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Technical Artist

We are EA

And we make games – how cool is that? In fact, we entertain millions of people across the globe with the most amazing and immersive interactive software in the industry. That’s why we employ the most creative, passionate people in the industry.

Have you ever experienced the thrill of a last minute goal that carries your team to victory in front of millions of people? Working here is kinda like that

The Challenge Ahead:

The Technical Artist (TA) acts as a bridge between the artists and programmers working on a game. They ensure art assets can be easily integrated into a game without sacrificing the artistic vision or exceeding the technical limits of the chosen platform. The Technical Artist works as part of the art team and coordinates with the lead artists, the art director, and with the lead programmers.

The main responsibilities for Technical Artists include setting up and maintaining the art production workflow and making decisions about which art packages and tools a studio should use. Technical Artists investigate new techniques and implementing them within the team. The job often includes an instructional element, with the Technical Artist sharing their knowledge with other artists through training sessions.

The Technical Artist typically works one step removed from the direct creation of game art assets, setting up the systems of production and solving problems as they arise. It’s crucial for the Technical Artist to keep up-to-date in changes in technology, both regarding console hardware, art packages, and new techniques. The Technical Artist will create custom tools to improve the efficiency of their team. This is usually carried out using the scripting languages included in the main modeling and animation packages.

Technical Artists will help provide feedback or debugging complex assets such as character skeleton rigs and skinning systems. They will also research and oversee the implementation of rendering techniques such as normal and specular maps, particle systems, and pixel shaders as well.

What this Technical Artist will do at EA:

• Maintain technologies and art workflows
• Identify art workflow problems, and work with Technical Producers, Expert’s, CG Sups and TA’s to solve them
• Establish and enforce naming conventions within assets, tools, and workflows
• Integrate new technologies into art workflows
• Work with other artists/TA's on a daily basis to identify challenges and provide solutions
• Oversee asset and meeting budget (memory and performance)
• Oversee asset build stability

The next great EA Technical Artist also needs:

• At least 5+ years of games/animation/FX production experience.
• Intermediate knowledge of CG fundamentals: modeling, texturing/shading/surfacing, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering, and compositing
• Understanding of multiple gaming platform limitations with regard to visual assets
• Experience with at least one 3D package
• Intermediate scripting experience with Python or Mel/Maya API
• Proficiency with C# or C++
• Experience troubleshooting CG issues
• Think creatively to resolve technical challenges and limitations
• Experience providing a bridge between artists and software engineers

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