Senior VFX Artist

1 Month ago • 5 Years + • Technical Art • $89,640 PA - $186,840 PA

Job Summary

Job Description

As a Senior VFX Artist at Lightspeed LA, you'll collaborate with the VFX Director and Lead to define the visual style of game effects. Responsibilities include creating optimized, performant visual effects in Unreal Engine, encompassing weather, atmospheric effects, gameplay elements (impact decals, explosions), and post-process effects. You'll leverage Niagara and other Unreal tools, collaborate with engineers and tech artists, and troubleshoot technical issues. A strong understanding of real-time rendering, PBR, particle systems, node-based shaders, and simulation packages (like Houdini) is crucial. Experience creating realistic simulations and translating them into Unreal Assets is essential. Proficiency in Photoshop and After Effects is also required.
Must have:
  • 5+ years VFX experience
  • Unreal Engine expertise (Niagara, Materials, Blueprints)
  • Particle effects mastery
  • Node-based shader creation
  • Houdini simulation experience
  • Photoshop & After Effects skills
Good to have:
  • CGFX/HLSL shader languages
  • Texturing, modeling, animation experience
  • Substance Painter & Designer
  • MEL/Python/VEX, Houdini
Perks:
  • Free daily lunch
  • Beverages, snacks, fruit
  • 401k matching
  • Cell phone reimbursement
  • Financial wellness sessions
  • Flexible spending account
  • Team building events
  • Parental leave
  • Company-paid health insurance
  • Life & disability insurance
  • Employee assistance program
  • Wellness training
  • Travel insurance
  • Preventive care

Job Details

About the Hiring Team

Welcome to Lightspeed LA, the first U.S.-based, AAA game development studio for Tencent Games. Lightspeed LA is focused on building open-world games that emphasize an ambitious living world, sophisticated player-driven gameplay, and mature, thoughtful storytelling. We are developing the first in a series of genre-defining titles.

Why join Lightspeed LA?

For us, it's not only about the exciting, new AAA open world game we're developing but also about team values and studio culture. We foster an open and transparent environment where everyone feels comfortable providing constructive feedback about all aspects of our games.

● We encourage the showing of work that's still in progress.
● We don't attack or question unfinished work, we celebrate its promise.
● We have a No Blame Culture where we blame the problem, not the person.

This is a safe place to fail, and we don't view failure as a negative, but as the natural result of pushing boundaries and trying new things. We create together. We face Challenges Together. We succeed together.

What the Role Entails

Responsibilities:

  • Collaborate with VFX Director and Lead on the visual style of all effects in the game, through verbal and written communication, concepts, or reference images/videos.
  • Able to demonstrate strong communication skills within and across depts.
  • Create optimized and performant visual effects for real-time rendering within a PBR environment using Unreal Engine.
  • Create weather, atmospheric, and ambient environment effects using Niagara and other Unreal tools.
  • Create effects required for gameplay like impact decals, explosions, muzzle flashes and other related weapons and breakable effects in using various systems in Unreal Engine.
  • Create Post Process, Materials, Blueprints, etc. in Unreal Engine.
  • Demonstrate a strong eye for lighting details, and the capability to use them in crafting top notch visual effects that support gameplay and cinematography.
  • Understanding of best real-time practices, pipelines and workflows.
  • Collaborate with Engineers and Tech Art to create and/or modify pipelines.
  • Troubleshoot technical and workflow issues.

Who We Look For

  • 5+ years of VFX development experience.
  • Autonomous and have the ability to communicate to get task to finish line.
  • Strong understanding of Unreal Engine’s tool and pipelines like Niagara, Materials, Post Process, and Blueprints.
  • Strong working knowledge of particle driven effects.
  • Strong knowledge of node-based shaders and their creation.
  • Experience creating realistic simulations using Houdini and other simulation packages then making them into Unreal Assets.
  • Strong knowledge of Photoshop and AfterEffects for texture creation.
  • Keen artistic eye and exceptional attention to detail.
  • Used to fast paced moving production and making adjustments along the way.
  • The capability to view visual reference of an effect, deconstruct it and then re-create it in a real-time game engine is vital.
  • Good understanding of and appreciation for milestones, schedules, deadlines, and efficient game development processes.


Nice to have:

  • Understanding of CGFX and/or HLSL shader languages.
  • Texturing, modeling, skinning, animation, or lighting experience is a plus.
  • Substance Painter & Designer experience.
  • Knowledge of MEL/Python/VEX. And Houdini.

Why Join Us?

Perks and Benefits:

Just some of the benefits of working with us here at our newly built studio in Irvine, CA.

● Free daily lunch
● Beverages, fresh fruit, and snacks
● 401k with employer match
● Monthly Cell phone bill reimbursement
● Financial wellness sessions
● Flexible spending account
● Team building and company outings
● Parental leave for new parents
● Company paid health insurance
● Life and disability insurance
● Employee assistance program
● Wellness training
● Travel insurance
● Preventive care

If the above sounds like you, or if you'd like to know more about the role, we'd love to hear from you to see if we might be a good fit for each other! Contact us for more information about this exciting opportunity.

Location State(s)

California

The base pay range for this position in the state(s) above is $89,640.0 to $186,840.0 per year. Actual pay is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A sign on payment, relocation package, and restricted stock units may be provided as part of the compensation package, as well as other medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the specific position offered.

Equal Employment Opportunity at Tencent

As an equal opportunity employer, we firmly believe that diverse voices fuel our innovation and allow us to better serve our users and the community. We foster an environment where every employee of Tencent feels supported and inspired to achieve individual and common goals.

Similar Jobs

Welevel - Senior Technical Artist – Procedural Content Generation

Welevel

Munich, Bavaria, Germany (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Rockstar Games - Graphics Programmer

Rockstar Games

Andover, Massachusetts, United States (On-Site)
5 Months ago
Ubisoft - Senior 3D Programmer

Ubisoft

Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany (On-Site)
6 Days ago
Krafton  - [인조이스튜디오(신규 자회사)] Sr. Technical Artist (8년 이상)

Krafton

Seoul, South Korea (On-Site)
3 Months ago
Keen Software House - Senior Render Programmer

Keen Software House

Prague, Prague, Czechia (Remote)
1 Month ago
Amber - Technical Artist (Project Based)

Amber

(Remote)
1 Week ago
Vertigo Games - Senior Asset Artist

Vertigo Games

Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
Synty Studios - Senior Technical Designer (Unreal/Godot)

Synty Studios

New Zealand (Remote)
6 Days ago
Tencent - Senior Technical Artist (VFX Rendering) - Global AAA Action Game

Tencent

Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Onward Search - Technical Artist (Unity)

Onward Search

Seattle, Washington, United States (Remote)
1 Month ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Similar Skill Jobs

Tencent - Senior Technical Artist (UE5)

Tencent

Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Insomniac Games - Senior Visual Effects Artist

Insomniac Games

United States (Remote)
2 Weeks ago
Light Speed Studios - Senior VFX Artist

Light Speed Studios

California, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Virtuos - Senior Technical Artist

Virtuos

Chengdu, Sichuan, China (On-Site)
1 Week ago
1047 Games - Graphics Engineer

1047 Games

(Remote)
1 Month ago
Keen Software House - Senior Render Programmer

Keen Software House

Prague, Prague, Czechia (Remote)
1 Month ago
Keen Software House - Senior Render Programmer

Keen Software House

Prague, Prague, Czechia (Remote)
1 Month ago
Lighthouse Games - Principal VFX Artist

Lighthouse Games

England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
2 Weeks ago
Keen Software House - Senior Render Programmer

Keen Software House

Prague, Prague, Czechia (Remote)
1 Month ago
Blind Squirrel Games - Sr. Generalist Engineer, Austin

Blind Squirrel Games

Austin, Texas, United States (Hybrid)
1 Week ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Jobs in Irvine, California, United States

eBay - Consignment Director, Historical

eBay

United States (Remote)
6 Months ago
ByteDance - Research Scientist Graduate (Foundation Model - Generative AI) - 2025 Start (PhD)

ByteDance

Seattle, Washington, United States (On-Site)
3 Months ago
On Location - Sales & Partnership Regional Manager UEFA / CONCACAF / CONMEBOL – FIFA World Cup 26™

On Location

New York, New York, United States (Remote)
1 Month ago
ByteDance - Research Engineer in Large Model System

ByteDance

San Jose, California, United States (On-Site)
5 Months ago
Next Level Business Services - Salesforce Veeva Developer

Next Level Business Services

North Chicago, Illinois, United States (On-Site)
5 Months ago
NVIDIA - Senior Solutions Architect, Generative AI - Inference

NVIDIA

Texas, United States (Remote)
1 Month ago
The Walt Disney Company - Community and Brand Development Manager

The Walt Disney Company

Glendale, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Week ago
Eleven Labs - Developer Advocate

Eleven Labs

San Francisco, California, United States (Remote)
6 Days ago
AGS - American Gaming Systems - Social Media Specialist

AGS - American Gaming Systems

Nevada, United States (On-Site)
1 Week ago
ION - Senior Linux Systems Administrator - Somerset, NJ

ION

Clifton, New Jersey, United States (Hybrid)
5 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Technical Art Jobs

Ubisoft - Lead FX Artist

Ubisoft

Montpellier, Occitanie, France (On-Site)
1 Week ago
CAUSE AND FX - Lead Compositing Artist

CAUSE AND FX

Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand (Hybrid)
1 Week ago
Epic Games - Senior Pipeline Developer

Epic Games

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (On-Site)
1 Week ago
Moon Colony - Mooncolony: Art Manager

Moon Colony

Cambridge, England, United Kingdom (Remote)
1 Week ago
Resolution Games - VFX Artist

Resolution Games

Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden (Hybrid)
20 Hours ago
Tencent - Senior Technical Artist

Tencent

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
5 Months ago
Room 8 Studio - Unreal Engine Cinematic Artist (Trailer Production)

Room 8 Studio

Romania (On-Site)
5 Months ago
Digital Extremes - Technical Artist

Digital Extremes

(Remote)
1 Week ago
Magnopus - Lead Engineer

Magnopus

St Albans, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Keywords Studios (Player Support) - Senior/Lead VFX Artist - 2025 Opportunities (UKI)

Keywords Studios (Player Support)

Brighton And Hove, England, United Kingdom (Remote)
1 Week ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

About The Company

Tokyo, Japan (On-Site)

Tokyo, Japan (On-Site)

Osaka, Osaka, Japan (On-Site)

Osaka, Osaka, Japan (On-Site)

Irvine, California, United States (On-Site)

California, United States (On-Site)

Tokyo, Japan (On-Site)

View All Jobs

Get notified when new jobs are added by Light Speed Studios

Level Up Your Career in Game Development!

Transform Your Passion into Profession with Our Comprehensive Courses for Aspiring Game Developers.

Job Common Plug