Hi, I am
Lukas Schmalzer BSc
About me
Lukas Schmalzer BSc
– 27 years old
– Linz, Austria
– Interactive Media Student
– Multimedia Allrounder
– Tech Nerd
Hi, I’m Lukas – welcome to my portfolio.
I’m a multidisciplinary media creator with a passion for photography, short films, 3D modeling, audio editing, and coding.
I currently study Interactive Media at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, where I’m building a broad creative skill set through hands-on projects.
Recently, I taught 3D Design to 60 students as an assistant professor—a role I truly enjoyed, especially making complex topics easy to grasp.
I love creative challenges and see every project as a chance to grow and learn something new.
Master´s Thesis
Tracing the Training Data in Generative Image Diffusion Models
This thesis explores how traceable image diffusion models really are—and why it matters. Centered on ethical and sustainability concerns, the research uses the Retraceable and Explainable Neural Networks (RENN) framework to peel back the layers of image generation AIs and make their decision-making more transparent.
Key questions include: Can we trace outputs back to original training data? What role do individual samples play in the final image? And could we one day credit creators for their contributions?
While the study uncovered important insights, it also revealed major hurdles—especially the unpredictability introduced by randomness in the diffusion process. Some questions remain unanswered, pointing to the complexity of the field and the need for further research.
YouTube
Bouncing Rays
Tutorials / Motion Graphics
With this channel I wanted to give something back to the 3D community by making my own easy to understand YouTube tutorials. The goal was to make them as easy and understandable as possible while still providing a good basis for further ideas and possible extensions.
3D Design
Educational Content for Students
This channel was made by me, for the process of giving my students a way to rewatch our 3D classes. As we are covering quite a lot of technical and complex aspects in class, this option to rewatch the information was really important to me and much appreciated by the students.
(Content is in German.)
Photography
Photoshop - Lightroom - Affinity Photo
My journey into media began with a camera in hand.
Capturing nature sparked my love for visual storytelling early on—and I’m grateful it did. Photography taught me the fundamentals of composition, light, and perspective, which later became the foundation for everything from filmmaking to 3D design. It was my first creative outlet and the gateway to a much wider world of visual media.
Videography
Premiere Pro - Davinci Resolve - After Effects
I’m a camera nerd through and through.
From choosing the right lens to optimizing gear for each shoot—I love diving into the details of cameras, audio equipment, and everything in between. Over the past few years, I’ve channeled that knowledge into producing short films and an image film, handling everything from recording and audio to editing, color grading, and final delivery.
I know my tools inside out—and I enjoy using them to bring stories to life.
Breakfast
Short FIlm
Instead of putting a real person in an artificial environment, we flipped the concept around and placed a 2D figure in a real environment. We were a pretty small team for the film.
I was responsible for the camera, light, color-grading and sound design.
Voices
Short FIlm
This is one of the earlier films I did. It is about a stressed-out girl, who starts hearing voices inside her head. We were again a pretty small team.
I was responsible for camera, light, color-grading, sound design and story.
Pigment Solution
Image Film
I made this image film with a friend of mine. We got the job from a big chemistry company and it was my first real gig for doing camera work.
I was responsible for the camera and light.
Web
HTML - CSS - PHP - JS - WordPress
Before diving into media, I worked as an IT technician, where I also handled website setups for various services. Over the years, I built a solid understanding of web technologies and how to apply them effectively. While I’m familiar with different platforms, I feel most at home working with WordPress—it’s my go-to for building flexible, reliable websites.
During my internship at Brightfilms GmbH, I built a landingpage for an upcoming app. For the website I used WordPress and the divi website builder. I also created some of the content on the website itself and helped during the design process.
This is a website I made for my old cello teacher. It is made with WordPress and it showcases new techniques and exercises to learn and train for playing the cello. The site has the ability to register users and write comments under the posts.
This is a recent project where a friend of mine made the design for a customer. I then realized the design with bootstrap as a standalone website without using a CMS.
3D Design
Blender - Maya - Unity - Houdini
I started learning 3D design with Blender when I was 16, and it quickly became one of my favorite creative tools. At university, I’ve been able to refine those skills and explore more advanced techniques. I use 3D design in all kinds of personal projects—from room layouts and colorful experiments to motion graphics for film intros.
While Blender is my go-to, I’ve also explored tools like Maya, Unity, and Houdini to expand my understanding of different workflows and possibilities.
Commercial Project
For a recent commercial project, I developed a modular Blender file designed for product visualization.
The setup allowed users to generate over 180 unique image variations for showcasing products, offering full flexibility through a smart, customizable structure. The file was also used to benchmark their render farm—demonstrating both the creative and technical efficiency of the system.
ArcViz
I enjoy using 3D design to visualize interior spaces before they exist.
It allows me to experiment with layouts, lighting, and furniture placement—making informed decisions early in the process. I even planned out my entire apartment this way before moving in.
Self Study
I do a lot of tutorials and experiments by myself. Most of the time I use Blender and the geometry nodes systems to try new methods and create something that looks appealing.
Audio and Animation
Ableton Live - After Effects
Audio recording and processing
I play the cello since I am 18 years old and with that, I found my passion for making music and audio processing. I use Ableton Live for recording, mixing and processing audio of all sorts. Currently I am learning Logic Pro X as well.
This is a short radio spot which I did with other students. I was responsible for the sound effects and mixing.
2D Animation - How to...
This is a project I did completely on my own in After Effects. It showcases how to choose the right camera settings for the scene you want to shoot. It took me days for finishing this animation, because almost everything is handmade.
Previous Projects
Last Semester Project
In a previous semester a colleague and I developed a program that visualizes old text-based computer games with the help of text to image ai generators. We are using Stable Diffusion to generate images which fit to the scene description. Furthermore, we are trying to train an ai model that enhances the given description of a room to give us a prompt which stable diffusion understands best.
Input Text
You stand amid clutter, oddments, shelves and stacks. The chamber is comfortably broad, centered around a massive and well-worn wooden desk. But so much is jammed in, around the desk and up the panelled walls, that you barely find room to stand. Books; papers; dried plants; animals stuffed and preserved, antique instruments, candles of any hue. You don’t recognize half of it, and you can’t name half the rest.
Praxilla.io - Test Projects
For the renderfarm provider Praxilla.io I created 10 different projects in Blender 3D. The purpose of these projects was test out every aspect of Blender on their System and also stress test the software. Here are some screenshots of the projects:
Bachelor Thesis
Algorithms and methods for procedural modeling of assets in Blender using the Geometry Nodes System
Abstract of my thesis:
The production of high-quality digital assets is becoming increasingly complex and time-consuming in their development. Procedural Content Generation (PCG) systems involve a range of mathematical functions and methods that facilitate the creation of repetitive or complex structures. While there are many different applications for PCG systems, this thesis focuses particularly on the procedural modeling of assets. Specifically, it explores the use of the Blender Geometry Nodes feature for creating procedural systems, as the program has a large and active community and provides a good entry point into procedural workflows. Using an example system that generates a simple landscape and procedural trees, it demonstrates that procedural modeling is a powerful and flexible approach for creating complex and organic objects. This bachelor’s thesis provides insights and methods to enhance the understanding and utilization of procedural modeling and to facilitate workflows through procedural systems.
© Lukas Schmalzer 2025