Elite Technical Animator & Rigging Lead

Placements24; Lancashire; Hybrid; GBP 19,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Technical Animator and Rigging Specialist to join a Queenstown-based studio. You will design and maintain sophisticated character rigs, develop animation systems, and collaborate with peers to ensure fluid, believable character performance in high-profile projects.

You should bring a strong portfolio, deep rigging knowledge, and scripting skills (Python/MEL) to automate tools, with proficiency in Maya and familiarity with major game engines.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in character rigging and technical animation for games or film.
• Strong portfolio of complex rigs, facial systems, and technical animation.
• Proficiency in Maya and rigging fundamentals (kinematics, joints, constraints).
• Experience with Python or MEL for tool development and automation.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience in related field.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain complex character rigs for humanoids, creatures, and props.
• Develop and implement advanced rigging techniques, including facial rigging, muscle simulation, and cloth simulation integration.
• Create and refine animation tools and scripts to improve workflow efficiency for animators.
• Collaborate with animators to ensure rigs meet their technical and artistic needs for animation production.
• Work closely with game designers and engineers to integrate animation systems into the game engine.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues related to character rigs and animation playback.
• Optimize rigs and animation data for performance and memory constraints.
• Stay current with the latest advancements in rigging, animation technology, and game engines.
• Mentor junior technical animators and riggers, providing guidance and support.
• Contribute to the overall quality and believability of character performance within the game.

Skills

Rigging and technical animation

Portfolio development

Scripting for automation

Collaboration and communication

Problem-solving

Anatomy/biomechanics understanding

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Animation, Fine Arts, or related field

Tools

Maya

Python

MEL

Unreal Engine

Unity

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Technical Animator and Rigging Specialist to join a Queenstown-based studio. You will design and maintain sophisticated character rigs, develop animation systems, and collaborate with peers to ensure fluid, believable character performance in high-profile projects.

You should bring a strong portfolio, deep rigging knowledge, and scripting skills (Python/MEL) to automate tools, with proficiency in Maya and familiarity with major game engines.