CHARACTER FACIAL RIGGER (MID-LEVEL / SENIOR)

Our partner is one of the top open-world game development company in the world.

AAA Games

WHAT WE DO

• We design, create and maintain highly complex facial rigging and animation systems for characters and animals that bring our 3D assets to life.
• We constantly engage in Research and Development of new techniques for driving skeletons, blendshapes and custom deformers through comprehensive control rigs.
• We design and build tools that enhance the productivity of our Blendshape Art team and Animators.
• Work alongside Animators providing support and addressing feedback to get the best performances in game.
• Collaborate and communicate with other departments such as Tools, Machine Learning and Code (engine) teams to improve our authoring workflows and animation/graphics systems in runtime.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Build, test and maintain facial rig logic for a variety of 3D assets.
• Create tools within Maya (in Python/QT) to support and push forward workflows across Animation and Rigging.
• Write C++ plugins to customize and extend DCC packages as required for our bespoke needs.
• Work with other Technical Artists streamlining our pipeline and scalability of our facial rigging tools and asset production.
• Use proprietary system to setup constraints and custom deformers, secondary motion etc in the game engine.
• Work with the team organizing, documenting and maintaining libraries for interacting with the rig from a tooling standpoint.
• Work with other Technical Artists improving workflows and tools used internally by the Rigging Team and other departments such as Character Art and Animation.
• Staying current with latest technologies/research ongoing in the field to help keep our dynamic art visuals at the cutting-edge regarding motion and deformation.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A relevant degree or professional experience in the game industry as a Facial Rigger, Technical Animator or similar/related position.
• Strong knowledge and experience using FACS applied to facial rigging and animation is a must.
• A demo reel and online portfolio that demonstrates exceptional skills creating motion controls for animation, complex deformation and skinning of body and face of characters and creatures.

SKILLS

• 3+ years of production experience creating complex facial rigs for Games, Feature Films or VFX.
• Understanding of human body and facial anatomy as it relates to game assets and topology.
• Strong coding/scripting skills in Python, Mel or Maxscript (candidate may be asked to complete a test).
• Experience programming C++ plugins for Motionbuilder, Maya, Houdini or similar DCCs for Animation.
• Experience using other game engines (e.g. Unreal/Unity or proprietary tech) with relation to Animation.
• Solid foundation in math (specifically 3D math).
• Experience with facial animation, facial motion capture, and/or facial tracking.
• Strong communication, self-management, and organizational skills.
• Effective time management skills to meet deadlines and milestones.

PLUSES

Please note that these are desirable skills and are not required to apply for the position.

• Experience using other game engines (e.g. Unreal/Unity or proprietary tech).
• Experience creating Animation scripts/tools for Motionbuilder, Maya, Houdini is highly advantageous.
• Experience with Python (standalone or within the context of a relevant DCC) is highly advantageous.
• Experience with C# and .NET Core/Framework is highly advantageous.
• Experience using source control software (i.e. Perforce, Git) and working on a code base collaboratively.
• Professional experience as an Animator in games.
• Professional experience working and developing in a multi-platform, multi-project environment.
• Professional experience working in a large team spread across multiple locations and time zones.