Kevin Chien
Oceanside,NY
Summary
Art Lead and Art Direction for games with experience leading visual direction, managing a team of six artists, and developing high-fidelity real-time asset workflows. Directed the overall art style for a game while collaborating closely with programming, environment, and technical art teams to align visual goals with production needs. Developed a CAD-to-Unreal Nanite pipeline from scratch using Plasticity, PiXYZ, and Blender, solving complex CAD cleanup issues and enabling a small art team to create AAA-quality hard-surface assets with greater flexibility and improved real-time performance.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Art Lead / Art Direction
GAD Studios
Dallas, Texas
02.2025 - Current
- Led a team of six artists while defining and maintaining the overall visual direction for a game project.
- Directed environment, technical, and 3D artists on visual quality, asset standards, and production workflows.
- Developed a custom CAD-to-Unreal Nanite pipeline from scratch using Plasticity, PiXYZ, and Blender.
- Solved CAD mesh cleanup issues caused by native exporters, creating a more reliable workflow for high-detail real-time assets.
- Collaborated with programming and technical art teams to align visual goals with performance, tooling, and implementation needs.
- Enabled a small art team to produce AAA-fidelity hard-surface assets with greater flexibility than a traditional polygon-based workflow.
- Reviewed artwork, mentored artists, and approved production assets to maintain visual consistency and quality.
3D Hard Surface Artist
GAD Studios
Dallas, Texas
05.2024 - 02.2025
- Created high-quality hard-surface assets for real-time game production.
- Built CAD-based models using Plasticity and Fusion 360, then prepared assets for Blender and Unreal Engine workflows.
- Created PBR textures and material setups using Substance Painter and Photoshop.
- Troubleshot 3D asset issues involving mesh cleanup, material organization, and Unreal Engine implementation.
- Delivered production-ready assets on schedule while supporting evolving project requirements.
Freelance Concept Artist
Self-Employed
11.2018 - 04.2024
- Created concept art, visual designs, and 3D assets for client projects across multiple styles and themes.
- Developed hard-surface and sci-fi designs from sketches, references, and CAD-based workflows.
- Produced photorealistic 3D models, textures, and presentation-ready visual assets.
- Collaborated with clients and design teams to refine project aesthetics and meet creative goals.
Education
Entertainment Design
Art Center
PasadenaSkills
- Art Direction: Creative Direction, Visual Development, Team Leadership, Artist Mentorship, Art Reviews, Style Guides
- Game Art: Hard-Surface Modeling, Environment Art Direction, PBR Texturing, Real-Time Asset Production
- Technical Art: CAD-to-Unreal Nanite Pipeline Development, CAD Mesh Cleanup, Optimization, Cross-Team Collaboration
- Software: Unreal Engine, Blender, Plasticity, PiXYZ, Fusion 360, Substance Painter, Photoshop
Timeline
Art Lead / Art Direction
GAD Studios
02.2025 - Current
3D Hard Surface Artist
GAD Studios
05.2024 - 02.2025
Freelance Concept Artist
Self-Employed
11.2018 - 04.2024
Entertainment Design
Art Center