Avalanche Studios Group and its creative division Avalanche Studios is looking for a Gameplay Animation Programmer to join the largest and greatest AAA project we’ve ever taken on.
On this project we want to push animation quality a lot further than we have done previously and this will require us to take our animation technology to the bleeding edge. Sounds like fun to you? Do you feel you have the skills for this? Then we would love to hear from you!
The Position
As a Gameplay Animation Programmer you will develop and maintain both tools and runtime systems required to realize the vision for animation on the project while working with our designers to conceive of and implement elements of scripted and emergent world content and activities. You should be able to understand the pros and cons of different approaches and be able to come up with new creative solutions to efficiently be able to achieve the desired quality.
The position also includes architecting the interfaces between the animation system and e.g. AI. Use and extend existing systems when possible, build new tools and features when needed. Assist animators in translating game design into technical animation design, help and educate game programmers working with animation related features and aid technical animators in implementing animations into the game.
It is expected that you see your responsibility as delivering a successful end-user experience, together with your team-mates, rather than just handing off technological solutions to content creators. Much of the success of well executed game characters is down to how successfully they are integrated with all of the systems within the game engine, e.g. physics, animation, UI, SFX, VFX, dialog, etc. Previous experience and proven ability to work with multiple systems and stakeholders is a definite advantage. Finally, as with any other programming role, you will have to be able to balance functional requirements with technical requirements in the areas of performance, stability, memory usage, interoperability.
Required Qualifications:
- Excellent communications skills
- Able to write readable, robust and performant code in C/C++
- Solid knowledge of game animation systems e.g. layering, masking, state machines, locomotion, facial animations, blending, and parameterization
- Experience working with IK, ragdolls and / or other procedural techniques
- Fluent in linear algebra
- A keen sense of fun gameplay
- Knowledge of gameplay code
- A keen eye for animation
Desired Qualifications:
- Experienced with AAA games development
- Experience in networking animated characters
- Experience with motion synthesis/generation
- Experience working with game physics
- Experience of profiling and optimization
We will only consider applications that consist of both a cover letter and a CV. In your cover letter you should include why you want to work at Avalanche Studios Group. For this role you need to be able to work full-time in our New York office. To apply for this position please register below. Apply as soon as possible as we review applications continuously. All further information is provided under non-disclosure agreement only.
We offer our full time employees 100% company paid Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance and 5 weeks of PTO including 2 weeks of Summer break. Employees enjoy the company’s commitment to work-life balance and working with a talented team on an exciting AAA game.
Our Values
At Avalanche Studios, we believe in worlds without limits, and we are committed to developing a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. Being part of our world is not contingent on where you’re from, your gender, or sexual orientation. It’s all about your passion, courage and craftsmanship.
