Character Technical Director- Tech Animation

We are currently hiring Character TDs with an emphasis in Technical Animation to join us in crafting the most appealing character simulation performances for Zootopia 2!

Our ideal candidate has strong artistic skills built on top of a proven technical foundation. You will work closely with the industry's top talent in fields ranging from design and modeling through animation to bring our characters to life.

Responsibilities:

• Character effects for shot production, including cloth and hair simulation, and final character polishing

• Collaborate directly with Character Asset Team members: Directors, Character Designers, Animators, Modelers, and Look Development Artists to define and create the best simulation or animation rigs for a wide range of character styles and art directions

• Responsible for the creation and downstream success of each character

Requirements:

• Experience in hair and/or cloth simulation

• Thorough understanding of the principles of animation

• Extensive knowledge of anatomy, kinematics, and physical behaviors

• Experience with crafting appealing performance through simulation

• Detailed knowledge of Python scripting

• Experience on 3+ CG feature film productions

• Experience partnering with others, taking direction, and problem-solving

• Comfortable with Linux environments

• Previous leadership experience is a plus

• Experience in modeling, grooming, and rigging are a plus

• Bachelor's degree in Art, Illustration, Computer Graphics, Engineering, related field or equivalent experience

A Note About Software:

Our department currently uses Autodesk Maya as our primary platform with proprietary solvers, hair instancing tools, and other authoring plugins. Applicants should be adept in Maya or an equivalent CG application or demonstrate a curiosity about learning software quickly. Strength in packages like Marvelous Designer, XGen, and Houdini is an added plus.

Application Materials:

• A reel of recent and best technical animation work that is no longer than 3 minutes in length

• A resume that details your work history outlining past experiences that relate to working on cloth and hair technical animation in a collaborative environment

• A reel breakdown of the visuals on your reel (if applicable)

• Examples of art directed simulation a plus

• Post simulation finaling and anatomy sculpting a plus

• Cloth simulation rigs that demonstrate an understanding of tailoring and fabric quality under a broad range of motion a plus

• Examples of performance with character animation rigs a plus

• An optional portfolio of drawing or sculpture work reflecting an interest and knowledge in design and anatomy

The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The pay rate for this role in Burbank, CA is $56.38 - $67.28 per hour, which follows the pay scale agreed upon in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The base pay actually offered may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, among other factors.