Technical Artist

ILM builds interactive experiences for Virtual and Augmented Reality and other emerging platforms. Our mission is to tell stories in new ways that leverage real-time graphics on ultra high-end hardware. We combine techniques from film VFX production with techniques from the video game industry to produce real-time experiences of the highest fidelity. 

We are looking for a Technical Artist, focused on Performance Optimization, to join our Technical Art team. As the Performance Technical Artist at ILM, you will be responsible for setting budgets, standards, and best practices for cutting edge real-time projects resulting in the highest quality content running at target framerates on target hardware.

What you’ll do 

Works with Rendering/Graphics Engineers, CG Supervisors, and other Senior Tech Artists to plan and enact the best practices for studio real-time content authoring given specific hardware targets 

 Provides discipline performance budgets and content targets specific to target hardware, software 

Assists with the design, implementation, and maintenance of performance profiling for productions, clearly documenting diagnostics and proposed solutions 

Provides, educates, implements and maintains tooling and systems to empower artist driven real-time performance monitoring, best practices, and transparency 

Works closely with production leadership to help define a technical implementation plan, vision clarity, strategy, and risk management for a successful project foundation

Helps to ensure consistent performance monitoring and notifications throughout a project through use of supported QA diagnostics, automated performance monitoring systems, and internal investigations and profiling 

Ensures studio projects are completed within the outlined performance specs aiding in techniques that maximize experience quality and fidelity 

Advises performance and optimization strategy as well as risk mitigation for future projects 

Drives the strategy to determine potential automation in our content pipeline that encourages and enforces defined standards, without compromising visual fidelity 

Drives the standardization of tools, workflows, project templates, and best practices in the realm of real-time optimization 

Contributes to the studio direction for proprietary performance profiling instrumentation and test frameworks 

Provide support for content creators and assist with technical issues, system use and raise any usability issues or bugs 

Advises, supports and contributes with internal ILM Immersive productions and other ILM real-time departments when the need arises 

Works closely with rendering engineers and quality assurance to debug performance related bottlenecks and overages as well as investigate, configure, design, and implement project optimization features and configurations 

What we’re looking for 

3+ years of experience in game development, film, or interactive media 

Experience developing and shipping a real-time project end to end be it games, immersive/interactive experiences, film, commercials or television 

Strong grasp of real-time content creation pipelines and the impact of well authored assets on runtime performance 

Strong grasp of real-time rendering engines like Unreal Engine or Unity, their provided profiling tools, and their optimal configurations related to the performance needs of the target hardware, software, and distribution

Good knowledge of real-time rendering pipelines and be able to troubleshoot and diagnose performance bottlenecks 

Good knowledge of content optimization techniques, strategies, and engine configurations

Good knowledge of source control systems such as Perforce 

Good knowledge of tool development either using Python, C#, C++, or visual scripting tools like Unreal Engine Blueprints 

Knowledge of software development tools such as visual studio 

Self-motivated individual with excellent problem solving skills

Flexibility to handle a variety of tasks

A passion for real-time graphics and its potential for VR, AR and interactive entertainment 

A passion for creating efficient and stable workflows that allow artists to focus on content creation 

Excellent communication skills, able to work as part of a team 

Ability and willingness to communicate cross-discipline and provide innovative solutions to production pipeline problems