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Hi, I am Chris

Chris Conway

Senior Rendering Engineer at TriAxis Games

Senior Rendering Engineer with extensive experience in real-time graphics and game development. Previously contributed to cutting-edge rendering systems at Epic Games (Niagara VFX team) and shipped Life is Strange: Double Exposure at Deck Nine. Specialized in Unreal Engine 5, advanced shader development, and performance optimization. Passionate about procedural content generation, runtime mesh systems, terrain deformation, and world building. Creator of RealtimeMeshComponent and StencilWorks plugins for UE5.

Real-Time Rendering
Unreal Engine 5
HLSL/Shader Development
Runtime Mesh Systems
Procedural Generation
Performance Optimization

Skills

Unreal Engine 5
Unreal Engine 5

Specialized in UE5 rendering systems, materials, lighting, and post-processing. Creator of multiple marketplace plugins through TriAxis Games. Deep knowledge of engine internals and rendering pipeline.

Unreal Engine 4
Unreal Engine 4

Extensive experience with UE4 rendering systems before transitioning to UE5. Worked with UE4 at Epic Games, Acer, TriAxis Games, and AI.Reverie.

C++
C++

Highly proficient in C++ for game engine development and rendering systems. Daily use with modern C++17/20, optimization, and performance-critical code in Unreal Engine.

C#
C#

Very comfortable with C# for tools development, scripting, and general software development. Experience with .NET ecosystem.

HLSL
HLSL

Expert shader programming with HLSL for DirectX and Unreal Engine. Custom shader development, compute shaders, and advanced rendering techniques.

Python
Python

Comfortable with Python for scripting, build automation, and tools development. Used for pipeline tools and data processing.

JavaScript
JavaScript

Comfortable with JavaScript for web tools, documentation sites, and UI development. Experience with modern JS frameworks.

Rust
Rust

Currently learning Rust for high-performance systems programming. Interested in applying Rust to game engine tooling and rendering systems.

Real-Time Rendering
Real-Time Rendering

Expertise in real-time rendering techniques: PBR, deferred/forward rendering, global illumination, ray tracing, and hybrid rendering pipelines.

Shader Development
Shader Development

Advanced shader programming for visual effects, lighting models, procedural generation, and performance-optimized rendering techniques.

Performance Optimization
Performance Optimization

Expert in GPU and CPU profiling, draw call optimization, memory management, and frame rate optimization for AAA games.

Lighting & GI
Lighting & GI

Specialized in lighting systems, global illumination, Lumen, ray-traced lighting, and dynamic lighting techniques for games.

Materials & Textures
Materials & Textures

Expert in material creation, shader graphs, physically-based materials, and texture optimization for game rendering.

Version Control (Git/Perforce)
Version Control (Git/Perforce)

Daily use of both Git and Perforce for version control in game development. Experienced with branching strategies, collaboration workflows, and large binary asset management.

JetBrains Rider
JetBrains Rider

Daily use of Rider for C++ and C# development. Preferred IDE for Unreal Engine projects with excellent debugging and refactoring tools.

Visual Studio
Visual Studio

Daily use of Visual Studio for C++ development, debugging, and profiling in Unreal Engine projects. Experienced with advanced debugging and performance tools.

Console Development (Xbox/PlayStation)
Console Development (Xbox/PlayStation)

Experience developing for Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 platforms. Familiar with console-specific optimization and debugging tools.

Cross-Platform Development
Cross-Platform Development

Comfortable developing for Windows, Linux, and macOS platforms. Experience with platform-specific rendering differences and optimization.

RenderDoc & PIX
RenderDoc & PIX

Proficient with RenderDoc, PIX, and Nsight for graphics debugging, GPU profiling, and performance analysis across different platforms.

Experiences

1
Deck Nine Games

August 2022 - Present

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area

Award-winning game studio known for narrative-driven games built on Unreal Engine, including the Life is Strange franchise.

Senior Rendering Engineer

July 2024 - Present

Responsibilities:
  • Leading rendering systems development on an unannounced UE5 project, with focus on efficient usage of Nanite and Lumen based on prior production experience
  • Driving forward next-gen rendering workflows and tooling improvements based on lessons from shipping Life Is Strange - Double Exposure
  • Providing architectural feedback and technical direction for runtime lighting, VFX, and content optimization strategies
Rendering Engineer

August 2022 - June 2024

Responsibilities:
  • Shipped Life Is Strange - Double Exposure across PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5
  • Spearheaded mid-production adoption of Nanite and Lumen in UE5, including rendering pipeline setup, developer onboarding, and in-engine validation
  • Rewrote and optimized several gameplay powers systems (e.g., Shift/Pulse) for better stability and performance
  • Profiled and optimized complex VFX and lighting scenes to meet performance budgets across platforms
TriAxis Games L.L.C.

March 2014 - Present

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area

One-person Unreal Engine-focused consultancy and plugin development studio delivering technical solutions to indie teams, AAA studios, and Fortune 500 companies.

Owner and Freelance Software Developer

March 2014 - Present

Responsibilities:
  • Created and maintain Realtime Mesh Component (RMC) - high-performance UE4/UE5 plugin for procedural mesh generation at runtime with full engine rendering support
  • Developed StencilWorks plugin for post-process stencil effects, including high-quality outline rendering, upscaling, and temporal accumulation
  • RMC supports dynamic LODs, Nanite integration, mesh streaming, and runtime geometry tools - used by individual developers, simulation companies, and large-scale production teams
  • Deliver contract Unreal Engine development across procedural content generation, runtime gameplay systems, rendering optimization, and custom engine features
  • Diagnose complex rendering or system-level issues and build runtime tools not supported by editor-based workflows
2
3
Epic Games

January 2021 - July 2022

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area

Creator of Unreal Engine and Fortnite. Industry leader in real-time graphics and game engine technology.

Contract Engine Tools Programmer

January 2021 - July 2022

Responsibilities:
  • Worked on Unreal Engine’s Niagara VFX team, building tools and features used in UE4, UE5, and Fortnite
  • Implemented GPU ribbon emitter rendering, enabling ribbons generated through GPU emitters to render correctly
  • Extended Niagara ribbons with procedural shapes, dynamic tessellation, stable UV layouts, and train-track-style strip behavior
  • Built the first version of Niagara Summary View, simplifying editing of complex emitters by exposing only high-level controls
  • Optimized Niagara performance with improvements like script compression and spline LUT generation
  • Improved Niagara Debug Data Interface with new visualization modes and extended shape support
  • Contributed to the Cascade to Niagara conversion tool, improving legacy emitter compatibility
Acer

June 2020 - February 2021

Remote

Global technology company known for innovative PC hardware and displays.

Contract Developer

June 2020 - February 2021

Responsibilities:
  • Built custom 3D model viewer for Acer’s ConceptD laptops featuring glasses-free 3D displays
  • Developed full viewer application in Unreal Engine 4, optimized for real-time rendering on novel hardware
  • Built suite of CAD/DCC plugins for Maya, Rhino, and Inventor to enable direct model export
  • Helped define and implement stereoscopic display pipeline to leverage unique 3D display technology
4
5
AI.Reverie

January 2017 - July 2018

Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina Area

AI training data company focused on synthetic data generation for computer vision.

Senior Software Developer

January 2017 - July 2018

Responsibilities:
  • Built large-scale procedural world generation tools in Unreal Engine 4 for synthetic training data production
  • Implemented terrain generation from real-world satellite and DEM data (USGS) using GDAL and UE4 pipelines
  • Developed custom procedural foliage system capable of distributed generation of massive environments
  • Created tools for procedural building generation (interiors and exteriors) including structural variation, trim, and clutter
  • Built support for distributed task execution using Xoreax XGE for efficient parallel generation

Education

DeVry University
2017
Bachelor's Degree in Game and Simulation Programming
Extracurricular Activities:
  • DeVry University Dean’s List
Wake Technical Community College
2013
Associate's Degree in Computer Programming
Extracurricular Activities:
  • Wake Technical Community College Dean’s List

Projects

Life is Strange - Double Exposure
Life is Strange - Double Exposure
Life is Strange - Double Exposure
Rendering Engineer August 2022 - June 2024

Shipped AAA narrative-driven game across PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5. Spearheaded mid-production adoption of Nanite and Lumen in UE5, including rendering pipeline setup and developer onboarding. Rewrote and optimized gameplay powers systems (Shift/Pulse) for better stability and performance. Profiled and optimized complex VFX and lighting scenes to meet performance budgets.

aaa-games unreal-engine nanite lumen rendering
Details
Unannounced UE5 Title
Unannounced UE5 Title
Unannounced UE5 Title
Senior Rendering Engineer July 2024 - Present

Leading rendering systems development on unannounced UE5 project at Deck Nine Games. Driving efficient usage of Nanite and Lumen based on prior production experience. Implementing next-gen rendering workflows and tooling improvements.

aaa-games unreal-engine nanite lumen rendering
Details
Unreal Engine 5 - Niagara VFX
Unreal Engine 5 - Niagara VFX
Contract Engine Tools Programmer January 2021 - July 2022

Contributed to Unreal Engine 5 release as part of the Niagara VFX team at Epic Games. Implemented GPU ribbon emitter rendering (previously only CPU emitters supported). Expanded ribbon capabilities with 3D ribbons (multiplane, tube, custom shapes), improved UV layouts, and dynamic tessellation. Built Niagara Summary View. Optimized performance with script compression and enhanced data interfaces (spline, debug). Improved Cascade to Niagara converter, especially for ribbons. Worked in direct support of Fortnite.

aaa-games unreal-engine niagara vfx engine-development
Details
Fortnite - Niagara Support
Fortnite - Niagara Support
Engine Tools Programmer (Support) January 2021 - July 2022

Worked alongside Fortnite team while on Epic Games Niagara VFX team. Provided engine-level support and VFX tools development for one of the world’s most popular games. Ensured Niagara features met the demands of live-service AAA production.

aaa-games unreal-engine niagara vfx live-service
Details
RealtimeMeshComponent (RMC)
RealtimeMeshComponent (RMC)
Creator & Maintainer 2015 - Present

High-performance runtime mesh creation and rendering plugin for UE4/UE5, listed on Fab (Epic’s marketplace). Formerly known as RuntimeMeshComponent. Supports a wide variety of use cases for procedural mesh generation at runtime with full engine rendering support. Designed as a faster, more flexible replacement for ProceduralMeshComponent. Features dynamic LODs, Nanite integration, mesh streaming, and runtime geometry tools. Used by individual developers, simulation companies, and large-scale production teams for tools, games, and visualization applications.

ue5-plugins procedural rendering unreal-engine runtime-mesh fab
Star
StencilWorks
StencilWorks
Creator 2024 - Present

Recently released UE5 plugin designed to support effects utilizing CustomDepth/CustomStencil after TSR (Temporal Super Resolution). Temporally stabilizes and aggregates CustomDepth/CustomStencil data to increase quality and remove temporal flicker. Enables high-quality post-process effects like outlines, edge detection, and screen-space analysis that remain stable with modern temporal techniques.

ue5-plugins post-process temporal-stability tsr custom-stencil unreal-engine
Details

Get In Touch

Feel free to reach out for collaborations, opportunities, or just to say hello!

Accomplishments

FAA Part 107 UAS Remote Pilot Certificate
Federal Aviation Administration Current

Commercial drone pilot certification enabling aerial photography, photogrammetry for game asset creation, location scouting, and environmental reference capture for realistic game environments.