Studio: Steel City Interactive
Job Opening: 3D Character Artist
Location: Sheffield, England, UK
Type: Full-Time
Responsibilities:
- Sculpt and model realistic, high-quality 3D boxer characters, including full-body anatomy, facial features, and detailed gear (gloves, shorts, wraps, etc.).
- Texture characters using PBR workflows, focusing on materials like skin, sweat, scars, and fabric.
- Ensure clean, efficient topology for real-time performance and animation fidelity.
- Work closely with animators, riggers, and technical artists to ensure smooth deformation, expressive facial rigging, and full-body motion.
- Design and implement damage states, such as bruising, swelling, and sweat buildup, across rounds or fight progressions.
- Support with the development of our internal character creation pipelines, including modular systems for customisation (e.g., gloves, shorts, tattoos).
- Support character LOD creation, mesh optimisation, and in-engine implementation (primarily Unreal Engine 5).
Qualifications & Skills:
- 3+ years’ experience as a 3D character artist in the games industry (or equivalent with a strong portfolio).
- Expert knowledge of ZBrush, Maya or Blender, Substance Painter, and related tools.
- Good level of experience in using industry-proven game engines – Unity & Unreal.
- Strong understanding of human anatomy, physical form, and facial construction.
- Proven experience creating realistic or hyper-real characters, especially with athletic builds.
- Experience in optimising characters to be game-ready.
- Excellent understanding of UV mapping, topology, and texturing best practices.
- Ability to work independently and adapt quickly to feedback and iteration.
Desirable
- Experience with muscle systems, skin weighting, or rigging pipelines
- Prior work on combat sports, fighting games, or realistic animation-driven titles
- Familiarity with face and body scan data workflows.
- Experience with modular customisation systems for character cosmetics.
