SENIOR ANIMATOR (MOTION CAPTURE)

Cyborn BV; Antwerpen; On-site; EUR 50,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Cyborn BV in Antwerp is seeking a senior game animator with solid motion capture experience to join our in-house studio. You will shoot, clean and polish mocap data using our 30-camera Vicon setup and bring characters to life across work-for-hire productions and our VR/mixed reality titles.

You will run mocap shoots with Faceware facial capture, implement animation in Unreal Engine, and collaborate closely with gameplay programmers and tech artists.

Qualifications

• Several years of professional experience as a game animator.
• A reel showing mocap-based and keyframed work.

Responsibilities

• Animate characters and creatures for games, including locomotion, combat, cinematics and interactions, mocap-driven and keyframed.
• Run motion capture shoots in Vicon Shogun studio with Faceware facial capture: session prep, actor direction, capture, solving and retargeting.
• Clean, edit and polish motion capture data to client and project quality standards.
• Implement animation in Unreal Engine: blueprints, blend spaces, montages, state machines; collaborate with gameplay programming and tech art.
• Provide feedback on rigs and pipelines with technical animators; mentor junior animators.
• Switch between work-for-hire productions and our own titles; communicate daily with production manager.

Skills

Motion capture

Unreal Engine

Maya

MotionBuilder

Faceware

Rig feedback

Team collaboration

Tools

Vicon Shogun

Faceware

Job description

Cyborn is looking for a senior animator with solid motion capture experience to join our team in Antwerp. You will shoot, clean and polish mocap in our in-house 30-camera Vicon studio and bring characters to life across several work-for-hire productions and our own ambitious VR and mixed reality titles. Our animation credits include Horizon Forbidden West, Horizon Call of the Mountain and Metro Awakening; our own games Wall Town Wonders and Hubris are award winners.

What will you do

• You will animate characters and creatures for games: locomotion, combat, cinematics and interactions, from mocap-driven to fully keyframed, realistic as well as stylised.
• You will run motion capture shoots in our Vicon Shogun studio with Faceware facial capture: session prep, actor direction together with the lead, capture, solving and retargeting.
• You will clean, edit and polish motion capture data to the quality bar of our clients and our own titles.
• You will implement animation in Unreal Engine: animation blueprints, blend spaces, montages and state machines, in close collaboration with gameplay programming and tech art.
• You will give feedback on rigs and pipeline together with our technical animators, and help junior animators grow.
• You switch between work-for-hire productions and our own titles, and communicate daily with the production manager.

What we expect of you

• You have several years of professional experience as a game animator and have shipped at least one title.
• You have hands-on motion capture experience: shooting, cleaning, retargeting and editing; experience with Vicon Shogun or Blade is a strong plus, Faceware or similar facial capture a plus.
• You have a strong grasp of body mechanics, weight and timing, and a reel that shows it in both mocap-based and keyframe work.
• You are fluent in Maya or MotionBuilder and comfortable implementing animation in Unreal Engine.
• You understand the constraints of real-time and VR animation: performance budgets, root motion, first-person hands and full-body presence (strong plus).
• You know how to work with source control.
• You have a great attention for detail and give and take feedback well.
• You have a positive work drive and can work efficiently towards tight deadlines.
• You are willing to work on location in Antwerp, Belgium.

What we offer

• A senior role in an award-winning studio with its own IP, its own Vicon motion capture studio and a steady flow of AAA work-for-hire productions.
• Variety: VR, mixed reality and non-VR projects, from cosy simulation to action-adventure, across games, film and XR.
• A full-time position in Antwerp with a competitive package, and the room to shape how we capture and animate.