Ryan Kawahara is a media technology and computer science student skilled in technical problem solving and collaboration.
He has been an Software Engineering Intern @ Blizzard and an Assistant Pipeline TD @ Method Studios, preymaker, Polar Media, & Instinctual VFX.
He is pursuing a B.S. in Integrated Design and Media and an M.S. in Computer Science from New York University.
When he's not coding to make artists' lives easier, you'll usually find him rock climbing, running, or exploring New York City.

Ryan Kawahara | Technical Director

Code

  • Shotgrid Email Tool

    This tool uses the Shotgrid Python API to create a field in Shotgun that artists can use to specify attributes that are put into an automatically generated email. Designed for recurring emails that require artists to provide details on recent shots.

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    Python | Shotgrid API

  • PartyTime Render Management

    PartyTime helps machines join BackBurner Server Groups when no one is logged into the machine which takes advantage of idle hardware resources and reduces render times by 50%.

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    Bash | BackBurner | CentOS

3D

  • Millenium Falcon Interior

    Modeled, lit, and textured this scene in Maya. Rendered in Arnold.

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    Maya | Arnold

  • R2-D2

    Modeled R2-D2 in Maya with custom UV maps. Applied normal maps and custom materials. Rendered in Arnold.

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    Maya | Arnold

  • Grogu (Baby Yoda)

    Used ZBrush to sculpt Baby Yoda. Created custom UV maps to texture and light in Maya and render in Arnold.

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    Maya | Arnold | ZBrush

  • The Crucible Virtual Stage

    Recreated the National Theatre's stage as built by Es Devlin for The Crucible. Simulated falling water with Niagara and procedurally generated theatre seats with Houdini. Modeled, lit, and animated in Unreal, then put into an animated-by-scroll webpage with Javascript, HTML, and CSS.

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    Houdini | Maya | Unreal | HTML/CSS | Javascript

  • "Don't Punk Out" Music Video

    A music video for the song "Don't Punk Out" by Buffalo Daughter. Designed to run in real-time using motion-captured facial and skeletal animation. Used OffworldLive to project the views of 2 virtual cameras onto adjacent screens.

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    Unreal | MotionBuilder | OptiTrack

  • The Road to Pt. Reyes (2022)

    A recreation in Unreal Engine of the monumental "Road to Point Reyes" made by Pixar in 1983. Used Unreal Material Editor to create custom materials and textures.

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    Unreal | Maya

Editing

  • 2021 VFX Reel

    A collection of my favorite shots and animations I’ve made.

    Premiere Pro | After Effects

  • SFHS Class of 2024 Welcome

    Created to be sent out with acceptance emails for the St. Francis Class of 2024. Used footage from the past three years to create a video that would show recently admitted students all of the awesome things that St. Francis has to offer.

    Premiere Pro | After Effects

  • SFHS Virtual Tour

    Shot this 360° video with a Ricoh Theta camera and edited in Premiere Pro. Used motion graphics to add to the virtual tour experience. This tour was used in St Francis’ admissions outreach in place of typical in-person campus tours.

    Premiere Pro | After Effects

  • Sherlock Holmes Modern Trailer

    Created this modern trailer for the movie Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon, originally released in 1942. Implemented modern trailer cues and music.

    Premiere Pro | After Effects

Web Development

  • WSN Housing Guide 2022

    A landing page for NYU's student newspaper, Washington Square News, to give advice on the best dorms to live in.

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    HTML | CSS

  • Identity and Equity

    Led a team of 5 to build a landing page and custom article layouts for the NYU student magazine's special issue. Collaborated with creative designers to implement an email theme.

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    HTML | CSS