Senior Technical Animator (Remote) - Real-Time Rigging

Placements24; Durban; Hybrid; ZAR 277,000 - 517,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive daily rate

Remote-friendly contractor position

Access to industry tools

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Senior Technical Animator for a Durban-based contractor role. You will bridge artistic vision and technical implementation, building robust rigs and animation systems for real-time 3D projects.

Responsibilities include rigging, tool development, and collaboration with artists, engineers, and other animators. Experience with Maya/Max/Blender and engines like Unreal or Unity is essential. A strong portfolio is required.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in technical animation for real-time 3D applications.
• Strong proficiency in Maya, 3ds Max, or Blender.
• Expertise in rigging, including complex character rigging, skinning, and blend shapes.
• Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python or MEL for tool development.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain sophisticated animation rigs for characters and props.
• Develop and implement animation systems and tools using scripting languages (e.g., Python, MEL).
• Collaborate closely with animators, artists, and engineers to ensure animation requirements are met.
• Optimize animation assets for performance within the target game engine (Unreal Engine, Unity).
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues related to animation, rigging, and deformation.
• Create and maintain documentation for rigging and animation pipelines.
• Develop and implement animation blending, state machines, and procedural animation techniques.
• Mentor junior technical animators and contribute to the growth of the animation department.
• Stay updated with the latest advancements in real-time animation technology and game development.
• Ensure the quality and consistency of animations across the project.

Skills

Rigging

Animation systems

Scripting (Python/MEL)

Unreal/Unity

Tools

Maya

3ds Max

Blender

Job description

Placements24 seeks a Senior Technical Animator for a Durban-based contractor role. You will bridge artistic vision and technical implementation, building robust rigs and animation systems for real-time 3D projects.

Responsibilities include rigging, tool development, and collaboration with artists, engineers, and other animators. Experience with Maya/Max/Blender and engines like Unreal or Unity is essential. A strong portfolio is required.