Pranav RathodSoftware Engineering / Photography
Code, Art, and a Bit of Chaos
I’m a creative technologist, engineer, and sometimes a quiet observer of the world. I recently completed my Master’s in Computer Science at the University of Southern California, specializing in Multimedia and Creative Technologies.
Projects
Path Tracer & Ray Tracer
A CPU-based C++ path tracer and ray tracer implementing Monte Carlo global illumination, cosine-weighted sampling, Russian Roulette, and Next Event Estimation.
ChronoShift: Collapse
A dimension-swapping first-person runner refined through telemetry, playtests, and iterative systems design.
Jello Cube Simulation
A physically based simulation of a Jello Cube using a mass-spring system. The cube deforms, oscillates, and reacts realistically to forces based on Newton's laws, Hooke's law, and damping forces.
Writing
Dec 4, 2025
Interactive Guide: Rigid Body Dynamics Research
A 5-year review of the shift from classical mechanics to differentiable physics in robotics.
4 min read
Aug 17, 2025
Leadership, Belonging, and the Unexpected Lessons of SIGGRAPH 2025
From timid volunteer to confident leader reflecting on my journey through SIGGRAPH and what it meant to step up and give back.
4 min read
Dec 13, 2024
From Denver to Tokyo - My First SIGGRAPH Experience
In 2024, I attended my first SIGGRAPH conferences as a Volunteer, North America in Denver and Asia in Tokyo. What started as a recommendation from a professor turned into one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
2 min read
Archive
All 6 posts