Art

Overview

We are searching for a proven, enthusiastic, senior-level Unity Technical Artist with a focus on Mobile Games. The ideal candidate is an experienced Technical Artist, having worked on a number of shipped mobile titles. This role covers a broad range of duties necessary to take a game idea from concept to device. Some of these include implementing responsive, animated UI, maintaining a clean and elegant editor architecture, implementing Particle Effects, Shaders, programming tools, and Editor Scripts. You will be working with a small, multidisciplinary groups of artists, designers and engineers to develop efficient, intuitive workflows.

Qualifications

• At least 3 - 5+ years of experience as a Technical Artist within the mobile games industry
• A high level of comfort and confidence working equally with game art and programming
• Strong experience extending Unity with custom tools for game development
• Strong working knowledge of Unity particles, shaders, UGUI and NGUI
• Experience developing and maintaining systems used in game production
• Working experience with version control systems (Perforce or git)
• Strong troubleshooting skills

Responsibilities

• Develop architecturally sound systems at the core of our Art and Design production pipelines, capable of supporting current and future projects
• Identify weak points in existing pipelines and work with other disciplines to find the most practical resolution
• Provide support and training to users
• Work with Art Design and Engineering to develop technical guidelines so developers can meet established performance requirements
• Document workflows and advocate best practices

Preferred Skills

• Able to work well as part of a team with minimum supervision
• A proven ability to identify and attack workflow inefficiencies with robust, repeatable solutions
• Mature understanding of C# with an adherence to strong programming best practices and design patterns
• Strong sense of color, and design
• Knowledge of industry standard art packages
• Able to think creatively to resolve technical challenges and limitations
• Skilled at collaborating with engineering / art to diagnose and resolve issues
• Demonstrable professionalism good attitude, focused, and meets deadlines consistently
• Unity Technical Artist certification
• Experience using ImageMagick
• Experience with C+
• 2D illustration skills
• Understanding of animation principles and fundamentals (timing, arcs, squash and stretch, easing, etc.)
• Familiarity with Spine

Overview

ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking an experienced Senior Art Pipeline Engineer. In this position, you will assist in the development of our next gen game pipelines. You’ll be getting in at the ground level of a new project, working with a world class team on cutting edge technologies to support an amazing new IP. From raw, low-level data management and IO to high-level UI systems, physics, animation and graphics, this role is involved in just about every system we use.

The ideal candidate is a skilled Engineer with extensive experience in problem solving and working on data processing challenges in the game industry. You’ll be working within a small, multidisciplinary group of experienced developers as you bring our systems online.

Qualifications

• Fluent in C++
• Competent in various languages (C++, Python, C#, Java, etc.)
• Solid technical background with an ability to design and implement systems
• 5+ years game industry, or relevant professional experience
• Experience developing and maintaining systems used in production environments
• Solid understanding of contemporary graphics capabilities and processes
• Strong troubleshooting skills

Responsibilities

• Collaborate in the development of fundamental, architecturally sound systems that scale well, can support large teams, and are well received by users
• Design and implement solutions that demonstrate solid development practices and keep users focused on their area of expertise
• Provide support and training to users while mentoring other members of the team
• Work with Art, Design, and Engineering to develop technical guidelines so developers can understand and meet established performance requirements
• Document workflows and advocate best practices

Preferred Skills

• Familiarity with Qt
• Interest in procedural graphics
• Experience developing plugins for various DCCs (Houdini, Maya, etc.)
• MMO or GaaS experience
• Familiarity with reality capture methods
• VFX industry experience
• Linear algebra whiz
• Interest in development patterns
• Experience with Perforce 

Overview

ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a Senior Technical Artist that will be focused on character systems to join our studio for the development of our next AAA game.  This is a chance to join an experienced group of developers in pre-production for a new IP.

The ideal candidate is a skilled Technical Artist with extensive experience building systems to support character production. Character customization is an important aspect of this IP and extends into nearly everything the player can do. You will be working with small, multidisciplinary groups of artists, designers and engineers to develop efficient, intuitive workflows, build production tools, and identify performance metrics parameters.

Qualifications

• Fluent in one or more programming language (Python, C#, C++, etc.)
• Solid technical background and an ability to design and implement systems
• 3+ years relevant industry experience minimum
• Experience developing and working with other character production systems
• Experience working with physically based materials
• Strong troubleshooting skills
• Familiarity with common data formats: XML/JSON/etc.
• Familiarity with common 3D data formats: OBJ/FBX/ALEMBIC/etc

Responsibilities

• Work with Art, Design, and Engineering to develop tools and systems that provide efficient character production workflows
• Develop tools that ensure data integrity
• Identify production bottlenecks and propose solutions
• Provide support, training, and mentoring to users
• Document workflows and advocate best practices

Preferred Skills

• MMO or GaaS experience
• Experience with Substance Designer/Painter or similar
• VFX Industry experience
• Experience with Houdini
• Perforce
• PyQt/PySide
• General interest in contemporary CGI techniques

Overview

ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a Senior Technical Artist with a focus in animation to join our studio for the development of our next AAA game.  This is a chance to join an experienced group of developers in pre-production for a new IP.

The ideal candidate is a skilled Technical Artist with experience in rigging and animation.  You will be working with small, multidisciplinary groups of artists, designers and engineers to develop efficient, intuitive workflows, build production tools, and identify performance metrics parameters.

Qualifications

• Fluent in one or more programming language (Python, C#, C++, etc.)
• Solid technical background with ability to design and implement systems
• 3+ years relevant industry experience
• Solid understanding of kinematics, animation principles and ability to translate this into tangible production tools and processes
• Experience with runtime animation tools, techniques and capabilities (Unity, Havok Behavior, Natural Motion, or proprietary systems, etc.)
• Experience working with an animation graph or similar system
• Experience rigging characters for animation
• Understand differences between production and runtime animation requirements
• Strong troubleshooting skills
• Familiarity with common data formats: XML/JSON/etc.
• Familiarity with common 3D data formats: OBJ/FBX/ALEMBIC/etc.

Responsibilities

• Work within a multidisciplinary team to develop efficient, maintainable workflows capable of supporting a large, complex project with a wide range of animation needs
• Develop tools and workflows to support animators
• Develop and maintain runtime animation graphs
• Provide direct support to the animation team
• Work with Engineering to develop best practices, technical guidelines, and performance metrics for animation
• Document workflows and advocate best practices

Preferred Skills

• Mocap Experience
• Experience working with 2 or more animation pipelines
• Linear algebra
• Perforce
• PyQt/PySide
• General interest in contemporary CGI techniques

Overview

ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a Principal Lighting Artist to join our studio for the development of our next AAA game.  This is a chance to join an experienced group of developers in pre-production for a new IP.

This position requires an understanding of modern lighting techniques and an eye for artistic excellence informed by training and experience.  The ideal candidate understands real-world lighting and cinematography principles as well as game engine technology.

Qualifications

• 5+ Years of industry experience, preferably focused on lighting
• Working knowledge of modern lighting techniques in next-gen video games
• Expert level proficiency within Max/Maya, Photoshop, and other 3rd party software used in lighting
• Working knowledge of technical art and performance pipelines
• Self-motivated and has the ability to work and solve problems with minimal assistance
• Highly organized with the ability to adhere to production schedules
• Well-developed communication skills and strong work ethic
• A strong understanding of color theory and the influences of lighting on mood and story narrative

Responsibilities

• Work with technical artists and engineers to outline workflow, develop tools, and establish best practices for lighting in our new engine
• Work with Art and Design to create compelling and dramatic lighting scenarios for worldbuilding, gameplay, and cinematics
• Work with Design to establish functional, gameplay-informing lighting systems
• Establish clear benchmarks for the team, and work with worldbuilders and additional lighting artists to consistently hit those benchmarks through production
• Maintain a balance between visual quality and performance requirements
• Match the established visual style for the game with regard to lighting execution

Preferred Skills

• AAA development experience
• Film production experience
• Training in traditional art mediums (painting or photography)
• Knowledge of current engine technology such as CRYENGINE, UE4, or Unity
• Experience with lighting using a Physically Based Renderer

Overview

We are seeking a skilled Technical Animator to help further develop our animation pipeline. The focus of this position will be on runtime animation integration and animation handling in the pipeline.

You will work with animators to develop blend graphs that produce smooth, AAA quality animation, seamlessly combining animated motion with various runtime input sources. You’ll help define animation related workflows and systems, and you’ll assist animators in all technical aspects of animation production. Working with multiple disciplines to identify effective solutions, you will serve as a communicator with the goal of ensuring all involved parties have a common understanding of the system and our shared goals.

Preference will be given to candidates who have experience writing animation authoring tools (in Max, Maya, etc.), though this is not the primary area of coverage. If you have experience programming in any form, this is a huge plus. If you have experience with MOCAP that is also beneficial. If you are technical, highly motivated and passionate about animation, please apply for this position. It’s an uncommon opportunity.

Qualifications

• 5 or more years industry experience
• 3-5 years runtime animation system experience (can overlap with industry experience)
• Professional experience working with 2 or more animation pipelines
• Strong technical skillset and love of getting hands dirty
• Strong understanding of kinematics and eye for animation
• Experience with runtime animation tools, techniques and capabilities (Unity, Havok Behavior, Natural Motion, or proprietary, etc.)
• Familiarity with rigging
• Some familiarity with MOCAP workflows
• Understand differences between production and runtime animation requirements and data
• Clear, demonstrable understanding of animation data and how it moves through the pipeline
• Self-sufficient, motivated and independent
• Strong communication and time management skills
• Familiarity with common data formats: XML/JSON/etc.
• Familiarity with common 3D data formats: HVK/GR2/OBJ/FBX/ALEMBIC/etc.

Portfolio: Please include links to your work and clearly indicate your contributions. Resumes without work samples will not be considered.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with Animation, Design, and Engineering to develop the means by which these groups interact with animation data
• Play a positive, proactive role in communication between all involved departments
• Advocate for Animation while maintaining attention to performance issues
• Provide ongoing support and training to Animation throughout production cycle
• Communicate, promote, and document animation related processes and best practices
• Help to identify tools that will make managing large amounts of animation possible

Preferred Skills

• Some understanding of shaders
• Any programming experience
• Pyside/PyQt
• Perforce
• Experience with special effects and non-character animation
• General interest in contemporary CGI techniques

Overview

ZeniMax Online Studios is looking for an experienced Animation Outsourcing Manager to manage an external team of animators. The role involves critiquing and managing work while providing benchmark examples for the external team to follow. He/she will coordinate between internal animators, technical artists, and the external team. The ideal candidate is an experienced character animator with management experience.

Qualifications

• Well-developed communication, negotiation, and personal skills
• Provide a portfolio of work demonstrating excellence in animation, technical art, or related experience
• 2+ years of experience in a leadership position and at least one year of experience in outsource management
• Highly organized with an eye for quality and the ability to review deliverables for quality and accuracy
• Experience in Max and Maya
• Experience with project management and delivering to required schedules and deadlines
• Strong aptitude for art/animation software
• Experience with skinning, rigging, animation production for video games

Responsibilities

• Review deliverables for quality and accuracy and provide feedback as required
• Create benchmark examples based on the Animation Director’s feedback and direction
• Revise and adjust animations as needed in an effort to achieve the best quality possible
• Maintain a production schedule and manage multiple deliveries from different animators on a daily basis
• Coordinate daily with our internal artists, tech artists, animators, and leads in order to process and export animation assets into the game
• Test and troubleshoot deliverables to ensure they work correctly in the game engine

Preferred Skills

• Experience with 2D art, illustration, and figure drawing
• Experience with motion capture pipelines, deliverables, and setup
• Experience with Motion Builder functionality and workflows

Overview

ZeniMax Online is looking for a highly motivated Motion Capture Animator who has an enthusiasm for motion capture! Along with our talented team of creative professionals, you will be bringing the real-time in game performance of our unique characters to life. Our teams are empowered to create, challenged to learn, and encouraged to lead. Harness your passion and creativity to develop genre-defining gameplay and interactive storytelling.

Qualifications

• Have 3+ years of professional experience as a Motion Capture Editor
• Show ability to combine acting and action to bring personality and appeal to characters
• Can demonstrate an understanding of animation pipelines and standard industry processes
• Possess technical knowledge/abilities with respect to the implementation of animation into a game engine
• Shows a strong understanding of fundamental animation principles and the ability to clearly communicate those ideas to others
• Come from a background with experience collaborating across all disciplines
• Must show an aptitude for learning new systems quickly
• Have a minimum of BFA with a major in Animation or equivalent experience, additional related education a plus
• Have extensive knowledge of Motion Builder Softer, along with 3D Studio Max or Maya
• Experienced with retargeting motion capture data in Motion Builder
• Strong organizational skills
• On stage mocap experience
• Positive attitude along with excellent communication skills

Responsibilities

• Bring fantasy characters to life with high-quality motion under tight deadlines
• Contribute to the creative process with original ideas and inspiration that will shape the players' experience
• Provide artistic vision to in-game storytelling
• Autonomous problem-solving in a dynamic environment
• Retargeting motion capture data onto bipedal characters
• Collaborate and assist with motion capture shoots along with providing performance yourself
• Set up character props in Motion Builder
• Set up story clips in Motion Builder
• Oversee quality on all motion capture data
• Collaborate with production team to strengthen our motion capture data pipeline
• Identify and solve retarget problems
• Provide design with high quality block in animations for proof of concept before we commit to a Motion Capture shoot
• On occasion, support environment on world object animations

Preferred Skills

• Scripting experience in Motion Builder is a plus
• Rigging and Scripting experience in 3D Studio Max is a plus