Contract - Senior Animator (Remote)

Overview

Landmark Games is seeking a Senior Animator to recreate and greatly improve animations in Landmark’s dog-themed mobile game, Top Dogs.

An early version of the game is available on the AppStore & Google Play. Please note, the current animations are not representative of the final intended quality.

You will be solely responsible for all animation tasks, including rigging, skinning, quadruped animation (specifically dogs) and setup using the Humanoid avatar system Unity. 

• 2-3 week contract, with the possibility of future work

• Strong English-speaking applicants

• Weekly remote catch-ups

High-Level Brief

Using a predefined skeleton (one which is humanoid compatible) you will be required to build a versatile rig with the relevant IK, controllers etc added. This will require great attention to joint positioning and consideration to the skeleton limitations and the shapes of target animals. The result will be a rig you will be comfortable using for realistic animation creation.

Emphasis is then placed on creating short, high quality animations which look, move and feel like real animals.  Requiring knowledge of how dogs move and act the animations will have an emphasis on realism, playfulness and character. These will include around 20 short, blend-able clips of actions such as walk, run, crawl, swim in both forward and backward directions, along with various idles, celebrations and interactions.

These animations will be imported into Unity, their Humanoid avatars set up and then require retargeting onto other matching quadruped skeletons of various shapes and sizes. The successful applicant will therefore need to be experienced with the Unity avatar system, Humanoid retargeting and avatar masks as well as creating animation controllers, blend trees and all other elements of the animation pipeline.

Throughout the process you will be expected to shape the process, offering insight into ways we can adjust and improve to achieve better results or streamline the process to improve efficiency.

Requirements

• Experience and ability to produce high-quality quadruped animations in Maya

• Rigging and skinning experience within Maya, as well as a knowledge of any additional tools.

• A deep understanding of Unity’s animation system, specifically in avatar creation and re-targeting

• Keen storytelling skills through motion

• Previous experience with dog or quadruped animation.

• Strong communication skills for effective collaboration

• Ability to prioritise tasks and meet deadlines

• Bachelor’s degree in Animation or relevant experience