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Technical Artist: Animation

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 Games is looking for an experienced and passionate Technical Artist focused on Animation to help research and develop new technology for future titles as well as improve on existing technology and tools. This role will involve the development of new approaches and workflows within the scope of animation including core animation as well as facial motion capture (facial animation, tracking, and recognition). A person taking on this role will also be involved in improving pipelines currently in place as well as managing workflows for the very large number of files and assets that make up our games.

The ideal candidate will have at least 2 years of game or VFX industry experience in a similar role working in at least one of the typical “industry-standard” DCC packages (such as Motionbuilder or Maya), possessing a good foundation and core knowledge of object-oriented programming, and a strong background working on tools for animation. Bonus points for having a solid foundation in math as well as experience working with a facial motion capture pipeline.

In addition to technical skills, it is important that a candidate holds strong soft skills and can work well in a highly cooperative environment. This position involves working together with many others in different roles and the ability to work collaboratively as a trustworthy member of the team is essential.

WHAT WE DO

• Collaborate with tech art team(s) to build, maintain, and improve tools across multiple pipelines.
• Interact closely with gameplay, cinematic, and facial animation teams to support all efforts.
• Support rigging and animation pipelines, including ongoing investigation to improve facial rig and animation solving solutions.
• Work alongside animation programmers on developing and improving runtime solutions.
• Continually innovate while solving technical problems throughout all phases of production.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work closely with animators, automation, and other TAs to create tools and improve pipelines.
• Help develop and build on the facial animation and recognition pipeline.
• Manage facial pipeline and be heavily involved in working with face assets from motion capture.
• Develop automated solutions to help process large amounts of animation data more efficiently.
• Create production tools to support new pipelines and future tech.
• Write documentation for pipelines/tools created.
• Stay current with and research new technology solutions.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience using 3D DCC software (Motionbuilder and/or Maya preferred).
• Strong programming skills in Python.
• Familiarity with coding UI using PySide/Qt.
• Experience creating tools for animators.
• Enthusiasm for R&D/future tech development.
• Strong communication, self-management, and organizational skills.
• Effective time management skills to meet deadlines.

PLUSES
(Please note that these are desirable/bonus skills and are not expected when applying to the position.)

• Experience with facial animation, facial motion capture, and/or facial tracking.
• Experience using source control software (such as Perforce or Git).
• Solid foundation in math (specifically 3D math).
• Strong knowledge of character setup and good rigging standards.
• C#/C++ programming skills.
• Experience using MongoDB/SQL.

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 committed to creating a work environment that promotes equal opportunity, dignity and respect. In line with this commitment, Rockstar will provide accommodations to job applicants with disabilities (or on the basis of any other protected ground under human rights legislation) during the recruitment process, as well as to any Rockstar employees in order for them to perform the essential functions of their roles. Rockstar will comply with its obligations under the Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and will provide accommodations as long as such accommodations do not pose an undue hardship on Rockstar. If you need more information about Rockstar’s accommodation policies or process, or need to request an accommodation, please contact the Human Resources Department.

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, or race.