Description
Ubisoft is a global leader in gaming with teams across the world creating original and memorable gaming experiences, from Assassin’s Creed, Rainbow Six to Just Dance and more.
As a Senior Technical Artist - Characters (Unreal) at Ubisoft Montréal, you will be the point of reference for technical matters related to character content creation, from concept handoff through in-engine integration.
You will define how characters are produced on the project and put the end-to-end pipeline in place.
You will guide the resolution of complex issues across modeling, texturing, rigging, skinning, and runtime integration, while advising on the project’s broader technical direction.
Responsibilities:
- Identify technical needs across character creation, rigging, skinning, levels of detail, materials, and engine integration
- Shape the character technology vision with technical directors and associate technical directors, in line with the art and animation vision
- Define the character pipeline, including creation-to-engine workflows, naming and export conventions, and validation steps
- Set and share character standards for asset structure, versioning, rigs, skeletons, materials, and textures
- Create or recommend tools for character artists, riggers, and animators, including export automation, asset validators, rig builders, and batch processing utilities
- Optimize and debug character assets for geometry, draw calls, skinning cost, memory use, and shader complexity
- Resolve complex character issues, including deformation quality, cloth and hair integration, and modular character systems
- Collaborate with animation and programming teams on character features and runtime systems, and communicate progress to associates and technical directors
- Document standards and tools, follow developments in character technology, help align teams around shared goals, and contribute to performance evaluations within the specialty
Qualifications:
- Hands-on experience with an end-to-end character pipeline, including how character assets are created and integrated into a game engine
- Knowledge of rigging and animation needs sufficient to guide the pipeline and work with animation teams
- Knowledge of technical budgets, polygon counts, materials, asset structure, and modular character customization
- Experience establishing workflows and standards for character production
- Experience with Unreal Engine 5, or relevant character pipeline experience with Unreal Engine 4