Principal Character Technical Artist at Free Range Games

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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, Callisto Protocol, 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.

Responsibilities:

Lead the development of the technical animation pipeline from the mocap stage to the engine.
Be the glue between the animation and motion capture teams supporting their pipeline needs.
Lead and mentor a team of technical animators across various projects.
Build automation tools, exporters, and establish best practices for iteration and future scalability.
Write clear docs and video tutorials.
Guide the long-term vision and roadmap for sustainable development.

Qualifications:

Expert knowledge of AAA animation pipelines.
5+ years of production experience.
Has shipped multiple titles as a Lead / Senior Technical Animator.
In-depth knowledge of Maya building high-quality assets.
Strong Python knowledge using Pymel, Pyside and Qt for pipeline tool development.
Previous leadership and management experience.
Strong understanding of both Figure and Facial Anatomy.
Experience setting up production pipelines while being able to follow guidelines.
The ability to take initiative and work independently.
Basic understanding of Linear Algebra / Vector Math.

Nice to haves:

C++.
Complex character/vehicle rigging experience in Maya (film, broadcast, or game environments).
Experience using Physics systems (Cloth, Ragdoll, Dynamics).
Experience with Unreal’s character and animation pipeline.
Runtime animation schemas such as state machines and blend trees.

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.

E-Verify participant

Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States. Free Range Games participates in E-Verify.

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