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Lead Environment Lighting Artist
11 months ago
Crystal Dynamics is constantly seeking the best gaming talent worldwide to add to our 30-plus year legacy of AAAA game development creating new and iconic franchises. We are committed to making great games with great people and living the dream while doing it.
Benefits for our full-time positions include, but are not limited to, a competitive regional salary, 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance options, professional development reimbursement perk, flexible hybrid on-site/off-site work opportunities, 12 company paid holidays, plus additional paid days in December when the studio is closed for holiday break, and the ability to accrue weeks of personal paid time-off.
Join us and shape the future of an amazing studio culture committed to creating award-winning franchises like Tomb Raider, the next Perfect Dark , and more!
Crystal Dynamics is seeking an experienced Lead Environment Lighting Artist to join our talented team of developers! As a Lead Artist, you are responsible for the creation of visually stunning art assets and contributing to the artistic vision of our games.
As a Lead Environment Lighting Artist, you will...
- Take ownership of specific parts of the project and collaborate closely with the Art Lead to create visually stunning, atmospheric environments that reflect the game’s vision, while ensuring consistent lighting standards are maintained across the entire product
- Ensure lighting technical requirements are efficient and meet performance standards
- Contribute to the development of style guides by providing feedback and collaborating with other artists and designers to maintain a consistent visual style for the project
- Collaborate with the Art Lead and Design Leads to create dynamic lighting that directs player interactions and experiences
- Work with the Tech Art and Engineering teams to develop future lighting pipelines, feature improvements, and R&D advanced lighting techniques that push the envelope of quality and style
- Ensure lighting and shading is harmonious across different complex surfaces by working closely with FX and Material artists
- Conceptualize, present, and execute visually stunning, atmospheric environments within a schedule, actively participating in technical and artistic problem-solving complex levels with minimal supervision
To be considered for this role, you must have...
- Experience as Senior, Lead, or Principal Lighting Artist having contributed to 1+ AAA title (or comparable high-fidelity title)
- Extensive knowledge of lighting, composition, and visual structure theory and understanding of advanced lighting techniques in the video game industry
- Proficiency with industry-standard tools such as Maya and Unreal Engine, with the ability to learn and adapt to new technologies quickly
- Examples of work that showcase your ability to light high-quality video game environments, demonstrating:
- Proficiency in real-time lighting; preference for Unreal Engine examples, but open to similar engines that meet quality standards
- Ability to create effective gameplay lighting for combat, traversal, puzzle-solving, and player guidance
- High level of skill and proficiency in creating lighting for environments set in multiple times of day, both indoor and outdoor, that showcase a particular style or aesthetic as determined by the hiring team
- Strong communication skills, with the ability to take direction and provide constructive feedback
- Proven ability to work autonomously, delivering high-quality results with minimal supervision, as well as adaptable team player who is comfortable collaborating with others to achieve shared goals
- Strong problem-solving skills, with a focus on finding practical solutions to complex challenges
It’ll be a bonus if you also have any of the following...
- Demonstrated experience in cinematic or character lighting, with examples of lighting designs that convey different moods for the same scene
- Photoshop experience as well as extensive experience in proprietary rendering packages and/or 3rd party editors
- Experience in mentoring, management, and team leadership
- Familiarity with real-time Ray Tracing
- Experience with Lumen (self-driven, experimental, and/or professional)
The pay range for this role includes the annual base salary, not including bonus and the generous benefits package that Crystal Dynamics provides all full-time employees. Individual compensation is determined by work location within our approved states, as well as additional factors, including job related skills, experience, and relevant education. Your recruiter will be able to share more information about total compensation.
Pay Range
$110,000 — $140,000 USD
Not sure if you are qualified? We hope that you will still choose to apply so we may review your application!
Crystal Dynamics is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to identifying and implementing positive and persistent measures to ensure equal opportunity in the recruitment, hiring, development, training, promotion and compensation of a diverse team employee group. This includes persons of different race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity or gender expression, pregnancy, breastfeeding or medical conditions related to breastfeeding, genetic characteristic, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, medical condition, political affiliation, age, veteran status, uniform service member status, marital status, physical or mental disability, or citizenship, as well as any other classifications protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.
By submitting an application, you acknowledge that you have read and understand Crystal Dynamics’s Privacy Notice available at https://www.crystald.com/legal/privacy/.
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