Description
Company Profile
For over thirty years, SideFX has been providing artists with procedural 3D animation and visual effects tools designed to produce the highest-quality cinematic results. We are passionate about what our customers do because our roots are in production, both as artists and as pioneering technical innovators. SideFX has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Science several times for its flagship software product Houdini and its seminal procedural-based technology.
Houdini is used by the world’s top film, TV, and game studios to create blockbuster movies such as Black Panther and Moana, captivating TV shows like American Gods and Games of Thrones, and hit video games like Horizon Zero Dawn and Mafia III. Our customers include Disney Feature Animation, Pixar, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Weta Digital, Blue Sky, Electronic Arts, Microsoft Game Studios, Blizzard Entertainment, and many more.
Position Overview
SideFX is seeking an exceptional UI/UX software developer to join its Toronto-based R&D team.
As a member of the SideFX Research and Development team, you will be working with some of the brightest minds in the CG industry to develop an array of user experience frameworks, features and workflows. You will also be identifying and improving bottlenecks in our software’s UI/UX architecture, and enhancing our 2D and 3D user interface. Our R&D team has received many prestigious industry awards, including four Technical Achievement Awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, an Academy Award of Merit (Oscar®), a Technology and Engineering Emmy® Award from NATAS, and four back-to-back Editor's Choice Innovation Awards from CG World Magazine. Movies using our toolset have received the Oscar® for Best Visual Effects every year for over two decades.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and extend a wide range of user experience frameworks, features and workflows with an emphasis on ease of use, intuitiveness and customizability
- Identify and optimize bottlenecks in Houdini’s C++, Qt and Python UI/UX architecture
- Keep up to date with the latest academic and industry breakthroughs; independently research and develop ideas to continuously push our procedural technology forward
- Collaborate with other R&D staff, technical directors and artists to produce best-in-class frameworks and next-generation workflows
- Other duties as assigned
Required Skills and Experience
- Relevant higher level education in Computer Science or equivalent industry experience, and user interaction design, with a record of academic and professional excellence
- Extensive experience as a UI/UX software developer
- Expert knowledge of best practices in user interaction design, visual representation of complex data, and information architecture as applied to complex CG applications
- Strong, modern C++ programming skills and knowledge
- 2+ years of working experience with OpenGL, Qt and Python
- Ability to take positive initiative, work independently and within a large team
- Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly convey complex technical information
- Familiarity with performance optimization and parallel programming techniques
- Passion for graphics and for interacting with end-user clients and artistic staff
- Excellent problem-solving skills
Bonus Skills
- Extensive experience developing 3D GUI and usability software, with a strong appreciation of design aesthetics
- Demonstrable knowledge of a professional DCC or GameEngine application (e.g. Houdini, Maya, Softimage, Cinema 4D, UE4, Unity)
- Experience with cross-platform development
Location
Our transit-friendly head office location, directly adjacent to Union Station in the heart of downtown Toronto, is open-concept with a relaxed style that includes, casual dress, and wraparound views from the 14th floor.
Side Effects Software is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Accommodation will be provided, upon request.