Industry events
Attended more industry events this year, each fueling new ideas & perspectives.
Travel Log
United States
Canada
Japan
Speaking
And...cut! The design process behind animation tools
This talk explores the unconventional and evolving design processes behind the animation tools at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. Through case studies, we'll showcase how innovative approaches to collaboration and iterative design address the ever-changing needs of artists, ultimately shaping tools that fuel the creation of groundbreaking films. Gain valuable insights and best practices for adopting flexible design processes that empower expert users—who not only rely on these tools but actively contribute to their development.
Thank You
Thanks to everyone who attended the talk. I am especially grateful to those who stayed after to say hello and share your thoughts about what the talk meant to you. I truly appreciated hearing your stories!
And a big thank you to Figma and the entire Config team for taking such wonderful care of us, speakers.
See you at Config 2026!
The design opportunities of moving to Houdini for lighting within the world of Animation
Lighting plays a key role in our films. For Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Moana 2", we developed a new Lighting workflow in Houdini, empowering artists with more control while reducing creative barriers. This talk explores how we enable new workflows, mirror successful experiences, and ease the transition with new tools in a legacy system.
Thank you Siggraph for the opportunity to present and to everyone who joined me afterward for such great conversations!
Behind the Frames: Designing Artist-Tailored Animation Tools
What does it take to build tools as flexible as the stories they help create? Discover how we design proprietary animation tools at both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. We'll share our collaborative, artist-tailored approach to crafting adaptable workflow tools - a focus on nimble, practical strategies that both fuel our iconic films and offer our expert users the kind of tools they need to grow and evolve with their work.
Thank You
Thank you to everyone who attended the talk. I especially appreciated the conversations afterward, sharing stories and exchanging thoughts.
A big shout out to the Design Summit team for hosting such a wonderful event.
See you all next year!
music music
19,046mins
of music listened to
film log
top picks
1
F1
2
Kpop Demon Hunters
3
Wicked
4
The Fantastic 4: First Steps
5
Thunderbolts*
82
featured films watched
55%
were rewatches
Jan 5th & Aug 2nd
busiest watch days with 5 movies
Moana 2
1st watched
58 days
biggest watch gap
Sequels
Better than the original
Unlike popular believe, there are some sequels that are better than the original. Here are my favorite sequels!
Rush Hour 2
Ocean's 12
Top Gun Maverick
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Proud to announce my third film credit with Zootopia 2! It's been such a joy contributing to another Disney adventure. Catch it on the big screen and see if you can spot my name in the credits!
Web
Web
Web
Web Updates
Take a look at this year's upgrades: a revamped Speaking Engagements Opens a new window section, a more streamlined CI/CD pipeline, and the launch of CSS Playground Opens a new window , a series of small, interactive tools that make working with CSS more fun and approachable!
This year, curious visitors uncovered easter eggs Opens a new window 196 times! See if you can find them all!
Speaking Section Added
Launched CSS Playground
CI/CD Formalized
Berry Budget
I'm a big fan of berries! So this year I decided to track how many got consumed, at least approximately.
Raspberries
1640oz
Blueberries
1644oz
Blackberries
1583oz
Strawberries
768oz
Learning Knowledge Skills
Building the systems and skills that scale design, shaping the people and processes that make it thrive.
Favorite Things
NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S
A short telephoto lens where subjects pop and backgrounds vanish.
AirPods 4 with ANC
Apple's AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. My goto pair of earbuds.
Jeni's Brambleberry Crisp
Toasted oat streusel & a brambleberry jam layered throughout vanilla ice cream.
Stuff Made Here
Engineering meets problem-solving to build things that shouldn’t exist but do.
Version History
A show about tech’s biggest hits, misses, & the stories behind them.
Welcome to Wrexham
A docuseries about Wrexham FC starring Rob McElhenney & Ryan Reynolds.
Zankou Chicken
A mediterranean fast-casual restaurant serving up delicious kebabs and more.
That's a Wrap
Goodbye, 2025 — thank you for the lessons, the memories, and the moments that shaped me. As we welcome 2026, may the new year be filled with exciting opportunities, happiness, and adventures that inspire. Wishing you success, laughter, and memories to hold close. Here's to what's ahead, Happy New Year!
Audience Reactions
“One highlight that truly stuck with me was the powerful talk by Rehan & Ruchita where they unveiled how tech designers play a crucial role behind the scenes. It really hit me how important it is to have designers working in the background to make all those big screens and stories come to life.”
“Congrats to Rehan & Ruchita for their inspiring talk at Config! Your brief time on stage conveyed all the excitement and the challenge of what you do at Disney and Pixar every day.”
“Rehan & Ruchita gave us a sneak peek into what it takes to design for designers and the complexity of film animation software. Their empathetic approach to their users, supports & empowers the many ways their users use the tools and allows for an adaptive digital workspace that, truly, all creatives deserve.”