Cherie Rye

Cherie Rye

CFX Artist

Los Angeles, CA

Hire Me

Character FX Artist

Love, Death & Robots (2019)

3D Effects Animator

Cursed (2017)

pipeline and sails simulation

Black Sails (2014)

senior cloth and hair TD

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013)

technical director, cloth

Stuart Little 2 (2002)

Cloth & Hair

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

Cloth Simulation Artist

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)

Hello,

I work in visual effects and CG animation, with an artistic emphasis on dynamics. I write tools and glue to aid in production. My resume and reel are both on Zerply.
Work History

  • CFX Artist

    Crafty Apes

    January 2022 - August 2023

  • CFX Artist

    Blur Studio

    October 2021 - January 2022
    Los Angeles, CA

  • cfx artist

    FuseFX

    July 2016 - October 2018

  • cloth/hair td and pipeline td

    FuseFX

    September 2016 - June 2017

  • Character TD

    Digital Domain

    September 2015 - July 2016

  • Cloth Simulation TD

    Psyop

    August 2015 - September 2015

    simulate cloth and hair using nDynamics and Maya for Clash of Clans

  • Simulation and Pipeline TD

    Encore VFX

    October 2014 - August 2015

    Groom and siimulate hair, cloth elements for television productions and pipeline tools in python, MEL, PyQt

  • simulation and pipeline TD

    Reliance MediaWorks

    May 2014 - August 2014

    Develop tools to aid artists in production work for VFX department in python, MEL.
    Simulated cloth elements for "Black Sails," Season 2, television production.

  • pipeline TD in Artist Support, Themed Entertainment

    RGH Themed Entertainment

    September 2013 - April 2014


    Creating tools in python and MEL to allow efficient data transfer and tracking between different departments and applications. Help artists troubleshoot technical issues, and create tools to automate repetitive tasks.

  • senior cloth and hair TD

    Sony Pictures Imageworks

    April 2013 - August 2013


    Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, Revenge of the Leftovers:
    Simulate shots using provided hair and cloth setups using Maya, nCloth and proprietary tools to simulate shots, Katana, Nuke and proprietary tools to render and present elements in slap comps for approval.

    Smurfs 2:
    simulate shots using provided hair and cloth setups; simulations in nCloth, MayaHair, Maya and and SPI proprietary solver and tools.

  • character effects artist

    DreamWorks Animation

    2008 - March 2013

    TURBO SHOTS: simulation using provided setups; one-offs for soda top, ferns, taco; contacts for humans, snails.
    TURBO: DUTIES/PIPELINE: built master simulation setup for villain’s race suit in Qualoth; t-shirt and pants for two generic women and a child; some MEL scripting for finaling
    PUSS IN BOOTS: SHOTS: simulation using provided setups; one-offs for reigns, ropes; added wind to clothing, fur, feathers using Maya, Qualoth & proprietary tools. Skin contacts.
    RISE OF THE GUARDIANS: DUTIES/PIPELINE: master simulation setup for boy’s oversized jersey an

  • effects lead, interactive group

    Technicolor

    July 2007 - January 2008


    SHOTS: ground dust, light column effect and crowd element
    generation assistance for Spyro commercial; killing bolt,
    body power-up effect and eye-glow for wizard in in-game
    demo of Dungeon Crawl using Unreal Engine; human-dragon
    particle morph using Maya plug-in and Gamebryo; curtain
    opening for Twin Peaks dvd title; cloth setups for
    pre-rendered shots: scarf for Line Rider and collision
    body preparation for Ballers

    DUTIES/PIPELINE: estimate time needed and techniques to be
    used for effects shots in various projects; submit written
    bid estimates to producers and attend bidding meetings with
    other leads, including conference calls with clients; attend
    conference calls with India office and offer assistance to
    artists there; consult with producers and coordinators on
    assigning shot work to effects artists; python scripting
    for Spyro pipeline and document plan for effects pipeline
    under direction of pipeline lead; some documentation of
    effects workflow and approaches for India artists

  • technical director

    Walt Disney Animation Studios

    2004 - 2007

    Character TD: Cloth R&D Rapunzel, element production American Dog

    DUTIES: create master setup files for characters; simulate
    using test animation; suggest features and test new software
    for cloth modeling, simulation; help guide and establish new
    cloth pipeline for handling complex, dense and multi-layered
    costumes using Maya with in-house plug-ins & tools; MEL and
    Perl scripting for procedural cloth setups and tool
    prototyping

  • technical director, cloth and effects

    Sony Pictures Imageworks

    2003 - 2004

    Polar Express

    SHOTS/DUTIES: effects team: generate snow, fog, fire and smoke
    elements for shots using Houdini setups, in-house OTLs,
    Renderman and proprietary particle renderer;
    present elements in slap-comps using proprietary
    compositor; some Perl scripting for pipeline

    cloth team: create master setup files in Maya;
    simulation look-development for girls' gowns and a boy's pajamas;
    bug-testing new cloth software; some MEL scripting for
    costume-building pipeline

    Cursed

    effects team: generate smoke and vein elements using Houdini and proprietary tools

  • technical director/ cloth lead

    Cinesite

    July 2002 - March 2003


    SHOTS: In-Laws: simulated effect of opening parachute and
    created noisy parachute setup to be used for a sequence;
    lighting of parachute and characters in Maya and SLIM/Renderman;
    Shinobi commercial: simulated cape, applied and adjusted textures,
    shaders and lights in Maya; Envy: grass tests using MayaFur and
    lighting on a tent; X-Men 2: fire tests using in-house particle plug-in

    DUTIES/PIPELINE: advised 3D manager during bidding process for
    shows requiring cloth and hair; wrote proposal for cloth pipeline
    in Cinesite's environment and did character tests to implement
    it with MayaCloth; tested, recommended and incorporated Syflex
    to pipeline for In-Laws; scripting to help setup environment
    for Houdini users and to automate multiple submissions of elements
    from a single Houdini scene to the render farm; wrote wrappers
    to help automate conversion of geometry and cameras from Maya
    to Houdini and submit translations to the farm

  • technical director, cloth

    Sony Pictures Imageworks

    May 2001 - May 2002

    Stuart Little 2

    SHOTS: approximately 30 shots of feather grooming for a
    finch (romantic lead) and a falcon (villain) using
    proprietary hair, feather software and Maya; some simulation
    for Stuart's pants, sweater, and pajamas using MayaCloth and
    in-house geometry blending tools

    PIPELINE: Perl, MEL scripting to automate aspects of
    feather pipeline

    Harry Potter

    SHOTS: simulated hair for Harry's troll and broom rides;
    simulated robes for Quidditch players; simulated
    four-layered school uniform, including pants, sweater,
    undershirt and robe; simulated tr

  • technical director

    Square USA

    1998 - 2001


    Lead Simulation Artist, Development Simulation Artist
    February 1998– April 2001
    SHOTS: simulated shots with interaction between cloth and furniture, cloth in zero gravity or wind, characters opening garments, running, falling; outfits included: T-shirt and tank top with pants, dress suit, leather coat and a three-layer laboratory uniform (1 running shot)
    PIPELINE: supported and streamlined existing cloth pipeline; created master setup files using Maya and proprietary simulation software to be used by cloth artists; wrote and maintained scripts in Perl and MEL to automate portions of pipeline; helped R&D department isolate bugs in tools and suggested improvements; troubleshoot render job failures due to MtoR, platform-related or systems-related issues
    LEAD DUTIES: negotiated with various departments such as Systems and Rendering for resources; advised in scheduling; guided support persons in improvements to the pipeline and tools; conducted reliability tests; trained new cloth artists and helped artists with difficult shots
    DEVELOPMENT ARTIST DUTIES: worked closely with lead to create master setup files; aided lead in comparison tests of proprietary plug-in and MayaCloth; helped identify bugs, suggested improvements during development of cloth tools; wrote pipeline docs; simulated shots using current tool set

  • dba, internal webmaster, technical writer

    Sony Pictures Imageworks

    November 1996 - October 1998


    DBA: set up Oracle database instances (7.3.3 and 8.0) on
    UNIX and installed clients on Windows NT; maintained
    databases using SQL; created user accounts; edited backup
    scripts; webmaster: maintained internal web site; configured
    WebGlimpse search engine and Apache server on UNIX; created
    graphics in Photoshop; technical writer: created tutorials,
    docs for in- house software; designed relational FileMaker
    Pro databases for production tracking

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Education

  • Michigan State University

    1993 - 1996

  • Vanderbilt University

    1986 - 1992