Alongside my tools and pipeline work, I contribute heavily to R&D and prototyping, helping teams explore ideas and de-risk technical challenges early in development. I focus on rapid iteration, building targeted prototypes, and evaluating approaches that can scale into production. Below are examples of R&D work from both preproduction and live environments.
As part of R&D exploration, I worked with Unreal’s FluidFlux plugin to prototype dynamic water simulations that react to player movement and combat. This included large-scale ocean interactions, as well as sequences involving flooding and evolving water levels within environments.
As part of R&D exploration, I developed reactive sand systems that respond to player movement and combat. The work included deforming footprints, swirling displacement from attacks, and dynamic pooling driven by mesh displacement to create more responsive environments.
As part of R&D exploration, I developed reactive leaf systems that respond to player movement and combat. Leaves dynamically accumulate based on Niagara particle collisions, forming visible piles through mesh displacement. When disturbed, these piles break apart into particles that swirl and resettle, creating a continuous cycle of interaction and re-accumulation.
Working closely with art direction, I explored pushing the visual quality and dynamism of volumetric skies. This included developing tools that allowed artists to heavily art direct cloud shapes and movement, enabling more expressive and controlled sky visuals.