James Liu

Graphics EngineerGameplay Engineer

Rendering · C++ · Unreal Engine · Gameplay systems

View resume ↗GitHub ↗

Featured work · 01—05

Selected projects

Unreal tools, rendering experiments, and gameplay systems.

RenderMasterBot conversation with a completed profiling audit and Unreal Insights GPU review inside Unreal Editor

ObserveProposeApproveVerify

01Open case study ↗

Local-first Unreal graphics assistant

AI systems, editor tools & GPU profiling

RenderMasterBot

Natural-language scene edits and measured GPU audits inside Unreal.

My contributionBuilt the editor integration, validated action contracts, and profiling workflow.

Approve edits before they reach the scene
120-frame PIE baseline with an inspectable GPU trace

PythonUnreal Engine 5.7C++

Read the measured audit report

Path-traced Cornell Box rendered on the simulated TRaX ray tracing GPU, with red light bouncing off the left wall onto both spheres

02Open case study ↗

Course project built on Arches

Course project · Work in progress

GPU memory hierarchy & ray tracing hardware

Ray Tracing Hardware Study

Studying ray-tracing memory systems and neural denoising in Utah’s Arches simulator.

My contributionIntegrated C++ cache hierarchies and analyzed experiments in Utah’s existing simulator.

Sponza: −73.8% simulated cycles vs. untuned three-level design
Sponza: +22.4% cycles vs. original 64-TM two-level baseline

C++RISC-VArches

Download measured cycle counts (CSV)

Past Path gameplay with an open illustrated journal against an island landscape

03Open case study ↗

First-person exploration puzzle game

C++ gameplay, progression & engineering coordination

Past Path

Match a journal sketch to the landscape to open the next path.

My contributionImplemented camera matching, the C++ diary, and game flow; coordinated engineering.

Check the sketch, camera position, and orientation together
Puzzle results change the level and unlock pages

Unreal Engine 5.4C++Blueprints

Watch 23s gameplay

Signal Lost poster featuring a red rotary phone inside a dark telephone booth

04Open case study ↗

Alternate-controller horror game

Hardware integration, systems & build engineering

Signal Lost

Dial a real rotary phone to interact with an Unreal horror game.

My contributionOwned hardware integration and game builds; contributed to gameplay system design.

Dial pulses become game input over USB serial
Telephone audio and webcam attention feed gameplay

Unreal EngineC++ / BlueprintsArduino

Controller integration

C++ initialization code from the behavior tree framework

05Open case study ↗

C++ game AI contribution

Deterministic game AI & debugging

Behavior Tree Framework

Seeded random choices with execution state that survives each tick.

My contributionAdded instance seeds and random selector/sequence nodes to a shared C++ framework.

Reproduce random choices under matching inputs
Keep shuffled branches stable while running

C++Behavior TreesMersenne Twister

C++ source excerpt

More selected work · 06—11

Games, tools, and focused studies.

A broader view of replay tooling, weapon feel, mobile interaction, and accessibility-led VR design.

Unreal Engine plugin prototype

Input Recorder & Ghost Replay

Replay systems & developer toolingA C++ runtime plugin that records Enhanced Input and actor transforms frame by frame, then replays an interpolated ghost with controllable timing.View project ↗

Team-built mobile arcade game

CoffeeTime

Mobile input & arcade gameplayA retro delivery game that combines touch interactions and device tilt with the pace of a classic arcade chase.View project ↗

3D stealth / growth game

PolyGone

Gameplay, AI & combat systemsA discarded low-poly character steals polygons from NPCs to evolve into the star of the game—without getting caught.View project ↗

Physics-based platformer

Death of a Deal

Physics gameplay & level systemsSwitch between ghost and stone forms to manipulate haunted-house physics and scare away a determined real-estate agent.View project ↗

First-person systems study

FPS Demo

Weapon feel & player movementA hands-on study of the small technical decisions that make shooting and movement feel distinct in first-person games.View project ↗

Independent accessibility-focused VR game

Through Other Eyes

VR interaction & social-impact designA VR experience that asks players to navigate through sound and touch while confronting failures in urban accessibility.View project ↗

Profile · James Liu

M.E.A.E. candidate · University of Utah

Gameplay, tools & graphics.

I work across rendering performance and gameplay engineering. In RenderMasterBot, I connect Unreal editor tools to measured GPU evidence. In my Arches coursework, I study how memory-system changes affect ray tracing on simulated hardware.

My game work includes C++ puzzle and progression systems, reproducible random behavior for game AI, and a physical telephone controller connected to Unreal. I enjoy making the technical pieces work together as a playable experience.

Core practice

GPU profilingRay tracing & memory systemsC++ gameplayUnreal tools & integration