3D Animator

Critical Mass; Calgary; Remote; CAD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the gaming industry is looking for a talented Animator / Technical Artist. This remote role focuses on adapting and retargeting animations in Unreal Engine, contributing to high-quality character movement. The ideal candidate has strong skills in animation, problem-solving, and teamwork, making a significant impact on game development.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience as an animator or technical artist, preferably in game development.
• Proficient in Unreal Engine (UE4/UE5) and animation systems.
• Strong understanding of skeletal meshes, rigging, and animation blueprints.

Responsibilities

• Import and organize FBX animation files for Unreal Engine.
• Retarget animations to custom character rigs.
• Collaborate with artists and programmers for asset optimization.

Skills

Problem-solving

Attention to detail

Communication

Teamwork

Tools

Unreal Engine

FBX import/export

DCC tools (Maya, Blender, 3ds Max)

Job description

We are seeking a talented and detail-oriented Animator / Technical Artist with expertise in Unreal Engine to join our creative team. Your primary responsibility will be to take animations (motion capture and custom) and adapt, tweak, and retarget them to work seamlessly with our custom character rigs within Unreal Engine. You will bridge the gap between animation and implementation, ensuring high-quality, responsive, and visually appealing character movement.

This is a remote role with a projected end date of August 1st, 2025.

You will:

• Import and organize FBX animation files for use in Unreal Engine.
• Retarget animations to custom character rigs, ensuring correct proportions, motion fidelity, and technical accuracy.
• Make animation tweaks and modifications as necessary to resolve glitches, improve fluidity, and match project requirements.
• Troubleshoot and resolve any issues related to skeletons, rigging, and animation blueprints.
• Collaborate with character artists, designers, and programmers to ensure animation assets are correctly implemented and optimized for in-game use.
• Maintain and update animation state machines, blend spaces, and related Unreal Engine systems.
• Document workflows and provide feedback on animation and rigging tools and pipelines.

You have:

• 2+ years of experience as an animator or technical artist, preferably in game development.
• Proven proficiency with Unreal Engine (UE4/UE5), especially in animation systems and retargeting.
• Solid understanding of skeletal meshes, rigging, and animation blueprints within Unreal Engine.
• Experience with FBX import/export, animation cleanup, and adjustment using DCC tools (e.g., Maya, Blender, 3ds Max).
• Familiarity with character pipelines, including skinning, weighting, and IK/FK systems.
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and teamwork abilities.

You may have:

• Experience with procedural animation, physics-based animation, or motion capture workflows.
• Portfolio or reel demonstrating relevant work.

Critical Mass is an equal opportunity employer.

The Critical Mass Talent Acquisition team will only communicate from email addresses that use the URLs criticalmass.comand us.greenhouse-mail.io. We will not use apps such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, or Google Hangouts for communicating with you. We will never ask you to send us money, technology, or anything else to work for our company. If you believe you are the victim of a scam, please review your local government consumer protections guidance and reach out to them directly.

If U.S. based: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams#avoid
If Canada based: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/finance/consumer-affairs.html
If U.K. based: https://www.gov.uk/consumer-protection-rights
If Costa Rica based: https://www.consumo.go.cr/educacion_consumidor/consejos_practicos.aspx