Studio: Sinn Studio Inc.
Job Opening: Senior Technical Animator (Gaming)
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Type: Full-Time
Responsibilities:
- Be involved in scalable, technical tasks related to animation. Producing unique materials for and with the animation team could include:
- Physics rigs, animation trees and graphs, dynamic objects and more
- Tool integration and scripting
- Building and maintaining animation tools and integration
- Support of integration and systems into engine such as APIs connecting industry standard software (may work with motion capture data)
- Building and maintaining any tools for animation related systems in Unreal (ie. with nodes, Animation Blueprints and Sequencer)
- Work with the animation and programming teams amongst others to overcome technical obstacles in animation
- Troubleshoot and support technical issues in animation, addressing any challenging throughout the production lifecycle
- Regular technical validation as well as testing between systems and modifications to respect conventions used
- Debug resolution in a timely manner ensuring correct functionality
- Ensure roadblocks are eliminated in sustainable, robust approaches
- Help maintain efficient performance/constraints in engine and visual quality targets
- Understand animation and gameplay team’s needs, features and processes
- Maintain and evolve technical animation guidelines, benchmarking and naming conventions
- Genuinely help communicate and mentor on technical topics to ensure that colleagues understand and can apply standards and implementations
- Champion streamlined best practices between animation and programming that produces quality results
- Apply new techniques to increase team skill and output
- Liaise as a communication touch point for technical and non-technical translation within animation
- Provide and receive constructive feedback where appropriate
- Understand and analyze new industry practices and tooling
- Other related duties as required
Qualifications & Skills:
- 5+ years of experience as a technical animator within Unreal Engine with the ability to produce high-quality, performant work
- Strong ability to support relevant animation processes from scratch, or with available resources
- A solid understanding of animation principles and creative briefs (including fundamentals such as body mechanics and anatomy)
- Strong understanding of animation and technical pipeline requirements
- Able to help push boundaries of technical requirements and creative vision for expressive and realistic animations
- Able to move efficiently between areas in the animation pipeline such as: IK, skinweights, skeletons, blend shapes, animation trees, state machines, character performance, rigging, and animation systems
- Comfortable using different industry software related to the animation pipeline (ie. Maya)
- Demonstrated ability and proficient grasp of animation related systems in Unreal (ie. node-based, Animation Blueprints and Sequencer)
- Creative, pragmatic problem solver with an attention to detail
- Rigorous work ethic and sense of initiative
- Experience supporting on solutions for technical issues with programmers and animators
- Comfortable working with debugging
- Able to quickly identify and resolve issues and bottlenecks with pragmatic solutions
- Shipped at least one PC / console game using the Unreal Engine
- Knowledgeable in optimization workflows for real-time and cinematic animation
- Keen understanding of downstream and cross-functional implications
- Knowledge of C++ (with related plugins), libraries, and/or Python APIs is an asset
- Excellent interpersonal communicator (verbal and written) in technical and non-technical terms
- Able to mentor other team members in a respectful manner
- Proven ability in training and documentation workflows
- Able to receive and give constructive feedback. Receptive and agile with feedback provided.
