Senior Technical Animator

Company Description

Unbroken Studios is a Los Angeles-based team, made up of 40+ veteran video game developers with proven track records in building best-in-class games, across all platforms, for the world’s largest publishers. Our list of credits includes some of the most memorable game experiences from the last twenty years including blockbuster franchises such as Battlefield, Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, and God of War. Our “unbroken” passion for game development has endured the highs and lows of this industry. There’s nothing else we’d ever do.

Job Description

• Work closely with the Animation team to define, create and maintain the animation pipeline
• Design and support complex character, facial and weapon rigs in Maya 
• Utilize facial tracking/solving software to track facial features and retarget to face rigs 
• Ensure the skinning of the characters and their different equipment
• Set up assets in Unreal Engine 4; including cloth, physics, animation blueprints
• Create or modify specific tools and/or scripts to improve the speed and efficiency of the Animation team
• Work with motion capture data for both cinematic and in-game features 
• Support and improve the process of integrating Maya/3DS Max into the game engine
• Proactively identify problems, propose solutions and work fluidly with other team members
• Be the first line of defense on the content side when a technical problem arises
• Collaborate across disciplines to improve studio tools and pipelines. Actively communicate with animators, game designers, and programmers to help them understand basic theories and limitations in animation

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience as a Technical Artist
• Excellent team work skills. Able to communicate effectively verbally and visually. Positive attitude and a desire to bring new ideas to the team
• Proficient with standard industry tools like Unreal Engine and Maya
• Strong understanding of methods of optimizing game art assets for game engines
• Strong understanding of MEL/Python/Maxscript or similar systems required
• Advanced knowledge in animation, artistic eye
• Up to date knowledge of current art techniques and development processes
• Ability to work well under pressure and with deadlines
• Strong troubleshooting skills
• Outstanding demo reel demonstrating good understanding of animation principles and ability to rig expressive facial animation 

Bonus:

• Mocap Pipeline Setup
• Computer Science Degree
• Diploma/Degree in 3D computer art, video game development or any other equivalent training
• Familiarity with Unreal Engine 4 art pipeline
• Coaching skills
• Considerable understanding of video games and broad video game culture
• Strong technical skills and ability to write technical documentations
• Self-motivated and agile

Additional Information

As part of the application process. please submit work samples which demonstrate the following: 

• · Character rigging and skinning capabilities 
• · Documentation or videos describing previous tool development

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.