Technical Designer in Animation

Epic Games; North Carolina; On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and Dental coverage

Vision care

401k with match

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

Epic Games in North Carolina is seeking a Technical Designer in Animation (TDiA) to join our team. You will design and implement gameplay animation systems, serve as the primary contact for animation implementation, and collaborate with Animation, Design, and Engineering to keep the pipeline smooth.

You will build animation behavior tools, design state machines, work with Maya, MotionBuilder, and the Unreal Engine, and help translate creative vision into technical reality while protecting style

Qualifications

• Knowledge of animation pipelines and how to implement character motion
• Ability to translate creative vision into technical implementations
• Strong collaboration with cross-functional teams

Responsibilities

• Build animation behavior tools, techniques, and frameworks for complex systems and entertaining characters
• Design and implement animation state machines, behaviors, and runtime solutions
• Partner with animation leadership to ensure style consistency and quality across projects
• Collaborate with Design and Engineering to troubleshoot in-game animation issues
• Identify opportunities to improve the animation workflow and provide technical solutions
• Create documentation and deliver training to level up the team's technical fluency
• Share solutions with Epic Games teams to align workflows and reuse tools

Skills

Animation pipelines knowledge

Unreal Engine Animation Blueprints

Team collaboration

Problem-solving

Tools

Maya

MotionBuilder

Unreal Engine

Control Rig

Job description

WHAT MAKES US EPIC?

At the core of Epic’s success are talented, passionate people. Epic prides itself on creating a collaborative, welcoming, and creative environment. Whether it’s building award-winning games or crafting engine technology that enables others to make visually stunning interactive experiences, we’re always innovating.

Being Epic means being a part of a team that continually strives to do right by our community and users. We’re constantly innovating to raise the bar of engine and game development.

ART

What We Do

Push your artistic talent to the limit on a team of world-class environment, character and concept artists who strive to innovate and inspire.

What You’ll Do

Epic Games is looking for a Technical Designer in Animation (TDiA) to join our team working across various animation systems. As a TDiA, you will use your animation sense and technical understanding of character animation to design and create gameplay animation systems that facilitate entertaining, high-quality characters. You will be a primary point of contact for animation implementation, any animation-related technical challenges, and will work closely with Animation, Design, and Engineering colleagues to ensure the animation pipeline operates smoothly and efficiently. You will also help identify potential issues and deploy correct solutions, using your technical knowledge to help bridge and facilitate communication between the animation team and other departments.

In this role, you will

• Build animation behavior tools, techniques, and frameworks that enable complex systems and entertaining characters
• Design and implement animation state machines, behaviors, and runtime solutions
• Partner with animation leadership to translate creative vision into technical reality, protecting style consistency and pushing the quality bar
• Collaborate with Design and Engineering to troubleshoot and resolve in-game animation issues and technical challenges
• Identify opportunities to improve the animation pipeline and workflow, and provide technical solutions for the animation team
• Create documentation and deliver training to level up the animation team’s technical fluency
• Collaborate with Technical Designers in Animation (TDiA) across Epic Games to share solutions, align workflows where appropriate and identify opportunities to leverage existing tools and systems rather than duplicating effort

What we’re looking for

• A strong animation sense with a clear understanding of realistic and stylized character motion and how to achieve them with state-of-the-art animation methods
• An understanding of generative AI tools and capabilities as it relates to character animation
• Expertise with animation pipelines, including source content creation tools such as Maya, MotionBuilder, and the Unreal Engine using our Control Rig toolset
• Exceptional problem-solving ability with strong written communication and teamwork skills
• Strong familiarity with gameplay animation tools and concepts, such as blend trees, state machines, and Unreal Engine Animation Blueprints
• Experience with AAA game development, preferably on a large team using an established game engine (internal or commercial); experience with Unreal Engine is a plus
• Self-motivation, a strong work ethic, and the ability to work independently
• Experience with C++ is not required

EPIC JOB + EPIC BENEFITS = EPIC LIFE

Our intent is to cover all things that are medically necessary and improve the quality of life. We pay 100% of the premiums for both you and your dependents. Our coverage includes Medical, Dental, a Vision HRA, Long Term Disability, Life Insurance & a 401k with competitive match. We also offer a robust mental well-being program through Modern Health, which provides free therapy and coaching for employees & dependents. Throughout the year we celebrate our employees with events and company-wide paid breaks. We offer unlimited PTO and sick time and recognize individuals for 7 years of employment with a paid sabbatical.

ABOUT US

Epic Games is a leading interactive entertainment company. For over 30 years we’ve been making award-winning games and engine technology that empowers others to make visually stunning games and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic’s award-winning Unreal Engine technology not only provides game developers the ability to build high-fidelity, interactive experiences for PC, console, mobile, and VR, it is also a tool being embraced by content creators across a variety of industries such as media and entertainment, automotive, and architectural design. As we continue to build our Engine technology and develop remarkable games, we strive to build teams of world-class talent.

Like what you hear? Come be a part of something Epic!

Epic Games deeply values diverse teams and an inclusive work culture, and we are proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. Learn more about our Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy here.