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Animator (Contract)

Would you like to work on some of the biggest franchises in gaming? Certain Affinity, the largest independent video game developer in Austin, Texas, is opening a location in Toronto, Canada and we’re looking for exceptionally talented people to join us. Our Toronto studio will collaborate with our Austin location, and together we’ll be co-developing AAA FPS games and creating our own compelling new IP.

As an Animator at Certain Affinity, you’ll be part of a creative team generating highly polished in-game animations. You will assist in the design of the project by providing pre-visualization animations for gameplay elements as well as evolve and refine motion for characters, weapons, vehicles, and environmental objects.

Responsibilities

• Work with Art Director, Lead Animator & Design team to visualize and integrate motion into a highly immersive world
• Create animations in a variety of styles, from ultra-realistic mocap based movement to highly stylized hand-keyed motion depending on the needs of the project

Requirements

• 2+ years’ experience in the game industry, specifically associated with character and object animation
• Understanding and application of both keyframe and performance capture animation in a real-time environment
• Shipped 2+ titles as an animator
• Strong foundational knowledge in traditional arts, including but not limited to graphic design or illustration, life drawing, acting, and cinematography
• Working-level understanding of the principals of motion as applied to characters, cameras, objects, and vehicles
• Solid grasp of performance requirements and constraints of the current-generation console and PC development
• Understanding of animation pipelines and workflow
• Collaboration and communication skills that bridge the gap between art, design, and tech
• Ability to work within predefined styles from realistic to stylized and effectively communicate this style to the rest of a team
• Solid understanding of how animation by way of performance, staging, dynamics, timing, and pacing influences player response and feedback to help make a game fun and engaging
• Team player with the drive and initiative to deliver extremely high-quality work within performance and time restrictions
• Must be adept at time constraints and multiple priorities
• Must be able to initiate visual direction without a specific concept or design
• Experience using proprietary editors, software and tools or other similar experience with Unreal 4, Radiant, Source Engine, etc.
• Working-level knowledge of Maya and/or Max, MotionBuilder or other 3D animation packages

Extra Credit

• Experience in the application of motion as related to physical simulation of particles, fluids, and other related fields
• Shipped 1+ AAA title in last 3 years
• Experience with technical animation scripting or rigging