Blizzard Entertainment – Senior Grooming Artist – Temp

Master the art of procedural fur & hair at Blizzard Entertainment Hiring a Senior Grooming Artist. 8+ yrs exp in Houdini. Hybrid/Remote.

Job Overview

• Company Name: Blizzard Entertainment (A Division of Microsoft)
• Position Title: Senior Grooming Artist – Temp (SFD / Cinematics)
• Job Type: Temporary (3–4 Month Contract)
• Location: Toronto, Ontario / Irvine, California (Hybrid / Remote Options Available)
• Standard Base Pay: $48.50 – $88.00 per hour (Estimated Range)
• Experience Level: Senior (8+ years professional experience)
• Primary Specialty: Houdini Grooming (Hair, Fur, Feathers)

*Note: Hourly rates for highly specialized technical roles like Grooming are competitive and vary based on the candidate’s mastery of VEX, Python, and procedural tool-building.

Role Mission: The Soul of the Character

At Blizzard Entertainment, we don’t just create characters; we create icons. From the matted, battle-worn fur of a Worg in World of Warcraft to the delicate, hyper-realistic hair of a hero in a Diablo cinematic, the Senior Grooming Artist is responsible for the tactile realism that makes our worlds believable.

This is a highly specialized technical-art role. You are the bridge between a static 3D sculpt and a living, breathing entity. We are looking for an expert who possesses a “surgical” level of precision in Houdini, combined with a sophisticated artistic eye for anatomy, flow, and silhouette.

Role Strategic Impact

As a Senior Grooming Artist, your 3-month tenure will be intensive and high-impact. You are joining the Animation team during critical production phases. You aren’t just “placing hair”—you are building robust, procedural systems that must withstand complex physics simulations and diverse lighting environments.

You are expected to be a self-motivated developer. At this seniority level, you don’t just follow a workflow—you optimize it. You will collaborate directly with Art Directors to define the “look” of the groom and with Simulation Engineers to ensure those grooms function perfectly in motion.

Core Responsibilities

Procedural Grooming & Development

• Fiber Design: Create complex grooms (hair, fur, feathers, and organic fibers) using Houdini’s procedural toolset.
• VEX & Tool Building: Utilize VEX scripting to create custom clumping, frizz, and orientation attributes that give our characters their unique biological identity.
• Look-Dev Synergy: Work closely with the Surfacing team to ensure that the hair shaders (Melanin levels, Specularity, Medulla settings) interact correctly with the groom.

Technical Simulation & Functionality

• Sim-Ready Assets: Ensure all grooms are optimized for downstream simulation. You must troubleshoot and resolve issues like “popping,” intersections, or unnatural fiber behavior during high-action sequences.
• Optimization: Balance visual “epicness” with technical performance, ensuring that high-density grooms are render-efficient.

Collaborative Excellence

• Creative Direction: Translate abstract feedback (e.g., “Make the fur look more ancient and weathered”) into concrete technical adjustments in the Houdini node graph.
• Mentorship: Provide guidance to junior/mid-level artists on best practices for procedural grooming and troubleshooting.

Professional Qualifications

Technical Mastery

• Houdini Expertise: Minimum of 8 years specifically focused on Houdini Grooming (Hair Tools, Guide Process, Hair Gen).
• Programming Skills: Advanced understanding of VEX and Python for procedural generation and pipeline automation.
• Pipeline Integration: Working knowledge of Solaris, Katana, RenderMan, or Redshift. You should understand how hair ribbons and curves translate through the USD pipeline.

Artistic Foundations

• Anatomical Insight: A deep understanding of animal and human hair growth patterns, clumping dynamics, and how age/environment affect fiber textures.

• Portfolio Requirement: A reel that showcases not just the “pretty” final render, but the technical complexity of the groom guides and procedural logic behind them.

Industry Market & Demographic Insights

Grooming Artist is one of the most niche and technically demanding specialties in the VFX industry.

The “Specialist” Talent Gap

• Supply vs. Demand: Data shows that while there are many 3D Generalists, Senior Houdini Groomers represent less than 5% of the global VFX talent pool. This makes your expertise a high-value asset for AAA studios.

• Global Demographics (Senior Technical Art):
• Male: 71%
• Female: 26%
• Non-Binary: 3%

• Racial Representation: Blizzard is committed to diversifying these numbers. Currently, the Senior VFX space sees a split of approximately 56% Caucasian, 22% Asian, 14% Latino, and 5% Black/African American. We strongly encourage applicants from all backgrounds to help us build more inclusive worlds.

Why Blizzard? (The Benefits)

Even in a temporary capacity, you gain access to the Blizzard culture:

• Cutting Edge Tech: Work with proprietary tools and the latest builds of Houdini and Katana.
• Physical & Financial Health: Competitive hourly pay with options for medical and dental coverage based on eligibility.
• Exclusive Perks: Access to internal game betas, employee discounts, and a hybrid work model that respects your work-life balance.

Required Application Materials

1. Resume: PDF preferred, detailing 8+ years of studio experience.

2. Demo Reel: Must showcase Houdini-specific grooming work.

3. Breakdown Document: High-level explanation of your VEX setups or node structures used in your reel.