Vehicle Senior Artist

Turn 10 Studios, the creators of the top selling and critically acclaimed Forza franchise, has an exciting opportunity for a Vehicle Senior Artist to join our studio.  The Vehicle Senior Artist plays a key role in delivering car experiences across the Forza franchise, including Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon.

The Vehicle Senior Artist serves as a facilitator and proficient resource for end-to-end production. This involves assimilating established standards and procedures, reliable execution and dissemination of knowledge to onsite and remote artists. Communication varies from in-person to distributed documentation.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Responsibilities

Pre-Production

• Prototype content, workflows, and features, utilizes feedback, and iterates on art models and visuals. Recommends prototype techniques and new processes. Supports other disciplines to assist them with prototyping.

Production

• Facilitates outsourced content authoring by assimilating the process and standards and being a reliable resource for our production partners

• Collaborates with senior team members (e.g., Art Director, Art Lead) to create assets, receive feedback, and iterate on work. Begins to provide guidance to less experienced team members regarding the quality of content. Provides suggestions to senior team members based on iterations conducted to drive improvements in designs for games or products. Works with programmers, designers, and testers to ensure quality. Attains visual targets (e.g., texture, models, animation, lighting). Works with senior team members to review work for quality expectations.

Collaboration

• Actively seeks feedback during the design process and implements into art process duties and iterations to ensure standards are met. Begins to give feedback to improve the creative process and/or product or game in a collaborative environment. Receives feedback in a positive manner and implements the visual or technical feedback from others.

• Provides direction to the Art team both internally and externally. May supervise external agencies.

• Proactively participates in, presents, and seeks out creative discussions, brainstorms, and reviews across teams to facilitate effective communication with cross-discipline partners by proactively communicating with stakeholders. Communicates with leaders. Communicates problems, issues, status updates, documentation, knowledge sharing, etc.

Specialty Responsibilities

• Develops a deep knowledge of appropriate industry software (e.g. Maya, Zbrush) essentials (e.g., Cloth Sim technology, Houdini). Models and textures art work throughout the design process. May create 2D or three-dimensional (3D) concept art or prototypes as needed.

• Utilizes in-house tools to create a scene with exceptional pace, light, camera work, and dynamic performance. Works with leads and animators to understand the needs of a scene. Works with programmers, designers, and testers to ensure quality. Works independently or begins to manage outsource partners and evaluates and develops their work.

• Develops complex content using three-dimensional (3D) and/or two-dimensional (2D) graphics packages (e.g., Photoshop, Sketch, Illustrator, Substance Designer/Painter). Serves as a growing expert within their team to independently develop 3D and/or 2D graphics.

• Creates art assets and/or writes and executes scripts. Develops complex content using two-dimensional (2D) and/or three-dimensional (3D) graphics packages (e.g., Photoshop, Sketch, Illustrator). Serves as a growing expert within their team to independently develop 3D and/or 2D graphics.

• Document and disseminate authoring and QA specs and procedures for training and reference

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or Certificate in Design, Fine Arts, Human Computer Interaction, Visual Communications or related art field AND 2+ years experience in art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment

• OR equivalent experience.

• Hard surface modeling experience

• Shipped AAA title on Current-gen console or PC

• Experience with content outsourcing

Preferred Skills And Experience

• Bachelor's Degree or Certificate in Design, Fine Arts, Human Computer Interaction, Visual Communications or related art field AND 8+ years experience art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment

• OR equivalent experience.

• 4+ years experience using related software and packages (e.g., Maya, 3DS Max, Photoshop/Adobe suite, Mental Ray, Substance Designer/Painter/Zbrush, SideFX Houdini, After Effects, Unity, Softimage)

• OR equivalent software packages.

• Experience shipping 2+ multiple projects or products end to end.

Art IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $98,300 - $193,200 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $127,200 - $208,800 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until November 21, 2024

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.