For over 25 years Neil Hazzard has been a software developer in the computer graphics industry. Before joining Autodesk in 2000, Neil researched novel motion capture and facial animation tools, prototyping them in 3ds Max. Joining Autodesk, Neil was driven by making tools and frameworks that allowed artists and studios to release their artistic creativity focusing on real-time rendering and shader generation. Currently he is leading the 3ds Max and Maya Engineering teams developing tools around USD to allow studios to take full advantage of this powerful ecosystem.