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Industrial Light & Magic · 3 days ago

Lead Environment Artist

San Francisco, CA

Full-time

Onsite

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

$151K/yr - $193K/yr

7+ years exp

Industrial Light & Magic is known for its innovative immersive experiences across virtual and augmented reality. They are seeking a Lead Environment Artist to translate 2D concepts into 3D environments, lead a team of artists, and optimize workflows while ensuring high-quality standards.

Film ProductionMedia and EntertainmentMotion Capture

Growth Opportunities

Responsibilities

Translate 2D concepts and art direction into expansive 3D environments that maintain visual consistency and high fidelity across the entire project

Lead a team of environment artists through regular feedback and reviews to ensure the team is performing at a world-class level

World building of levels with a multitude of varying styles and an ability to be flexible to design changes

Define and optimize environment art workflows, including modular building systems, photogrammetry integration, and procedural world-building tools

Create benchmark assets that set the quality bar for internal artists and external outsourcing partners

Partner with Level Designers to ensure environments support gameplay flow and with Technical Artists & Engineers to ensure the world runs smoothly within memory and frame-rate budgets

Establish a thorough understanding of the existing tools and pipelines; experiment / champion opportunities for improvement

Proactively identify production bottlenecks and technical constraints, finding creative solutions that don't compromise artistic integrity

Able to generate art task lists, estimates, schedules, milestones and overall project goals as necessary

Actively participate in the QA process to identify and fix bugs

Qualification

Game environment artMaya/3ds Max/BlenderUnreal Engine 5PBR workflowsTexture mappingOptimization techniquesArtistic communicationTeam collaboration

Required

7+ years of experience in game environment art, with at least one shipped AAA title in a Senior or Lead capacity (or equivalent)

Expert-level proficiency in industry-standard tools like Maya/3ds Max/Blender, ZBrush, Substance 3D Painter/Designer and Quixel Suite

Deep knowledge and experience using Unreal Engine 5 (or equivalent game engine) and associated world-building tools

Exceptional understanding of form, shape, structure, and silhouette in regard to modelling

Great eye for light, shade, color, and detail in creating texture maps of different material types

Strong paint skills, multi-layered materials and effective texture layout

A strong understanding of PBR (Physically Based Rendering) workflows, vertex painting, trim sheets, and custom shader creation

Collaborative, team-player attitude: open & receptive to new ideas, constructive criticism, direction and changes

Deep knowledge of optimization techniques, including draw call management, LOD (Level of Detail) strategies, and texture density

The ability to articulate complex visual and technical concepts to both artistic and non-artistic stakeholders

A portfolio / reel submission - including a detailed breakdown of your work in each section - is required with all artist applications

Benefits

A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package

The full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits

Company

Industrial Light & Magic

Glassdoor4.3

Industrial Light & Magic creates visual effects for the motion picture commercial production and attraction industries. It is a sub-organization of Lucasfilm.

Founded in 1975

San Francisco, California, USA

1001-5000 employees