Senior Technical Artist (Character)

At Naughty Dog, Senior Technical Artists are crucial for developing visual features, driving the game's look, and building tools for artists to achieve ambitious visual standards. This role requires a blend of artistic vision and programming proficiency, including strong math skills and clean code architecture. Responsibilities include writing shaders for high-level features like skin and cloth, developing tools in Python and C++, maintaining character creation workflows, and collaborating with programmers on new deformations and models. The role also involves debugging tools and assets to ensure stability and performance.

Must Have

• Write fragment, vertex, and compute shaders.
• Develop high-level shading features (skin, cloth, wetness, mud).
• Spearhead development of features, toolsets, and pipelines.
• Develop tools in Python and C++.
• Maintain and troubleshoot character creation workflows.
• Collaborate on new character deformations, models, features.
• Write well-architected code.
• Support content team in debugging tools, assets, framerate.
• 5+ years experience in Tech Art/TD with Character pipeline.
• Expert proficiency in HLSL/GLSL, Python, C++.

Good to Have

• Experience in other content creation software (Houdini, Substance Designer, Substance Painter).
• Experience developing tool UI with QT.
• Active contributor to industry publications, events or educational outreach (GDC, SIGGRAPH, etc.).

At Naughty Dog, Senior Technical Artists are critical in developing visual features, driving the look of the game, and building tools that allow our artists to deliver on our ambitious visual standards. Candidates are half-artist and half-programmer. They are proficient in their programming and math skills, they architect clean code, and have advanced knowledge of artist pipelines. In addition to their technical skill contributions, they are expected to have a developed aesthetic vision and an artist’s eye for visual polish.

What you will do:

• Write fragment, vertex, and compute shaders to meet art direction and artist needs.
• Write high-level shading features. (example: skin, cloth, wetness, and mud packages), and rendering effects (film grain, health effects, underwater rendering).
• Spearhead the development of features, toolsets and pipelines that meet various art department needs. Develop tools (in python and c++), and collaborate closely with other tool developers.
• Author, maintain and troubleshoot existing character creation workflows and pipeline efficiency to ensure stability and performance.
• Collaborate regularly and interdepartmentally including with programmers to support the invention, design, and implementation of new character deformations, models, features, pipelines, and workflows.
• Write well-architected code that can be built upon for years to come.
• Support the content team in debugging issues with tools, assets, or framerate.
• Additional responsibilities may be assigned as needed.

What skills you will use:

• 5+ years as a Tech Artist, TD working with Character pipeline, shaders and tools
• Expert proficiency in HLSL or GLSL shading languages, Python, and C++.
• Motivated and proactive self-starter, capable of growing in a highly dynamic environment
• Ability to manage tasks and responsibilities independently with little supervision
• Outstanding problem solving, observation, and debugging skills, with a passion for discovering solutions even outside your area of expertise.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills

Bonus Skills:

• Experience in other content creation software, as a user or tools developer; Houdini, Substance Designer, Substance Painter, etc.
• Experience developing tool UI with QT
• An active contributor to industry publications, events or educational outreach (GDC, SIGGRAPH, etc.)

As part of the Naughty Dog application process, candidates should expect to be given a technical interview.