Overview

Your position as an R&D Software Developer is vital to Image Engine. Through your expertise in Animation, Rigging and Creature FX challenges, you will help us create new and innovative VFX art on major hollywood productions. Reporting to the Head of Technical Production and the R&D Lead, you will be responsible for implementing high-end tools to push our capabilities and efficiencies in these departments.

You will work closely with Rigging, CFX, and Animation TDs to build efficient workflows that push our technical capabilities to the next level, building upon the reputation for high-end creature driven VFX work that Image Engine is known for. Projects may include implementing new algorithms for specific hero creature challenges, improving the performance of our in-house nodes and deformers, or helping to identify viable 3rd party solutions for common CFX problems (eg muscles, hair, feathers), and integrating those products into our pipeline. Your passion, talent, and ideas will help us bring VFX at Image Engine to the next level of efficiency and performance.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Design, implement, and support a mixture of proprietary, open-source, and third-party software for Animation, Rigging and Creature FX workflows
Collaborate with artists, technical directors, and supervisors to determine the Animation, Rigging and Creature FX needs for current and future productions
Identify and optimize bottlenecks in Rigging and Simulation algorithms and workflows
Contribute to Image Engine’s open source initiatives: Cortex and Gaffer
Communicate with third-party software vendors to prioritize Image Engine’s feature requests and bug fixes
Design and implement solutions targeting current production workflows, while ensuring they can be generalized for all productions when possible
Document, test, and debug tools to ensure they meet production requirements
Write clear documentation for tools, scripts, and plug-ins
Provide secondary technical support, training, and tutorials to artists and production staff
Stay up-to-date with industry trends for animating, rigging and simulating muscles, skin, cloth, fur, crowds, and any other Rigging and Creature FX driven topics that may be well suited to procedural or simulated solutions

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
A university degree in Computer Science, Math, Physics, or a related field
3-5 years experience developing software in a film production environment
Master’s or PhD in Computer Science or a related field a plus

SKILLS AND ABILITIES
Technical skills
Solid understanding of rigging, animation, and simulation algorithms
Experience writing software in C++ and Python
Experience developing for Maya in both C++ and Python a must
Experience developing for Houdini in both C++ and Python a plus
Experience with modern VFX data formats and APIs like Alembic, USD, or VDB
Familiarity with our open source efforts (Cortex or Gaffer) a plus
Experience developing in a Linux environment

Core skills
Team oriented with good communication skills, able to work closely with artists
Preference for a structured work environment, with clearly outlined priorities
Expectation of upfront planning before proceeding with final implementation
Proactive with proven ability to work both independently and in a team
Ability to take direction and feedback from a supervisor or a peer
Excellent time management and communication skills
Ability to monitor and identify potential inefficiencies in a production pipeline
Excellent troubleshooting and debugging skills
Ability to adapt quickly to new technologies and applications