Sr Character FX Artist

Laika • Hillsboro, OR

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Sr Character FX Artist is responsible for creating high-quality character-related simulations and deformations, including hair, fur, cloth, muscles, and skin, to support the artistic vision of the production. Working closely with the animation, rigging, and lighting teams, the Sr Character FX Artist ensures believable and stylized character motion that enhances performance and storytelling.

Requirements

• 10+ years of feature film, VFX, or high-end animation production experience.
• Strong knowledge of Maya (nCloth) and Houdini (Vellum).
• Advanced knowledge of photo-realistic cloth and hair simulation.
• Solid understanding of anatomy, cloth behavior, hair dynamics, and physical motion.
• Experience creating and maintaining sim templates in collaboration with rigging, modeling, and groom departments.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with rendering workflows (i.e., RenderMan) a plus.
• Knowledge of scripting (Python, MEL, VEX, or similar) a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop and run simulations for cloth, hair, fur, muscles, skin, etc. that align with the artistic direction of the film.
• Collaborate with animation and rigging to ensure seamless integration of CFX work into character performances.
• Troubleshoot and optimize CFX rigs and simulations for efficiency while maintaining quality.
• Work with the groom, lighting, and compositing teams to ensure simulations render correctly and meet established style.
• Maintain clear communication with supervisors, leads, and other departments to anticipate and solve technical and creative challenges.
• Document and share workflows, tools, and techniques to support team-wide consistency.
• Collaborate with technical directors to develop CFX pipelines and tools when needed.
• Support the Lead CFX Artist by mentoring and helping train junior members of the team.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees