Available to hire
Senior Unreal Engine lighting and look-development specialist with extensive experience across real-time (Unreal 5, Lumen, Path Tracer/RTX) and offline VFX/cinematics (rendering, compositing, and look development). Leads multi-artist teams and builds consistent lighting pipelines for in-game cinematics, trailers, and feature/TV deliverables.
Known for developing reusable lighting blueprints/templates, asset/actor workflows, and scalable color-consistent render pipelines bridging in-game and offline delivery. Collaborative, production-minded, and experienced in supervising production on set and through post to final delivery.
Experience Level
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Beginner
Work Experience
Senior Unreal 5 Lighting TD / Tech Artist at Studio Wildcard
January 1, 2023 - PresentDeveloped Unreal 5 lighting models and look development for ARK: Survival Ascended, shaping in-game visual identity across levels and environments. Applied real-time and offline Lumen and Path Tracer rendering (RTX) to deliver consistent quality across in-game visuals, in-game cinematics, and offline trailer renders. Built asset and actor blueprints/materials to support unified pipelines spanning real-time in-game graphics and offline cinematic delivery. Helped establish the OCIO color pipeline for consistent color across engine viewport, in-game delivery, and final render output.
Senior Lighting TD Unreal / Mid Tech Artist at Studio Wildcard
December 31, 2022 - PresentDevelop lighting models, in-game level lighting, and look development for ARK: Survival Ascended in Unreal Engine 5. Implement real-time and offline lighting workflows using Lumen and Unreal Path Tracing, including hardware RT (RTX) for in-game, in-game cinematics, and offline cinematic-quality renders for trailers. Build asset and actor blueprints plus materials for real-time in-game graphics and offline cinematic delivery. Help set up the OCIO color pipeline for in-game visuals and rendering.
Senior VFX Supervisor & Unreal 5 Generalist at Atmos Labs
January 1, 2022 - January 1, 2023Led the production team for cinematics, building blueprint tools for lighting, modeling, and character customization to support consistent output across shots. Supervised rigging, modeling, lighting, and shading in Unreal to streamline pipelines and keep game and cinematic-ready assets moving efficiently through production. Mentored artists in lighting and blueprint development to improve team capability and deliverable consistency. Collaborated on ShotGrid integration and built automated NFT turntable generation from command-line and JSON inputs, reducing manual turnaround for turntable delivery. Established scalable workflows for customizable character builds in partnership with engineering and software development teams, supporting production growth without adding manual overhead.
Senior VFX Supervisor & Unreal 5.1 Generalist at Atmos Labs
January 1, 2022 - January 1, 2023Led the production team for cinematics and developed blueprint tools for lighting, modeling, and character customization. Supervised rigging, modeling, lighting, and shading in Unreal; streamlined pipeline workflows for game- and cinematic-ready assets. Mentored artists in lighting and blueprint development. Collaborated on ShotGrid integration and built automated NFT turntable generation from command-line and JSON inputs. Established scalable workflows for customizable character builds in partnership with engineering and software development teams.
Senior Unreal 5 Generalist at Nexodus
January 1, 2021 - PresentDeveloped photorealistic lighting models and animation for 3D characters, delivering consistent quality across numerous shows. Built Blueprint graphs and a custom data-driven UI using datatables to support 10,000+ customizable characters, enabling scalable art direction control over character variation. Supervised Maya-to-Unreal asset ingestion and export pipeline, managing real-time UE5 rendering to streamline compositing and final delivery. Partnered with clients, creative directors, artists, and accounting teams to keep production on schedule and aligned on deliverable expectations.
Senior Unreal 4 Finisher at Bron Digital
January 1, 2021 - January 1, 2022Developed accurate lighting models in Unreal for photorealistic interior/exterior environments and characters for animated productions. Instilled best practices for level and sequence lighting, troubleshooting ray-traced translucency and developing fallback solutions. Built lighting blueprint tools to support live lighting sessions with the DP. Collaborated with directors, art directors, and environment/production teams to achieve the desired look and feel.
Unreal Generalist at Nexodus | Atmoss
January 1, 2021 - PresentDevelop photorealistic lighting models and animations for 3D characters. Create blueprint graphs supporting 10,000+ customizable characters via data tables and custom UI for art direction. Supervise asset ingestion and export pipeline from Maya to Unreal, managing real-time rendering in UE5 for compositing and final delivery. Partner with clients, creative directors, artists, and accounting teams to meet deadlines and manage expectations.
Senior Unreal Lighting Artist at Nexodus
January 1, 2020 - January 1, 2020Provided lighting for interior and exterior offline photorealistic scenes in Unreal Engine 5 using Lumen and hardware RTX for the ARK 2 cinematic trailer featured in the Game Cinematic Awards.
Lighting Supervisor / Senior Look Dev at MOVR S
January 1, 2020 - January 1, 2020Developed photorealistic shader setup and rendering for studio-lit CG humans and garments from CLO3D and Maya/Arnold. Streamlined the production pipeline from garment design to final render.
3D Lighting Supervisor at Mainframe
January 1, 2020 - January 1, 2021Supervised lighting and rendering for a series animation made by Maddie. Oversaw QC and troubleshooting, flagging production or technical limitations affecting rendering. Developed lighting and compositing templates supporting 200+ rendered and published shots per week. Attended client screenings and negotiated solutions to keep the show on budget and schedule. Managed local and remote teams; mentored artists in lighting and compositing.
3D Lighting Lead at Pixomondo (Vancouver & Beijing)
January 1, 2018 - January 1, 2020Created show and sequence light rig setups, managing HDRI capture/prep and LiDAR scan data to ground CG lighting in accurate real-world reference. Built lighting templates for rendering in Arnold, V-Ray, and Clarisse iFX/Builder to standardize look development across feature film and television projects. Created lighting slap comps and Nuke tools to streamline the final lighting review process and speed up director/supervisor sign-off. Contributed to sequence rendering pipeline development and ACES color-space implementation in Maya and Clarisse for consistent color from lighting through final delivery. Built asset turntable rigs in Maya and Clarisse for color-accurate rendering across multiple DCCs, supporting consistent asset review regardless of pipeline stage. Led multiple artist teams to maintain consistent quality and on-schedule delivery across concurrent shows.
3D Lighting Lead at Pixomondo
January 1, 2018 - January 1, 2020Created show and sequence light rigs; managed HDRI capture/prep and LIDAR scan data for CG use. Built lighting templates for rendering in Arnold, V-Ray, and Clarisse iFX/Builder for feature film and television projects. Created lighting slap comps and Nuke tools to support the final lighting review process. Contributed to sequence rendering pipeline development for Builder and ACES color-space implementation in Maya and Clarisse. Built asset turntable rigs in Maya and Clarisse for color-accurate rendering across multiple DCCs. Led multiple artist teams to maintain consistent quality and on-schedule delivery.
Compositing Lead / Senior Compositor at Pixomondo
January 1, 2017 - January 1, 2018Composited live-action and full-CG shots, building 2D Nuke templates and tools to standardize compositing workflows across high shot counts. Developed looks, FX rigs, and look-development treatments to establish the visual direction carried through final compositing. Led teams of 2D artists across TV, commercial, and feature film projects, maintaining consistent output across concurrent productions.
2D Compositing Lead / Senior Compositor at Pixomondo
January 1, 2017 - January 1, 2018Composited live-action and full-CG shots; built 2D Nuke templates and tools. Developed looks, FX rigs, and look-development treatments. Led teams of 2D artists across TV, commercial, and feature film projects.
On-Set & 2D Supervisor / Jr. Unity Developer at Goldtooth
January 1, 2014 - January 1, 2019Supervised compositing for AAA game cinematics, trailers, and pitches; managed the Compositing Department including project bidding and hiring. Built compositing templates and provided on-set supervision for green-screen, environment laser scans, and full-body motion capture. Wrote commercial pitch treatments for game cinematics. Developed applications for holographic devices as a Unity developer.
Compositor at Moving Picture Company
January 1, 2013 - January 1, 2014Composited and developed looks for VFX shots on The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
On-Set & VFX Supervisor / Creative Director at Ballet Inc
January 1, 2013 - January 1, 2020Served as Creative Director, VFX Supervisor, and On-Set Supervisor across interactive and traditional media projects. Provided creative services to directors, studios, and agencies on feature films, television, commercials, and video games.
Leadighter / VFX Artist / Compositor / On-Set Supervisor at Dashing
January 1, 2011 - January 1, 2013Provided on-set supervision and developed lighting models and look development for numerous international commercials, ensuring on-set capture supported final render quality. Created VFX design treatments and composited, guiding projects from concept through final delivery.
Lead lighter / VFX Artist / Compositor / On-Set Supervisor at Dashing
January 1, 2011 - January 1, 2013Provided on-set supervision and developed lighting models and look development for numerous international commercials. Created VFX design treatments and composites.
Lead lighter / Senior Generalist at House Of Cool
January 1, 2011 - January 1, 2013Collaborated with directors to realize creative vision through lighting, texturing, and shading. Designed VFX simulations and rigs; led look development for commercial projects.
VFX & On-Set Supervisor / Senior Generalist at Krystel Levy Pictures
January 1, 2011 - January 1, 2013Partnered with directors and production teams on on-set and VFX supervision, match move, VFX development, matte painting integration, and live-action/CG compositing for film and commercials.
CG & On-Set Supervisor / Leadighter / Senior Generalist at Crush Inc
January 1, 2003 - January 1, 2011Served as CG Supervisor and operations manager of the CG department, managing teams of 5–15 in-house artists and freelancers to deliver consistent output across concurrent projects. Supervised on-set work for international commercial productions—green screen, clean plate, tracking markers, measurement gathering, witness camera capture, and HDRI gather/stitch—to ensure accurate data capture supporting downstream CG work. Acted as Match Move Supervisor, Lighting Lead, and Lighting TD, providing technical scouting and on-set/VFX supervision to bridge production and post-VFX needs. Supervised lighting for physical prop production and element shoots, aligning CG output with real-world reference. Bid, forecast, and managed projects and pitches, supporting departmental operational and business planning.
CG & On-Set Supervisor / Lead lighter / Senior Generalist at Crush Inc
December 31, 2002 - December 31, 2010Served as CG Supervisor and operations manager of the CG department, managing teams of 5–15 in-house artists and freelancers. Supervised on-set work for international commercial productions: green screen, clean plate, tracking markers, measurement gathering, witness camera capture, and HDRI gather/stitch. Acted as Match Move Supervisor, Lighting Lead, and Lighting TD; provided technical scouting and on-set/VFX supervision for post-VFX. Supervised lighting for physical product and element shoots. Bid, forecasted, and managed projects and pitches.
Education
Media Arts at Sheridan College
January 1, 2000 - January 1, 2003Art Fundamentals at Sheridan College
January 1, 1999 - January 1, 2000Mechanical Engineering at Toronto Metropolitan University (Ryerson)
January 1, 1998 - January 1, 1999Media Arts - Honors Graduate at Sheridan College
January 1, 2000 - January 1, 2003Art Fundamentals at Sheridan College
January 1, 1999 - January 1, 2000Mechanical Engineering at Toronto Metropolitan University (Ryerson)
January 1, 1998 - January 1, 1999Qualifications
ADCC – Love Hate: Best in Craft, 2011 Bessies, The One Show NY; Shortlisted at Cannes
January 1, 2011 - January 1, 2011Honors Graduate, Sheridan College Media Arts, 2003
January 1, 2003 - January 1, 2003Best in VFX, Sheridan College Media Arts
January 1, 2003 - January 1, 2003Industry Experience
Media & Entertainment, Gaming
Collection of work done for Feature Film, Commercials, Streaming, Games and Cinematics.
Hire Aylwin Fernando today
To get started post up your job and then invite Aylwin Fernando to your job.