Yilin Zhao

Environment Artist | Tool Developer at Beyond My Screen – Short Animation

Designed painterly 3D environments in Maya and Substance Painter and developed a procedural asset modelling tool in Houdini to support efficient production.

FX Artist at SCAD x Harbor Picture Company

Collaborated on a luxury-themed ad under industry mentorship, creating procedural FX (particles, scales, sand) and handling lighting, rendering, and compositing using Houdini, Arnold/Redshift, and Nuke, across both full CG and live-action shots.

Technical Director | FX & Environment Generalist at Meowrry Christmas – Short Animation

Directed and co-developed a hybrid 2D/3D animated short with a strong emphasis on stylized environmental storytelling. Built all 3D environments and FX using Houdini, including procedural assets, animation, and shading. Contributed to animation, lookdev, and compositing using Maya, Substance Painter, and Nuke, supporting cohesive visual storytelling for presentation.

FX Artist at SCAD x The Mill

Collaborated on CG and virtual production, and live-action shots, creating realistic FX (dust, debris, destruction) in Houdini and Unreal, and assisting with scene optimization and lookdev.