Animation Programmer (Game Team)

Summary:

The animation programmer is a creative position responsible for developing and maintaining gameplay animation pipelines, systems and features. This individual will collaborate with other engineers and artists working with advanced animation technologies such as motion matching, procedural rigs, IK, physics, and more to push the visual bar in effective, emotional storytelling in games.

Responsibilities:

• Invent, develop, maintain, and improve upon gameplay animation systems that leads the industry in quality while maintaining robust flexibility for use by AI, designers, and script
• Take the full range of ownership of gameplay animation features from content creation tools to the runtime
• Work closely with animators, technical artists, and designers
• Work with blending of procedural animation systems and IK with authored content
• Apply a critical eye, willingness to experiment, and enthusiasm to collaborate with artists and other creative disciplines to achieve the best possible quality
• Additional responsibilities may be assigned as needed

Requirements & Skills:

• Familiarity with various animation technologies such as animation keys, curves, interpolation, IK, etc.
• Strong math skills with emphasis on 3D math
• Strong knowledge of C and C++ programming languages
• Possesses the ability and drive to contribute and advance all aspects of a game
• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or equivalent work experience

Bonus Skills:

• Console programming experience
• Maya/digital content creation tools experience
• Familiarity with animation build pipelines
• Having shipped games or console titles

As part of the Naughty Dog application process, candidates should expect to be given a technical interview.