Sr Destruction and Simulation Animator, Breakables

Santa Monica Studio is seeking a Senior Destruction and Simulation Animator to create high-quality destruction simulations and breakable assets for an unannounced title. This role involves developing procedural destruction workflows using Houdini, modeling and animating destruction elements with Maya, and optimizing simulations for real-time performance. The animator will collaborate with various teams to ensure artistic vision, technical implementation, and narrative goals are met, contributing to the studio's artistic techniques and processes.

Must Have

• Create high-quality destruction simulations and breakable assets.
• Develop procedural destruction workflows using Houdini.
• Model, texture, and animate destruction elements with Maya and Houdini.
• Support asset integration, optimization, LODs, and collision.
• Optimize destruction simulations for real-time performance.
• Collaborate with Design and Narrative for storytelling and gameplay.
• Contribute to artistic techniques and processes for destruction assets.
• Manage tasks and project goals effectively.
• 5+ years in destruction simulation, VFX, or technical animation.
• Expert proficiency in Houdini (rigid body, fluid, particles, HDA).
• Proficient in Maya for modeling, animation, and pipeline.
• Strong understanding of game engine integration and optimization.
• Excellent aesthetic sense for physical dynamics and destruction.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.

Good to Have

• Shipped AAA game(s) with high-quality destruction/VFX.
• Experience with Blender, Pull Down It (PDI).
• Knowledge of scripting (Python, MEL, VEX) for automation.
• Understanding of material systems and shader creation.
• Experience with motion capture cleanup, rigging, keyframe animation.
• Background in traditional VFX or film industry.
• Understanding of physics principles and real-world destruction.

Perks & Benefits

• Join the award-winning team that created God of War
• Environment with a large degree of autonomy
• Opportunities for growth
• Commitment to a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace

This is an opportunity to contribute to the artistic vision and development of our products, with a specialized focus on creating high-quality destruction simulations and breakable assets for both cinematics and gameplay.

As a Senior Destruction and Simulation Animator, you will effectively collaborate with a wide range of development team members outside of your direct discipline, such as the Art Director, VFX Supervisors, Technical Artists, Animators, Programmers, and Producers, to achieve artistic goals and technical implementation in relation to design and technological considerations.

Responsibilities

• Create sophisticated destruction simulations and breakable assets for in-game use, spanning from small-scale environmental destruction to large-scale cinematic set pieces, maintaining artistic direction and vision through all phases of development
• Develop and execute procedural destruction workflows using Houdini, creating reusable HDAs (Houdini Digital Assets) and simulation setups that can be efficiently integrated into the game engine and used across multiple projects
• Model, texture, and animate destruction elements using Maya and Houdini, ensuring seamless integration with existing art pipelines and maintaining consistency with the overall visual style and quality standards
• Support asset integration, optimization, LODs, and collision for level design
• Collaborate closely with the Tech Art team to optimize destruction simulations for real-time performance, balancing visual fidelity with technical constraints and frame-rate requirements
• Partner with Design and Narrative teams to ensure destruction elements serve both narrative and mechanical purposes, creating compelling visual storytelling moments while supporting gameplay objectives
• Serve as a contributor to the development of artistic techniques and processes utilized to create destruction and simulation assets within the studio, drawing from comprehensive knowledge of physics simulation pipelines and all engine tools and systems
• Possess strong time management and prioritization skills, collaborating with the Production group to develop task lists, ensuring destruction asset assignments progress in alignment with schedules, milestones, and overall project goals
• Clearly communicate updates and escalate technical or artistic concerns to appropriate team members and managers while representing the studio professionally in all communications
• Take ownership of specific destruction categories or simulation types and facilitate requests or information needs regarding any aspect of the destruction creation process

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional experience in destruction simulation, VFX, or technical animation with demonstrated expertise in creating breakable assets for interactive media
• Expert proficiency in Houdini for simulation work, including rigid body dynamics, fluid simulations, particle systems, and HDA creation
• Proficient in Maya for basic modeling, animation, and asset pipeline integration
• Strong understanding of game engine integration and real-time performance optimization constraints
• Excellent aesthetic sense with the ability to create physical dynamics, natural phenomena, and impactful destruction sequences
• Strong communication and organizational skills with the ability to work independently under minimal direction
• Self-motivated with the ability to adapt to various destruction types and collaborate effectively across multiple departments

Preferred Experience

• Shipped AAA game(s) or games with high-quality destruction and VFX standards, with demonstrable contribution to destruction systems or breakable content
• Experience with additional simulation software like Blender, Pull Down It (PDI)
• Knowledge of scripting languages (Python, MEL, VEX) for pipeline automation and tool creation
• Understanding of material systems and shader creation for destruction elements, including damage states, debris, and particle effects
• Experience with motion capture cleanup, rigging, and/or keyframe animation for enhanced destruction storytelling
• Background in traditional VFX or film industry with transferable skills in large-scale destruction simulation
• Understanding of physics principles and real-world destruction behavior to inform artistic choices and improve simulation authenticity

If you find that you don't meet all the criteria outlined in this job description or if you feel your experience might fall short, research indicates that individuals, particularly women and people of color, tend to hesitate in applying unless they meet every requirement. At SMS, our commitment lies in creating a workplace that is diverse, inclusive, and equitable. If you're intrigued by this role but feel your previous experience doesn't perfectly align with all the qualifications listed, we encourage you to submit your application. The ideal position for you could be closer than you think!

We value talent, self-motivation, and team spirit. In turn, we provide an environment with a large degree of autonomy and opportunities for growth.

Our Journey, Your Story

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