For 2019 BFA in Digital Art and Animation graduate Mok Wen Jie, what began as a passion for games has transformed into a career blending creativity with technology to tackle real-world challenges. As a software engineer at Anacle Systems, Wen Jie is part of a team that leverages game development fundamentals to design innovative solutions for real estate and utilities management.
Anacle Systems is a Singapore-based tech company specializing in enterprise software solutions and smart city technologies. The Gemini team that Wen Jie is under focuses on developing cutting-edge digital twin solutions for both their public and private sector customers depending on their needs. This could cover a variety of applications such as asset and lease management, energy efficiency monitoring and optimization, and simulations for scenario planning. Some of the company’s clients include Capitaland, Keppel Data Centres, Housing Development Board (HDB), Public Utilities Board (PUB), the Ministry of Health (MOH), and GovTech.
Wen Jie’s fascination with design and technology began in childhood when he grew up with games like Starcraft and Fallout 2. However, it was Mechwarrior 2 that sparked his interest in art. “The mech designs particularly fascinated me, so I started doodling them extensively in notebooks since early primary school,” he recalls. This love for creating led him to pursue a Diploma in Animation and 3D Arts from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, and subsequently a degree from DigiPen (Singapore).
As a software engineer with a focus on digital twin solutions, Wen Jie’s day-to-day tasks cover the entire development cycle from ideation to execution. To start, he is involved in reviewing tenders, researching potential solutions for customers’ requirements, and creating demo visuals of existing product offerings for sales pitches and marketing videos.
When it comes to designing the actual applications, Wen Jie works with his team to come up with visually appealing designs that are user-friendly. He helps propose user flows and color schemes, deciding whether the rendered visuals should be in wireframe, simple flat color, or realistic texture. Wen Jie also develops and manages most of the 3D models that are used in Anacle’s applications. This can involve modelling and texturing the customer’s premises, including the interior and exterior of their office buildings, or processing and preparing architectural models given by the clients. Wen Jie then helps tweak the visual designs of the 3D digital twin based on any additional requirements or feedback from the customers.
When he’s not actively designing, Wen Jie spends his time exploring new technologies. “As a smart cities and digital twin solution provider, we are always looking for new, innovative solutions to develop and propose to potential customers,” Wen Jie says. “I perform regular industry reviews, tracking and researching recent or ongoing developments that could be integrated into our software offerings.”
For one notable project, Wen Jie worked on a digital twin solution that was integrated with a client’s building management system and internet-of-things (IoT) sensors. This system enabled their facilities’ management team to monitor the effect of environmental conditions on their building’s health, which was crucial as they had assets that were very sensitive to temperature and humidity. Wen Jie helped to develop the use case proposal for this project, allowing the customer to see how Anacle’s digital twin could achieve their goals.
Wen Jie’s decision to join Anacle when he graduated was driven by his interest in marrying his passions in games with practical applications. “Anacle Systems is one of the rare companies bridging the gap between game development and real-life applications,” Wen Jie says. Working with customers across a wide variety of industries has also opened up many opportunities for him to broaden his knowledge about things like building design and sustainability initiatives. This is a happy bonus for Wen Jie, since he is someone who enjoys learning more about how things work and why they are designed the way they are.
As much as he loves the possibilities of tech and design innovation, Wen Jie acknowledges these concepts can be unfamiliar to customers who are used to very traditional workflows and systems. This can sometimes be challenging. “Many customers in the facilities management field may struggle with understanding and visualizing the concept of using 3D digital applications in their work, or they may experience the opposite and have grandiose misconceptions of what is actually achievable,” Wen Jie says.
In such instances, Wen Jie is thankful that his time at DigiPen (Singapore) taught him to be more open minded and able to handle such situations professionally. “I’ve learned to not get defensive on a personal level, which has been invaluable when dealing with clients. Instead of arguing, I focus on understanding their concerns and pain points while proposing feasible solutions that align with their goals,” he says.
As he continues his journey at Anacle Systems, Wen Jie is excited about exploring new frontiers in digital twin technology and looks forward to applying game development principles to even broader real-world applications.