I'm John Roper

Developer - Organist - Project Manager

I'm a Programmer

Name: John Roper
Job: Developer, Organist, and Project Manager
Residence: Quincy/Worcester MA, USA
GitHub: @johnroper100

I am a web and desktop developer with a big interest in web design, UX/UI, and computer simulation. I have been working with computer development in entertainment for over 5 years. My main skill set is the development of large-scale web applications and server solutions for communities, databases, file/video hosting and streaming, and project management. I also specialize in server building, setup, and management, and the development of tools for 3D VFX and simulation.

My development experience includes Python, NodeJS, C/C++, and PHP/SQL, but I also have experience with Java and Rust. The main technologies and frameworks that I work with include Git, Flask, Web Sockets/SocketIO, SQL (MySQL, SQLite), and the Blender Python API. My primary creative software experience includes Blender, Unreal Engine, and the Adobe Creative Suite, but I have also worked with Houdini, Maya, and the Allegorithmic Substance Tools.

Additionally, I am studying pipe organ and composition, and I am a member of the American Guild of Organists (Boston and Worcester chapters).

My Experience

Software Developer and User Service Agent
Organ Historical Society January 2020 - Present
Responsible for developing, maintaining, and supporting the historical Pipe Organ Database. Wrote a new system from scratch in early 2020 that will be easier to use and more extendable in the future.
Software Developer and User Service Agent
Blendswap LLC June 2018 - Present
Responsible for developing, maintaining, and supporting the popular Blender community website Blend Swap. Wrote a new system from scratch to support the 1,000,000+ user site that will be easier to use and more extendable in the future.
Software Developer
Self Employed 2015 - Present
Currently the developer and project manager of the Tonalite lighting control system, Dropplets blog system, and CrowdMaster crowd simulation software for Blender 3D in addition to freelancing on many other projects.
Software Developer and User Service Agent
Reynante M. Martinez - Cycles Material Vault 2016 - 2019
Responsible for developing, maintaining, and supporting custom material management solutions for Blender 3D.
Workflow Technical Director and Web/Desktop Developer
Theory Studios 2015 - 2019
Responsible for building and maintaining custom team and production management tools in addition to developing crowd simulation, color grading, and lighting software. I also did simulation for a number of different productions including The Man in the High Castle (Nominated for an Emmy), Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams, and Sesame Street.
Web Development and Pipeline Engineering Intern
Jackrabbit Design July 2017 - September 2017
Responsible for researching and developing custom network render management software and related plugins for After Effects and Cinema 4D. Also responsible for developing custom WordPress themes in HTML, SCSS, and PHP. Additionally, worked extensively on various 3D projects that required modeling, simulation, compositing, and motion graphics skills.

My Reviews

Congratulations to you and your colleagues for the redesigned OHS Pipe Organ Database. I find the site to be very intuitive to consult and beautifully designed. What was already an impressive source of information about pipe organs has become an even better reference for organists, organ scholars, builders, and aficionados around the world. My sincere thanks to you and your colleagues for your hard work making this very valuable information available to all.

Simon Couture

Vice-président, Casavant Frères

My experience working with John has been nothing but stellar! He delivers quality results lightning fast. He made the CMV add-on a reality. Without his expertise, it wouldn't have existed in the first place.

Reynante M. Martinez

Cycles Material Vault

John Roper is helping shape Theory's production toolkit through his expert design and coding skills. He is also providing guidance in modeling and simulation for our animated shows and VFX.

David Andrade

Theory Animation

My Work

View Project

Tonalite Lighting Control

Brand new lighting control system for theater that is fully wireless allowing mobile use from any device with a web browser. Includes built-in architectural controls.
https://www.tonalite.org/
View Project

Pipe Organ Database

Built a new version of the 15-year-old website from scratch to be more flexible and extendable for the future. Wrote custom tools to convert data from the original database system for use with the new MySQL and Flask-based site.
https://www.pipeorgandatabase.org/
View Project

BlendSwap

I have been an active user of Blend Swap since I was in 5th grade. During the summer of 2018, I became the primary site developer and maintainer. I built a new version of the site from scratch using Python Flask and MySQL so as to help it support the 1,000,000+ user base.
https://www.blendswap.com/
View Project

Electric Dreams VFX

My work as a technical director on Electric Dreams included developing systems for simulating people and vehicles, and writing custom production management tools.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8755183/?ref_=nv_sr_3
View Project

Man In the High Castle VFX

My work as a technical director on The Man in the High Castle included the creation of nature items (plants, trees, grass, etc.), simulation of people and banners, and writing custom production management tools.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8755183/?ref_=nv_sr_3
View Project

Cycles Material Vault Add-On

The Cycles Material Vault is a library of photorealistic materials and textures created for the Cycles render engine in Blender 3D. The addon I created is a tool that allows the user to easy browse, import, and edit each material.
https://www.cyclesmaterialvault.com/
View Project

ColorMaster

ColorMaster is a complete workflow for color management built into Blender 3D. It expands on Blender's existing toolset and adds an easy preview for looks as well as additional color editing tools.
https://blendermarket.com/products/colormaster
View Project

Dropplets

Dropplets is the easiest way to create your own self-hosted blog. The entire system runs using only one file and it allows you to either write or upload posts using a basic admin panel.
https://github.com/johnroper100/dropplets
View Project

CrowdMaster

CrowdMaster is a free, open-source crowd simulation software for Blender 3D. It has been used for visual effects in multiple television shows, short films, and videos.
https://crowdmaster.org