Description
PlayStation isn’t just the Best Place to Play —it’s also the Best Place to Work. We’ve thrilled gamers since 1994, when we launched the original PlayStation. Today, we’re recognized as a global leader in interactive and digital entertainment. The PlayStation brand falls under Sony Interactive Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation.
Lead Character/Rigging TD
San Diego, CA
Sony PlayStation’s Visual Arts Services Group (VASG) on our San Diego campus provides world-class content, development and services to Worldwide Studios. We offer a full-service production studio with an emphasis in art and animation, as well as previsualization, cinematics, character creation, motion capture, software development, and face/body scanning, tracking and solving.
Sony Interactive Entertainment is looking for a veteran Character TD to join our sunny San Diego, California development team. This role requires expert Maya rigging/scripting skills as well as strong knowledge of anatomy and realistic deformation to deliver the industry-leading quality PlayStation’s award-winning first party lineup is known for. This hands-on position will also require leadership and communication skills to ensure output from the rigging staff is executed efficiently, timely, and meet the technical/animation requirements.
Our team is always at the cutting edge of technology and partners with the industry’s best minds and companies: Naughty Dog, Santa Monica Studios, Guerrilla Games, Japan Studios, and other Sony PlayStation first-party studios. This is your opportunity to work closely with game and film industry professionals from all over the world and under one roof!
Role responsibilities
- Set up and maintain character (humans & animals) rigs and systems
- Work with art team to develop models that meets technical requirements
- Work with animation team to create artist-friendly rigs that satisfy animation/gameplay needs
- Design and set up character dynamics (i.e. cloth, hair)
- Develop new techniques and processes to further advance quality/realism
- Collaborate with TDs in on-going facial and muscle simulation research
- Create tools to streamline workflow/pipeline
- Work with team directors and production to identify/prioritize tasks
- Provide and maintain technical documentation.
Required Experience & Skills
- Expert knowledge of Maya, with minimum of 5 years of production experience in game or film/vfx fields.
- In-depth knowledge of character/prop rigging technique and principles
- Strong understanding of figure and facial anatomy
- Python scripting
- Experience with adopting production pipelines and make improvements that respect guidelines and system requirements
- Strong troubleshooting skills and the ability to find pragmatic solutions
- Proven ability to be self-sufficient and take initiative to seek answers and address issues
- Effective communication skills
Bonus Skills
C++ experience (Maya API)
Familiarity in runtime performance efficiency and optimization
Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, legally protected physical or mental disability, covered veteran status, status in the U.S. uniformed services, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, genetic information or membership in any other legally protected category.
We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees and embrace diversity. We encourage everyone to respond.
We sincerely appreciate the time and effort you spent in contacting us and we thank you for your interest in PlayStation.