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R&D Programmer (Characters) – La Forge
1 year ago
Job Description
As an R&D Programmer within UbiTO’s La Forge, your role will be threefold: you will participate to research prototypes alongside research scientists, contribute to transforming proof-of-concept prototypes to production-ready technologies and improve how people work together within your team.
Your technical expertise paired with your communication skills will be invaluable in all that you do. On the research side of your job, you will work closely with scientists to create and iterate on research prototypes. On the transformation side, you will collaborate with various technical partners to transform prototypes into minimum viable products, easing the hand-off to technology products or game development teams across Ubisoft in collaboration with production teams directly. Finally, on the improvement side, you will create and maintain prototyping tools, standardize processes, and share best practices to increase efficiency at La Forge.
At La Forge, the character team focuses on research with applied Machine Learning and other data driven techniques in order to meet the challenges of scalability, diversity & richer player interaction for our animated characters. As illustrated with contributions such as Faceshifter, Soundmatching and Choreograph to help scale for animating a character to generating faces, La Forge has a history of a leading in this area.
We also offer a large variety of interesting challenges in porting our advancements directly into production, learning their limits and improving them. Contributing to both academia and productions, you will help create a new generation of games, production processes and unique experiences for the players.
About La Forge
La Forge bridges academia and video game production, bringing together scholars and industry experts to facilitate technical prototyping based on the latest academic progress. Together, we explore subjects such as rendering, animation, AI, audio, and physics to tackle some of the biggest challenges in art and tech in gaming. Dedicated to innovation, we aim to accelerate research and development through prototyping to help content creators build increasingly believable worlds and better understand our players.
The daily life of a R&D Programmer at Ubisoft Toronto & La Forge:
In a first-class interdisciplinary team that covers all fields from capture, data management and in-game rendering aspects of characters, from a modelling, animation and voice generation standpoint, you will:
- Design, code, and integrate research-based prototypes in game engines & internal middleware.
- Work closely with research scientists and production leads.
- Push prototypes to minimal viable products for game development teams.
- Partner with product teams to release complete product packages that meet production quality criteria (robustness, documentation, completeness, and performance).
- Develop and maintain prototyping tools and infrastructure to facilitate collaboration between researchers.
- Encourage standardization of frameworks, libraries, etc. among R&D teams + recommend and share best practices.
Qualifications
What it takes to make it:
- An undergraduate or master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent
- At least 3 years of software development experience or related experience (with a focus on machine learning or in the gaming industry being a huge plus)
- Proficiency in Python & C++
- Experience using game engines (e.g., Unity, Unreal or equivalents)
- Experience with deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch or Tensor Flow)
- Knowledge of Machine Learning (Techniques & Deployment of model)
- Knowledge in applying Machine Learning or other related data driven methods to solve character creation and animation
- A highly collaborative and solution-oriented spirit
- Curiosity and critical thinking
- Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills
- A desire to innovate, take risks, and to learn from your mistakes and from your team members in the video game industry & adapt to its (constantly evolving) rhythm
What to send our way
- Your CV highlighting your education, experience, and skills
Additional Information
Life at Ubisoft
At Ubisoft Toronto, we look for people who are excited to create the future of games in one of the most diverse cities in the world. We believe that embracing our individuality helps us build stronger creative teams and develop better games for all players.
When you’re a member of our team, your professional development is a priority. You’ll have opportunities to be challenged, learn and grow in your role. Pushing the boundaries of what’s possible within game development while working with Ubisoft’s most powerful technologies – from game engines to performance capture and more. Annual performance reviews and salary increases will help you further your career and grow with our studio. We also offer hybrid remote work options, six weeks of vacation for all employees, an enhanced parental leave program, a comprehensive health benefits package, generous RRSP matching, industry education support, training and career development.
We celebrate the big and small moments together – with virtual events, get togethers, giveaways and more. In addition to our “right to disconnect” philosophy, the studio offers a variety of health and wellness initiatives including yoga, an on-site gym, flexible work hours, and other programs to create a better, sustainable work environment for our teams.
We encourage you to read our Code of Conduct prior to applying. It is our collective responsibility at Ubisoft Toronto to maintain a respectful and inclusive work environment, and be the best possible place to work and grow. Knowing and respecting our Code of Conduct’s principles and guidelines is key to achieving that goal.
Join Us!
At Ubisoft Toronto, we believe diversity is our studio’s biggest strength. We’re committed to creating an inclusive workplace that reflects the diversity of our player community, is inclusive and respectful of the individuality of our team and embodies our core values – trust, integrity, excellence and care.
We encourage applications from First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, Indigenous peoples of North America, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, and those who identify as women and/or 2SLGBTQIA+.
If this sounds like your kind of studio, what are you waiting for?
Ubisoft Toronto is committed to providing accommodations for accessibility upon request.
We thank you for your interest, however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No agencies please.
Company Description
Ubisoft Toronto Inc.
224 Wallace Avenue. M6H 1V7
Toronto, Ontario
www.toronto.ubisoft.com
Our Mission
Ubisoft’s 19,000 team members, working across more than 40 locations worldwide, are bound by a joint mission to enrich players’ lives with original and memorable gaming experiences. Their dedication and talent have brought to life many acclaimed franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Watch Dogs, Just Dance, Rainbow Six, and many more to come. Ubisoft is an equal opportunity employer who believes diverse backgrounds and perspectives are vital in creating worlds where players and teams can thrive and express themselves. If you are excited about solving game changing challenges, cutting edge technologies, and pushing the boundaries of entertainment, we invite you to join our journey and help us create the unknown.
Our Studio
Ubisoft Toronto is one of the largest development studios within Ubisoft, employing talented developers from around the world. We create worlds and tell stories that grip you, inspire you and challenge you. Since opening in 2010, we have shipped innovative game projects on some of Ubisoft’s biggest brands: Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Watch Dogs, For Honor and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell.
Most recently, we launched Far Cry 6, the most ambitious Far Cry game to date, featuring the talented Giancarlo Esposito as Anton Castillo. Our studio has also led the development of the newest game in the Watch Dogs franchise – Watch Dogs: Legion (2020), a stand out for its tech and design work, play as anyone gameplay in an open world, and rich and detailed rendition of a future London. Starlink: Battle for Atlas (2018) was Ubisoft Toronto’s first new IP, using technology that seamlessly blended physical and digital gameplay. Splinter Cell Blacklist was the first title released by Ubisoft Toronto in 2013. We have an exciting roadmap of projects for the future and can’t wait to share more details.
Are you looking to work with enthusiastic experts who are tackling industry-changing challenges in entertainment and beyond? At Ubisoft Toronto, we are always striving to get better, be better and do better – embracing innovative ideas, exploring new technologies, and working together courageously and collaboratively.
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