Technical Animator

Nottingham, The United Kingdom

Unverified relocation package

About Deep Silver Dambuster Studios

Deep Silver Dambuster Studios Ltd. is a British video game developer based in Nottingham, England.

Position

And so we need your help in creating the sun soaked backdrop to a full scale zombie apocalypse set across the iconic Californian city for the next instalment of the world renowned Dead Island franchise. Are you an experienced character rigger and animator with experience using Maya in the games or film industry? If so, then we have your next challenge waiting…

Who Should Apply?

No two Dambusters are created the same, and so we have a tight-knit crew of animators from all backgrounds and walks of life working as a part of our in-house animation department. We value Inclusivity and Diversity within the workplace and so we recently took the pledge towards Raising the Game.

If you feel that you have the skills, knowledge and experience required to join them, then we definitely want to hear from you, but here are some of the things that we always like to see.

What You Will Be Doing

Life as a Dambuster is wonderfully varied, but here are some of the daily responsibilities for this role:
Designing, developing and implementing animation workflows and systems that integrate into Unreal Engine 4 and our game.
Designing, developing and implementing animation tools and pipelines that facilitate animators work in Maya and Motion Builder character animation systems, including facial setups and performance capture workflows.
Providing technical support for animators, offering solutions to maximise efficiency and diagnosing issues and fixing them in a timely and intelligent manner.
Creating high quality animation rigs and character skinning for body and facial.
Coordinating with the Animation Director and Lead Animator and ensuring tools and pipelines are ready for production. Reporting risks in a timely manner and proactively fixing issues as they come along.
Collaborating with other game departments and contributing to the overall development of the project and raising any other issues that may need to be addressed.
Completing all tasks in a timely manner and to a consistently high standard.
Demonstrating a desire to learn and grow professionally

Your qualification

Here are the fundamental skills and expertise required to be a successful Technical Animator at Dambuster Studios:

Extensive experience developing pipelines and toolsets in Python for Maya.
Experience developing and maintaining animations in Unreal Engine 4 or other game engines.
Solid understanding of Character deformation techniques and dynamics.
Solid understanding of facial animation methodologies.
Good communication skills and a great team-player attitude.

Will be a plus

Maya API and C++ knowledge.
Experience in PySide / PyQT.
Working knowledge of Unreal Engine 4 and the according animation system and toolset.
Production experience developing a AAA quality game.
Understanding of facial animation methodologies.
Experience using Motion Capture technology, retargeting and processing data.
Experience using Facial Capture technology and Facial Analysis software.

What we offer

Aside from the opportunity to work on the highly anticipated, next instalment of the AAA Dead Island franchise, we are a studio that offers a host of benefits and perks.

An industry competitive salary.
A creative and collaborative work environment with genuine opportunities to progress within the studio.
Cutting edge development environment with access to the latest technologies.
Funded learning and development opportunities.
An experienced, passionate and diverse team.
A vibrant, modern and well-serviced city centre location.
Gym membership scheme.
Free financial advice.
Workplace pension scheme.
Annual pay reviews.
Employee referral bonus scheme.
Cycle to work scheme.
Relocation assistance.