Technical Artist

Summary

Join Firaxis Games as a Character Technical Artist and contribute to the creation and optimization of characters and related systems for real-time content in Unreal Engine. Collaborate with a team of artists and engineers to design and implement character systems, including rigging, blend shapes, and customization tools. This role requires a strong technical foundation and experience with Unreal Engine and DCC tools. You will be responsible for optimizing assets for performance, troubleshooting technical issues, and collaborating with cross-functional teams. The ideal candidate possesses a proactive attitude, strong problem-solving skills, and a commitment to innovative solutions. Firaxis offers a comprehensive benefits package.

Requirements

• Experience: 4+ years game development experience focused on Tech Art
• Technical Proficiency: Expertise in Unreal Engine, particularly with character tools, Blueprints, material creation, and optimization
• Ideally proficient in Maya, or Blender, especially for character modeling, rigging, and animation
• Strong experience with character equipment and blend shapes for body type customization
• Character Setup: Ability to create processes to support modular control rigs, tactical characters, and equipment systems that are adaptable to various entities, including humans and non-humans
• Experience with UV generation and material standards, ensuring visual consistency across characters and environments
• Customization & Optimization: Experience with body and face customization pipelines, including blend shapes and procedural fitting solutions
• Knowledge of optimizing assets to balance visual quality and performance
• Cross-Discipline Collaboration: Proven ability to work with various teams, including the Lead Character Artist, Technical Animator, other technical artists, engineering, and VFX, to integrate character systems and material effects
• Technical Troubleshooting: Strong problem-solving skills in asset creation, rendering issues, and content optimization
• Familiarity with performance capture workflows
• Adaptability & Innovation: Willingness to stay updated with the latest tools and techniques, testing and implementing new features in Unreal Engine
• Ability to prototype, iterate, and refine technical assets and character tools

Responsibilities

• Provide support in the design, creation, and optimization of character assets, including skeletons, cloth simulations, and ragdoll systems
• Develop and implement character customization pipelines for body and facial features, ensuring compatibility across various body types
• Set up and maintain character equipment systems, integrating blend shapes for seamless gear fitting
• Prototype new technical solutions for character creation, animation, and environment interactions
• Support the integration of advanced material and UV workflows, including global effects and tri-planar UV projection
• Create, optimize, and troubleshoot Blueprints and plugins to combine real-time technologies within Unreal Engine
• Support the importing and management of character assets from DCC software, optimizing them for real-time performance
• Collaborate with the Lead Character Artist, Technical Animator, and Lead Technical Artist to establish material and pipeline standards across disciplines

Preferred Qualifications

Bonus: Proficiency in Python and/or Houdini for developing pipeline tools and automating workflows

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
• 401K retirement savings
• A wellbeing initiative with the opportunity to earn cash rewards
• An Employee Assistance Program
• Paid time off and paid holidays