Exploring Technical Art in Game Development with Riot Games
Time
Thu, Oct 24, 2024
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM PT
Location/Platform
Dell Stage @ Gnomon + Livestream (Twitch and YouTube)
Join us on October 24th at the Dell Stage on Gnomon’s campus for a panel featuring technical artists from Riot Games!
Leonardo Georg, Jen Huffa, and Aaron Aikman will share their expertise on optimizing game performance, creating shaders, and the interpersonal skills that drive collaboration—drawing from their work on hit titles like Teamfight Tactics, Valorant, and more.
- Leonardo Georg, Tools & Pipeline Technical Artist III, will discuss real-time performance optimization for Teamfight Tactics, focusing on his work in the latest Magic N' Mayhem set. He’ll break down strategies for enhancing multi-platform game performance in real-time environments.
- Jen Huffa, Rendering Technical Artist III, will explore the balance between technical and soft skills in her role supporting premium Valorant skinlines, including Evori Dreamwings and Bucket of Trouble. Jen will highlight how effective communication and technical skills go hand in hand in a successful tech artist’s toolkit.
- Aaron Aikman, Principal Rendering Technical Artist, will dive into how textures, vertex colors, and UVs can be used as data to drive unique shader effects. He’ll showcase how treating textures as data—such as using vertex animated textures—can unlock creative possibilities and drive advanced shader effects.
This panel offers a unique opportunity to learn from industry veterans about the evolving role of technical artistry in game development. If you’re a fan of Riot Games or interested in working as a technical artist, join us at Gnomon on Thursday, October 24th! You will also have the opportunity to interact with our panelists during the Q&A section and tour the campus before our event begins. We will also be livestreaming the event on the Gnomon YouTube and Twitch channels. RSVP now to receive a reminder when we go live and access exclusive Dell discounts thanks to our event sponsor!
Speakers
Leonardo Georg
Tools & Pipeline Technical Artist III
Leo is a Technical Artist with nearly a decade of experience, shared between the animation and gaming industry, best known for his love of raccoons and everything game dev related. Emmy award winner, ex-The Coalition developer, overall python and optimization enthusiast now helping chart the path forward with Teamfight Tactics at Riot!
Jen Huffa
Rendering Technical Artist III
Jen is a Rendering Technical Artist based in Los Angeles. She specializes in node-based systems, Substance Designer, Substance Painter, & Unreal Engine. In 2022, she joined the Valorant team at Riot Games. She currently supports the development of various skin lines for Premium Content. Prior to Riot Games, she was at Blizzard Entertainment.
Aaron Aikman
Principal Rendering Technical Artist
Aaron Aikman is a Principal Rendering Technical Artist who focuses on shaders, performance, procedural art pipelines, and problem-solving. Aaron has worked on AAA titles, indie games, cinematics, remasters, film, tv, and amusement park rides -- often wearing the many hats of a tech art generalist. He now specializes in graphics - from shaders and rendering technology to profiling and optimization. Aaron's most recent work before Riot Games was at Blizzard Entertainment where he was a Graphics Technical Artist and lead for 6 years, working on Diablo IV base game, seasons, and the expansion. In 2024, he presented a GDC talk on the various water shaders in Diablo IV which is freely available on the GDC Vault. Above all, Aaron seeks to add quality and speed to the art his team makes, and clarity and confidence to the teams they support.
Sponsored by
Gnomon events are sponsored by Dell.
Dell Precision has over 25 years of innovations, driving the work of power users, designers, and creators. The Precision product team works directly with customers and strategic partners to deliver the most reliable and powerful PCs from Dell. The intelligent performance is driven by AI-based software, Dell Optimizer for Precision, and the professional-level components, such as Intel® Core™ and Xeon® processors, fast memory (including ECC memory options), scalable storage, and professional graphics from NVIDIA that drive many of the creative applications and workflows, as well as exclusive technologies such as Reliable Memory Technology Pro and, patented thermals and the Dell Optimizer.
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