Overview

Purpose of the job:
The Character FX Lead oversees a team of riggers, cloth, hair and deformation artists. The lead will work closely
with the Animation team to ensure the successful handoff and execution of all character related rigs and effects.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities:
• Generate a variety of hero and digital double character rigs with skeleton, cloth, hair and
deformation controls for high-end feature films.
• Produce custom built rigs for biped, quadrupeds, multiple limbs, multiple heads and wings.
• Heavy focus on facial solving.
• Heavy focus on Mocap.
• Utilize and extend DD’s existing Python and Mel based toolset for generating hero and
background character rigs.
• Work with the Animation Department to ensure the successful handoff and execution of
character rigs for their use, including troubleshooting rigs for potential problems/limits.
• Assist in the design and maintenance of the Rigging and Character pipeline.
• Work closely with Production to determine staffing and scheduling needs for the Rigging team.

Education and/or Experience Required:
• Minimum 5 years experience with character rigging (and modeling), cloth, hair, deformations and
scripting.
• College degree in a related field and/or a combination of education and experience that would be
equivalent to that level of professionalism, problem solving and analytical skills.
• In-depth knowledge of Maya rigging tools including joint and skeleton creation, skinning and weighting,
IK setup, blend-shapes, and deformers.
• In-depth knowledge of facial solver systems and techniques necessary.
• In-depth knowledge of motion-capture tools and work flow ideal.
• Strong understanding of anatomy and articulations (humanoid and creature) is crucial
• A thorough understanding of articulations and rig building on digital characters as well as sophisticated
props
• Python and MEL scripting a must. C++ experience helpful.
• Ability to learn quickly and comprehend custom in-house production tools.
• Must have excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Requires and interest and ability to mentor and train talent in new tools and software