Senior Technical Artist

SENIOR TECHNICAL ARTIST

Deck Nine Games currently has an opening for a Character Technical Artist to join our amazing art team. If you love collaborating with artists and animators to create expressive, quirky and memorable characters that fans fall in love with we’d love to talk with you.

You will work in close collaboration with animators, modellers, and the artistic and technical animation director in order to produce high-quality rigging and skinning with an emphasis on facial rigging.  The role will require you to jump into the unknown and solve new problems, exercising your ability to think creatively to resolve technical and artistic challenges and limitations. The ideal candidate is passionate about games and has 5 years minimum experience that covers at least one complete game development cycle.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Establish and maintain rigging pipelines and standards between Maya and Unreal Engine
• Carry out the rigging and skinning to meet the needs of project animators, with a particular focus on facial rigging for real-time game assets
• Propose and implement tools to produce the best possible results and incorporate them seamlessly into the existing pipeline
• Mentor other technical artists and provide feedback
• Work closely with the animation team to implement control rigs to improve and simplify their workflow
• Liaise with Art, Animation, Mocap, Tech and Production
• Export from Maya and set up game characters in the engine, ensuring the final result meets the artistic standards of the project
• Set up and maintain character dynamics in Maya and in engine
• Support the Art Team with their technical needs, find and develop solutions to content creation pipeline issues

This position can be either fully remote or at our Westminster, Co studio

• 5 years minimum experience in technical art or other relevant experience
• Shipped at least 1 game within the technical art discipline
• Bachelor’s degree in art, design, technical discipline or other relevant training

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE:

• Experience creating and maintaining a rigging pipeline with an emphasis on facial rigging and implementation of expressive blendshapes
• Experience working with Mocap data
• Advanced knowledge of Maya
• Python, Scripting for Maya tool

BONUS:

• Knowledge of scripting and programming languages such as ZScript, Javascript, C++
• Basic knowledge of Vicon Shogun, Photoshop, Substance Painter and/or Zbrush
• VFX Experience
• Animation Experience
• Experience across multiple platform types or developing to varying limitations and technical restrictions
• Interest and understanding of human anatomy
• Recognize proper mesh topology and give feedback to the character dept