Environment Artist

Crytivo; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Crytivo is seeking an Environment Artist to join our team and shape Autonomica’s open-world environments. You will produce and polish world assets, work with terrain, and ensure cohesive visuals within our established pipeline.

You’ll collaborate closely with Level Designers, Tech Art, and Engineering to maintain atmosphere, readability, and performance across diverse environments for an expansive game world.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience creating 3D environments for games.
• Solid understanding of PBR workflow and real-time graphics.
• Experience building environments for open-world projects.
• Strong grasp of composition, lighting and color theory.
• Ability to work in a cross-functional team with designers and engineers.

Responsibilities

• Create and refine open-world environments following art direction and constraints.
• Maintain visual quality and deliver reliable results within tasks.
• Collaborate with Tech Art and Engineering to resolve visual/technical issues.
• Assemble and polish open-world locations with terrain tools and placements.
• Ensure world readability, gameplay alignment, and cohesive visuals.

Skills

3+ years of experience

PBR workflow knowledge

Open-world art experience

Artistic composition & color theory

Cross-functional teamwork

Tools

Unity

Autodesk Maya

Autodesk 3ds Max

Blender

ZBrush

Substance Painter

Substance Designer

Adobe Photoshop

Job description

We are looking for an Environment Artist to join our team and work on our current open‑world project, Autonomica. This role is ideal for an artist who is production‑ready, possesses a deep understanding of real‑time graphics requirements, and can work efficiently within an established pipeline.

In this position, you will not only create environment assets but also work directly on the game world shaping and set‑dressing open‑world locations, working with terrain, asset placement, and visual composition. Your goal is to maintain the cohesion, readability, and atmosphere of the world in close collaboration with Level Designers, Tech Art, and Engineering. This role is focused on the artistic production of environments and the overall visual quality of the world.

Responsibilities

• Create and refine open‑world environments following the project's art direction and established technical constraints.
• Ensure consistent visual quality and predictable results within assigned tasks.
• Coordinate with Tech Art and Engineering to resolve visual and technical issues related to assets and world assembly.

Asset Types and Environments

The Environment Artist should be able to independently create and polish the following types of assets and world elements:

• Foliage and trees created within existing pipelines.
• Stones, cliff elements, and modular formations for natural environments.
• Tileable textures and shaders used for terrain painting and visual shaping.
• Ground and environmental decals for surface detailing.
• Organic and man-made props for set‑dressing and world population.
• Modular elements created according to specific standards and a modular grid.

Texturing and Materials

• Create textures and materials in line with the art direction set by the Art Director or Lead.
• Work within established texture pipelines and project‑specific technical constraints.
• Maintain a mindful approach to texture memory and optimization (texture budgeting) according to set standards.

World Building and Level Art

• Assemble and visually polish open‑world locations.
• Work with terrain tools, asset placement, and the visual composition of spaces.
• Maintain the visual logic of the world, considering gameplay, navigation, and environmental readability.
• Work within the framework of existing design solutions and layouts.

Tools and Software

We expect a professional level of proficiency in the following tools:

• Engine: Unity (for world assembly, testing, and environment refinement).
• 3D and Sculpting: Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3ds Max, Blender, or ZBrush.
• Textures and Materials: Substance Painter, Substance Designer, Adobe Photoshop CC.

Qualifications and Expectations

• Experience: 3+ years of experience creating 3D environments for high-quality game projects.
• Solid understanding of PBR workflow, modular environment construction, and real‑time graphics principles.
• Practical experience working on environments for open‑world projects.
• Strong understanding of artistic composition, lighting, and color theory.
• Responsibility, self‑organization, and the ability to work effectively in a cross‑functional team.