I was responsible for designing, testing, and supporting key parts of the technical foundation for Sonic Prime. While I didn’t build the entire pipeline system, I played a major role in implementing the tools and solutions requested by supervisors and artists, ensuring smoother workflows and helping teams deliver their work more efficiently. My focus was on creating a robust multi DCC environment, maintaining consistency across Maya, Houdini, Katana, Nuke, and Substance Painter.
Erik Elizalde
Technical Director
Erik Elizalde
Technical Director
About Me
Technical Director with 8+ years of experience in animation and VFX, delivering scalable pipeline solutions and artist-friendly tools.
Specialized in automating workflows, developing shot-aware systems, and integrating seamlessly with production tools like Katana, Maya, Houdini, Nuke, and ShotGrid. Strong track record supporting multi-site studios and high-profile shows, including Sonic Prime (Netflix), Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and others.
Fluent in English and Spanish, with excellent communication skills to bridge creative and technical teams across global productions.
- I live in Canada
- City New Westminster
Scripts written
0
+
Resume
Experience
2020 - 2025
Technical Director
WildBrain Studios
2016 - 2020
Technical Director
Method Studios
I began my career in the VFX and animation industry at Method Studios, where I was trusted with the role of Assistant Technical Director (ATD). This opportunity allowed me to grow quickly as a developer, gaining hands-on experience with Python and PyQt.
One of my earliest and most impactful contributions was the creation of MrCleaner, a disk cleanup tool that helped hundreds of artists safely remove outdated versions and unnecessary files — freeing up hundreds of gigabytes across productions.
My proactive collaboration with artists, combined with the opportunity to support large scale productions like OKJA, Dr. Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 among others, gave me deep insight into the inner workings of major VFX pipelines. This experience and demonstrated impact led to my promotion to Technical Director just a few months after starting as a junior.
Education
2025
Complete Guide to C++ Programming Foundations.
Online
2025
Software Architecture: Patterns for Developers.
Online
2024
HScript and Channel Referencing,
Introduction to VEX - GEO, Particles, Volumes and RBD.
Online
2024
Destruction BootCamp - Fracturing, RBD, Particles, Pyro, Water and Snow.
Online
2020
Python Professional bootcamp.
Online
2010 - 2014
3D Modeling and Design
Canada
"At VCAD, I met wonderful classmates and professors who helped me improve my skills and understand the proper workflows used in the creation of realistic 3D environments."
if you’d like to see more...
...details about other projects I’ve worked on and implemented, feel free to download my resume or DM me directly. I’m always happy to share and connect!
Skills
Skill Set
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Python
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PySide / Qt (UI Development)
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Maya API / Tool Development
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Houdini (HDAs / Pipeline Integration)
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Katana (Pipeline Integration & Tools)
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USD / OpenUSD Workflows
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Nuke (Pipeline Scripting)
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Git / Version Control
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Render Pipeline Support (Arnold)
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Asset Import/Export Systems
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Tool Documentation & Maintainability
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RV (HUD Plugins / Media Tools)
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ShotGrid (Toolkit, API Integration)
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Qube! (Render Queue Management)
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Windows-Linux Production Environment
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Cross-Department Collaboration
VFX PIPELINE EXPERTISE
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Maya, Houdini, Katana, Nuke integration
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Python scripting & tool development
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PySide / Qt UI development
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Asset import/export automation
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Render pipeline support (Arnold)
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ShotGrid, RV, Qube! integration
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Version control with Git
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Linux & Windows production environments
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USD-based workflows
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Cross-department tool deployment
Spoken Languages
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English
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Spanish
Recommendations
I’ve had the privilege of working very closely with Erik over the past four years.
He was always calm and proactive in tackling any and all obstacles that arose. Whether it was providing artist support or creating tools, Erik consistently put in his full effort to find solutions and elevate the experience for the end user.
I have zero doubts that Erik would be a valuable contributor to any team, and I look forward to working with him whenever possible.
Conrad Chow
Studio CG Supervisor @ Wildbrain
Professional Experience
Latest Projects
Gallery
Blog
June 4, 2025
Procedural Assets in Houdini
https://youtu.be/TqnajcNFKEM In my journey exploring procedural workflows in Houdini, I’ve built a fully procedural door asset a modular building block…
May 28, 2025
Cannon Ball Simulator (Unreal 5 blueprints)
I’ve been teaching myself programming and Unreal Engine 5 by studying official documentation and building small apps to put the…
May 24, 2025
Nuke Tool Set
https://youtu.be/leRrpedFOgQ A growing collection of Python-based tools designed to improve and simplify daily workflows in Nuke. Whether you’re a compositor preparing…
May 19, 2025
Vex Cheat Sheet
Vex type prefixes floats and integersf@myfloat = 12.234; // float, i@myint = 5; // integer Vectorsu@myvector2 = {0.6, 0.5}; //…
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