3D Artist - Hard Surface

Job Description

Blackbird Interactive is a creative-fueled, future-driven, independent game studio where the best talent in the industry can find long-term careers to help grow their abilities while working on a wide range of projects, which encompass world-class IPs as well as our own creations across multiple genres.

In 2022, we announced that our studio is implementing a four-day work week as well as supporting in-studio, remote within Canada, and hybrid work arrangements as permanent options to our employees.

Blackbird Interactive is seeking a passionate and experienced Senior Hard Surface Artist for a pivotal role to help develop a new IP. In this role, you’ll use your talents to both explore the visual style of the game and also rapidly work alongside designers and programmers to prototype a variety of vehicles and weapons. You’ll be part of a small, high-performing team that is responsible for setting the groundwork for a new IP. As a senior artist, you can collaborate well with others to solve problems and bring forward solutions, you can both help define a plan and also adapt it as the team learns through pre-production, and you thrive on collaborative creation. You are adept at rapidly generating ideas, prototyping with gameplay in mind, and implementing innovative solutions to challenging problems. A collaborative and experimental mindset is key for this role. 

Responsibilities

• Work closely with Art Director and Concept Art to explore visual style for weaponry and machinery.
• Set the benchmark for exemplary machinery/weapon assets; showcase contemporary hard surface techniques and competency in Substance Painter.
• Collaborate with Designers and Programmers with a mindset for rapid iteration, testing quick block-out meshes in game, addressing feedback and testing changes.
• Work with Technical Artists in the development of the hard surface art pipeline and dependencies.
• Help establish best practices, and help write documentation/tutorials to further the goals of your team.
• Be a collaborative problem solver by presenting solutions.
• Proactively invest in growing your skills, knowledge and experience.

Requirements

• 6+ years of experience as a hard surface artist, and a current demo reel / portfolio exemplifying your work on previous titles or personal projects Strong visual aesthetic sensibility paired with strong technical execution and problem solving skills.
• Experience working with gameplay programmers to create art for rapid prototyping.
• Experience working in Unreal Engine and PBR shader pipelines.
• Maya, Blender, Zbrush, (Mudbox), Photoshop, Substance Painter experience or equivalent authoring software. Fusion 360 or Plasticity knowledge is a bonus.
• A desire to be highly collaborative and eager to give and take constructive feedback. 

$85,000 - $115,000 a year