Art

Principal Technical Artist

ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a Principal Technical Artist to join our studio to support our core production pipelines. This is a chance to join an experienced group of developers working to advance our core production pipelines. You will work on the shared technology that makes our world-class products possible.

The ideal candidate is a skilled Technical Artist with extensive experience problem solving in the art production domain.  You will be working with small, multidisciplinary groups of artists, designers and engineers to develop efficient, intuitive workflows that scale well, and can support multiple projects.

Responsibilities:

• Develop architecturally sound systems at the core of our Art and Design production pipelines, capable of supporting multiple projects simultaneously.
• Lead by example, assembling solutions and demonstrating solid development practices
• Provide support and training to users while mentoring other members of the Technical Art team
• Work with Art, Design and Engineering to develop technical guidelines so developers can meet established performance requirements
• Document workflows and advocate best practices

Requirements:

• Fluent in one or more programming language (Python, C#, C++, etc.)
• Solid technical background and an ability to design and implement systems
• 5+ years relevant industry experience
• Experience developing and maintaining systems used in game production
• Solid understanding of contemporary graphics capabilities and processes
• Strong troubleshooting skills
• Familiarity with common data formats: XML/JSON/etc.
• Familiarity with common 3D data formats: OBJ/FBX/ALEMBIC/etc.

Desired Skills:

• MMO or GaaS experience
• Experience with procedural authoring tools such as Houdini or World Machine
• Working with and supporting outsourcing providers
• Familiarity with reality capture methods
• VFX industry experience
• Linear algebra
• Interest in development patterns
• PyQt/PySide
• Perforce
• General interest in contemporary CGI techniques

Lead Technical Artist

ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a Lead Technical 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.

The ideal candidate is an experienced Technical Artist, having served as a lead on a number of shipped titles. You will be working with small, multidisciplinary groups of artists, designers and engineers to develop efficient, intuitive workflows that scale well, and can support multiple projects.

Responsibilities:

• Develop architecturally sound systems at the core of our Art and Design production pipelines, capable of supporting multiple projects simultaneously.
• Lead by example, assembling solutions and demonstrating solid development practices
• Identify weak points in existing pipelines and work with other disciplines to find the most practical resolution
• Provide support and training to users while mentoring other members of the Technical Art team
• Work with Art, Design and Engineering to develop technical guidelines so developers can meet established performance requirements
• Document workflows and advocate best practices

Requirements:

• Fluent in one or more programming language (Python, C#, C++, etc.)
• Solid technical background and an ability to design and implement systems
• 5+ years relevant industry experience – some of this in a leadership role
• Experience developing and maintaining systems used in game production
• Solid understanding of contemporary graphics capabilities and processes
• Strong troubleshooting skills
• Familiarity with common data formats: XML/JSON/etc.
• Familiarity with common 3D data formats: OBJ/FBX/ALEMBIC/etc.

Desired Skills:

• MMO or GaaS experience
• Experience with procedural authoring tools such as Houdini or World Machine
• Working with and supporting outsourcing providers
• Linear algebra
• Interest in development patterns
• Familiarity with reality capture methods
• PyQt/PySide
• Perforce
• General interest in contemporary CGI techniques

Senior Technical Artist (Character Systems)

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.

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

Requirements:

• 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.

Desired 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

Senior Technical Artist (Animation)

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.

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

Requirements:

• 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.

Desired Skills:

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

Principal Lighting Artist

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.

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

Requirements:

• 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
• Candidate must submit an online portfolio to be considered

Desired 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

ZeniMax Online is looking for a highly motivated Senior Animator to collaborate with our talented team of creative professionals bringing the creatures and characters of our worlds 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.

Responsibilities:

• Bring fantasy and realistic creatures and characters to life with high-quality animation
• Collaborate with design and engineering and define new gameplay mechanics
•  Contribute to the creative process with original ideas and inspiration that will shape the players' experience
• Provide artistic vision to gameplay and in-game storytelling
• Work directly with the character team to develop character and creature models with believable proportions and help define rigging, and other animation considerations.
• Autonomous problem-solving in a dynamic environment

Requirements:

• Have 5+ years of professional experience as an animator
• Experience developing new gameplay mechanics from the ground up
• Show ability to combine acting and action to bring personality and appeal to characters and monsters alike
• 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 3D Studio Max, Maya or Motion Builder

Desired Skills (Optional):

• Experience with motion capture and realistic human performance
• Training or experience with acting or combat
• Excellent drawing or related traditional art skills demonstrated in a portfolio
• Have a deep understanding of anatomy and human kinetics, demonstrated through a working knowledge of martial arts, dance, or related experience

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

We are seeking a senior-level concept artist that has published production experience with creating a diverse visual range of characters, environments, architecture, props and related game assets. A solid grasp of form, structure, color, and light for 2D art assets is essential.

Responsibilities

• Create the look of new assets by working closely with the Art Director to establish a consistent visual direction for armors, weapons, monsters, environments/landscapes, architecture, props, storyboards, marketing art, etc.
• Create inspiring and highly detailed, realistic production friendly concept art that stays on style with the aesthetics already established in our game. 
• Produce work with minimal supervision, in an efficient and timely manner, to maintain production schedules
• Work closely with colleagues to foster a highly communicative, coordinated team effort
• Ensure quality of related assets by maintaining responsibility over your work throughout the project's development

Requirements  

• Excellent traditional artistic skills with a strong grasp of composition, anatomy, color theory, perspective, lighting, environment, architectural, creature/character, costume and graphic design.
• Proficiency in life drawing (drawing from life and reference) as well as a strong imagination and a willingness to push the envelope, to innovate within the parameters of the game's world.
• Strong communication, excellent visual storytelling and written skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills-able to interact with team members of different disciplines.
• Good positive attitude and outlook, self-motivated, and a great team player.

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.

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

Requirements:

• 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.

Desired 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

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