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Pixar Animation Studios

Emeryville, - United States
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Technical Director - Sets

Description

Summary of Job:

Models and/or dresses sets and props for computer animated films. Works closely with technical leads and art directors to create fully realized environments.  Blends technical and creative expertise to create and enhance the aesthetic of the film.

 

General Duties and Responsibilities:

- Works with the technical leads to fulfill the production designer’s vision of a film.

- Creates architectural and organic looking models and environments, using both manual and procedural techniques.

- Reviews and revises work with the Production Designer, Technical Leads and Director.

- Creates clean and efficient assets and supports downstream departments.

- Produces clear and concise documentation as necessary.

 

Background, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required at Minimum:

- A strong understanding of composition, form, physical motion, weight, balance and texture is required.

- Experience in efficiently modeling Organic and Architectural forms.

- Ablility to create primary, secondary and tertiary assets, with appropriately modeled complexity for each.

- Experience with high-end modeling and animation systems such as Maya, Modo, XSI, Houdini or 3DStudioMax is required.

- Experience in film, video games, architecture or other graphics production experience is strongly preferred.

- Good written and verbal communication skills are required.

- Must be able to work alone or collaboratively, often with multiple tasks and under deadline pressure.

- Must be able to follow art direction but also demonstrate initiative.

 

For Modeling Positions: 

- Modelers will be required to rig set elements, such as simple bends and lattice deformations.

- Skill and experience in Maya, ZBrush, 3D-Coat and Mudbox is a strong plus.

- Knowledge of shading is a plus, especially UVs, topological dependencies and understanding of displacement.

- Knowledge of Houdini is a plus.

 

For Set Dressing Positions:

- Skill in the construction of various environments, both architectural and organic.

- Ability to refine a shot’s composition by adjusting the set’s elements to camera.

- Strong compositional skills and an awareness of how to support story though set design.

- Ability to follow art direction and independently solve creative problems.

- Ability to collaborate with modeling and shading to create efficient sets.

- Required to support needs of downstream departments: Camera, Animation, and Lighting.

- Required to shepherd the complexity of a set by appropriately culling assets and adjusting level of detail per-shot.

 

Additional Skills and Abilities:

- Skills in both areas - modeling and set dressing - are a strong plus.

- Skill and experience in one or more other areas of CG production: layout, shading, lighting, FX, and/or rendering is a plus.

- Programming skills in a scripting language (e.g. Mel or Python) are a plus.

- Education in Art, Architecture, Computer Science or Photography is preferred.

 





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