Job Overview
| Category | Details |
| Business/Studio | Walt Disney Animation Studios |
| Location | Vancouver, Canada |
| Hiring Range (BC) | C$79,300 to C$150,500 CAD per year |
Walt Disney Animation Studios is seeking experienced Character Technical Directors (TDs) to join our team in Vancouver. This role emphasizes Technical Animation (CFX), focusing on crafting the most appealing and dynamic character simulation performances for our feature film projects, including cloth, hair, and complex effects.
Our ideal candidate possesses a robust technical foundation complemented by strong artistic skills. You will collaborate directly with industry-leading talent across disciplines—from design and modeling to animation and look development—to bring our iconic characters to life.
Key Responsibilities
- Character Effects (CFX): Execute character effects for shot production, primarily focusing on cloth and hair simulation, as well as final character polishing and cleanup.
- Collaboration & Definition: Collaborate directly with Character Asset Team members, including Directors, Character Designers, Animators, Modelers, and Look Development Artists, to define, create, and refine the best simulation and animation rigs suitable for diverse character styles and artistic directions.
- Ownership: Take responsibility for the creation, successful integration, and downstream performance of each character asset throughout the production pipeline.
- Rigging & Setup: Contribute to Character Rigging and Simulation Setup as needed, ensuring technical viability and artistic appeal.
Required Qualifications and Expertise
Technical & Production Experience
- Feature Film Experience: Proven experience on 3 or more CG feature film productions.
- Simulation Expertise: Extensive, demonstrable experience in hair and/or cloth simulation.
- Scripting: Detailed knowledge and proficiency in Python scripting.
- Technical Environment: Comfort and familiarity with Linux environments.
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Art, Illustration, Computer Graphics, Engineering, a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
Artistic & Foundational Knowledge
- Anatomy & Physics: Thorough understanding of anatomy, kinematics, and physical behaviors necessary for realistic and appealing simulation.
- Animation Principles: Strong working knowledge and understanding of the principles of animation.
- Performance Crafting: Proven experience in crafting appealing artistic performance through simulation, including examples of art-directed simulation.
Collaboration & Leadership
- Teamwork: Proven experience partnering effectively with multidisciplinary teams, responding positively to direction, and proactively problem-solving.
- Leadership (Plus): Previous leadership or supervisory experience is considered a plus.
- Modeling & Rigging (Plus): Experience in adjacent fields such as modeling, grooming, and rigging are advantageous.
Software Notes
Our department currently utilizes Autodesk Maya as its primary platform, enhanced by proprietary solvers, hair instancing tools, and authoring plugins. Applicants should be adept in Maya or a demonstrably equivalent CG application and display curiosity regarding rapid software adoption.
Strength in external packages like Marvelous Designer, XGen, and Houdini is a significant asset.
Application Materials
To be considered, candidates must submit the following materials:
- Technical Animation Reel:
- A reel featuring recent and best technical animation work, no longer than 3 minutes in length.
- Resume:
- Detailed work history outlining past experiences related to cloth and hair technical animation in a collaborative environment.
- Reel Breakdown:
- A breakdown of the visuals included on your reel (if applicable).
- Optional Materials (Highly Encouraged):
- Examples of post-simulation finaling and anatomy sculpting.
- Examples of cloth simulation rigs demonstrating an understanding of tailoring and fabric quality under a broad range of motion.
- Examples of performance using character animation rigs.
- An optional portfolio of drawing or sculpture work reflecting interest and knowledge in design and anatomy.
