Technical VFX Artist

Artistocrats; Hasselt; On-site; EUR 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The Artistocrats in Hasselt is seeking a Technical VFX Artist to lead real-time visual effects in Unity, shaping environmental ambience and combat polish while respecting frame budgets.

You will own the VFX pipeline from generating 2D/3D assets to implementing final logic in-engine, with potential to contribute to related 3D tasks. Strong Unity URP/HDRP, shader, and texture-generation skills are essential. This is a hands-on role in a small studio where ownership and creativity are valued.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of professional experience creating real-time VFX within the Unity engine (URP/HDRP).
• Strong understanding of node-based shader tools, HLSL/Cg, geometry meshes, texture generation, and UV manipulation for VFX.
• Must be proficient in English or Dutch (spoken and written).
• Able to work full-time on-site at our Hasselt studio.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with game designers and programmers to hook up VFX to gameplay events efficiently.
• Design and implement real-time VFX (environmental elements, combat feedback, UI effects) directly in Unity.
• Generate the visual components needed for your effects, including bespoke textures, flipbooks, sprite sheets, and custom meshes.
• Build custom shaders using Unity Shader Graph and HLSL to bring our visual vision to life.
• Work with Visual Effect Graph and the built-in Particle System (Shuriken) to create scalable, modular effects.
• Profile and optimize VFX using Unity Profiler and Frame Debugger to assure an optimal performance.

Skills

Real-time VFX

Unity URP/HDRP

Shader tools

HLSL/Cg

Texture generation

UV manipulation

Optimization techniques

Tools

Unity

Unity Shader Graph

Shuriken (Particle System)

Houdini

Substance Designer

Blender

Substance Painter

Job description

Based in Hasselt, The Artistocrats is an established independent game studio dedicated to the creation of our own original titles. We are currently expanding our team to tackle more ambitious projects, including new DLC for our RTS game, Starship Troopers: Terran Command , and upcoming unannounced titles.

As a Technical VFX Artist, you will be the primary driver behind our game’s visual feedback, environmental ambiance, and combat polish—creating stunning, highly performant real-time effects in Unity without blowing up our frame budgets.

Because we are a small team, you will have complete ownership of the VFX pipeline, from generating the foundational 2D and 3D assets to implementing the final logic in-engine.

While your primary focus will be the VFX pipeline, you may also contribute to related 3D tasks such as modeling or texturing, should you possess these skills.

What you will do

Collaborate with game designers and programmers to hook up VFX to gameplay events efficiently.

Design and implement real-time VFX (environmental elements, combat feedback, UI effects) directly in Unity.

Generate the visual components needed for your effects, including bespoke textures, flipbooks, sprite sheets, and custom meshes.

Build custom shaders using Unity Shader Graph and HLSL to bring our visual vision to life.

Work with Visual Effect Graph and the built-in Particle System (Shuriken) to create scalable, modular effects.

Profile and optimize VFX using Unity Profiler and Frame Debugger to assure an optimal performance.

What we are looking for

Must-haves

Professional proficiency in English or Dutch (spoken and written)

Ability to work full-time on-site at our Hasselt studio

A solid artistic eye for timing, scale, color theory, and motion in real-time game environments.

2+ years of professional experience creating real-time VFX within the Unity engine (URP/HDRP).

Strong understanding of node-based shader tools, HLSL/Cg, geometry meshes, texture generation, and UV manipulation for VFX.

Knowledge of optimization techniques specifically related to particles, shaders, and rendering pipelines.

Nice-to-haves

Professional fluency in Dutch (spoken and written)

Basic C# scripting knowledge to wire up and trigger your own effects.

Experience using Houdini, Substance Designer, or Blender for simulation baking and texture generation.

General 3D artist skills such as modeling (Blender) and texturing (Substance Painter)

What We offer

Full-time role in an established studio focused on making (strategy) games.

Fair remuneration based on market standards.

A varied job with plenty of responsibility and creativity within our growing team.