Character Rigger

Company Description

DON’T NOD is an independent publisher and developer, based in Paris and Montreal, creating original narrative games in the adventure (Life is Strange, Tell Me Why, Twin Mirror), RPG (Vampyr), and action (Remember Me) genres. The studio is internationally renowned for unique narrative experiences with engaging stories and characters, and has worked with industry leading publishers: Square Enix, Microsoft, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Focus Entertainment, and Capcom. DON’T NOD creates and publishes its own IPs developed in-house, as well as using its knowledge and experience to collaborate with third-party developers whose editorial visions parallel the company’s own.

Step into the studio's immersive and innovative universe at dont-nod.com

Job Description

Why join us?

• You want to bring your talent to the DON’T NOD Montreal team and work on the new narrative game Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, led by key members of the team behind Life is Strange;
• You want to join a diverse and committed team, both in its culture and in the content of the games it creates;
• You're looking for an environment where you'll be able to interact with all the teams in a simple and efficient manner;
• You'd like to use your rigging skills to contribute to an original and meaningful experience based on its characters.

What you'll be doing

Reporting to the Montreal studio’s Animation Director, your role will be to support and push forward the qualitative realization of the characters, including their deformation, simulation, as well as their implementation in the engine (Unreal Engine) for our next narrative project.

Your mission will be to:

• identify specific production needs in terms of rigging and keep to the production schedule;
• ensure the integration, maintenance and improvement of animated systems in order to design efficient rigs adapted to production needs;
• to work closely with programmers, modelers and animators to implement the various assets in the game;
• write and oversee the writing of interfaces or Python/MEL tools required to support the rigging and the animation department;
• advise the rigging and animation team on the best practices for creating and using rigs and various rigging and animation tools;
• collaborate with various disciplines to build our character and animation pipelines, our rigging systems, our global animation tools and help with engine troubleshooting;
• maintain excellent communication and have the ability to act as an ambassador between art and engineering.

Qualifications

The must-have skills we're looking for

• At least 5 years of relevant experience;
• Excellent knowledge of Maya and Unreal;
• Good knowledge of Python/MEL;
• Understanding and hands-on experience of animation rigs, gameplay constraints, and various approaches to creating high-quality gaming experiences;
• Good understanding of the anatomy, volumes, masses and movement dynamics of the characters;
• Demonstrate analytical skills when tasked with corrections requested by the animation directors and supervisors;
• Methodical and organized approach to working with high quality standards;
• Sense of initiative, originality and ingenuity in problem-solving;
• Demonstrate good management of priorities and deadlines in order to complete tasks within the time allocated by production;
• Be used to working in a team and collaborating with other disciplines.

What would set you apart?

• An interest in narrative games and their ability, via their characters, to convey emotions;
• Experience with Unreal MetaHuman;
• Experience with the development of a modular pipeline;
• Knowledge of C / C++;
• Knowledge of simulation systems such as nCloth, nHair, xGen or others;
• Familiarity with procedural animation systems.

Additional Information

At DON’T NOD Montreal, we celebrate diversity and inclusivity within our games as well as our teams. We commit to equal opportunities and non-discrimination in our hiring process. We are respectful of the principles of equal employment opportunities, and that is why we encourage women, people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, First Nations people, people living with a disability, visible minorities, as well as any other person who can contribute to the diversity of our studio to apply for our positions.

We build close-knit teams to encourage a fulfilling work environment for all our employees.

Our teams enjoy a range of benefits, including flexibility, a generous holiday bank, time off, training and career development support, and a personalized Lifestyle spending account.

Additional perks include:

• The possibility of working anywhere in Quebec;
• Insurance and virtual healthcare coverage as of Day 1;
• An annual bank of 40 hours of menstrual leave;
• Partial refund of transport fees (OPUS, BIXI and parking);
• Access to gym and fitness classes as well as a multi-sports field in summer which turns into an ice rink in winter;
• Referral bonus that goes the extra mile;
• RRSPs with the employer's contribution.