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Akhilesh Vijayakumar calls his career \u201ca dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The native of Karnataka, India, developed a love for animated films as a child. Through his studies with Texas A&M\u2019s Visualization program, he set out on a path that brought him to DreamWorks Animation in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s still so surreal,\u201d he said. \u201cIt 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\u2019d 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 \u201cTrolls Band Together,\u201d which debuted in theaters in November 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI 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,\u201d he said. \u201cAs 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 \u201cbeautiful world of rendering, understanding color and post-production,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He credited Dr. Ergun Akleman for having an impact on his journey through the program. Akleman\u2019s Visualization courses were intriguing and taught him the basics of programs he uses every day in his field, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe taught me 3D software and how to build some of the tools ourselves in code,\u201d Vijayakumar recalled. \u201cI truly believe that the deeper understanding I got about the fundamentals \u2014 like the math and physics behind concepts like ray tracing \u2014 helped me get to where I am today and allow me to do my job more confidently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAsk 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,\u201d Vijayakumar said. \u201cBe sure to have a good balance of group and individual projects that you\u2019re proud of on your portfolio.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vijayakumar’s latest film project is \u201cKung Fu Panda 4\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho knows? Maybe I’ll end up becoming an artist who uses the tools I once helped build and maintain,\u201d he said. \u201cIt feels great to know that I must have done something right to get to where I am. I couldn\u2019t believe it until I saw my name in the credits for the very first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs I was building up my skills in the program, I don\u2019t think I was ever unsure of making it, but more concerned about how long it would take. I later realized that I wasn\u2019t alone in my struggle, and I tried to absorb as much as I could from my peers \u2014 we all had something to teach and learn.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Akhilesh Vijayakumar calls his career \u201ca dream come true.\u201d The native of Karnataka, India, developed a love for animated films as a child. Through his studies with Texas A&M\u2019s Visualization program, he set out on a path that …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251,"featured_media":20102,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[64,58,90],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n