Character Tech Artist / Rigger – Free Range Games

Position Summary

Free Range Games grows games the old fashioned way: we don’t put our team in cages, we work distributedly, and we don’t use toxic work/life trade-offs. Some of our crafters have worked together from PS1 to PS5 and will tell you about carving games one triangle at a time from punch cards.

We are some of the folk behind Spider-man, Tony Hawk, Lord of the Rings, Twitch Sings, Oddworld, Shrek Super Slam, and dozens of mobile and web games. We believe every member of the team has a voice in what the game should be.

We prioritize community, family, and love-of-gaming over process, crunching, and TPS reports. And maybe that’s what you want too.

Free Range Games is looking for a Character TA / Rigger to join our growing character tech team working across a few next gen games. You will have exceptional technical skills in rigging, an artistic eye and a passion for video games. 

Responsibilities: 

• Design, create, test, and maintain character rigs/setups
• Work with modelers to create a model that meets technical needs
• Collaborate with animators to design motion controls
• Develop and maintain character motion and deformation systems
• Develop new techniques and processes to solve character production challenges
• Capable of writing pipeline tools to streamline the setup process
• Work with production management to prioritize tasks
• Additional responsibilities may be assigned as needed

Qualifications:

• 3+ years of production experience
• In-depth knowledge of Maya
• Bonus: Experience with Unreal /Unity character and animation pipeline
• Strong understanding of both Figure and Facial Anatomy
• Complex character/vehicle rigging experience in Maya (in film, broadcast, or game environments)
• Programming experience with scripting languages such as Python and MEL
• Experience setting up production pipelines, while being able to follow guidelines
• The ability to take initiative and work independently
• Bonus: Experience with technical art and visual effects
• Bonus: Solid Linear Algebra
• Bonus: Experience writing Physics systems
• Bonus: Experience using Physics systems (NCloth, etc.)

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Free Range Games is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. Free Range Games makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.