Senior 3D Modeler and Asset Prep Artist

NVIDIA • Santa Clara, CA

19d

About The Position

NVIDIA has been transforming computer graphics, PC gaming, and accelerated computing for more than 25 years. It’s a unique legacy of innovation that’s fueled by great technology—and amazing people. Today, we’re tapping into the unlimited potential of AI to define the next era of computing. An era in which our GPU acts as the brains of computers, robots, and self-driving cars that can understand the world. Doing what’s never been done before takes vision, innovation, and the world’s best talent. As an NVIDIAN, you’ll be immersed in a diverse, supportive environment where everyone is inspired to do their best work. Join our team and discover how you can build a lasting impact on the world! What you'll be doing: As a Model Prep Artist, you’ll turn highly complex engineering CAD data into clean, efficient, and production-ready 3D assets used across NVIDIA’s visualization, simulation, and real-time pipelines. Your day-to-day work will focus on preparing large-scale product assemblies, so they perform optimally in rendering, layout, animation, and USD-based workflows. You’ll ingest CAD data directly from engineering, interpret part revisions, and rebuild those assemblies into animation- and render-friendly hierarchies. This includes tessellating geometry for optimal visual quality and performance, repairing problem geometry, and ensuring assets meet technical and pipeline standards. You’ll also assign and remap materials using placeholder shaders or material scopes to preserve accurate visual intent while keeping assets flexible for downstream teams. A major part of the role is building well-structured USD assets using references, instancing, and variants so that large product assemblies remain scalable, performant, and easy to update. You’ll apply consistent naming conventions, metadata, and documentation to ensure assets are readable and usable across teams.

Requirements

• 10+ years of demonstrated experience in 3D modeling, asset preparation, or technical art within VFX, games, automotive, or product visualization pipelines.
• Deep expertise in Autodesk Maya, including the ability to develop tools and workflows using Python and MEL to automate repetitive or large-scale asset prep tasks.
• Strong experience working with engineering CAD data and tessellation workflows, including formats such as STEP and IGES, and tools like Creo, SolidWorks, or Fusion 360.
• Proven proficiency with USD-based pipelines and tools, including Pixar USD, Maya USD, and NVIDIA Omniverse.
• Solid understanding of 3D asset optimization techniques, such as polycount reduction, decimation, instancing, and performance-driven hierarchy design.
• Experience assigning, managing, and troubleshooting materials in complex, multi-part assemblies, including face-level and part-level material assignments.
• Familiarity with modern material and shading conventions, including PBR workflows and technologies such as MDL and MaterialX.
• BS/MS in Computer Science, Art, or a related field, or equivalent experience.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level