FX Artist – Dreamworks Animation (3-5 years experience required)

DreamWorks Animation is currently looking for FX Shot Artists at both our Glendale, CA and Redwood City, CA locations.

Job Description

Designs & creates images, elements & effects
Responsible for coding & providing support & documentation for tools created
Solid understanding of Maya to be used for particle systems, fields, expressions, MEL scripts, soft bodies, rigid bodies, cloth dynamics & particle instancing/flocking
Develop EFX systems & use EFX Systems developed by other animators
Creatively solve problems & work with other departments to achieve goals of art direction
Solve minor problems independently
Strong artistic vision & ability to be creative
Strong sense of design & composition
Strong understanding of Animation & how things should look, feel & move
Some experience writing scripts and/or programming is preferred
Ability to multi-task on multiple shots
Prioritize tasks
Work on shots independently & efficiently
Patient, willing to answer questions & mentor other artists
Stays abreast of current technologies & attempt to implement them effectively

Job Requirements

2-3 years of experience involving simulations of natural phenomenon, particle systems, procedural modeling, procedural animation, hard and soft body dynamics and other similar effects
Must have strong visual and technical skills
Ability to work collaboratively in a high-end software and production environment
A strong background in computer programming, preferably in C or C++ and UNIX
An understanding of physical dynamics and natural phenomena is key