Former Student Spotlight: Visualization Graduate Akhilesh Vijayakumar Thriving As Technical Director At DreamWorks
Akhilesh Vijayakumar calls his career “a dream come true.”
The native of Karnataka, India, developed a love for animated films as a child. Through his studies with Texas A&M’s Visualization program, he set out on a path that brought him to DreamWorks Animation in 2022.
“It’s still so surreal,” he said. “It feels so exhilarating, and I’m grateful to be surrounded by others who share the same passion for making movies. I knew I wanted to be in the animation and games industry when I was nearing the end of my undergrad. It was Viz that actually helped me realize I’d found my calling. As the program went on, I was seeing more of the amazing work a career in this industry involves, and it kept pulling me in.”
Vijayakumar graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in 2019 from the RNS Institute of Technology in Bengaluru, India. He then came to Texas A&M and earned a Master of Science degree in Visualization in 2021. During his time in Aggieland, he learned about the variety of career opportunities in the animation industry, and that he could become a technical artist or director.
He serves as department technical director at DreamWorks, supporting the character effects department by helping to develop and maintain tools, and troubleshooting technical issues. His first movie project was “Trolls Band Together,” which debuted in theaters in November 2023.
“I helped in making this film with work on the simulation of hair, fuzz and clothes on the various trolls and other characters in the movie,” he said. “As a technical director, I helped support the department responsible for this by building new tools, and supporting existing tools that artists use to achieve the look and motion desired. If they hit any issues along the way, I was right there to help them get through it.”
While studying in Visualization, Vijayakumar wanted to understand every aspect of animation and learn what goes into making a final product. Courses including 3D Modeling and Animation, Video and Time-Based Media, Digital Image, Image Synthesis and Computer Graphics exposed him to the “beautiful world of rendering, understanding color and post-production,” he said.
He credited Dr. Ergun Akleman for having an impact on his journey through the program. Akleman’s Visualization courses were intriguing and taught him the basics of programs he uses every day in his field, he said.
“He taught me 3D software and how to build some of the tools ourselves in code,” Vijayakumar recalled. “I truly believe that the deeper understanding I got about the fundamentals — like the math and physics behind concepts like ray tracing — helped me get to where I am today and allow me to do my job more confidently.”
Vijayakumar encourages students in the program to make connections at the Viz Industry Fair and follow up with potential mentors. Most people in the industry are willing to help, he said, and students can reach out to mentors on LinkedIn to further connections.
“Ask for feedback from interviewers at the end, and improve on what they suggest, and they will appreciate it the next time you interview for them,” Vijayakumar said. “Be sure to have a good balance of group and individual projects that you’re proud of on your portfolio.”
Vijayakumar’s latest film project is “Kung Fu Panda 4” which was released in March. He said he plans to continue expanding his skills and knowledge and hopes to become a generalist in the industry.
“Who knows? Maybe I’ll end up becoming an artist who uses the tools I once helped build and maintain,” he said. “It feels great to know that I must have done something right to get to where I am. I couldn’t believe it until I saw my name in the credits for the very first time.
“As I was building up my skills in the program, I don’t think I was ever unsure of making it, but more concerned about how long it would take. I later realized that I wasn’t alone in my struggle, and I tried to absorb as much as I could from my peers — we all had something to teach and learn.”
