Senior Animator

Epic Games seeks Senior Animator(s) for our Cary, NC Studio, to work closely with the Lead Animator to produce high quality keyframe animations, ranging from highly realistic to exaggerated and stylized, for AAA video games. They will be responsible for creating a range of detailed animations, from convincing acting performances to polished body mechanics for gameplay and action sequences. This position will also communicate with other departments to ensure their animation fits the overall game needs. You will collaborate with Design on gameplay feel and with Engineering on animation systems like state machines.

 Responsibilities:

Help push keyframe animation quality on the team, from action sequences with broad body mechanics to acting performance with subtle facial expressions to creature animations while

maintaining industry standards.

Utilizing Maya using our ART tools set: 

• Help work with the Concept, Modeling and Rigging teams to develop characters and creatures that will be animation friendly, with an eye for proper proportions, silhouettes, mesh topology, and deformation as part of the preproduction process.
• Collaborate with designers and programmers on solving gameplay problems while maintaining artistic vision.
• Work with Engineering to implement animation systems in Unreal Engine using our animation blueprint system.
• Collaborate with FX and Audio to integrate animations.
• Work with the Pipeline team to flesh out pickers and tools.
• Contribute to the creative process with original ideas and inspiration.

Minimum Requirements:

Candidates must have at least five (5) years of work experience as a character animator and with all of the following:

• Creating high quality human and creature animation.
• Creating animations in Maya.
• Utilizing animation pipelines and standard industry processes to create workable animations.
• Giving animation related feedback on modeling, skinning, rigging.
• Working with mocap data.
• At least two (2) production cycles on a commercially released movie or video game.

To qualify, applicants must submit a reel demonstrating high quality keyframe animation in both realistic and stylized animation. It must also show examples of keyframe expertise with both facial animation (during character acting moments) and polished body mechanics (during action sequences).

 Multiple Openings for this position.