Senior Character Technical Artist (Temporary Assignment)

Recognized as a global leader in interactive and digital entertainment, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is responsible for the PlayStation® brand and family of products and services. PlayStation has delivered innovation to the market since the launch of the original PlayStation in Japan in 1994.

Sony Santa Monica is seeking a Senior Character Technical Artist to join the team behind the critically acclaimed God of War games. Individuals in this role are well versed in artistic sensibilities and in graphics technology, allowing them to work closely with both engineers and artists to bring the vision of the game to life. They are expected to understand how the content creation process works end to end and to leverage their technical expertise to help deliver the creative vision. Their customers are programmers and artists, both from a learning perspective and a teaching point of view. This requires them to split their time between evaluating, testing, and experimenting with new techniques and helping artists learn these techniques to increase quality and decrease creation time. A requirement of the role is to maintain an open dialog with customers, inviting feedback, and identifying areas of improvement. We value talent, self-motivation, and team spirit. In turn, we provide an environment with a large degree of freedom and autonomy.

* Research, define, extend, and maintain production pipelines, processes, and workflows * Interface with key stakeholders. Liaise between team members; drive collaborative projects * Identify problems; solve them by inventing or building robust, quality technical implementations * Mentor and guide team members in areas of expertise; instill best practices

* Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Graphic Art, or a related field, or equivalent experience * Minimum 5 years’ professional experience in computer-generated art * Solid understanding of 3D related math and related concepts * Intimate knowledge of Maya and strong understanding of Maya’s rigging tools * Working knowledge in MEL/Python/HLSL and/or C++ * Experience with computer graphics, lighting, and FX are a plus * Well-versed in human and animal anatomy * Understanding of proper mesh topology * Knowledge of animation workflows * Ability to pioneer new rig systems and workflows * Enthusiasm and initiative * Excellent spoken and written communication * Able and motivated to work with other team members