The Rigging/CFX Supervisor leads by example and sets the quality standards for all rigging and cfx departments. They will coach, guide and provide feedback to artists ensuring detailed and high quality work is delivered to other departments in the pipeline.

The Rigging/CFX Supervisor will also establish themselves as a key member of the leadership team and build relationships with all Supervisors and Leads. They will develop cost effective bids and take an active role in the development of our rigging technology.

In addition, the Rigging/CFX Supervisor will play a hands-on role and work closely with animators to design a set of controls that support all of the desired range of poses and behaviors. Scripting is often used to construct more sophisticated rigs, so you must have good programming skills.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the supervising teams to determine the technical and creative approach to an asset as well as provide solutions for technical issues.
• Attend dailies, reviews and team meetings as required.
• Work with Modelers to create a model that meets the rigging and cfx technical requirements. 
• Collaborate in the character design process to ensure that the rigs will allow the characters to have the look and the complete range of motion required for the project.
• Understanding of body and facial deformations.
• Understanding of cloth, hair and rigid body simulations.
• Able to provide technical support for the animation team.
• Write utility scripts and software code that streamline character set-up / rigging process.
• Must be able to work efficiently as part of a team or independently.
• Must have strong problem solving and communication skills.
• Motivate, mentor and support the team to consistently strive towards excellence.
• Work with CG Supervisor to prioritize tasks and inform key individuals of progress, changes or any other critical issues.
• Develop realistic skeletal rigs for a variety of humanoids and complex creatures
• Create tools with the Maya API and MEL scripts to enable animators to create realistic animation
• Work with senior TD’s in the studio to develop and integrate tools into a robust pipeline

Requirements

• 5+ years experience rigging in Maya in a professional production environment
• 2 years minimum lead experience
• Demonstrated ability to rig a variety of characters/objects in a realistic, non-cartoon manner
• Extensive knowledge of anatomy and a thorough understanding of bio-mechanics, kinesiology for humanoid and animals
• Thorough understanding of weighting and skinning and be able to work interactively with modelers to resolve challenges
• Must be proficient in both MEL and Python, Maya API, and Perl scripting skills
• Ability to supervise and mentor rigging artists
• Great attitude and ability to work with others and communicate well with all team members
• Strong ability to solve problems quickly and creatively