Technical Artist

Job Description

Why Raven?

Here at Raven, we pride ourselves on our unique vision for the industry that continues to inspire us after more than 30 years. We developed a team that cares about one another, our games, and our players. We treat each other with respect. We bring no egos. We focus on what is best for the game. We hire stunning peers. We own our mistakes. As we enter the next exciting chapter of our story, we are looking for people to grow with us. If you want to work with a world-class team, on exciting new projects, then apply today! We look forward to hearing from you.

Your Mission

Your mission is to play a key role in developing user-friendly tools and innovative pipeline systems for the blockbuster Call of Duty franchise. You are a dependable core contributor, 'self-starter' teammate who takes ownership of primary art tech tasks, acts as a bridge between the art and engineering teams, and proactively solve challenges. You also have an agile and flexible mindset, and strong communication skills, as you will actively partner with some of the most talented and passionate developers in the industry. Above all, we are looking for an innovative and dedicated teammate to help tell our story.

You Will…
• Share your deep passion for technical art knowledge and your drive to improve and expand upon content creation pipelines and tool sets.
• Be a proactive self-starter that can execute high-level art direction with little oversight.
• Collaborate with Artists and Engineers to deliver innovative tool solutions that will help artists develop epic visual content for world-class player experiences.
• Contribute to tech art development for specific projects, and initiatives to standardize solutions across the organization.
• Champion best practices and advocate towards streamlining tools and processes.
• Be a trusted gatekeeper for performance, efficiency, and quality.
• Encourage artists and engineers to thrive on open and welcome constructive criticism.
• Contribute creative and original ideas towards all aspects of game production and development.

You Bring…

Minimum Requirements:
• 3+ total years in the games industry working in a technical artist capacity.
• Passionate and egoless attitude that welcomes feedback and criticism, and enjoys working in a collaborative, iterative, and agile process.
• Possesses understanding of game engines, pipelines, and processes.
• Good understanding of asset creation within widespread 3D and 2D packages (3DS Max or Maya, Blender, Substance, SpeedTree, Houdini, or ZBrush).
• Scripting or programming knowledge (Python, JavaScript, C#, C++, or MEL).
• Mature communication and strong problem-solving skills.
• Awareness of and ability to pursue new technological developments in the world of game creation.
• Deep level of understanding and expertise in at least TWO of these areas:
• Houdini – Expertise in the creation of assets or procedural processes using Houdini.
• Game Performance and Optimization – Understands the optimization of game scenes to achieve frame rate targets.
• PBR Shading: Deep knowledge of how real-world material properties are best expressed through the PBR shading model.
• Maya Tool Scripting – Integration of useful tools into dcc packages like Maya.
• Python GUI Tools Authoring – Use of python to create tools that optimize 3d workflows and present an effective user interface.
• Technical Asset Pipelines – Expertise working with content creation pipelines that have highly technical dependencies e.g. foliage, destruction, terrain.

Extra Points:
• Passion for the Call of Duty franchise.
• Experience and desire to mentor junior team members.
• Experience in: lighting, shading, VFX, environments, characters, physically based rendering (PBR), or content management & optimization.
• Experience with Maya OpenAPI, MaxScript, wxPython, PyQt, or P4Python.
• Experience with integrated solutions such as RealityCapture, Simplygon, Substance, etc.
• Strong traditional art foundation.
• History of playing a variety of game genres both digital and physical.

About Raven

Founded in 1990, Raven Software is the developer of numerous award-winning games including Hexen, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and most recently, a major contributor to the blockbuster Call of Duty® franchise. We are based in Middleton, Wisconsin, a suburb of Madison, annually ranked on numerous lists as one of the top places to live and work.

We each bring a unique set of experiences from dozens of cultural backgrounds.
Our shared values unify our direction and decisions, helping us touch the lives of more than a billion people each day.

About Activision

Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!
Our ability to build immersive and innovate worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for 'Every World' - we've got our employees covered!

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-gqobez-18-219-236-199-42 in your application.