Job Description

Position Summary

We are looking for an artist who reflects the innovative spirit, creative talent, production excellence, inclusive mindset and passion for great storytelling that defines ILMxLAB. Senior Character Artists are key members of the art team at ILMxLAB who work closely with Concept and other Character Artists to define and refine distinctive, memorable characters. You proactively seek opportunities to elevate the game, enjoy finding emerging technologies that improve the pipeline, embrace constructive feedback, and thrive in a fast-paced environment.

What You'll Do

• Partner with Concept, Design, and other Character Artists to conceptualize and model characters along with their hard surface accessories based on original art and photographic reference.
• Work closely with our look-development team to create and apply textures and materials with aesthetic appreciation for real-world references, run-time lighting and story driven aesthetics.
• Create high quality character models and materials/shaders including in-game and high-resolution assets.
• Partner with the character technical directors to help define modelling standards for rigging, deformation, and simulation within performance budgets, and other run-time requirements.
• Become familiar with new tools, performance capture hardware, software and data, and other emerging modelling techniques.
• Work within deadlines and display strong time management skills
• Able to generate art task lists, estimates, schedules, milestones and overall project goals as necessary
• Supervision of junior and mid-level artists, as required

What We're Looking For

• 5+ years of professional experience as a character artist in games, film, feature animation, or other related fields.
• MFA or equivalent experience required.
• Previous experience as a Character Artist on at least one released title.
• Proficient in Maya, ZBrush or Mudbox and Substance Painter. Knowledge of Mari is a bonus. Unreal experience preferred.
• Able to work with a high degree of self-direction and balance multiple tasks at once.
• Self motivation and a passion for the VR/AR industry is essential.
• Portfolio showing the following:
  • Detailed knowledge of human and animal anatomy, with example character and costume designs across multiple styles or genres
  • Aesthetic appreciation for composition, proportion, mass and volume, light, lighting and colour
  • 3D sculpting and modelling abilities interpreting 2D concept
  • Strong paint skills, multi-layered materials and effective texture layout
  • Clear examples of how to emulate real-world materials in CG while considering hardware performance
  • Knowledge of garment tailoring, cloth simulation and mesh construction built to deform in a realistic manner in real-time
  • Extra points for facial blend-shapes and correctives, pose space deformation shapes, animated wrinkles and normal maps, hair and fur, body kits and accessories
  • A portfolio / reel submission - including a detailed breakdown of your work in each section - is required with all artist applications.