Senior Animator - Vic/SA/Qld
Animation Production
- Create high-quality keyframe and/or motion capture animations for characters, creatures, vehicles, and gameplay systems.
- Develop expressive and believable movement that supports gameplay responsiveness and narrative goals.
- Produce polished animation cycles including locomotion, combat, traversal, facial animation, cinematic performances, and interactive sequences.
- Maintain consistency of animation style, quality, and performance across the project.
- Implement and refine animations within game engines such as Unreal Engine or Unity.
- Troubleshoot and resolve animation issues related to rigging, blending, state machines, and gameplay integration.
Creative Collaboration
- Collaborate closely with design, engineering, cinematic, audio, and art teams to achieve gameplay and storytelling objectives.
- Participate in creative reviews, sprint planning, and milestone deliverables.
- Contribute ideas to improve animation pipelines, workflows, and player experience.
- Work with technical artists and programmers to ensure animations meet engine and performance requirements.
Technical & Pipeline Responsibilities
- Optimize animation assets for runtime performance and memory constraints.
- Assist with motion capture shoots, cleanup, retargeting, and implementation.
- Contribute to animation systems including blend trees, state machines, IK systems, and procedural animation workflows.
- Maintain organized source files and documentation according to studio standards.
- Stay current with emerging animation techniques, tools, and industry trends.
Experience & Requirements
Required Skills and Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Animation, Game Art, Fine Arts, Multimedia, or equivalent industry experience.
- Shipped at least one AAA, AA, or commercially released game title.
- Advanced understanding of animation principles including timing, weight, posing, spacing, and body mechanics.
- Strong portfolio or demo reel demonstrating high-quality gameplay and cinematic animation work.
- High proficiency with industry-standard software such as Autodesk Maya, MotionBuilder, Blender, or equivalent.
- Experience implementing animations in Unreal Engine, Unity, or proprietary engines.
- Understanding of rigging constraints, animation systems, and technical pipelines.
- Excellent communication, collaboration, and feedback skills.
- Strong problem-solving and organizational abilities.