Blendshape Artist (Mid/Senior)

At Rockstar Games, we create world-class entertainment experiences.

A career at Rockstar Games is about being part of a team working on some of the most creatively rewarding and ambitious projects to be found in any entertainment medium. You would be welcomed to a dedicated and inclusive environment where you can learn, and collaborate with some of the most talented people in the industry.

Rockstar Toronto is looking for an enthusiastic and talented Blendshape Artist to join our Technical Art team. This position requires an excellent understanding of current and emerging character creation technologies applied to facial rigging and animation as we continue to create memorable characters to populate our game worlds. This is a full-time permanent position based out of Rockstar’s unique game development studio in Oakville, Ontario.

WHAT WE DO

• We have a deep knowledge of anatomy and Facial Action Coding System (FACS), sculpting assets and enhancing photogrammetry data in order to improve end results for both our character creation and animation pipelines.
• We work closely with Art and Animation to push the boundaries of facial performance in our games, servicing narrative plot and broader game design goals and features.
• We help to drive and improve the flow of the photogrammetry pipeline by streamlining current processes and suggesting tool improvements, for both internal and 3 rd party software.
• We pay acute attention to human face anatomy and have insane attention to detail for the subtle facial nuances driven by age, genetic background, lifestyle and personality inputs; specifically how this then translates to the musculature, fat and skin layers in motion for the face.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Process 3D photogrammetry data by cleaning up and projecting high resolution scans onto our game meshes.
• Process 4D data using our proprietary tools, sculpt detail losses in ZBrush and improve character deformation to conform to our guidelines.
• Sculpt FACS blendshapes manually from reference to build our facial rigs.
• Reproject and cleanup albedo textures, create blood flow and animated normal maps from scan data.
• Work closely with Riggers and Animators addressing feedback on a per character basis.
• Collaborate with other departments in the R&D of various aspects of our pipelines pertaining to pipeline development like body and facial rigging, animation, and character art.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience creating blendshapes used in highly complex facial rigs for characters and creatures.
• 3D sculpting and art fundamentals experience, as well as knowledge of photogrammetry processing and retopology pipelines.
• Experience dealing with rigging and animation pipelines, not limited to game development, providing blendshape data and critical feedback to the team.
• Expertise and capability to focus on production-driven goals and requirements.
• A comprehensive visual portfolio/samples showing a range of work relevant to the role.

SKILLS

• Skillful eye for 3D mesh topology and proven experience of industry standard sculpting software and photogrammetry-based pipelines.
• A deep understanding of FACS, and facial anatomy both muscle and skeleton.
• Advanced knowledge of industry standard software applications such as: Photoshop, 3DSMax/Maya, ZBrush, Topogun, Wrap3D/4D, etc.
• Self-motivated with excellent, friendly and effective communication skills within a global team setting.
• Ability to collaborate within other team disciplines – Technical, Animation and Production.

PLUSES

Please note that these are desirable skills and are not required to apply for the position.

• Experience with procedural asset content creation, using software such as Houdini.
• Experience with texturing, specifically working with animated normal maps and blood flow.
• Experience with 4D data capture and handling pipelines
• Experience with rigging and animation.
• Knowledge of advanced photogrammetry processing software such as Agisoft, Reality Capture and MeshLab.

HOW TO APPLY

Please apply with a resume and cover letter demonstrating how you meet the skills above. If we would like to move forward with your application, a Rockstar recruiter will reach out to you to explain next steps and guide you through the process.

Rockstar is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to hiring, promoting, and compensating employees based on their qualifications and demonstrated ability to perform job responsibilities.

If you’ve got the right skills for the job, we want to hear from you. We encourage applications from all suitable candidates regardless of age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, belief, race, or any other protected category.

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