Portfolio

John Stancell

AI and automation developer. I build systems that translate sensory input into intelligent action: computer vision, 3D reconstruction, remote device control and game AI. Open to full-time, hybrid or freelance work in AI systems, automation or game technology.

Get in touch See projects

John with his wife and three children outside, smiling, in front of a large tree.

3D assemblies

Interactive models I have designed in Autodesk Fusion 360. Orbit, section, explode and measure them in the browser, and download the files.

Fusion 360 is connected to an AI assistant through an MCP bridge, so sketches, features and parameters are built by script and checked as they go.
Each model starts from a parameter table and a catalog, with exports, renders and decision notes kept next to it so the work can be picked up again.
Published here: the Helical Dice Tower (a double-helix ramp inside a slotted shell) and the Wizard's Chess Set (32 original pieces and a castle-wall board in four printable quadrants).
In progress: a modular RC crawling terrain system, modeled but not printed yet, with a custom 6x6 RC crawler and a shop organizer queued next.

All 5 models

Projects

Most of what is on this site is something I built for fun or for the family: the games, the family apps and the platform that runs them. Everything here is live, or running on the machine that serves this page.

Games

Yet Another Space Shooter

Playable on the site

Wave-based arcade shooter with an Arena mode for up to eight players per room, plus cards, abilities, maps and cutscenes.
Packaged as a Windows app with Steam release files and save migration prepared.
Added on-screen touch controls so it plays on a phone.

Echobound

Playable on the site

Persistent space sandbox RPG in the browser: procedural islands, base building, tech research, logistics, capital ships and a campaign.
Echo AI factions, skirmish multiplayer through a WebSocket lobby, and fully procedural audio from the Web Audio API.
React 19 and Vite, with everything drawn on a canvas. Touch controls and a compact HUD for phones.

BattleShits

Playable on the site

Battleship played over two live-simulated office bathrooms, with people coming and going and janitors cleaning wrecked stalls.
Fog of war enforced on the server, so a player's view never contains hidden information. Modes: vs computer (two difficulties), hot seat and online.
Phaser game with code-drawn pixel art and synthesized sound. Touch layout with on-screen buttons.

Active Planeswalkers

Playable on the site

Real-time multiplayer Magic: The Gathering playtesting table. Import your own decklists and play together online.
Spectators, counters, tokens, commander tools and a drag-and-drop table, all synced between players.
Phone layout with swipe-to-play hand, pinch and pan table, and a long-press card menu.

Trivia Party

Playable on the site

Jeopardy-style party game: the board runs on a TV or laptop and everyone plays on their own phone with a join code.
Questions are written by AI (Claude) on the server, fact-checked by a second pass, with four hosts from Kids to Doctoral.
Pixel-art cast drawn in code, generated sound, and a server that owns every rule so phones cannot cheat. Anyone can join; hosting needs a family PIN because generating a game costs money.

Minecraft server and plugins

Runs a whitelisted Paper server for family and friends, started, saved and stopped from the host dashboard.
Plugin work in Java with Maven (MysticWands) alongside Essentials configuration, kits and custom items.

The Stanserve site

Family hub and host dashboard

Everything on this site is self-hosted from one PC behind an HTTPS front door, with each game and app running as its own supervised process.
PIN sign-in for the family area with hashed PINs and lockouts. A host dashboard that starts, stops, rebuilds and watches every app and shows live logs.
Public games with a join-a-game code box on the home page, and a games showcase with phone-ready badges and a full-screen button.

Photos and videos

Gallery over the family's photo and video library: timeline, events, albums, devices, favorites and look-alike detection using perceptual hashing.
Careful about disk space: indexes files and thumbnails in small batches so the cloud-synced originals can be released again.

Home screens of the Chore Chart and the Family Christmas Almanac

Family apps

Chore Chart: a local-first, wall-tablet chore tracker with rewards.
Family Christmas Almanac: plan gatherings, vote, run Secret Santa and divide up the cooking. Signs members in through the hub automatically.

Plex and Minecraft pages

Public Plex library browser with posters, search and counts, plus a request-access form that lands in an admin queue.
Minecraft page with live server status and a whitelist request queue that writes approved players to the server.

Portfolio and 3D model gallery

This portfolio, including a contact form that goes to a private admin inbox so no email address is published.
In-browser 3D viewer for the models designed in Fusion 360, served from the site with no outside CDN.

Experience

CNC Programmer

Pilgrim Aerospace Fasteners · May 2026 – present

Develop, optimize, and maintain CNC programs for precision aerospace fastener manufacturing, utilizing G-code, Fanuc controls, and CAD/CAM workflows.
Support machining process development and continuous improvement, optimizing tooling, machining strategies, cycle times, and production efficiency across aerospace materials.
Lead facility layout and equipment relocation planning, utilizing 3D CAD modeling and digital facility visualization to design manufacturing workspaces, equipment placement, and production workflows.
Develop manufacturing infrastructure improvements, including modular deburring workstations, negative-pressure containment systems, dust collection, and workplace safety solutions.
Contribute to manufacturing digitization and automation initiatives, developing ERP-integrated operator interfaces, electronic work orders, and production workflow improvements to enhance operational visibility, traceability, and efficiency.

Freelance AI/ML developer

Self-employed, remote · 2023 – present

Built PyTorch CNNs that predict 3D XYZ coordinates from RGB images, trained on ground-truth data with 500k+ points.
Created preprocessing pipelines for high-dimensional datasets (540,000+ float32 entries).
Built 3D reconstruction pipelines from 2D imagery for 3D printing and digital-twin use.
Built automation tools for industrial clients that detect defects and label objects from live camera feeds.
Wrote a remote hardware interface that forwards 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse input across RDP for CAD/CAM work.

Production support specialist

Global Dental Science, Scottsdale, AZ · 2017 – March 2026

Trained and supported a network of 200+ dental labs on design software, 3D scanners and printers.
Wrote SOPs that streamlined production and reduced defects in digital denture manufacturing.
Operated 5-axis CNC mills, SLA/DLP printers and CAD/CAM workflows.
Served as QA evaluator and escalation manager for warranty claims and complaints.

Skills

Languages and libraries: Python, PyTorch, NumPy, OpenCV, G-code
ML and AI: CNNs, coordinate regression, game AI, reinforcement learning concepts
3D and vision: Image-to-XYZ prediction, 3D reconstruction, photogrammetry, LiDAR, point-cloud processing
Tooling: Custom data loaders, data pipeline development, hardware input routing
Fabrication: Fusion 360, Geomagic, 3Shape, Exocad, Formlabs, DLP/SLA, 3-, 4- and 5-axis CNC milling, CNC lathe

Education

3-time College Dropout

High school diploma

Harrison High School, Harrison, AR

Contact

Building something that needs to think, adapt or react? I'd like to hear about it. Send a message and I'll reply by email.

Based in: Mesa, Arizona