d3t is at the cutting edge of technology and creativity, delivering co-development video game services to our global triple-A clients. Our successful studio is continuing to grow and we are now looking for an additional Senior Character Artist to join the expanding Art Team. Our studio, part of the Keywords Studios Group, works on multiple exciting projects at any one time offering plenty of variety and involvement.
Our studio is based near Runcorn in Cheshire and we offer an amazingly professional, fun and supportive working environment. We are passionate about what we do and pride ourselves on our anti-crunch mentality, mentoring ethos and have been awarded ‘Best Places to Work’ multiple times by gamesindustry.biz including 2021.
The Role
The Senior Character Artist will play a key role in our growing Character Team. It its very much a hands-on role, creating beautiful Characters for our projects whilst also working together with the other d3t Character Artists, inspiring and motivating one another to create world class Characters. We work with very high-profile clients on amazing game titles and so the quality of the Character Art is critical to satisfying and retaining their loyalty.
Responsibilities
- Produce exceptional character models that are anatomically correct and are full of life and personality.
- Accurately follow a pre-defined art direction or concepts to produce characters in varying art styles.
- With a knowledge of advanced techniques, create both low and high poly, including heads, faces, clothing and hair and able to rapidly acquaint with new pipelines and processes.
- Create clean and efficient topology ready for skinning for animation and author well laid out textures.
- Work with Art and Animation Leads in helping to define clear visual goals, create best practice assets and help to oversee the character art team quality, ensuring consistency between initial vision and final assets.
- Work with tech artists to improve workflows and shaders, and ensure characters adhere to tech specifications and all work uses the most efficient footprint possible
- Ensure work hits all memory and frame rate guides and comply to project guidelines in terms of naming conventions, texture layering structures, folders etc.
- With a professional and organised approach, you adhere to schedules and promptly feedback concerns regarding any aspects of the project. Ensuring the right tasks are tackled in the right order, updating Jira, communicating progress and helping to manage team deliverables.
- Respond to art direction effectively and assist in both providing and implementing feedback.
- Research into improved techniques, keep up to date with industry advancements and technologies and share knowledge with the rest of the character art team.
- Add to our library of tutorials, documents and technical guides to improve efficiency in the character art processes and be proactive in finding solutions to technical issues.
- Self-driven, autonomous and confident, demonstrate responsibility for work quality and processes for both yourself and other members of the art team, actively contributing fresh ideas and encouraging the team.
- Confident with motivating Character Artists, inspire colleagues to flourish and help promote a culture of collaborative innovation.
Requirements
Essential Skills:
- Excellent artistic ability, strong organic modelling skills and in-depth anatomical knowledge.
- In depth understanding of current gen skin and hair shaders and ability to accurately capture facial subtleties.
- High proficiency in Maya/Max, Z-Brush, Photoshop and Substance suite
- A recurrent top performer, always raising the bar to produce fine quality textures, demonstrating a high level of finesse.
- In depth understanding of various tools and game engines used in current gen development.
- Experience in real time hair, Marvellous Designer, cloth simulation set up and blendshape creation workflows.
- Strong communication and organisation skills and confident working as part of a multidisciplinary art team.
- Evidence of being an enthusiastic leader or role model whilst in the role of character artist, maintaining a positive outlook and identifying options to turn problems into solutions.
- Practical and methodical approach to both technical and creative problem-solving and an ability to take art direction effectively
- Demonstrate dependability and commitment to projects and tasks, and a hunger to learn and improve as a character artist
- Flexible and calm approach with the ability to adapt with change
- Ability to lead and requiring little supervision, consistently deliver quality work within fixed time constraints.
- Passion for staying up to date with latest technology and embracing new game art techniques.
Desirable Skills:
- Experience of working within game development for at least 4 years
- Ideally three published titles and two full project cycles in an Intermediate Art position
- Experience in outsource art provision, including communication, feedback and implementation.
Benefits
d3t provides a great working environment along with a wide range of benefits including:
- 25 days holiday (+ bank holidays)
- Company Pension Scheme
- Flexible working hours
- Private Medical Insurance Scheme & Eye Care Scheme
- Employee Share Scheme
- Anti-crunch ethos - an amazingly professional, fun and supportive working environment!
- Income Protection
- Annual Bonus – be rewarded for great teamwork!
- Free Parking
- Tech and Bike Scheme
- Complimentary Refreshments – an extensive range to suit all dietary preferences
- Company Socials, Project Launch/Wrap Parties + Annual d3t Events
- Breakout Areas – filled with perks such as games, snacks etc.
Please note we are actively hiring and interviews will be held by video call.
For this opportunity, we are ideally looking for candidates looking for a studio based or hybrid working arrangement (splitting time between the studio and working from home). We will consider fully remote workers too for this opportunity.