Technical Artist

Job Title: Technical ArtistType: Full timeWho We Are: Disbelief is a game development studio focusing on contracting and consulting services. We’ve worked with both AAA and independent studios to help their projects ship. Notable projects we’ve worked on include Gears of War: Reloaded, Borderlands 4, Minecraft, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Gears Tactics, and Pacific Drive.At Disbelief we value work-life balance, and want to create an alternative to the crunch-culture prevalent in game development. We also believe strongly in investing in our talent and our team. Disbelief is a place to puzzle out the solutions to cutting-edge problems for industry leading projects, but also a place where people can grow their careers and skills as valued members of a stable and close-knit team.Description: Currently, we’re looking for a Technical Artist. This opportunity is for a full-time position in Chicago, IL. Technical Artists at Disbelief are self motivated problem solvers. Our technical artists are equally capable of discussing performance, rendering and gameplay issues with engineers, as they are in critique and creative discussion with the artist and designers. They act as a bridge between the technical and artistic aspects of game development, empowering both programming and art to achieve more than either could on their own. Our Technical Artists work in a variety of areas including scripting for tools and gameplay, modeling, materials, texturing, animation, FX, UI, and writing documentation.At Disbelief we work with leading edge technologies to make them perform at the top of their capabilities, and we take pride in solving problems others can't. We believe a diverse team is a stronger team, and we encourage marginalized candidates to apply.Key Responsibilities Solve technical problems from an artist’s point of view Solve performance problems while championing visual quality standardsAct as a bridge between art, engineering and gameplay teamsContinue to explore new software and techniques, including novel solutionsPrototype new workflows and systemsMake improvements to existing pipelines as part of a teamClearly communicate your work to othersEstimate the time it takes to complete tasksSkills and RequirementsDegree in Art, Tech Art, or equivalent experienceFormal training writing code/scriptExcellent communication skills, both verbal and written 1+ years in game development, or 3+ in a related industryUnderstanding of real time renderingExperience with version control with Perforce, Git, or equivalentPortfolio demonstrating: AAA quality technical art ability, gameplay or pipeline scripting, and proficiency in cross disciplinary tasksLocation: Chicago, ILRelocation Assistance: Available where applicableHybrid: Technical Artists are in the office based on project needs, but can sometimes work from home. Some of our projects require access to physical infrastructure.Visa Sponsorship: No. Disbelief does not offer visa sponsorship at the current time.We are an E-Verify employer.Technologies: Our DCC tools vary depending on the project, but will typically involve a combination of Houdini, Blender, 3ds Max, Maya, Substance, Photoshop. Our real-time work often requires knowledge of animation, physics, material and particle systems. Primarily we work with Unreal Engine, but we also work with custom game engines. Scripting in Python, Maxscript, Mel, Javascript, C# and Unreal Blueprint is often required to solve pipeline and workflow problems.Salary: This position has a salary range of $83,000 - $100,000. When making a job offer there are many factors that are taken into consideration at Disbelief. This includes, but is not limited to, experience and skills, comparable jobs in the industry/geographical area, and relocation benefits. Therefore the upper end of the shared salary range is oftentimes dedicated to those who showcase strong performance in the role. To learn more about how salary is determined at Disbelief please visit: https://solid-angle.blogspot.com/2018/05/open-salaries-at-disbelief.htmlBenefits: Please visit https://www.disbelief.com/careers/ to learn about the amazing benefits we offer.Contact: Please submit resume to jobs@disbelief.com