Retainer - Technical Animator (1 Year Contract)

About the organization:  

Ubisoft is a leading developer and publisher of video games worldwide whose brand portfolio covers blockbusters such as Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs, The Division, Prince of Persia and Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, Rayman, Just Dance as well as games for the whole family, from Imagine and Petz to Raving Rabbids. To continue building on its achievements for the future, Ubisoft is looking for new talent for its growing Indian studios!  

We favor diversity, creativity, drive and team spirit. If you have the skills and the desire to succeed, we want you to be a part of this exciting period of growth  

To continue building on its achievements for the future, Ubisoft is looking for talented candidates for its growing Indian studios!  

TITLE: TECHNICAL ANIMATOR (1 Year Contract) 

SUMMARY:
As a Technical Animator at Ubisoft Mumbai, you will be supporting while innovating animation systems and activities. Working closely with animators, riggers, designers and programmers, you will be handling mocap data, lip sync and facial animation systems, animation rigs, physics rigs, animation trees and dynamic objects. In this role, you will follow, refine, or establish pipelines for both conventional and innovative features.

As part of a multinational group that specializes in player-facing products, you will have the opportunity to bring value to the Ubisoft communities and have direct impact on millions of players from the first day.

NATURE OF SERVICES: 

• Create, own, and maintain gameplay animation graphs, scripted game events, state transitions, blend trees for realistic gameplay animations.
• Design, implement and improve animation state machines and procedural runtime animation solutions such as IK/Ragdoll/Retargeting.
• Create plug-ins and / or scripts to automate tasks in both DCC (3DS Max/Motion Builder/Maya) and engine and oversee smooth cross-software development.
• Design, develop, and maintain tools and scripts to improve the efficiency of the animation production pipeline.
• Work across a variety of areas including rigging, in-engine animation systems and physics systems for rigid/soft bodies, hair, and cloth.
• Master the engine and animation tools in terms of knowing the limits and propagating the corresponding changes to pipelines.
• Provide technical assistance to animators, troubleshooting and resolving issues that disrupt the production process.
• Create/Improve pipeline for special features and maintain technical documentation.
• Develop, test, and maintain animation systems in conjunction with animators, designers, programmers, and QA.
• Test work in-game to provide feedback/suggestions and resolve in-game problems.

THE PROFESSIONAL VALUE YOU BRING:

• Bachelor’s degree/diploma in 3D Animation Techniques for video games or equivalent.
• 4-6 years of experience in videogame technical animation or equivalent.
• Experience with animation software such as Motion Builder, 3ds Max or Maya.
• Good understanding and technical knowledge of commercial game engine such as Unreal, Unity.
• Strong knowledge of animation state machines, gameplay mechanics and animations, in-engine IK.
• Scripting skills (MEL/Python/Lua etc.) and understanding of object oriented programming.
• Strong analytical skills to identify and resolve technical issues quickly and efficiently.
• Understanding of fundamental animation and rigging principles.
• Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with animators and programmers.
• A noticeable demo reel with a breakdown of your best work.

NICE TO HAVE:

• Experience of one full game development cycle will be a big plus.
• Knowledge of version control tools and project management systems.
• Understanding of game design and level design will be an added advantage.

THE PERSONAL VALUE YOU BRING:

• Autonomous, organization skills and proactive attitude.
• Great interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to quickly adapt, prioritize and manage tasks to meet deadlines.
• Strong problem-solving mindset with creative thinking to overcome technical challenges.
• Positive attitude and a genuine team player.
• Passion for video games and good knowledge of different game genres across all platforms with awareness on latest industry trends.

UBISOFT OFFERS:

• International game projects & IP’s.
• Access to cutting-edge hardware.
• Experience using hottest internally developed game engines.
• Proficient and fun-to-work-with colleagues.