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Daniel Hofmann
Software Architect
Graz, Austria
Background

I design software systems that remain understandable, maintainable, and extensible as their scope and the number of teams involved grow. As a Software Architect, I work mainly with .NET and C# on identity and access management, distributed systems, service boundaries, and web service integration and orchestration.

I combine hands-on development with cross-team technical direction and mentoring. My focus is not only on defining an architecture, but on making it concrete enough for teams to implement, operate, and evolve reliably.

My background is in C++ and real-time 3D technology. At Havok and Microsoft, I worked on game-engine runtime, rendering, development tools, Windows Mixed Reality and HoloLens tooling, and Windows Photos. Working close to performance constraints and across several platforms shaped the practical way I approach architecture today: understand the constraints, keep responsibilities clear, and invest in code quality where it reduces future complexity and defects.

Skills
  • Software architecture: system design, service boundaries, maintainability, and extensibility
  • Technical leadership: cross-team architectural guidance, mentoring, and knowledge sharing
  • .NET and C#: desktop applications and web services
  • Identity and access management: shared authentication and permission management for instruments and applications
  • Distributed systems: service boundaries, integration, and orchestration of web services
  • C++ and performance-sensitive development: concurrent and asynchronous programming
  • Real-time 3D graphics background: rendering pipelines, shader programming, and 3D math
  • Development tools: editor workflows, scripting integration, and plugins
Professional Experience
Jan 2022 – Present
Software Architect at Anton Paar
Central R&D in Graz, Austria
  • Own the architecture and technical implementation of a centralized identity and access management service for instruments and applications, deployed at customer sites.
  • Design stable web APIs and define service integration and orchestration, working with around four development teams.
  • Provide technical direction and mentoring, and guide product teams in adopting shared services and frameworks.
May 2019 – Dec 2021
Software Engineer at Microsoft Canada (Bigpark)
Windows Photos in Vancouver, Canada
  • Contributed to the redesign and rewrite of the image viewer, including its software architecture.
  • Developed a C++/WinRT image control using Direct2D for high-quality filtering across zoom levels, simplifying the rendering implementation.
  • Mentored junior developers and provided technical guidance.
  • Implemented security fixes for Windows RAW image codecs, including zero-day vulnerabilities, and presented fixes for technical review.
Dec 2015 – Apr 2019
Software Engineer at Microsoft Ireland (Havok)
Internal 3D game engine tools in Dublin, Ireland, supporting Windows Mixed Reality and HoloLens
  • Took ownership of Python integration and a wizard for generating Visual Studio projects.
  • Contributed features and fixes across editor workflows, including visual scripting and asset browsing.
Jan 2012 – Nov 2015
Software Engineer at Havok
Vision 3D game engine in Eningen, Germany
  • Developed runtime, rendering, and tooling features for PC, Android, iOS, PS3, and Xbox 360, using Direct3D 9/11 and OpenGL ES.
  • Implemented the rendering architecture of an unreleased material system within a three-person team, including render batching, sorting, and shader permutations.
  • Added Android graphics resource lifecycle handling to restore OpenGL ES resources after application suspension and context loss.
Research Experience
Aug 2010 – Sept 2010
Internship at the DFKI in Saarbrücken, Germany
(German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence)
Integrated the Bullet physics engine into a browser plugin extending XML3D.
2007 – 2010
Student Research Assistant at GRIS in Tübingen
(Graphical Interactive Systems, University of Tübingen)
Implemented texture synthesis and point-cloud symmetry algorithms, and developed a multi-camera control application.
Education
Oct 2004 – Aug 2011
University of Tübingen, Germany

Diplom-Informatiker
(equivalent to an MSc in Computer Science)
Minor: Media Studies

Thesis: 'High-resolution video stream creation using a multi-camera setup'
(computer vision, stitching, networking)
Languages
English: fluent · German: native · French: basic
Daniel Hofmann