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Principal Technical Artist - Animation (Unreal Engine 5)

People make games great. And at Survios, we know we can’t grow from an acclaimed VR studio to the world’s premier game developer and publisher without them. That’s why our most valuable investments aren’t in the next-generation technology we use to make our games or the new HQ we’re building in Marina Del Rey, but in creating a hybrid workplace that seeks out talent across the globe, nurtures its people, and encourages fun. A workplace where every team member knows they’re respected and cared for. If you want to join a passionate team of developers driving toward the future of immersive gaming, we’d love to hear from you!

Survios currently has an opening for a talented Technical Animator to push our characters and animations to the next level. Do you have a passion for living on the forefront of character animation and tech, by bringing complex characters, weapons, and creatures to life with amazing in engine technology, and runtime integrations? If that excites you, then we would love for you to join the Technical Art Team.

Responsibilities:

• Setting up assets in Unreal Engine including but not limited to:
• Animation State Machines
• Blend Spaces
• Blueprints
• Cloth
• Control Rig
• Physics Assets
• Sequencer
• Work closely with animation, design, and engineering to solve complicated animation spaces such as:
• Non traditional locomotion including wall/ceiling running and transitioning to those spaces.
• Characters that operate in both bipedal, and quadrupedal animation on the same rig.
• Animation and rigging setups that work well in both first person and VR.
• Complex gameplay driven animation with full body in engine IK.
• Develop and maintain tools and underlying systems for the animation content pipeline, guiding assets from conception through implementation.
• Stay current with and research new technology solutions, to stay on top of, and define the bleeding edge of what is possible in an Unreal animation pipeline.
• Collaborate interdepartmentally to establish, refine, and optimize animation pipelines and procedures.
• Document tools, procedures, and best practices in the animation pipeline, mentor others in its use, and aid them in troubleshooting.
• Participate in technical review of animation related assets.
• While the focus is on the animation pipeline in engine, when time permits working on the DCC and Motion capture pipelines will be an additional responsibility.
• Maintain and grow our culture of collaboration, trust, and inclusiveness that is key to our studio.

Requirements:

• Experience shipping projects with a focus on animation and animation pipelines for modern real time applications in Unreal Engine.
• A passion for promoting a positive team culture that champions new ideas, empowers coworkers to achieve their vision, while growing and maintaining a positive collaborative environment.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and documentation skills.
• Ability to work well under pressure and with deadlines.
• Creative problem solving skills that lead to innovative solutions on challenging technical problems.
• Experience with writing tools/scripts/code libraries in Python or other scripting languages.
• Expert knowledge of Maya, Motionbuilder, or similar 3D packages.
• Travel required for onsite(if remote) and offsite motion capture sessions.

Pluses:

• C++ Experience (Particularly in Unreal).
• Strong Foundation in 3d math.
• Working Experience with Control Rig.
• Experience with Facial Animation Pipelines like FaceWare and FaceFX.
• Expert source control knowledge, including automation of source control in game pipelines.
• Experience supporting, developing, and optimizing motion-capture pipelines.
• Experience with Machine Learning, and AI.
• Previous experience working with VR.
• Passion for making and playing great games, with an awareness of current titles and industry trends.

Note: Applications for this role should include a portfolio/reel (or link to a portfolio/reel), if available.