[Hiring] Mocap Animator @Side

Role Description

At Side, we partner with some of the world's leading developers and publishers to solve complex production challenges and help bring exceptional games to life. From concept through live operations, our co-development teams work as trusted extensions of our clients' studios, contributing expertise across design, engineering, art, audio, QA, and production.

Qualifications

• Advanced proficiency in data-cleanup and retargeting software, such as Autodesk MotionBuilder and Vicon Shogun Post
• Solid understanding of Autodesk Maya and how animation curves function within engines like Unreal Engine or Unity
• A deep understanding of human anatomy, weight distribution, and realistic movement to accurately infer missing data
• 3–5 years of experience in cleanup and tracking within video games production

Requirements

• Identify, label, and track raw point-cloud data from studio shoots, manually fixing marker swaps or mislabeled tracking points
• Reconstruct missing data points caused by actor occlusions using interpolation, smoothing algorithms, or reference footage
• Remove jitter, spikes, and artifacts from raw tracking curves while preserving the subtle nuances and weight of the original performance
• Solve processed marker data onto 3D character rigs, ensuring the performance translates accurately despite proportional differences
• Correct structural clipping, stabilize feet to eliminate floor-sliding, and fix basic posture/interaction anomalies
• Sync cleaned data with reference video to ensure the digital character retains the actor's emotional intent, timing, and weight distribution
• Meet strict production deadlines to ensure a steady stream of clean data is handed off to the character animation and cinematic layout teams
• Fix all structural issues introduced during retargeting, including hand/foot sliding, floor penetration, clipping, and unnatural joint stretching
• Apply traditional keyframe animation layers to amplify poses, sharpen timing, and fix off-balance center-of-gravity issues
• Adjust animation curves to ensure flawless contact and interaction with virtual props, weapons, vehicles, and uneven terrain geometry

Benefits

• Exceptional patience and attention to detail for handling repetitive, meticulous vector data manipulation
• Ability to visually reconstruct complex movements when large chunks of camera data are missing
• Highly organized workflow to efficiently handle large volumes of performance files under tight schedule constraints
• Advanced proficiency in traditional 3D keyframe animation, with a deep understanding of animation curves, graph editors, Euler angles, and gimbal lock resolution
• Solid command of weight, anticipation, staging, arcs, and secondary action to enhance captured data naturally
• Deep understanding of Forward Kinematics (FK) and Inverse Kinematics (IK) systems
• Ability to interpret a director’s creative notes and translate performance critiques into technical animation adjustments
• Knowing when to preserve the organic nuance of the actor's performance and when to overwrite it with keyframes

Company Description

Side (formerly PTW) is a global video game development and services provider, offering technical and creative solutions to many of the largest developers and studios around the world. Founded in 2009 and drawing on 30+ years' experience from our parent company in Japan, Side has since grown to become a global force with 20 studios in 14 countries across North America, Europe, South America, and Asia.

• Industry-leading services include game development, art production, audio production, quality assurance, localization, localization QA, player support, and community management
• Help us bring stories to the world! Join a global team of passionate gamers and contribute to delivering unforgettable game experiences