Lead Visual Effects Artist

2 Months ago • All levels • VFX • $147,700 PA - $221,500 PA

Job Summary

Job Description

The Lead VFX Artist is responsible for managing and developing a visual effects team, requiring expertise in creating art assets and demonstrating mastery of industry standards and tools. This role involves hands-on VFX creation and leadership, collaborating with the Principal VFX Artist for pipeline planning, and ensuring external VFX partners meet quality standards. The Lead VFX Artist works with Production Management to manage tasks, collaborates with the Art Director for quality, provides direction to VFX artists, supports real-time digital FX creation, and works with design and gameplay teams to aid in VFX production. They also work closely with the Tool and Engine team for enhancements, manage and mentor VFX Artists, and implement new production methods to improve efficiency. They address workplace conduct issues and perform supervisory duties like interviewing, hiring, and performance reviews.
Must have:
  • Expertise in Houdini and Maya, including 3D modeling, animation, and simulations.
  • Strong knowledge of modern game engines and real-time particle editors.
  • Advanced understanding of shader networks and scripting for DCC and graphics.
Perks:
  • Profit Sharing (PSS Only)

Job Details

Insomniac is looking for a new Lead VFX Artist. In this role, the Lead VFX Artist is responsible for managing and developing a visual effects team. Has the knowledge and experience of creating art assets and sets an example for the team by demonstrating a mastery of industry standards and tools, proprietary technology, and departmental production workflows. Has a proven understanding of production schedules and project goals, along with game performance, and technical considerations.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Balances hands-on VFX creation with leadership and VFX team artist management.
  • Collaborates with Principal VFX Artist to plan, create and test content creation pipelines before deploying to the development team.
  • Ensures that external VFX partners are trained properly and performing at quality.
  • Works alongside Production Management team to scope, plan, and manage tasks and track bugs for a project
  • Works closely with the Art Director to maintain quality and style consistent across all VFX for a project.
  • Provides direction to VFX artists for aesthetic and technical considerations
  • Provides support in the creation and animation of real-time digital FX elements to meet and enhance art direction, including VFX that reflect physical dynamics of natural phenomena.
  • Works closely with the design and gameplay teams to aid in the production of VFX that support gameplay, accessibility, and the user experience.
  • Works closely with the Tool and Engine team to aid in the ongoing evolution and enhancements of proprietary tools and engine to improve and enhance VFX fidelity.
  • Works closely with cross-disciplinary art teams to aid in the production of spectacle cinematic moments and support game narrative.
  • Manages, mentors and grows the interpersonal and technical skills of VFX Artists, including performance reviews.
  • Helps implement new production methods to improve performance and efficiency of the team.
  • Works with cross-disciplinary departments to ensure that assets are delivered in a timely manner.
  • Ensures that all complaints and concerns related to inappropriate or unprofessional conduct in the workplace are addressed immediately to foster a safe work environment.
  • Other duties may apply.

Supervisory Duties

This role has supervisor duties.

Supervisory Duties Details

Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

Computer Skills:

  • Advanced level in Houdini and Maya: expert understanding of these DCC visual effects packages, competent working with joints and locators, animation/keyframing, rigid-body and fluid simulations, materials, shaders, lighting and rendering.
  • 3d modeling and procedural modeling/UV’ing skills are a must.
  • Strong knowledge and experience with modern game engines/editors such as Unreal, Unity, proprietary, etc.
  • Proficient with real-time particle-editors and VFX systems such as Unreal’s Niagara, PopcornFX, etc.
  • Advance understanding of complex node-based shader networks such as those used in Unreal, Unity, etc.
  • Familiarity with game scripting and/or node-based systems (e.g. Unreal Blueprint, etc).
  • Have strong grasp of technical scripting, programming and expressions pertaining to DCC and graphics: e.g. MEL, Python, Houdini VEX, HLSL Shaders, etc.
  • Proficient in Photoshop for painting and editing textures.
  • Strong knowledge of procedural texture generation software (e.g. Substance Designer, Filter-Forge, After-Effects, etc).
  • Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite.
  • Knowledge of other visual effects or CG software a plus (e.g. Blender, Nuke, etc).

Other Skills:

  • Excellent foundations skills, including composition, design, and color theory.
  • The ability to work with detailed concept art or reference art/ materials.
  • Strong traditional painting skills in both stylized and photorealistic styles.
  • Strong leadership and mentoring abilities and interpersonal skills.
  • Ability to find creative solutions for technically challenging tasks.

Similar Jobs

Qualcomm - Technical Animator, Staff

Qualcomm

Hyderabad, Telangana, India (On-Site)
8 Months ago
Scanline VFX - Lead Software Engineer (Production Tools)

Scanline VFX

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (Remote)
8 Months ago
seedify - Technical Artist

seedify

Indonesia (Remote)
2 Months ago
Onward Search - Mobile Games Lighting and VFX Artist

Onward Search

San Francisco, California, United States (Remote)
4 Months ago
Bot VFX  - Prep Artist

Bot VFX

Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Rockstar Games - Senior Cinematic Artist

Rockstar Games

Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Ingenuity Studios, LLC - FX Artist

Ingenuity Studios, LLC

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Remote)
5 Months ago
Cygames - 3DCG / Game / Lighting Artist / Tokyo

Cygames

Tokyo, Japan (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Qingci Games - Urgent 2D Game Effects Artist

Qingci Games

Xiamen, Fujian, China (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Gearbox - Lighting Artist

Gearbox

Frisco, Texas, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Similar Skill Jobs

Scanline VFX - VFX Producer

Scanline VFX

Seoul, South Korea (On-Site)
1 Year ago
Raid Base - Senior Artist, VFX

Raid Base

Los Angeles, California, United States (Remote)
10 Months ago
adglobal 360 - 3D Art Director (Character Experience) / Leader Candidate

adglobal 360

Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Spatial Studio - Game Artist

Spatial Studio

(Remote)
4 Months ago
Blue bolt - VFX Production Coordinator

Blue bolt

London, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
4 Days ago
Track VFX - Production Assistant

Track VFX

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (On-Site)
3 Years ago
Tencent - Senior Technical Artist

Tencent

(On-Site)
3 Months ago
Ubisoft - Production Coordinator – Cinematic Team

Ubisoft

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
Techland - Gameplay Animator

Techland

Wrocław, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Scanline VFX - Senior Pipeline Developer (Houdini)

Scanline VFX

Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Remote)
8 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Jobs in United States

Roblox - Senior Software Engineer (Frontend)

Roblox

San Mateo, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Week ago
AECOM - Wetland Scientist

AECOM

Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, United States (On-Site)
2 Weeks ago
BioFire - Lab Technologist - QC (Day Shift)

BioFire

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States (On-Site)
2 Weeks ago
Apple - Machine Learning FEA Engineer

Apple

Culver City, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
nissan - Tool & Die Maintenance Technician 2nd or 3rd shift

nissan

Smyrna, Tennessee, United States (On-Site)
8 Months ago
Fox Factory - Commodity Manager

Fox Factory

Scotts Valley, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Greenworks Sunrise Global Marketing - Sr. Product Manager, Handheld

Greenworks Sunrise Global Marketing

Mooresville, North Carolina, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Nice - Solution Sales Executive, Digital

Nice

United States (Remote)
3 Days ago
Nintendo - CONTRACT - Experiential Marketing Specialist

Nintendo

Redmond, Washington, United States (Hybrid)
6 Months ago
Flow - Project Manager, Interior Fit-Outs

Flow

Miami, Florida, United States (On-Site)
2 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

VFX Jobs

Milk  visual effects - Mid-Level Compositor

Milk visual effects

(On-Site)
7 Months ago
Tencent - Senior Technical Artist (VFX Rendering) - Global AAA Action Game

Tencent

Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China (On-Site)
4 Months ago
Pixel zoo studios - Lighting Artist

Pixel zoo studios

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Scanline VFX - Senior Compositor

Scanline VFX

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (Hybrid)
3 Months ago
we are unseen  - VFX Artist

we are unseen

Tokyo, Japan (On-Site)
3 Days ago
Qingci Games - Urgent 2D Game Effects Artist

Qingci Games

(On-Site)
4 Months ago
Riot Games - Principal VFX Artist - Unpublished R&D Product

Riot Games

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
5 Months ago
Nintendo - Contract - Lighting Artist I (NST)

Nintendo

Redmond, Washington, United States (Hybrid)
5 Months ago
Tencent - Lighting Artist

Tencent

(On-Site)
3 Months ago
Gearbox - Visual Effects Artist

Gearbox

Frisco, Texas, United States (On-Site)
1 Year ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded