Senior Technical Rigger - Character Deformation Expert

Visualconcepts; Novato (CA); On-site; USD 74,000 - 103,000; Full time

Job summary

Visual Concepts in Novato, CA is seeking an expert character rigging artist (temporary) to join the NBA Tech Art team. You will work closely with artists and engineers to develop robust body and facial rigs, implement automation, and ensure rigs deform accurately for in-game characters.

The ideal candidate has strong Maya expertise, deep knowledge of human anatomy, and experience with scripting (Python/PyMel).

Qualifications

• Proficiency in Autodesk Maya with focus on character rigging for games.
• Strong understanding of human anatomy and deformation principles.
• Experience scripting in Python (PyMel) for rig automation.
• FACS-based rigging familiarity for facial rigs.
• Knowledge of topology and edge-flow for natural deformation.

Responsibilities

• Update character rigs to improve deformation and anatomy accuracy.
• Create math node networks for body and face rigs.
• Implement blendshapes and corrective shapes with the art team.
• Create clean skinweight and blendweight maps.
• Write Python code to automate tasks and improve workflows.
• Diagnose and fix rigging issues across tools and pipelines.
• Collaborate with technical artists and engineers across departments.
• Contribute to documentation and pipeline improvements.

Skills

Autodesk Maya

Character rigging

Python scripting

FACS rigging

Edge topology

Problem solving

Video game passion

Tools

NgSkinTools

Qt

Perforce

Maya Python API

Job description

Visual Concepts in Novato, CA is seeking an expert character rigging artist (temporary) to join the NBA Tech Art team. You will work closely with artists and engineers to develop robust body and facial rigs, implement automation, and ensure rigs deform accurately for in-game characters.

The ideal candidate has strong Maya expertise, deep knowledge of human anatomy, and experience with scripting (Python/PyMel).