Hi, I’m Richard Nguyen. I'm a software engineer focused on game development, graphics, and interactive systems. I graduated from UCLA with a degree in Computer Science, and I enjoy building everything from real-time graphics engines to full-stack web applications. Outside of tech, I play piano and make digital art.
Currently, I work with CapCut at ByteDance, where I manage the Pro template creator program and previously developed in-app video effects used across their global platform. My work involved building real-time motion graphics, optimizing effects for performance, and supporting a large creator ecosystem by troubleshooting tools and workflows.
I created three in-app video effects and transitions for CapCut, now live in their global effects library and optimized for real-time use on TikTok.
I also authored a step-by-step creator workflow guide using Lark, which helped onboard new artists and streamline the submission process.
Along the way, I troubleshot undocumented plug-in issues, identified technical gaps, and supported a community of creators by answering over 100 technical questions about CapCut's tools, procedural animation, and cross-software workflows.
Technologies: After Effects, Blender, CapCut, Lark
Contributing to a web-based cognitive therapy platform for children with neurological disabilities. My work focuses on implementing user-facing features using React, MUI, and PostgreSQL, following Figma designs and agile workflows.
Technologies: TypeScript, Next.js, PostgreSQL, React, Linear, Slack
Teach coding and game design to students aged 10–15 in small group classes and camps. Instructed 6 distinct courses (C++, Python, HTML/CSS, Blender), balancing structure and student creativity in live sessions.
Technologies: C++, Python, HTML/CSS, Blender
Designed and developed a trustworthy dating platform emphasizing authentic user profiles and interactions.
Implemented core features, including user login, profile management, photo uploads, and viewing matches, using a full-stack approach with React and Node.js.
Designed UML diagrams (Class, Sequence, State Machine) to align architecture with requirements.
Used Agile methodologies and GitHub Scrum workflows for collaborative development.
Technologies: React, Node.js, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, AI Integration, Git, Agile Development
Developed an interactive dragon simulation with physics-driven motion using Forward and Backward Reaching Inverse Kinematics (FABRIK) for fluid, serpent-like movement.
Implemented fire-breathing mechanics with particle systems, including vector fields, Verlet integration, and thermodynamics-based heat transfer.
Designed custom shaders for the dragon and environment, incorporating Phong shading, bump mapping, Fresnel effects, and procedural texture animations.
Created post-processing effects such as bloom, chromatic aberration, and grayscale using framebuffer rendering.
Simulated heat diffusion in a thermodynamic cube using the finite difference method to solve the heat equation in 3D space.
Technologies: Javascript, HTML, GLSL, WebGL, Blender
Collaborated with a team of 3 to develop a 3d horror puzzle game built using Javascript, HTML, GLSL, WebGL, and Blender. It was made for my computer graphics final project. My job was to build the core features and come up with overall idea.
I applied graphics concepts we learned in class such as matrix transformations and Phong shading to elevate the visual quality of the project.
I worked on the core features including shadow and fog rendering through a 2-pass z-buffer, AABB collision detection
, and basic first-person controls.
I used blender and photoshop to make models and textures to achieve the horror aesthetic.
Technologies: Javascript, HTML, GLSL, WebGL, Blender
Designed and implemented a piano synthesizer on the Basys 3 FPGA using Verilog, incorporating Python scripts for audio generation and
scale selection as part of the final project for Computer Systems Architecture. Established seamless communication between the FPGA
and Python scripts through the UART protocol.
Technologies: Verilog, Vivado, Python, Basys 3 FPGA
Top Down Zombie shooter made in Unity/C#. Been working on it since 2018 and released a prototype in 2021. This is where I first learned most of my skills. Currently, I'm attempting to implement online multiplayer and reworking the systems. I’ve been building games since I was a kid. Some of my earliest projects are still online, like this one.
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