Rina Okuno is a Junior FX Artist trained in Houdini, with a focus on Pyro, RBD, particle simulations, and crowds. She holds an FX TD diploma from Lost Boys | Campus VFX and is currently an intern at SideFX as Marketing FX Artist. She has experience working on team-based projects within a production-style environment.
Rina has built a range of Houdini FX, including colored Pyro effects, RBD demolitions, and particle-driven simulations, and is familiar with core FX workflows such as caching, iteration, and dailies-style feedback. She is actively seeking junior FX or crowd opportunities where she can continue learning and contribute within a studio pipeline.
Reel Breakdown
1. Daytime Fireworks (Pyro / Smoke):
I chose this project to explore colored smoke, which is less commonly seen compared to fire or explosions. The goal was to create an eye-catching daytime effect while showcasing believable smoke behavior. Integrating the movements and colors of the white and colored smoke was challenging, and this shot helped me better understand density, shading, and blending in pyro.
1. _Rise of the Guardians_ Inspired Shot (Particles / Pyro):
This shot recreates a moment inspired by _Rise of the Guardians_, the film that originally drew me to VFX. I aimed to capture a magical and hopeful feeling, and through this project I learned how important textures and lighting are in supporting particle effects and enhancing the overall mood.
3\. Magic Impact on Shield (Group Project / Pyro):
For this group project, I was responsible for creating the magic impact effect hitting the shield using pyro. I focused on impact timing, energy, and readability, while ensuring the effect integrated smoothly with the rest of the shot.
4\. Demolition (RBD / Pyro):
This was my most challenging project. To match my reference, I hand-animated larger pieces before simulating them. I learned how critical fracture design, constraints, and secondary debris are for realism, and how important upfront planning is in RBD workflows.
1. Beach Curtains (Vellum):
I chose this project because of the added complexity of curtain tieback constraints. Most of my time was spent balancing those constraints while allowing the fabric to move naturally in the wind. The final result is a controlled yet believable cloth simulation.
6\. Freesia Refracta (Procedural Modeling):
This fully procedural modeling project contains no simulations. I enjoyed building an asset that can be easily iterated for production use. The flower’s blooming motion was manually animated to closely match reference, and the contrast between the white flower and black background enhances visual interest.
