Character Technical Director, Simulation

At Walt Disney Animation Studios, Character TD’s work on Character Rigging, Simulation Setup, and Technical Animation. We are currently hiring Character TD’s with an emphasis in Cloth Tailoring and Simulation to join our team in creating the most appealing character cloth performances on the planet!

Our ideal candidate has strong artistic skills built on top of a solid technical foundation. You will work closely with the industry’s top talent in fields ranging from design and modeling through animation to bring our characters to life.

Responsibilities:

• Tailor garments that are principally constructed and fine tune their properties to express specific and often stylized materials
• Author simulation rigs that maintain a high level of appeal and art direction over a wide range of motion, while also delivering a user-friendly control structure for authoring in shot performances
• Shepherd the simulation aspects of the character from design turnover to delivery into technical animation and debugging any assets/shots with self-sufficiency
• Work closely with adjacent departments (comprised of visual development, modeling, rigging, look development, animation and technical animation), iterating quickly and addressing notes accurately
• Actively engage in and potentially be cast to other tasks that the department supports (rigging, simulation setup, and technical animation)

Requirements:

• Strong understanding of the real world tailoring and pattern making
• Deep understanding of Marvelous Designer and/or Clo3D
• Understanding of the principles of animation and design
• Strong desire to understand simulation tools, solvers, and real world physics
• An attention to detail focused on delivering a quality product
• Experience working in collaborative environments and taking direction
• 3+ years of professional experience of virtual garment production/CG Experience
• Comfort with Linux environments
• A Bachelor’s degree in Art, Illustration, Computer Graphics, Engineering, related field or equivalent experience

An applicant will benefit from having:

• An understanding of fashion design
• Previous leadership/mentoring experience
• An understanding of Python scripting
• Experience in modeling, grooming, rigging, and/or character fx

A note about software:

At Disney we currently use Autodesk Maya as our primary platform, with proprietary solvers, hair instancing tools, and other authoring plugins. Applicants should be adept in Maya or Marvelous Designer or an equivalent CG application and demonstrate an aptitude for learning software quickly. A strong skill set in packages like Xgen and Houdini is an added plus.

Application Materials:

• A reel of recent work that is no longer than 3 minutes
• A selection of your best work with a focus on appealing costuming in motion
• Examples of garment construction that demonstrate appealing design and principled construction
• A resume that details your work history, outlining past experiences that relates to working on cloth and hair simulation setup in a collaborative environment
• A separate page of text, detailing the breakdown of the visuals in the reel
• An optional portfolio of drawing or sculpture work, reflecting an understanding of design and anatomy, is always welcome

The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The base pay actually offered may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, among other factors.

About Walt Disney Animation Studios:

Combining masterful artistry and storytelling with groundbreaking technology, Walt Disney Animation Studios is a filmmaker-driven animation studio responsible for creating some of the most beloved films ever made. WDAS continues to build on its rich legacy of innovation and creativity, from the first fully-animated feature film, 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to 2019’s Frozen 2, the biggest animated film of all time, to our 60th animated feature, Encanto, releasing November 2021. Among the studio’s timeless creations are Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia.

About The Walt Disney Company:

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with the following business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, Disney Parks, and Experiences and Products. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

This position is with The Secret Lab, which is part of a business we call Walt Disney Animation Studios.

The Secret Lab is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Disney fosters a business culture where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a rapidly changing world.