CFX Artist (Technical Animation Artist)

The Walt Disney Company (France); Vancouver; On-site; CAD 79,000 - 151,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading animation studio is seeking a Character Technical Director in Vancouver, Canada to focus on character rigging and simulation. Your artistic and technical skills will be pivotal in creating appealing character performances. You will work with a talented team and handle responsibilities from simulation to polishing. Ideal candidates should have experience in cloth and hair animation, a strong grasp of animation principles, and Python scripting expertise. Competitive salary offered, with potential for a full benefits package.

Qualifications

• Experience in hair and/or cloth simulation.
• Thorough understanding of the principles of animation.
• Extensive knowledge of anatomy, kinematics, and physical behaviors.
• Detail-oriented with Python scripting experience.
• Experience on 3+ CG feature film productions.

Responsibilities

• Create character effects for shot production, including cloth and hair simulation.
• Collaborate with the Character Asset Team on simulation and animation rigs.
• Ensure the success of each character's creation.

Skills

Hair and cloth simulation

Principles of animation

Anatomy knowledge

Python scripting

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Art, Illustration, Computer Graphics, Engineering or equivalent

Tools

Autodesk Maya

Marvelous Designer

Houdini

Job description

At Walt Disney Animation Studios, Character Technical Directors (TD) work on Character Rigging, Simulation Setup, and Technical Animation. We are currently hiring Character TDs with an emphasis in Technical Animation to join us in crafting the most appealing character simulation performances for our projects.

Our ideal candidate has strong artistic skills built on top of a proven technical foundation. You will work closely with the industry's top talent in fields ranging from design and modeling through animation to bring our characters to life.

Responsibilities:

• Character effects for shot production, including cloth and hair simulation, and final character polishing
• Collaborate directly with Character Asset Team members: Directors, Character Designers, Animators, Modelers, and Look Development Artists to define and create the best simulation or animation rigs for a wide range of character styles and art directions
• Responsible for the creation and downstream success of each character

Requirements:

• Experience in hair and/or cloth simulation
• Thorough understanding of the principles of animation
• Extensive knowledge of anatomy, kinematics, and physical behaviors
• Experience with crafting appealing performance through simulation
• Detailed knowledge of Python scripting
• Experience on 3+ CG feature film productions
• Experience partnering with others, taking direction, and problem-solving
• Comfortable with Linux environments
• Previous leadership experience is a plus
• Experience in modeling, grooming, and rigging are a plus
• Bachelor's degree in Art, Illustration, Computer Graphics, Engineering, related field or equivalent experience

A Note About Software:

Our department currently uses Autodesk Maya as our primary platform with proprietary solvers, hair instancing tools, and other authoring plugins. Applicants should be adept in Maya or an equivalent CG application or demonstrate a curiosity about learning software quickly. Strength in packages like Marvelous Designer, XGen, and Houdini is an added plus.

Application Materials:

• A reel of recent and best technical animation work that is no longer than 3 minutes in length
• A resume that details your work history outlining past experiences that relate to working on cloth and hair technical animation in a collaborative environment
• A reel breakdown of the visuals on your reel (if applicable)
• Examples of art directed simulation a plus
• Post simulation finaling and anatomy sculpting a plus
• Cloth simulation rigs that demonstrate an understanding of tailoring and fabric quality under a broad range of motion a plus
• Examples of performance with character animation rigs a plus
• An optional portfolio of drawing or sculpture work reflecting an interest and knowledge in design and anatomy

The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The hiring range for this position in British Columbia, Canada is C$79,300 to C$150,500 CAD per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other variable pay or benefits, may be offered dependent on the level and position offered.