Senior Rigging Artist

The Rigging Artist designs and builds efficient, flexible rigs for a variety of objects, vehicles, characters, and creatures. They bridge the gap between modeling and animation by developing believable, performant deformation systems that meet pipeline requirements. At the crossroads of technical and anatomical expertise, they work closely with modeling, CFX, animation, and lookdev teams to deliver animation-ready, fully tested, and optimized assets.

Key Responsibilities:

Mastery of Craft

• Create modular or custom rigs for a wide range of objects, vehicles, characters, and creatures.
• Rig internal anatomy (skeletons, muscles) to drive external deformations (skin, face, feathers, cloth).
• Build clear, ergonomic control systems tailored to animators’ needs.
• Implement robust, reusable, and easy-to-maintain rigs for complex productions.

Creative Quality

• Collaborate with animators to adjust rigs based on narrative or stylistic requirements.
• Support accurate posing, expressions, and motion through precise and expressive setups.
• Anticipate visual needs and explore artistically relevant solutions (e.g., stylized facial rigging, secondary deformation, dynamics).
• Contribute to achieving the project’s visual style through thoughtful rigging choices.

Technical Quality

• Ensure stability, cleanliness, and efficiency of rigs within the production pipeline.
• Use Maya and Python to automate, optimize, or customize rigging workflows.
• Identify and quickly resolve rigging issues and anomalies.
• Collaborate in the creation of deformers, blend shapes, and animation test tools when needed.

Communication

• Maintain ongoing dialogue with modeling, animation, CFX, and supervision teams.
• Keep production informed about status, risks, and needs related to deliverables.
• Actively participate in dailies and review sessions with a constructive mindset.
• Document complex or unconventional rigs to facilitate their use and future modifications.

Learning, Knowledge Sharing, and Growth

• Share tools, scripts, and rigging approaches with the team.
• Contribute to the development of the studio’s rigging templates, standards, and processes.
• Explore new methods, including machine learning (ML), muscle simulations, or procedural deformation.
• Embrace feedback as a lever for personal and collective growth.

• Minimum 8 years of production experience in rigging for the VFX industry.
• Proficiency in Maya for production rigging.
• Strong Python programming skills applied to rigging tools and automation.
• Solid knowledge of anatomy (bipeds, quadrupeds, muscles, facial expressions).
• Proficiency with blend shapes and deformation test tools.
• Ability to prioritize tasks, work independently, and deliver on schedule.
• Asset : Knowledge of PySide for UI creation.
• Asset : Familiarity with Flow or other production management tools.
• Asset : Experience with advanced facial solutions (e.g., FACS, stylized face rigs, facial capture).
• Asset : Experience developing or contributing to internal rigging frameworks.

• #LI-Hybrid

Diversity : At Rodeo FX, diversity is a core value. We’re committed to creating an inclusive, equitable workplace where different perspectives are embraced. Every team member brings unique insight that strengthens our creativity, challenges our thinking, and helps us deliver better work.

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