Animation TD

Naughty Dog
Santa Monica, CA, USA
Job type: Permanent

View all Naughty Dog jobs

Job Description

Summary:

At Naughty Dog, Animation TDs play a crucial part in ensuring the Animation Team has the tools and tech that it needs.  That may mean writing new tools, establishing standards and workflows, debugging issues, or creating highly-technical assets – whatever it takes to help the team work as smoothly as possible!

Responsibilities:

  • Create tools to streamline artist workflows (example: asset management tools, pipeline automation scripts, integration with project management software)
  • Create tools to give artists more power (example: motion capture data processing , animation retargeting tools, physics sim pipeline, tools leveraging machine learning)
  • Work with the engineering team to develop low-level tools infrastructure and asset pipelines
  • Ensure tool interfaces are user-friendly and effective
  • Create well-architected systems that can be built upon for years to come
  • Develop workflows and standards for efficient content generation, including optimization standards
  • Help to maintain a wide array of existing workflows and tools
  • Test and validate tools and techniques in production
  • Work between all art departments (characters, VFX, sound, environment, etc.) on shared technology
  • Additional tech-art-related responsibilities  are available if you have the passion and experience!

Skills & Requirements

Requirements & Skills:

  • Strong experience with Python, PyQT/PySide, and with Maya scripting
  • Ability to write robust code, both from a functional and architectural standpoint
  • Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work with minimal supervision
  • Familiarity with content creation and game development pipelines
  • Good oral and written skills
  • 3+ years of production experience in video games, film or VFX

Bonus Skill: 

  • Python knowledge
  • C, C# or C++ knowledge

As part of the Naughty Dog application process, candidates should expect to be given a technical interview and may be asked to complete an animation test.

Additional Information

  • Relocation assistance is offered

How to Apply

To apply, please visit our website:  Animation TD

The Recruiting Process

We feel it is important to let you know how the recruiting process works here at Naughty Dog. Here is what you can expect from us:

  • Upon submission, you will receive an automated message stating your resume has been received and will be reviewed thoroughly by our recruiting team
  • Due to the high volume of applications received, it is not possible to respond directly to each candidate
  • If you are selected, you will be contacted for an initial phone screen or test
  • The next step is a second phone or Skype interview, or an invite to come out and meet us at the studio
  • In the event that we choose not to move forward at any point in the recruiting process, we will let you know
  • If your qualifications do not match the criteria of a current position, your resume will be kept on file for future consideration

Thank you for your interest in Naughty Dog.

About the Company

Naughty Dog is the developer of some of the most critically acclaimed and top-selling video games on PlayStation platforms, having created the classic Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter series, as well as modern franchises Uncharted and The Last of Us. We have become recognized as industry leaders for our storytelling, graphics and cinematic quality in our games.

Naughty Dog is also home to Sony World Wide Studios’ ICE Team, a central technology group that focuses on creating core graphics technologies for Sony’s worldwide first-party published titles, including low-level game engine components, graphics processing pipelines, supporting tools, and graphics profiling and debugging tools.

Since Naughty Dog is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment, we also have many perks that comes from being in the Sony family – movie screenings on the Sony Pictures lots and discounts on electronics, music, movies and PlayStation hardware and software. Of course, you just can’t beat our location. Naughty Dog is based near the ocean – and beaches – in Santa Monica, California, where beautiful weather and fair temperatures grace us year-round.