Core Animation Engineer

Job Description

Welcome to Maxis, home to tinkerers, craftspeople, and storytellers. Our drive is to inspire everyone to make a better world through creative play. As the developer of the Sims, we create games and experiences for millions of people around the world and are always looking for new ways to inspire our players. Maxis is a place where you can do what you love and help others grow while doing it; a place where your unique voice can be heard and seen. We put creativity and inclusivity at the core of our work and don't settle for seeing the world only as it is, but aim to build a world as it could be. Read on to see how you can join our team and dream big.

High Level

Animation Engineer will work on the animation system subsystem within the game. The work will range from rapid prototyping to production development. Most of the work is expected to be done in Unreal Engine, both in C++ and Blueprints. Some prototypes and features may be done completely in C++.

Role Requirements

Please note that you do not need to qualify for all requirements to be considered. We encourage you to apply if you can meet most of the requirements and are comfortable opening a dialog to be considered.
• Experience implementing complex game subsystems.
• Strong working knowledge of C++.
• Desktop (PC/Mac) development experience required.
• Experience in delivering high-quality tools for content creators
• A strong understanding of geometry, linear algebra, calculus, and physics as they pertain to transformations and motion in 3D space.
• Experience working directly with animators and other non-engineer content creators to solve artistic problems creatively.
• An appreciation for and interest in achieving high-quality animation, especially in games.
• Skills debugging complex applications.
• Ability to prototype systems and applications.
• Ability to guide other engineers through the development process.
• Ability to document specifications.
• Experience with machine learning technologies and toolchains, especially in the area of generated animation, is a plus.
• Experience with DCC animation toolsets (Maya, 3DS Max, etc.) is a plus.
• Experience with Unreal Engine is strongly suggested.
• Working experience with C#, WPF, and Python is a plus.
• Experience with mobile platforms suggested.

Role Expectations

Drive the delivery of the following:
• Work with the design team on identifying animation tech and prototyping needs.
• Design and build animation prototypes.
• Iterate on existing prototypes.
• Design specifications for production level subsystems.
• Create task implementation plans.
• Provide time estimates for tasks.
• Implement production level subsystems.
• Optimize code to reach the desired performance.
• Document designed and implemented components.
• Provide mentorship to other engineers.
• Learn new technologies needed to complete the tasks.
• Perform as subject expert.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-rvp7wj-3-17-75-14-42 in your application.