Rigger/Character Technical Artist

** This is a hybrid position and required to work in CA.**

About us:

GungHo Online Entertainment America Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of the Japanese gaming company GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc. We publish titles across multiple platforms ranging from AAA to handheld to mobile. Our group is comprised of veterans from various aspects of the industry who are brought together by one simple thing: a love of gaming.

Position Summary:

The position is responsible for guiding the teams rig build process all the way from initial geometry received from modeling all the way through delivering final rigs to animation. This requires an ability to debug rigs with minimal supervision. This role will closely collaborate with character artists and animators. The position will also be asked to help maintain the art pipeline using the different tools and engines for development.

Responsibilities: 

• Work with members of the development team to produce and integrate character rigging, simulation and FX into the game.
• Establish and adhere to an art pipeline for all of our art assets.
• Establish a reasonable naming convention and file formats to ensure an organized production.
• Make sure that our tool chain for art creation is up to date and reasonable to maintain.
• Explore and learn tools and technologies, such as the Unreal Engine, to be able to push the quality, and quantity of the art assets for our games.
• Conduct technical problem solving and optimization.
• Learn our rigging, FX and animation pipeline and be able to apply any technical solution needed.
• Within reason, help create 3D models, particle effects, and other art assets for developing our internally developed game.
• Work with animators and character modelers to generate desired facial and body rig including bi-ped, quad-ped and any other animatable assets in the game in the required aesthetic style provived by art director.
• Test prototypes of future game titles to provide constructive feedback.
• Other duties as assigned
  

Requirements and Skills:

• 3+ years of character technical work / rigging experience on game and/or animation with a shipped title or completed project.
• Intensive experience working with game engines
  
• Good foundation in art and design, includes composition, form and color theory.
  
• Knowledge of managing art assets for games in clean organization
  
• Experience working with particle effects is a plus
• Extensive experience working with Unreal is required
• Mastery of standard modeling packages are required
• A clear understanding of PBR materials and hand painted textures
• Creating optimized topology that is performant for the project
• Good foundation in art and design
• Fluent with Photoshop and ability to paint textures
• Fluent with 3d modeling
  
• Basic mathematical skills and programing skills of C++, Python, and Mel. 
• Able to communicate effectively about art and design in English
• Good communication skills—able to help others and ask for help when needed. Being proactive in sharing info and assets
  
• Great team-player attitude—being flexible with new ideas, being open to direction and changes. Listening to team mates
• Self-motivated- requires minimal direction, can carry on the vision for the level until completion and commit to deadlines

Why you want to work here: 

At GungHo, we’re enthusiastic about creating fun games and we’re always looking for talented individuals with whom we can share our passion. We have a highly collaborative culture where everyone wants to work together to get things done. We are all specialists in our own field so you will constantly learn new things while sharing your own knowledge with us.

Perks:

• 100% employer-paid insurances: Health insurance (Medical, Dental, and Vision), Life insurance, Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance, and Long Term Disability insurance
• 401(k) with employer matchCompetitive paid time off: Vacation, Personal time, Sick Leave, Holidays, and Winter Breaks.

Business Hours: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM in Pacific Time

Salary Range: $60,000 - $120,000

IMPORTANT MESSAGE:
GungHo Online Entertainment America, Inc. will never request job applicants to send money, make purchases, or download software under any circumstances, including as part of the hiring process or any communication with the company. To avoid potential fraud and other cybercrimes, please do not respond to any such requests.