Senior Character Rigging Artist & Technical Animator

Placements24; Centurion; Hybrid; ZAR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonuses

Hybrid work arrangement

Health benefits

Professional development

Job summary

Placements24 in Centurion, Gauteng, seeks a Senior Technical Animator & Rigging Specialist to bring characters and creatures to life with believable movement. You will develop high-quality rigs, implement animation systems, and collaborate with animators to ensure performance.

The role requires deep knowledge of anatomy, biomechanics, and animation principles, plus expert rigging and scripting skills (Python/MEL).

Qualifications

• Extensive experience as a Technical Animator or Rigger with a strong portfolio showcasing advanced rigging and animation work.
• Proficiency in Maya and scripting (Python/MEL).
• Deep understanding of human and creature anatomy, biomechanics, and animation principles.

Responsibilities

• Create, refine, and maintain complex character and creature rigs, ensuring functionality, performance, and artistic flexibility.
• Develop and implement animation tools and scripts to enhance workflow efficiency for the animation team.
• Collaborate with animators to ensure rigs meet their needs and to troubleshoot animation issues.
• Work closely with character artists and modelers to ensure model topology and UVs are optimized for rigging and deformation.
• Develop and implement animation state machines, blending techniques, and IK/FK systems.
• Provide technical support and training to the animation team on rigging and animation best practices.
• Analyze and optimize animation performance for target platforms.
• Stay updated on the latest rigging techniques, software advancements, and industry trends.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of the character pipeline.

Skills

Maya

Python

MEL

Unreal Engine

Unity

Character rigging

Animation systems

Tools

Unreal Engine

Unity

Python scripting

MEL scripting

Job description

Placements24 in Centurion, Gauteng, seeks a Senior Technical Animator & Rigging Specialist to bring characters and creatures to life with believable movement. You will develop high-quality rigs, implement animation systems, and collaborate with animators to ensure performance.

The role requires deep knowledge of anatomy, biomechanics, and animation principles, plus expert rigging and scripting skills (Python/MEL).