GDC 2025 Session Viewer

Based on his years of experience as a technical artist and then as a team lead at SideFX Labs, creating game tools widely used in the industry, Mai Ao will share with you a list of principles he follows in tool development, such as how to understand the artists, how to nurture your motivation and support your teammates, how to navigate tough problems, and how to not give up in the face of uncertainty. Meanwhile, Senior Technical Artist Cody Spahr will address the challenges of implementing procedural generation systems at production scale, focusing on issues faced when iterating large environments. Using an internal tool as context, he will introduce strategies for creating non-destructive workflows that balance efficiency with the demands of large-scale game development.

Takeaway

Attendees will learn practical strategies for implementing scalable procedural generation systems that remain flexible throughout production. They'll gain insights into creating non-destructive workflows that allow for iterative changes without sacrificing the benefits of proceduralism, along with real-world solutions to common scaling challenges.

Intended Audience

Technical artists, 3D artists, and teams working on large-scale game environments. This presentation will particularly benefit professionals looking to implement or improve procedural workflows in production environments while maintaining iteration flexibility.