Technical Animator / Rigger

Cinnamon; Atlanta (GA); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

Lightfold Games in Atlanta, GA is building its founding technical animation team. We seek two Technical Animators/Riggers to design and implement robust character rigs for gameplay, animation and mocap pipelines.

You will work closely with artists, designers, and engineers to deliver animator-friendly rigs, integrate motion capture data, and develop in-engine tooling in a hybrid work environment.

Qualifications

• Strong rigging and skinning experience (Maya or equivalent).
• Experience with in-engine animation pipelines (Unreal Engine preferred).
• Proficiency in motion capture workflows, including cleaning and retargeting.
• Scripting abilities (Python, MEL, or similar) to develop tools.
• Understanding of video game pipelines and real-time engines (Unity, Unreal Engine) is highly beneficial.
• Experience with industry-standard 3D software (Maya, Blender, or equivalent) for rigging and animation.
• Ability to collaborate with artists, technical staff, and production with clear documentation.

Responsibilities

• Build skeletal rigs and skin weighting for players and monster variants.
• Develop locomotion cycles and ensure clean in-engine integration.
• Support heavy animation-state needs: run, strafe, shoot, hit reactions, deaths.
• Work with Character Artists on rig-friendly topology.
• Script tools and workflows to streamline rigging and animation tasks.
• Document best practices and collaborate with leads to support storytelling goals.

Skills

Rigging & skinning

Motion capture workflows

Animation principles

Scripting for tools

Collaboration & communication

Tools

Maya

Unreal Engine

Unity

Job description

Lightfold Games · Atlanta, GALightfold is a creator-first entertainment studio bringing fans and creators together to build original worlds across animation, comics, games, and more. We believe great stories come from giving talented people the freedom, ownership, and support to do their best work, then inviting audiences to come along for the ride.Now, we're building Lightfold Games.Come in on the ground floor, we're hiring to bring our 3D game development and asset production in-house and create a team that can help define not only this game, but what Lightfold Games becomes.These are hybrid positions based in Atlanta, GA (Old Fourth Ward), with health benefits. We're looking for collaborative, ambitious people who want the rare opportunity to get in early, help establish how a new studio works, and build something from the beginning.Our first game: building a co-op horde shooter with a stylized look tied to a 2D cartoon. We're hiring the full founding team at once, 11 roles in parallel, so we can move all 3D asset production in-house.Role DescriptionThis is a full-time Technical Animator / Rigger role based in Atlanta, GA, with a hybrid work arrangement that allows some work from home. The Technical Animator / Rigger will design, build, and maintain character and creature rigs for animation across animation, comics-related media, and games. Day-to-day responsibilities include creating and refining deformation setups, integrating motion capture data into production pipelines, and collaborating with animators, designers, and engineers to ensure rigs are intuitive, performant, and visually appealing. The role also involves scripting tools and workflows to streamline rigging and animation processes, troubleshooting technical issues, and documenting best practices for the team. The person in this role will work closely with project leads to support storytelling goals while meeting production timelines and quality standards.Our horde-shooter combat needs a large library of animation states across players and monster variants. We're hiring two Technical Animators/Riggers to build the skeletal and animation pipeline that supports it.DetailsBuild skeletal rigs and skin weighting for players and monster variantsDevelop locomotion cycles and get them working cleanly in-engineSupport heavy animation-state needs: running, strafing, spraying, aiming, hit reactions, deathsWork closely with Character Artists on rig-friendly topologyMust Have QualificationsStrong rigging and skinning experience (Maya or equivalent)Experience with in-engine animation pipelines (Unreal Engine preferred)Comfortable supporting a large roster of animated variantsMore QualificationsStrong rigging skills for characters and creatures, with experience building robust, animator-friendly rigs.Proficiency in motion capture workflows, including cleaning, retargeting, and integrating mocap data into rigs.Experience with animation principles and practical animation work for film, TV, or video games.Scripting abilities (e.g., Python, MEL, or similar) to develop tools and automate rigging and animation tasks.Understanding of video game pipelines and real-time engines (e.g., Unity, Unreal Engine) is highly beneficial.Experience with industry-standard 3D software (such as Maya, Blender, or equivalent) for rigging and animation.Ability to collaborate effectively with artists, technical staff, and production, with clear communication and documentation skills.Strong problem-solving mindset, attention to detail, and ability to work in a hybrid environment based in Atlanta, GA.Relevant education or equivalent professional experience in animation, game development, computer graphics, or a related field.