Senior Technical Artist

Summary

Join People Can Fly, a leading independent AAA game development studio, as a Technical Artist. You will be responsible for maintaining artistic direction and quality, creating final materials for characters, environment assets, and effects, and supporting existing material systems. You will also be involved in content creation, tweaking assets, keeping up with market standards and new techniques, and developing efficient workflows for the Art team. This role requires a strong portfolio showcasing AAA quality work done in engine (Unreal, Unity or Proprietary Engine), excellent knowledge of industry-standard software packages for modeling, high-poly sculpting, and a solid understanding of traditional art skills along with foundational design competencies. You will also need advanced knowledge of old and new topology best practices, texturing techniques, PBR, and current tech art workflows and practices. This position offers a competitive salary, performance-based annual bonuses, and a comprehensive benefits package including 100% paid health insurance, full dental coverage, 4% RRSP matching, paid time off, free virtual health and mental wellbeing sessions, and personal development opportunities.

Requirements

• Strong portfolio showcasing AAA quality work done in engine (Unreal, Unity or Proprietary Engine)
• Excellent knowledge of industry-standard software packages for modeling, high-poly sculpting (Maya, Max, ZBrush, Photoshop, or their equivalents)
• Artistically interpret concepts or creatively push beyond an initial ideation
• A solid understanding of traditional art skills along with foundational design competencies (shape, form, texture, value and color)
• Advanced knowledge of old and new topology best practices
• Advanced knowledge of old and new texturing techniques
• Advanced knowledge of PBR
• Advanced knowledge of current tech art workflows and practices
• Advanced knowledge of real-time rendering challenges and techniques
• Knowledge of real time tools and best practices
• Knowledge of Houdini
• Strong knowledge of python, LUA and Vex scripting language
• Strong knowledge of current 3D graphics techniques
• Strong knowledge of particle systems, environmental effects, cloth simulations, lighting, and dynamics
• Solid understanding of game dev standard pipelines, tools and content creation
• Strong analytical thinking and problem solving skills
• Adaptive
• Ability to quickly learn and adapt to new styles, techniques and workflows with basic guidance
• Ability to collaborate with department leads, and different departments to solve artistic and technical challenges
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English
• Good mentoring skills
• Self-motivation

Responsibilities

• Maintain artistic direction and quality
• Make final materials for characters, environment assets, and effects, also support existing material systems
• Content creation-mock up features in external programs or tweak shader code, experiment with features
• To tweak assets by using modeling and texturing skills
• Keep up with market standards and new techniques
• Maintain the production and software pipeline and meet deadlines
• Develop powerful and efficient workflows for the Art team
• Research and implement new techniques and procedures to improve game asset quality
• Help improve and refine shader, texture, lighting quality
• Explore and help develop new technologies for integration into the asset pipeline
• Bug Fixing and describing R&D case studies in the knowledge base
• Participate in reviews, adapt to, and implement feedback from leads and peers in a professional manner
• Suggest iteration and automation tools and pipelines
• Suggest optimization preventative approaches for assets creation and usage
• Act as a liaison between the Engineering and Art departments
• Suggest opportunities to the design team with procedural tools and bulk edit systems
• Collaborate in R&D initiatives, to explore new techniques and implement improvements to pipelines and workflows
• Work closely with the art team making the result of their work even better with a good artistic eye
• Identify and resolve pipeline issues without supervision
• Use diagnostic tools to examine the current content and identify areas for improvement as well as develop the tools
• Analyze and improve art asset inefficiencies to optimize console and PC performance
• Work with programmers and artists to optimize content creation and on developing new features and workflows
• Collaborate on data structure, naming convention and coding standards
• Occasionally support new hires during the onboarding process

Benefits

• Benefit package 100% paid by PCF
• Insurance company reimburses 100% of claims (Up to $500 per service a year, as well as individual family coverage)
• Full Dental coverage, including major dental and orthodontics
• 4% RRSP matching before tax deductions, 100% vested on day 1
• Paid week off during Winter Holidays
• 20 paid vacation days and 5 paid sick days
• Free virtual health and mental wellbeing sessions included in the plan for members and their dependents
• A competitive salary and performance-based annual bonuses
• Personal development opportunities and ability to work in a global environment
• Work in a creative team with people full of passion for what they do