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Technical Animator
2 years ago
Technical Animator (Tools)
United Kingdom
We're Criterion, and we love making games!
For more than fifteen years we've entertained millions of players around the world with our award-winning games. Our team have expressed their passion for outstanding game feel, AAA audio-visual quality and technical innovation in the Burnout & Need for Speed series and and more recently in Battlefield 1, Star Wars X-Wing VR, Starfighter Assault and Arcade for Star Wars Battlefront II and Firestorm for Battlefield V.
We believe that healthy, engaged teams make great games, so we place enormous value on collaboration, fresh ideas, and unique perspectives. We'd love to hear yours! Crunch doesn't help make a better game. We don't do it. For the past three years we are very proud to have been recognised by gamesindustry.biz as one of the best places to work in the UK. Let's talk about how you could be a part of it.
What a Technical Animator does at Criterion:
We are looking for a Technical Animator to join our creative team working on the Need for Speed franchise, responsible for the development and implementation of animation, cinematics and character related workflows and content on our AAA titles.
You will report to the Technical Art Director and collaborate with fellow TA’s, Animators/Artists and Engineers in the development of a varied range of tools and pipelines that empower our artists to realize the creative vision of the game.
Be hands-on with the design and implementation of workflow solutions, content and game features, such as characters, facial and vehicle animation, crowd systems, narrative cinematics and more, while also considering automation opportunities, asset flow and tools architecture.
You will also help to deliver the highest visual quality features possible within technical constraints and be a key point of support for the team.
Requirements:
- Experience creating and supporting tools and workflows as a Technical Animator on shipped PC/Console titles.
- Excellent understanding of animation, cinematics and/or character creation principles, DCC supporting tools, and production pipelines.
- Strong knowledge of Maya and preferably MotionBuilder (incl. API’s).
- Proficient in Python scripting (incl. PyQT/PySide) following best practices. C++/C# is useful.
- An understanding of architecture for complex tools and pipelines with a focus on content creator friendly workflows and scalability.
- Understanding of real-time game content and the requirements for these to be efficient and high-quality.
- Additional experience using or writing tools in support of: deployment, automation for content/asset processing, VCS and unit-testing.
- A passion for helping; to think creatively to resolve technical challenges and the skill to communicate with different audiences (artists, designers, engineers).
- A passion for playing and making games.
What’s in it for you? Glad you asked!
Naturally, we offer great benefits packages, but more importantly, because we love working with outstanding creators, we maintain a culture that appreciates creative freedom and autonomy.
- Great compensation package, annual bonus scheme and stock plans.
- Benefits including private medical insurance, dental care, pension scheme and life insurance.
- Extras like employee discounts, Rail season ticket loan, free games.
- 25 days holiday (including 3 days company shutdown days between Christmas & New Year)
- Two annual staff parties (Summer and Christmas)
- Casual dress code
We thought you might also want to know:
We’re based in the lovely town of Guildford – 35 minutes from central London.
Our office has an onsite café and gym and is a short walk from the train station and town centre.
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