Terraform — Haochen(Jimmy) Xu

Haochen(Jimmy) Xu

jimmyhcx@gmail.com
@jimmyhcx
/in/jimmyhcx

Unreal Engine Lighting & Cinematic Artist

Bridging lighting, camera, and spatial storytelling through real-time worldbuilding.

I am an Unreal Engine Lighting & Cinematic Artist specializing in lighting, shot design, and spatial storytelling for narrative-driven real-time experiences. My work focuses on shaping mood, composition, and emotional pacing through light, camera, and environment.

With a foundation in architecture, I work across games, short films, music videos, and previs pipelines, collaborating closely with art teams to create cinematic real-time experiences for film, games, and virtual production.

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TERRAFORM

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TERRAFORM
Unreal Short Film/Architectural Design

Co-Director/Environment Designer
Jan 2024-Apr 2024
Created by:
Haochen(Jimmy) Xu
Firdavs Yuldashev

DESCRIPTION

Terraform explores the intersection between earth and architecture
— building as an extension of the landscape, materially, gesturally, and experientially.
The project reinterprets the legendary Highway 14 observation tower in the American Midwest. Set near De Smet, South Dakota, it transforms the vertical tower into a horizontal trail — allowing travelers to walk through the land itself and experience the prairie as living architecture.
Through this journey, the act of observation becomes a tactile encounter
— the landscape seen, felt, and remembered.