3D Animator & Mechanical Illustrator

Bray International, Inc.•Houston, TX

About The Position

Bray is seeking a 3D Animator & Mechanical Illustrator to join our team and lead the creation of high-quality 3D renders, mechanical illustrations, and product animations that showcase how our products operate and the value they deliver in the field. This will set the bar for quality standards across all visual content. Our renders and animations are used across Bray marketing and communications—including trade show experiences, website promotion, video content, print advertising, office/environmental graphics, and more. The ideal candidate combines deep understanding of mechanical systems with expert-level 3D craft, strong production discipline (including file optimization and storage management), and the ability to manage multiple projects with tight deadlines while working effectively across a wide range of stakeholders. Forward thinking is highly valued as we adopt new software and technologies in the current AI-enabled environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in 3D Animation, Industrial Design, Mechanical Engineering, Multimedia, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals are required.
Minimum of 3 to 5 years of experience producing high-end 3D animation, rendering, and mechanical illustration for industrial/manufacturing products.
A portfolio demonstrating photoreal renders and mechanism/operation animations is required.
Demonstrated mechanical aptitude and ability to understand how products operate, then translate that understanding into accurate and compelling visuals.
Proven use of best practices for achieving high-quality output (materials/shaders, lighting, camera, motion) while managing performance, render times, and file/storage optimization.
Expert-level ability to create photorealistic renders and polished animations with a strong eye for lighting, materials, composition, and motion.
Quality-first mindset with rigorous attention to detail and consistency; able to establish and follow standards that keep Bray visuals best-in-class.
Advanced proficiency with 3ds Max, SolidWorks, and Adobe Photoshop, including an end-to-end workflow from CAD intake to final rendered/edited outputs.
Strong asset management practices: organized scene structure, naming conventions, versioning, and storage optimization to minimize bloat while preserving quality and reusability.
Strong understanding of industrial mechanical products—especially valves, actuators, and controls—and the ability to interpret engineering inputs to build accurate models and animations.
Ability to interpret engineering drawings and schematics and convert them into accurate 3D scenes, illustrations, and animations (including exploded views, cutaways, and mechanism motion).
Experience delivering assets optimized for multiple channels (web, video, print, environmental/trade show) including correct resolution, color considerations, and file packaging/hand-off practices.
Creative thinker with practical execution—able to propose strong visual concepts while making smart tradeoffs to deliver on schedule.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; able to work with a variety of personalities, extract requirements, and decipher technical information from SMEs to produce the right visuals.
Highly organized and self-directed—able to manage multiple projects at the same time with tight deadlines and shifting priorities.
Detail-obsessed with a strong sense of craftsmanship and pride in producing best-in-class visuals.

Nice To Haves

Experience creating 3D animations/renders for oil & gas, chemical, refining, power, water/wastewater, or other industrial process industries.
Experience managing, mentoring, training, or leading other designers/animators (including distributed teams) is a strong plus.
Experience establishing production pipelines (render settings, libraries, templates) and improving storage/performance through smart optimization practices is a plus.

Responsibilities

Create high-quality 3D renders and animations: Produce photorealistic stills and engaging animations that accurately represent Bray products and clearly communicate operation, features, and differentiators.
Mechanical storytelling & accuracy: Apply strong mechanical engineering understanding to depict correct motion, assembly relationships, tolerances, and operating principles (e.g., valve actuation, flow path concepts, and control components), validating technical accuracy with engineering.
3D-from-CAD workflow: Work from SolidWorks models and engineering drawings to create production-ready assets in 3ds Max, including cleaning geometry, optimizing topology, and preparing assemblies for animation.
Mechanical illustrations & compositing: Create clear technical illustrations, cutaways, exploded views, and step visuals. Use Photoshop for compositing, color correction, labeling callouts (as needed), and final asset preparation.
Quality standard ownership: Own Bray’s quality bar for renders/animations—consistent lighting, materials, realism, correct motion, and clean presentation. Establish review checkpoints and incorporate feedback efficiently without sacrificing quality.
Rendering/animation best practices & optimization: Apply best practices to achieve high visual fidelity while optimizing scene complexity, textures, poly counts, and render settings. Maintain efficient file organization and storage practices (naming, archiving, re-use) to support long-term scalability.
Asset library & version control: Maintain an organized library of models, materials, textures, rigs, and scenes. Manage versions and approvals so teams can confidently re-use and update assets across campaigns.
Cross-functional partnership: Collaborate with marketing, product management, engineering, sales, and events teams to intake requests, clarify objectives, and deliver visuals tailored to channel needs (web, video, print, environmental, and trade show).
Tool mastery & production workflow: Use 3ds Max for modeling/animation/rendering, SolidWorks for CAD intake and interpretation, and Photoshop for post-production. Explore and manage AI tool adoption to increase efficiencies while maintaining quality standards. Ensure assets are delivered in the right formats/resolutions for each use case.
Project management: Manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritize effectively, and deliver on tight deadlines without compromising quality. Provide clear status updates and proactively surface risks/dependencies.
Mentorship & team growth: As the team expands, help lead and support additional resources (including India-based support). Provide training, feedback, and best-practice guidance to upskill the team and scale output sustainably.