Senior Character TD

This is a hybrid position based at our studio in Santa Monica, CA.
For nearly 40 years, Naughty Dog has been crafting best-selling, critically acclaimed games that constantly push the boundaries of narrative, gameplay, and technology. Naughty Dog recently released The Last of Us Part II Remastered as well as a current generation remake of The Last of Us Part I for the PS5. We're also proud to say that The Last of Us Parts I & II are now available for the first time on PC. Currently, we’re busy at the kennel working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and we'd love to find talented individuals to join us.

Naughty Dog games have long been lauded for their evocative, character-driven stories and attention to detail. We are committed to innovation within our games and as such have curated some of the top creative and technically innovative minds in the industry. We welcome diverse candidates and believe that a broad range of cultural and life experiences contribute to the overall well-being and success of the studio and the titles we craft together.

At Naughty Dog, Senior Character TD’s are critical in developing animation & rigging tools and cutting-edge deformation tech for the game. Candidates are half-artist and half-programmer. They are proficient in their programming and math skills, architect clean code and have advanced knowledge of artists pipelines within a specific domain. In addition to their technical skill contributions, they are expected to have a developed aesthetic vision and an artist’s eye for visual polish.

What you will do: 

• Design, implement and maintain character rigs and contribute to a toolset that sets industry benchmarks in quality and performance, ensuring efficient production and a dynamic user experience
• Spearhead the development of complex character rigging systems, focusing on various simulations and toolset enhancements
• Author, maintain and troubleshoot existing character creation workflows and pipeline efficiency to ensure stability and performance
• Collaborate regularly and interdepartmentally including with programmers to support the invention, design, and implementation of new character deformations, models, features, pipelines, and workflows.
• Research and develop advanced deformation and rigging techniques
• Provide mentorship and guidance to junior character TDs
• Additional responsibilities may be assigned as needed

What skills you will use: 

• 5+ years as a TD working with Character Rigs
• Excellent 3D math skills with an emphasis on geometry/linear algebra/trigonometry
• Proficiency in Python and C++ programming languages including debugging experience
• Proficient experience with Maya rigging tools and technical animation
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively
• Very strong professional portfolio, showing high quality character rigging
• Motivated and proactive self-starter, able to operate in a highly dynamic environment
• Ability to manage their own task list and responsibilities with little supervision
• Strong problem solving, observation and debugging skills. Enjoys methodically discovering solutions even when outside your area of expertise

Bonus Skills:

• Proficient experience with game content and tools.
• Understanding of underlying mathematical principles in ML and frameworks familiarity such as scikit-learn or PyTorch
• Proved experience with machine learning techniques, (knowledge of machine learning techniques and their applications in animation, rigging and shading is a significant advantage)

As a part of the Naughty Dog application process, candidates will be expected to provide a portfolio or demo reel of their work and may be asked to complete a test

#LI-CW1