Senior Rigging Artist

Skydance
Madrid, Spain
Hybrid

Who this role is best for

A natural match if you have experience in facial and body rigging within a production pipeline.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with 5+ years in VFX and 3+ years in animation, who have both artistic and technical rigging expertise.
    — “5+ years in VFX or animation industries. 3+ years in the animation industry.”
  • Individuals who have developed procedural rig components and have a deep understanding of facial anatomy and kinematics.
    — “Develops and maintains procedural rig components with a specific focus on deformation. Extensive anatomical knowledge of facial muscles and their kinematics functions.”
  • Professionals who can support rigs through the pipeline and provide deformation fixes based on artistic feedback.
    — “Supports rigs as they move through the pipeline and provides additional deformation fixes as needed.”

Things to consider

  • The role demands fluency in English and may require Spanish language skills for local collaboration.
    — “High English level. Spanish desirable.”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience in sculpting expressions and creating production-ready deformation rigs.
    — “Has strong experience in facial deformation but also experience in body rigging.”
  • Showcase your ability to prototype and implement new rigging techniques to solve complex challenges.
    — “Prototype, develops and implements new techniques and processes to solve unique and technical character production challenges.”
  • Emphasize your proficiency in Maya and Python, especially within a production environment.
    — “Proficiency in using Maya in a production environment. Advanced Python scripting follows coding standards including Qt Interfaces and UX.”
  • Demonstrate your ability to collect and incorporate artistic feedback into rig behavior.
    — “Collects artistic feedback and fine-tunes rig behavior.”
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Individual

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • Developed and maintained character and prop deformation rigs
  • Provided support and guidance to team members
Typical background
5+ years in VFX or animation industries

Skills & requirements

Required

RiggingMayaPython ScriptingAnimation PrinciplesCharacter PipelineFacial DeformationBody RiggingProcedural Rig Components

Preferred

C/c++ Developing KnowledgeArtistic ModelingAnatomy Tools

Stack & domain

RiggingMayaPythonC/c++Facial DeformationBody RiggingSculptingProcedural Rig ComponentsDeformationCustom ToolsAnimationCharacter PipelineAnatomical KnowledgeFacial MusclesKinematics FunctionsQt InterfacesUXArtistic ModelingAnatomy ToolsCollaborationProblem-solvingInnovationTeam Development

About the role

Original posting from Skydance via Lever

Skydance offers a dynamic, inclusive, and ever-evolving culture where innovative ideas are welcomed, and growth fostered. The partnership between unique creativity and technological advancements are demonstrated within each pillar of the company. At the heart of it all is a commitment to boldly entertaining and relevant storytelling.

While all Animation studios look to hire people who are creative and hard-working, Skydance Animation is specifically looking for pioneers who seek to push the limits of what the world’s most collaborative art form can achieve, and to give those pioneers the space and the resources to build a new studio that’s doing something different.

For more information on how we process your personal information, please review the Privacy policy located at https://privacy.paramount.com/recruitment-privacy-notice.

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As a Senior Rigger you will work closely with the Rigging Supervisor and a variety of departments including; R&D, Art, Modelling, Layout and Animation, to develop, implement, maintain and support character and prop deformation rigs for use in Crowds, Layout and Animation.

Responsibiities:

  • Has strong experience in facial deformation but also experience in body rigging.
  • Has strong experience sculpting expressions.
  • Develops and maintains procedural rig components with a specific focus on deformation, using custom tools. 
  • Follows a brief to produce complex production-ready rig deformations. 
  • Works with Animators to aid with deformation rigs to provide a broad range of motion. 
  • Supports rigs as they move through the pipeline and provides additional deformation fixes as needed. 
  • Is responsible for building body, facial and mechanical rig systems to be used by other departments, such as Crowds, Animation and Layout. 
  • Troubleshoots and fixes rig issues. 
  • Collects artistic feedback and fine-tunes rig behavior. 
  • Works within the pipeline and rigging standards. 
  • Keeps up with current artistic methodologies and technology trends and tools that best suit the production and the company in the development of a stronger creative and technical environment. 
  • Delivers on time following Production quality standards. 
  • Prototype, develops and implements new techniques and processes to solve unique and technical character production challenges. 
  • Works together with the team , providing them with support, guidance and instruction in areas that contribute towards their artistic and professional growth. 
  • Follows the Supervisor’s and Lead's guidance. 

Requirements:

  • 5+ years in VFX or animation industries. 
  • 3+ years in the animation industry. 
  • Strong artistic and technical rigging skills. 
  • Proficiency within a character pipeline. 
  • Proficiency in using Maya in a production environment. 
  • Experience with sculpting tools in Body, Face and Shot-Finaling. 
  • Solid understanding of the principles of animation. 
  • Extensive anatomical knowledge of facial muscles and their kinematics functions. 
  • Advanced Python scripting follows coding standards including Qt Interfaces and UX. 
  • Desirable C/C++ developing knowledge. 
  • Knowledge of artistic modeling and anatomy tools is a plus. 
  • High English level. 
  • Spanish desirable. 

#Animation #LI-Hybrid

Skydance is a diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create high quality, event-level entertainment for global audiences. The Company brings to life stories of immersive worlds across its feature film, television, interactive, and animation divisions.

Recruitment Fraud Alert

It has come to our attention that there may be fraudulent activity by individuals impersonating our Talent Acquisition team. Skydance will only contact you from an official “@skydance.com” email address. If you suspect that you are being contacted by an unauthorized person or believe that the correspondence you have received is suspicious, please do not click on any links or attachments in such emails and submit any questions or concerns to our information security team at https://skydance.com/report-suspected-fraud/.

Source: Skydance careers (Lever)

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