Character Facial Rigger (Mid-Level / Senior)

At Rockstar Games, we create world-class entertainment experiences.

A career at Rockstar Games is about being part of a team working on some of the most creatively rewarding and ambitious projects to be found in any entertainment medium. You would be welcomed to a dedicated and inclusive environment where you can learn, and collaborate with some of the most talented people in the industry.

Rockstar India is looking for a passionate and talented Character Facial Rigger (Mid-Level / Senior) to join the team to help develop and support our titles.

This is a full-time permanent position based out of Rockstar’s unique game development studio in Bangalore.

WHAT WE DO

• We design, create and maintain highly complex facial rigging and animation systems for characters and animals that bring our 3D assets to life.
• We constantly engage in Research and Development of new techniques for driving skeletons, blendshapes and custom deformers through comprehensive control rigs.
• We design and build tools that enhance the productivity of our Blendshape Art team and Animators.
• Work alongside Animators providing support and addressing feedback to get the best performances in game.
• Collaborate and communicate with other departments such as Tools, Machine Learning and Code (engine) teams to improve our authoring workflows and animation/graphics systems in runtime.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Build, test and maintain facial rig logic for a variety of 3D assets.
• Create tools within Maya (in Python/QT) to support and push forward workflows across Animation and Rigging.
• Write C++ plugins to customize and extend DCC packages as required for our bespoke needs.
• Work with other Technical Artists streamlining our pipeline and scalability of our facial rigging tools and asset production.
• Use proprietary system to setup constraints and custom deformers, secondary motion etc in the game engine.
• Work with the team organizing, documenting and maintaining libraries for interacting with the rig from a tooling standpoint.
• Work with other Technical Artists improving workflows and tools used internally by the Rigging Team and other departments such as Character Art and Animation.
• Staying current with latest technologies/research ongoing in the field to help keep our dynamic art visuals at the cutting-edge regarding motion and deformation.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A relevant degree or professional experience in the game industry as a Facial Rigger, Technical Animator or similar/related position.
• Strong knowledge and experience using FACS applied to facial rigging and animation is a must.
• A demo reel and online portfolio that demonstrates exceptional skills creating motion controls for animation, complex deformation and skinning of body and face of characters and creatures.

SKILLS

• 3+ years of production experience creating complex facial rigs for Games, Feature Films or VFX.
• Understanding of human body and facial anatomy as it relates to game assets and topology.
• Strong coding/scripting skills in Python, Mel or Maxscript (candidate may be asked to complete a test).
• Experience programming C++ plugins for Motionbuilder, Maya, Houdini or similar DCCs for Animation.
• Experience using other game engines (e.g. Unreal/Unity or proprietary tech) with relation to Animation.
• Solid foundation in math (specifically 3D math).
• Experience with facial animation, facial motion capture, and/or facial tracking.
• Strong communication, self-management, and organizational skills.
• Effective time management skills to meet deadlines and milestones.

PLUSES

Please note that these are desirable skills and are not required to apply for the position.

• Experience using other game engines (e.g. Unreal/Unity or proprietary tech).
• Experience creating Animation scripts/tools for Motionbuilder, Maya, Houdini is highly advantageous.
• Experience with Python (standalone or within the context of a relevant DCC) is highly advantageous.
• Experience with C# and .NET Core/Framework is highly advantageous.
• Experience using source control software (i.e. Perforce, Git) and working on a code base collaboratively.
• Professional experience as an Animator in games.
• Professional experience working and developing in a multi-platform, multi-project environment.
• Professional experience working in a large team spread across multiple locations and time zones.

HOW TO APPLY

Please apply with a resume and cover letter demonstrating how you meet the skills above. If we would like to move forward with your application, a Rockstar recruiter will reach out to you to explain next steps and guide you through the process.

Rockstar is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to hiring, promoting, and compensating employees based on their qualifications and demonstrated ability to perform job responsibilities.

If you’ve got the right skills for the job, we want to hear from you. We encourage applications from all suitable candidates regardless of age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, belief, or race.