3D Designer

Ford Motor • Dearborn, MI

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

We are the movers of the world and the makers of the future. We get up every day, roll up our sleeves and build a better world -- together. At Ford, we’re all a part of something bigger than ourselves. Are you ready to change the way the world moves? Digital Product Design (DPD) at Ford is committed to envisioning and creating simple, thoughtful, enjoyable, and compelling product experiences that our customers need and love. We work in close partnership with product and engineering to deliver best-in-class interactions experiences that meet the needs of people today, and in the future. Our team is comprised of a dynamic group of product designers, researchers, visual designers, industrial designers, modelers, and project managers. In this position... As a 3D Illustration Designer, they are responsible for the end-to-end creation of compelling visual illustrations, bridging the gap between design intent and production readiness. This individual will leverage 3D software to envision, develop, and implement diverse 3D elements, ranging from illustrative designs to high-fidelity presentation visuals. A key aspect of this role involves establishing and optimizing scalable pipelines for efficient asset generation and workflow, while also contributing to the documentation of visual guidelines for broader team adoption. The designer will collaborate closely with Product Designers, Design Directors and Software Engineers, to support leadership reviews and design intent assets for production.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree, or educational/experience equivalent in Entertainment Arts, Game Design, 2D/3D Animation, etc...
• 3+ Years working in Maya, C4D, or Blender
• 3+ Years working in Unreal is a must have
• 3+ Years working in Adobe Suite
• Excellence in visual design
• Deliver uncompromised design fidelity while also striving for production efficiency
• Has a systematic approach to solving large, complex design challenges
• Excellent presentation and documentation skills
• Able to precisely articulate design rationale and present to stakeholders
• Able to replicate 2D illustrations in 3D
• Able to create illustrative designs both in 3D and 2D graphically.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Real time execution of designs
• Experience in 3D modeling, unwrapping, and animation in Maya, will consider similar toolset.
• Experience with Figma, Protopie, Rive
• Experience with VRED
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Previous automotive experience

Responsibilities

• 3D Illustration Development & Production Envision, develop, and create high-quality 3D elements and illustrations from initial concept through final implementation.
• Produce advanced storytelling and production-intent visualizations for leadership presentations.
• Create dynamic animations and visual assets that effectively reinforce design intent for various presentation needs.
• Pipeline Development & Optimization Design and implement efficient 3D asset generation pipelines and rigging systems to streamline production.
• Establish and maintain a robust post-production pipeline, utilizing tools like Adobe After Effects (AE) for animation generation and refinement.
• Set up and manage Unreal Engine pipelines to support design-intent vehicle visualization and scenario-driven animations.
• Develop quick templates for seamless integration of digital screen content into design software (e.g., Figma, Adobe Creative Suite).
• Asset Management & Visual Guidelines Create and maintain a comprehensive asset library utilizing tools shared across the design organization.
• Collaborate with Lead Designers to establish, document, and disseminate visual guidelines and patterns for consistent 3D visualization across projects.
• Provide clear documentation and principles for asset usage and efficient export to software development teams.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Support Work closely with Product Designers, Design Directors, and Software Engineers to ensure seamless integration of 3D illustrations, effectively bridging design and production intent.
• Provide visualization support for leadership collateral and presentations, including rapid pipeline setup for urgent requests.
• Leverage traditional 2D design tools for post-production touch-ups, and overall refinement of 3D illustrations.
• Maintain continuous connection with the Vehicle Design Studio to integrate the latest 3D data, particularly from platforms like VRED.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up childcare and more
• Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more
• Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases
• Tuition assistance
• Established and active employee resource groups
• Paid time off for individual and team community service
• A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day
• Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees