Jobs in montreal canada : CFX Artist at Zero VFX 2026

Jobs in montreal canada Zero VFX is seeking a talented, technically adept Senior CFX Artist for a fixed-term, hybrid contract position within its Montreal 3D department.

In this role, you will bridge the gap between technical execution and artistic performance by creating high-quality hair, fur, muscle, skin, and costume layers for photorealistic live-action projects. Collaborating closely with CG and VFX Supervisors.

you will run dynamic simulations, prepare production grooms, execute shot sculpting, and provide basic rigging support to seamlessly anchor digital characters into live-action plates.

This mid-to-senior level role requires a strong technical-artistic hybrid background with a minimum of 3 years of VFX studio experience, deep production knowledge of SideFX Houdini on Linux, and a solid understanding of body mechanics.

Due to regional funding and compliance structures, all candidates must reside in Quebec and be legally authorized to work in Canada. (Note: Embracing a human-centric philosophy, Zero VFX maintains a strict ethics policy and does not utilize artificial intelligence at any stage of its recruitment process.)

jobs in montreal canada Overview : CFX Artist

About Zero VFX & Our Cultural Philosophy

At Zero VFX, we believe that world-class visual effects are born from the perfect intersection of raw artistic passion, technical precision, and an unyielding respect for the human element of production. Our studio has built its reputation on delivering stunning, hyper-realistic imagery for some of the most compelling stories in modern feature films and episodic television. We don’t just build pixels; we craft cinematic experiences that resonate with audiences globally.

We purposefully reject the industry trend toward the automation of human creativity. Our team thrives on collaborative problem-solving, open artistic dialogue, and a supportive, inclusive studio culture.

When you join Zero VFX, you are not merely a resource on a production tracker—you are an essential creative partner whose unique voice, technical expertise, and artistic perspective directly shape the final image on screen.

Detailed Position Overview & Objective

Zero VFX is expanding its core character and creature development department. We are seeking an exceptionally talented, highly autonomous, and technically adept CFX Artist to join our Montreal 3D team on a fixed-term contract basis.

This is a premium, performance-driven role designed for a seasoned technical artist who possesses a deep, intuitive understanding of physical mechanics, biological systems, and cinematic storytelling. In this position, you will step beyond the boundaries of standard rigging and simulation.

You will be responsible for bringing the complex layer of secondary anatomy to life, crafting the dynamic hair, fur, muscle, skin, and clothing elements that ground digital characters flawlessly into live-action plates.

Working in close alignment with our CG Supervisors, VFX Supervisors, and internal production leads, you will serve as a crucial bridge between raw character animation and realistic environmental interaction.

This role demands an artist who is equally comfortable executing subtle, micro-expression fabric and hair movement as they are staging high-octane, physically complex muscle and skin deformation sequences.

Key Responsibilities & Daily Deliverables

As a CFX Artist at Zero VFX, your day-to-day responsibilities will span a diverse range of artistic and technical challenges:

• High-Fidelity Creature Asset Creation: Author complex, high-quality hair, fur, muscle, skin, and costume layers for photorealistic live-action projects. You will translate creative briefs and concept art into deeply detailed, anatomically accurate, and cinematically compelling dynamics that satisfy the director’s and client’s exact vision.

• Advanced Simulation & Shot Sculpting: Run stable, complex dynamic simulations and prepare technical grooming setups in production. You will execute precision shot sculpting on a per-frame basis when necessary to correct simulation errors, eliminate intersections, and preserve aesthetic beauty.

• Plate Integration & Motion Matching: Work masterfully with both keyframed character animation and matchmoved plate data. You will ensure that simulated elements perfectly match filmed real-world surfaces, physical interactions, and spatial lighting environments, while generating entirely new digital components based on creative briefs.

• Secondary Rigging & Technical Support: Provide basic rigging solutions for supporting assets, including vehicles, props, and structural scene elements. You will execute simple rig adjustments, corrections, or custom tool creation specifically geared toward driving and facilitating smoother, more predictable downstream CFX simulations.

• Proactive Technical & Artistic Problem Solving: Actively analyze production bottlenecks and simulation challenges. You will proactively ideate, develop, and communicate optimized technical and artistic approaches, ensuring your workflow remains efficient, scalable, and stable.

• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Actively engage with your peers across the animation, asset creation, core FX, and general CG teams. You will openly share technical expertise, provide constructive critique, and engage in collaborative workflows to elevate the studio’s collective output.

• Quota & Schedule Management: Consistently deliver high-quality shot simulations and assets that meet established production quotas and tracking metrics. You will maintain absolute transparency with show production coordinators and managers regarding your daily schedules, workflow velocity, and milestone deadlines.

Required Technical Qualifications & Essential Skills

To excel within our fast-paced, high-end production pipeline, candidates must demonstrate the following baseline qualifications:

• VFX Studio Pedigree: A minimum of 3 years of continuous, verifiable professional creature effects (CFX) experience working directly inside a fast-paced visual effects studio environment handling live-action film or high-end episodic series.

• Technical-Artistic Hybrid Background: A proven technical background balanced by a strong track record of executing highly artistic tasks. This training must manifest as an advanced, deep-seated comprehension of physical weight, balance, timing, body mechanics, human/animal anatomy, and cinematic storytelling techniques.

• Software Mastery: Advanced, production-proven mastery of SideFX Houdini. You must demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of Houdini’s native grooming frameworks, Vellum solvers, hair/wire systems, and character effects workflows.

• Operating System Proficiency: Comprehensive familiarity and comfort working within a native Linux desktop environment. You should be comfortable navigating terminal environments and standardized studio asset-management architectures.

• Pipeline Comprehension: A solid, working knowledge across related 3D asset construction disciplines, specifically relating to character animation, production rigging architectures, hard-surface/organic modeling, and core visual effects pipelines.

• Professional Attributes: Outstanding professional communication skills, a proactive team-first mindset, and an intrinsic ability to juggle multiple tasks while prioritizing critical shot fixes. You must be receptive to rigorous creative direction and maintain the psychological agility required to embrace sudden script or design changes gracefully.

Desirable Assets & Extended Skillsets (Nice-to-Have)

While not strictly mandatory, candidates who possess one or more of the following technical skillsets will be prioritized for advanced consideration:

• Houdini Customization: Direct technical capability to write, modify, or troubleshoot customized tools utilizing Houdini VEX and advanced scripting frameworks to optimize performance and construct custom solvers.

• Pipeline Scripting: Practical capability to write production scripts using Python or MEL (Maya Embedded Language) to automate repetitive asset handovers and optimize the internal CFX-to-Lighting pipeline.

Regulatory Compliance, Funding Requirements & Studio Ethics

• Geographic Constraints: Due to strict regional tax credits and cultural media funding requirements tied directly to our current production contracts, all applicants must maintain primary tax residency within the province of Quebec and be fully, legally authorized to work in Canada at the time of application.

• Hiring Integrity & Technical Ethics: Zero VFX remains deeply committed to a transparent, fair, and profoundly human-centric hiring lifecycle. We do not utilize artificial intelligence, automated machine-learning screening algorithms, or automated video grading systems at any stage of our recruitment process.

• Every single reel, resume, and portfolio submitted to Zero VFX is personally reviewed, parsed, and evaluated by an experienced human supervisor from our creature effects department.

• Equal Opportunity Mandate: Zero VFX proudly operates as an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strictly adhere to and champion the principles of employment equity as outlined under the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. Reasonable accommodations for candidates navigating disabilities, medical requirements, or specific accessibility needs are readily available upon request throughout all stages of our interview and onboarding lifecycle.