Character TD, Technical Animation

Job Description

At Walt Disney Animation Studios, Character TDs work on Character Rigging, Simulation Setup, and Technical Animation. We are currently hiring Character TDs with an emphasis in Technical Animation to join our team in creating the most appealing character simulation performances on the planet!
Our ideal candidate has strong artistic skills built on top of a solid 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
• Solid understanding of the principles of animation
• Extensive knowledge of anatomy, kinematics, and physical behaviors
• Experience with creating appealing performance through simulation
• Solid understanding of Python scripting
• Experience on 3+ CG feature film productions
• Experience working in collaborative environments and taking direction
• Strong problem-solving ability
• Comfort 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 an aptitude for learning software quickly. A strong skill set 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 understanding of design and anatomy is always welcome

WDAS continues to build on its rich legacy of innovation and creativity, from the first fully-animated feature film, 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to 2019's Frozen 2, the biggest animated film of all time, to our 60th animated feature, Encanto, releasing November 2021. Among the studio's timeless creations are Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-gmep4x-18-116-42-208-42 in your application.