About Me

Technical Art Director

I'm Kelvin Chu, a Technical Art Director based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since 1996, I’ve built my career across the gaming and film industries—driving strategy, building pipelines, and solving complex production challenges. I specialize in character and creature development, with deep expertise in rigging, animation, simulation, and tools & pipeline design.

I lead initiatives that streamline content creator workflows, scale production with smart tooling, and foster cross-discipline collaboration. My work spans across gaming and film. I don’t just support content—I build the systems, tools & pipelines that power it.

Download CV

DEMO REELS

Some of my work. Reach out if you’d like to see tools, procedural systems, or other reels.


Demo Reel

ANIMATIONS



Demo Reel

RIGGING



Demo Reel

FACIAL



Demo Reel - Simulation Work

SIMULATION



Credits

Projects I’ve worked on
  • All
  • Films
  • Games
  • AR | VR
  • Theme Park Rides
BattleTanx Global_Assault N64


War Jetz
PS1
PS2




Rise To Honor
PS2


The Force Unleashed

PS3
Xobx 360


Tomb Raider: Underworld

PS2, PS3
Xbox 360




The Last Airbender




Rango



Transformers:

Dark
of the Moon



Battleship



Pacific Rim



ChronoBlade



Jurassic World



Soarin' Around the World



Rogue One:

A
Star Wars
Story


TMNT:

Out of The
Shadows Sequel


Transformers:

The Last Knight




Ready
Player
One




Find the Force
AR


Star Wars:

Secrets
of the
Empire




Aquaman

Work Experience

Career timeline across studios and projects

Riot Games Inc.

VALORANT Studio TechArt

Defined studio-wide Tech Art strategy, prioritized goals, and scaled reusable solutions across VALORANT projects.

2024 – Present
Riot Games Inc.

Unpublished R&D Project

Defined the TechArt strategy and quarterly execution plan to support early-stage development. Drove cross-discipline prototyping, partnered with design and engineering, and scaled execution through external co-development support.

2023 – 2024
Riot Games Inc.

R&D Central Team

Drove cross-team TechArt alignment by acting as a central liaison between R&D efforts, championing shared tooling initiatives, and ensuring scalable solutions across multiple projects.

2021 – 2023
Striking Distance Studios

Striking Distance Studios

Established the studio’s character pipeline, built core tools and workflows, and led the development of the mocap stage, virtual production, and facial capture systems for The Callisto Protocol.

2019 – 2021
Apple Inc.

Apple Inc. – AR/VR

Drove animation tech for ARKit experiences and prototypes; supported WWDC keynote demos and collaborated on ML-driven XR features.

2018 – 2019
Industrial Light & Magic

Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)

Led rigging and simulation for hero assets on high-profile blockbuster films. If you’ve seen the Transformers or Star Wars franchises, you’ve likely seen my work. Built custom tools and muscle systems for both mechanical and organic characters, and drove shot finaling across departments.

2007 – 2016
nWay

nWay Inc.

Built the foundational character customization system and studio pipeline at nWay. Developed animation and rigging tools using Maya API and Python, including exporters for characters, props, and animation. Authored custom Unity shaders to deliver a stylized look optimized for mobile performance. Designed and implemented tools and UI to streamline the animation workflow, and contributed in-game NPC animations.

2004 – 2007
Industrial Light & Magic

Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)

Began in tech animation and rigging for feature animation, contributing to early procedural rigging systems. Rigged and oversaw hero creatures across multiple VFX-heavy productions. Led cloth and hair simulation, destruction FX, and shot sculpting on high-impact sequences. Drove cross-department troubleshooting to ensure asset integrity and pipeline stability.

2001 – 2004
Crystal Dynamics

Crystal Dynamics

Designed and implemented a studio-wide rigging pipeline adopted across multiple teams and projects. Built custom tools and UI systems to streamline animation workflows. Partnered closely with animators to deliver high-performance rigs tailored to team needs. Oversaw rig integrity and provided hands-on support throughout the animation pipeline.

1996 – 2001
Lucasarts

Lucasarts

Designed, built, and maintained rigs for a wide range of character types—bipeds, quadrupeds, and non-standard skeletons. Created tools and scripts to streamline rigging and animation workflows across the team.

1996 – 2001
Sony Computer Entertainment America

Sony Computer Entertainment America

Led animation direction and quality at Sony Computer Entertainment America, overseeing all animation assets for consistency and technical standards. Designed and directed full motion capture sessions, built the studio's mocap pipeline from scratch, and collaborated closely with action director Cory Yuen to choreograph in-game combat for Jet Li. Acted as a technical bridge between artists and engineers to troubleshoot and resolve production issues.

1996 – 2001
The 3DO Company

The 3DO Company

Built and maintained art-to-engine workflows, serving as the technical bridge between artists and programmers. Modeled and textured high- and low-resolution vehicles and environments. Contributed to level design for both campaign and multiplayer modes, shaping gameplay flow and visual storytelling.

1996 – 2001

Achievements

2012 10th Annual VES Awards
Outstanding Models in a Feature Motion Picture

Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Driller

Stanford University

Artificial Intelligence Professional Program
+ Deep Learning / NLP / Meta Learning

GISELLE – Unreal Engine 5
Award-Winning Short Film

● Paris International Film Awards
● Indie Short Fest
● Cannes World Film Festival
● Top Shorts, LA Film Awards

Contact

Get In Touch