing ~10,000 spheres across a teapot.

SurfPack — Surface Circle Packing · Packs variable-radius spheres across the surface of any mesh using a greedy placement algorithm. Shown here with ~10,000 spheres across a teapot.

Point distribution · MAXScript

Point Distribution — Density Map

Distributes points across a plane using an image as a density map — denser in bright areas, sparser in dark. Useful for image-driven instance scattering and procedural population. Shown here reading a portrait of Charlie Chaplin.

Point Distribution — Density Map · Distributes points across a plane using an image as a density map. Denser in bright areas, sparser in dark. Shown here reading a portrait of Charlie Chaplin.

Point distribution · MAXScript

Point Distribution — Fibonacci Fill

Generates point distributions using Fibonacci spiral, Poisson disc, Gaussian cluster, and grid-based strategies. Each produces distinctly different spacing characteristics suited to different scattering needs.

Point Distribution — Fibonacci Fill · Generates point distributions using Fibonacci spiral, Poisson disc, Gaussian cluster, and grid-based strategies — each producing distinctly different spacing characteristics.

Volume packing · C++

VolPack — Volume Sphere Packing

Fills any mesh volume with tightly packed spheres of variable radius using spatial hashing for collision detection. A C++ plugin that handles thousands of spheres efficiently inside arbitrary geometry.

VolPack — Volume Sphere Packing · Fills any mesh volume with tightly packed spheres of variable radius using spatial hashing for collision detection. A C++ plugin handling thousands of spheres inside arbitrary geometry.

Geometry primitive · C++

QuadSphere — Geometry Primitive

A native 3ds Max geometry primitive that generates a quad-topology sphere — superior to the standard GeoSphere for subdivision and deformation workflows. Supports radius, segment count, and hemisphere parameters.

QuadSphere — Geometry Primitive · A native 3ds Max C++ geometry primitive generating a quad-topology sphere, superior to the standard GeoSphere for subdivision and deformation workflows.

Dynamics simulation · C++

XPBD Solver — Softbody Dynamics

An Extended Position-Based Dynamics solver for real-time softbody and cloth simulation inside 3ds Max. Supports gravity, wind, collision objects, pinned vertices, and compliance controls for rubber-to-jelly material behaviour.

XPBD Solver — Softbody Dynamics · An Extended Position-Based Dynamics solver for real-time softbody and cloth simulation inside 3ds Max. Supports gravity, wind, collisions, pinned vertices, and material compliance controls.

Résumé

Experience

Senior UI/UX Designer Aug – Oct 2025

Branch 3D (StructureCraft)

Contributed to the foundational UX and design system for a hybrid 2D/3D structural design platform integrating modeling, analysis, and digital workflows. Initiated 3D interaction patterns for navigating and editing complex structural models, emphasising clarity, precision, and workflow efficiency. Partnered with product, engineering, and project management to align early design decisions with long-term usability and scalability goals.

3D Interaction Design System Structural UX Technical Visualisation

Senior Product Designer · Product Owner Jul 2015 – Mar 2025

Autodesk — Media & Entertainment Division

Designed intuitive 3D content creation workflows for Maya and 3ds Max, improving usability for artists, game developers, and visualisation professionals. Developed the first cross-DCC functionality bridging Maya and Max, enhancing interoperability across Autodesk's ecosystem. Conducted user research and usability testing to refine AI-powered tools, integrating insights directly into the product roadmap. Defined and maintained UX design patterns to drive consistency across the content creation suite. Presented forward-thinking design concepts at Siggraph and Autodesk University.

Maya 3ds Max Cross-DCC Design Systems User Research AI Tools

Senior Designer Jul 2011 – Jul 2015

Elara Systems Inc.

Designed and developed interactive 3D medical visualisations for education and training. Created user-friendly animation workflows that reduced production time by 20%. Conducted client research to improve content engagement and retention.

3D Visualisation Medical UX Animation Workflows

Earlier Career

CG Supervisor & Sequence Supervisor · The Orphanage, San Francisco
CG Supervisor · Frantic Films, LA & Vancouver
3D Generalist · Sauce Ltd, Auckland NZ
Senior Artist · Stormfront Studios, San Rafael
Artist · Gametek, Sausalito · Product Design · Anagram International

Download full CV ↓

Michael
Spaw

About

Selected Work

Boolean Modifier

Smart Bevel

World Building

Branch 3D — UX Design System for Structural Modelling

Creative Practice

AI in Practice

Résumé

Get in Touch

MichaelSpaw

About

Selected Work

Boolean Modifier

Smart Bevel

World Building

Branch 3D — UX Design System for Structural Modelling

Creative Practice

AI in Practice

Résumé

Get in Touch

Michael
Spaw