Rockstar North is looking for a Character Artist with specific knowledge and experience of real-time creative pipelines, and who has a proven track record working with Materials and Parameterized Customization systems on AAA titles. They will have a passion for working in a specialized team setting – helping create humans, creatures, clothing, and accessories to the highest visual standards.
This is a full-time permanent position based out of Rockstar’s unique game development studio in the heart of Edinburgh.
WHAT WE DO
- We design, create, and populate the world with the people and creatures that bring the story and play to life, for both our story-driven and online game worlds.
- Our characters are the embodiment of the player’s experiences and their interactions when they play – how they look, feel, and interact with other living things.
- We design in-depth customization and functionality for character assets for the game’s specific needs.
- We work with a broad range of digital tools for sculpting, modelling and texture panting, with a fundamental basis in observational art creation and explicit attention to detail.
- We use other technical tools for cloth simulations, photogrammetry, and physically based shader pipelines to help us create believable characters.
- You’ll join a global team setting high standards across all of our projects, who have an exacting production focus and an obsession for getting the minutiae right.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Work within the Character Art asset creation pipeline for all our global titles.
- Work with the Art Direction and Leadership Team to achieve creative and production goals whilst working under your own initiative.
- Work with the Character and Technical Art teams to create balanced, pragmatic, and timely solutions to all related technical and aesthetic issues.
QUALIFICATIONS
- 3+ years of development experience, having shipped AAA console titles as part of a character art team.
- A comprehensive portfolio showing final art 3D character assets - ideally created as part of a specialized development team - highlighting specific abilities in the representation of realistic surfacing treatments on clothing, accessories and skin, and other current-generation technical character features.
SKILLS
- Extensive experience and understanding of material pipelines, including material generation using Substance Designer and Substance Painter.
- A deep knowledge of the utilisation of tiled texture inputs to achieve high-resolution assets at runtime.
- Experience in creating and organising the art and assets that facilitate the asset creation and subsequent customisation of characters in editor tools.
- Has a detail-obsessed eye for creating and manipulating texture maps and surface patterns, and an excellent understanding of the value of UV space.
- A full understanding of all current generation production workflows as they pertain to character art asset production - including an understanding of PBR/Lighting pipelines, shader tools, and technical shader approaches.
- Ability to work with bespoke engine toolsets, defined asset workflows, and contribute to overall character department goals and working practices.
- Positive, solution-oriented individual with a passion for making great game art in a team setting.
- Self-motivated and flexible, with excellent communication skills.
- Prioritises consistent delivery of high-quality Character art to meet goals.
PLUSES
Please note that these are desirable skills and are not required to apply for the position.
- A keen understanding of the human body and facial anatomy; creature anatomy; asset form, structure, and silhouette in respect of economical and appropriate modelling for game target assets and polycounts.
- A keen interest and passion for clothing, worn accessories, and garment construction detailing; as they relate explicitly to specific real-world references and concepts, mood boards, and directed styling cues.
- An inherent appreciation and understanding of fashion and street style, and era-specific culture as they relate to costuming and dressing.
- Excellent problem-solving skills. Ability to work in a self-directed manner and to make timely, well-reasoned decisions.
- Great interpersonal skills. Must be able to work closely in a team setting and with other dependent departments.