VFX Artist

at Leidos
Published September 9, 2021
Location Reston, VA
Category Default  
Job Type Full-time  

Description

Description

Job Description:

Leidos is in search of an experienced VFX Artist to join our studio with an existing team of artists, programmers, and designers in creating “cutting edge” Virtual Reality (VR) and PC advanced training for the United States Air Force.  Our client is a visionary leader that is bringing VR and digital training to the forefront of Air Force technical and specialty training for Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) analyst and operators around the world. This is a unique opportunity to leverage your proven AAA industry experience to create stunning photorealistic digital art for the U.S. Air Force.

As a VFX Artist, you will create real-time visual effects for a wide variety of virtual training needs. You will support a digital art team focused on photorealistic environments and characters for both PC and VR. This is a unique opportunity where your knowledge and expertise will enhance our team’s capabilities each day while also serving as a subject matter expert in techniques, methods, and best practices pioneered by Epic Games and the Unreal Engine. We are looking for your creativity, experience, and positive energy to create the Defense industries most immersive and comprehensive virtual training. Projects include building “digital twins” of military aircraft, vehicles, military hardware and replicating physical environments.

Responsibilities:

  • Creation of real-time visual effects for a wide variety of virtual training needs. Examples include: Aircraft/Vehicle/Ship Emergency Procedures (fire, smoke, electricity, debris, water/ocean impacts), Environmental (water, rain, snow, ice, frost, clouds, wind, dust, heat, steam), Characters (cloth, hair, sweat, blood), UI interactions and more.

  • Technical setup, integration, and performance optimization of VFX assets within Unreal Engine.

Requirements:

  • 4+ years of experience as a VFX artist in games, films, visualization or related industries.

  • Bachelor’s degree or (4 years of equivalent industry experience and training in lieu of degree).

  • Provide online portfolio showing a wide variety of realistic, high quality real-time VFX work.

  • Ability to create all source art needed for VFX (textures, geometry, flipbooks, normal maps, vector field textures, etc.)

  • Experience with industry standard techniques and tools for creating VFX animation (particle systems, physics and fluid simulations, etc.)

  • Extensive knowledge of industry standard software such as Maya, Houdini, After Effects, Photoshop, etc.

  • A critical eye for the timing, weight, balance and motion of realistic visual effects assets

  • Credit as a VFX Artist on at least one shipped product using Unreal Engine.

  • Able to take direction and implement feedback.

  • Experience working in an iterative, agile environment.

  • Good communication, organizational, time management and interpersonal skills.

  • Motivated, self-directed, personable with strong verbal communication skills. 

  • Experience using Perforce for source control and JIRA for task management.

  • Strong work ethic that strives for continuous process improvement and production efficiency.

  • Ability to obtain security clearance (requires US citizenship).

  • Ability to work in a dynamic cross-functional environment in a 100% teleworking environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Looking for multi-talented artists (generalists) who are comfortable shifting skillsets as project priorities change. Additional skills in 3D Modeling, PBR Texturing, Materials, Animation, Rigging, or Lighting are a huge plus.

External Referral Bonus:

Eligible

External Referral Bonus $:

$2,000

Potential for Telework:

Yes, 100%

Clearance Level Required:

None

Travel:

Yes, 10% of the time

Scheduled Weekly Hours:

40

Shift:

Day

Requisition Category:

Professional

Job Family:

Visual and Graphic Design

Pay Range:

Pay Range $57,200.00 - $88,000.00 - $118,800.00

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