Senior Technical Artist Job Overview
This opportunity is with the award-winning Santa Monica Studio (creators of God of War), a part of Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation), located in Los Angeles, CA. The studio is seeking a seasoned Technical Artist for an unannounced new title.
This role acts as the crucial bridge between art and engineering, focusing on improving asset pipelines, tools, and workflows to enable artists to create bigger and more impressive worlds.
Core Responsibilities and Focus Areas
| Focus Area | Key Responsibilities |
| Pipeline & Tools | Research, define, improve, and maintain artist pipelines, tools, and workflows. |
| Technical Expertise | Develop comprehensive knowledge of the art production pipeline and all engine features, tools, and systems associated with art asset creation. |
| Problem Solving | Troubleshoot and resolve issues; invent or build robust, quality technical implementations. |
| Collaboration & Liaison | Interface with stakeholders and act as a liaison between team members, driving collaborative projects between art and engineering. |
| Quality & Risk | Participate in art asset reviews to help identify technical concerns or risks. |
| Mentorship | Mentor and guide team members in areas of expertise; instill best practices. |
Required Qualifications and Skills
| Category | Specific Requirements |
| Experience | 5+ years of professional experience in computer-generated art. |
| Software | Intimate knowledge of Maya and computer graphics principles. |
| Scripting/Code | Proficient scripting/programming experience with Python and PyQT/PySide. |
| Shaders | Experience with HLSL, GLSL, or similar shader languages. |
| Code Quality | Ability to write clean, maintainable, and extensible code with attention to reusability; knowledge of software architecture and design. |
| Game Dev Knowledge | Familiarity with video game product development, including workflow, tools, lighting, PBR principles, modeling (high/low poly), texturing, UV layout, particle systems, SFX, and engine parameters/optimizations. |
| Soft Skills | Excellent communication (spoken and written), enthusiasm, initiative, and motivation to collaborate. |
Preferred (Bonus) Experience
Industry experience working on or shipping AAA titles.
Knowledge or experience in procedural asset creation (e.g., Houdini, Substance).
Good understanding of modern lighting and rendering techniques.
Solid understanding of 3D math.
Good understanding of algorithm design and complexity.
Experience with OpenMaya and Maya plugin development.
Experience with C++.
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