CHARACTER RIGGER JOB DESCRIPTION

A character rigger builds the controls moving game characters. Working inside the animation and engineering group, this person owns rigs built to survive real-time performance constraints, tuning them against motion-capture data rather than pre-rendered film shots. Studios typically expect at least one shipped title before handing ownership of a production rig to this person. The job is hard because a single rig has to hold up under gameplay physics and still read well in close-up cutscenes.

As the Character Rigger, you implement animation control rigging systems for complex, realistic characters and props, troubleshooting issues flagged by animators before they reach production. Working alongside designers, engineers, and technical animators, you keep shipped-title rigs stable using motion-capture pipelines and version control, tuning behaviour from direct artistic feedback.

Career Impact: Fixing rig issues flagged directly by animators gives this person a credential recognized specifically among game studios evaluating rigging hires.

Business Impact: Stable, well-tuned rigs keep animators hitting weekly production beats without workarounds, so in-game character performance holds up under real-time physics instead of breaking mid-shot.

Growth Opportunity: Working across motion-capture pipelines and version-controlled tool sets builds a path toward technical animator or rigging lead titles as studios lean harder on real-time capture workflows.

• Implement animation control rigging systems for complex, realistic characters and props across real-time game engines.
• Troubleshoot and fix rig issues flagged in production, then fine-tune behaviour from animator feedback.
• Collaborate with designers and engineers to develop in-game animation systems that meet gameplay requirements.
• Build and maintain body and facial rigs, skinning, and secondary motion setups across varied character assets.
• Support the facial pipeline by turning motion-capture data into believable in-game character performance.
• Organize and document rig-module libraries so multiple project teams can reuse them efficiently.
• Develop internal tools that speed up rigging and animation workflows throughout the production pipeline.
• Mentor animators and technicians through hands-on troubleshooting support and clear technical documentation.

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, art, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• 3 or more years of professional rigging experience with at least one shipped title.
• Strong knowledge of character rigging, skinning, and blend shape creation.
• Experience with motion-capture pipelines and facial capture data.
• Proficiency in Python for building and maintaining rigging tools.
• Experience with version control systems used in production pipelines.
• Familiarity with real-time game engine animation systems.
• Strong communication and self-management skills for cross-team collaboration.

• Experience programming in C++ for rigging tool plugins.
• Knowledge of solver-based facial animation packages for capture-driven rigs.
• Familiarity with parallel or optimized rig evaluation for runtime performance.

• Rig defect rate, tracking rig bugs flagged by animators per milestone.
• Mean time to rig-issue resolution, measuring how fast flagged bugs get fixed.
• Number of rig modules reused across projects, reflecting library and tool reuse.
• Facial capture retarget accuracy score, measuring rig output against motion-capture data.
• Tool adoption rate among animators, tracking use of internally built rigging tools.
• Typical tools: 3D animation software (commonly Maya); version control (commonly Git or Perforce); game engines (commonly Unreal Engine).

• Base Salary Range: $70,000 to $110,000 per year.
• Bonus: Occasional discretionary or project-completion bonus.
• Equity: Rare, mostly offered at larger studios.
• Health Benefits: Standard medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• PTO: 15 to 20 days annually, plus holidays.
• Common Perks: Crunch-time meals, conference budget, remote flexibility.

Figures are estimates based on general US market benchmarks and may be outdated. Adjust based on location, company size, and seniority level.

Qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law. Reasonable accommodations are available to applicants and employees who request them during the hiring process. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a standard background check, and candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship.

The Character Rigger builds and maintains character rigs for humans and animals across game and film VFX productions, integrating cloth, hair, and FACS-based facial systems into production-ready pipelines. Reporting to art and animation leads, the Character Rigger partners with technical directors on facial and muscle simulation research to advance rig quality across the studio's productions.

Key Responsibilities

• Set up and maintain character rigs and systems for humans and animals.
• Work with the art group to develop models that meet technical requirements.
• Work with the animation group to create artist-friendly rigs that satisfy animation and gameplay needs.
• Design and set up character dynamics, including cloth and hair.
• Develop new techniques and processes to advance quality and realism.
• Collaborate with TDs on ongoing facial and muscle simulation research.
• Create tools to streamline workflow and pipeline.
• Work with team directors and production to identify and prioritise tasks.
• Provide and maintain technical documentation.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 6 years of production experience in game or film/VFX.
• Professional experience developing and maintaining FACS-based facial rigs.
• Experience adopting production pipelines and making improvements that respect guidelines and system requirements.
• In-depth knowledge of character and prop rigging techniques and principles.
• Knowledge of realistic human anatomy.
• Experience with OpenMaya or C++ Maya API.
• Strong understanding of Maya and Python scripting.
• Familiarity with runtime performance efficiency and optimisation, including Maya parallel DAG evaluation.
• Strong troubleshooting skills with the ability to find pragmatic solutions.
• Proven ability to be self-sufficient and take initiative to seek answers and address issues.

Embedded within the animation and engineering group, the Character Rigger delivers custom and Human IK-based rigs for in-engine characters, building blend shapes and skinning setups that support real-time gameplay. Working closely with animators and engine engineers, the Character Rigger troubleshoots in-engine rig issues and implements real-time IK features to keep character performance responsive across game engine teams.

Technical Responsibilities

• Create animation character rigs including custom and Human IK-based rigs.
• Improve rigs and animation tools while working across departments.
• Perform skinning with a strong understanding of topology and deformations.
• Create and edit blend shapes.
• Create tools and scripts in MEL or Python.
• Debug problems in-engine and troubleshoot rigging issues.
• Implement in-engine rigging features such as look-at-player and real-time IK.

Requirements

• Professional experience in the games industry is required.
• State machine and animation clip blending experience.
• Knowledge of rigging process automation solutions.
• Good understanding of animation principles.
• Experience with Maya, HumanIK, and custom rigging.
• MotionBuilder experience is a plus.
• Experience with version control software such as GitHub.
• Familiarity with game engine animation systems such as Unity and Unreal.
• Willingness to learn, teach others, and suggest new tools and techniques.

Reporting to the production director, the Character Rigger leads the rigging team while maintaining and enhancing internally developed Python tools that keep character rigs production-ready. Partnering with project managers and other departments, the Character Rigger troubleshoots pipeline issues and reviews the team's rig quality to keep production on schedule.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Maintain the quality of current production rigs.
• Maintain and enhance internally developed tools and systems.
• Write tools in Python to speed up production.
• Stay up to date with technologies and techniques within the industry.
• Troubleshoot rigging and pipeline issues.
• Oversee, review, and manage the rigging team.
• Communicate with other departments and project managers.

Professional Experience

• Previous industry experience as a character TD, character rigger, or similar role.
• Good understanding of anatomy and motion.
• Strong skinning skills are required.
• Experience with Maya and 3D mathematics.
• Experience with Python and ideally C++.

Sitting at the intersection of art and engineering, the Character Rigger shapes body, face, and prop rigs that hold up through a full range of motion for feature animation productions. Operating across modeling, lookdev, and animation teams, the Character Rigger designs deformations and blend shapes that keep character quality consistent from rig handoff through final shots.

Core Functions

• Create, test, and maintain robust, intuitive, and visually appealing rigs that meet the creative bar and rigor of feature animation.
• Create clean, high-quality deformations via weight painting and hand-sculpted shapes that hold up through a wide range of motion.
• Bridge technical and creative teams to translate design and animation goals.
• Collaborate with animators to design intuitive rig interfaces and support rigs throughout production.
• Ensure character assets integrate into the production pipeline and support downstream needs.
• Collaborate with fellow riggers to design and build modular tools and motion systems that consider production consistency and efficiency.
• Partner with the engineering team to develop tools and streamline the rigging process.
• Advise production management on rig budgets and schedules.
• Stay updated on industry trends, technologies, and techniques and explore how workflows can adapt to take advantage of them.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in computer science, computer visualisation, or computer animation required, or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in character rigging, including expert experience rigging face, body, and prop rigs.
• Experience with real-time requirements for character rigs.
• Experience with modelling, animation, or simulation and character FX.
• Excellent understanding of the principles of animation and strong knowledge of anatomy.
• Understanding of design, form, movement, and geometry edge flow and its relationship to deformation.
• Deep knowledge of character setup and rigging in Autodesk Maya.
• Programming experience with Python and working knowledge of linear algebra and transformation matrices.
• Experience with Unreal Engine.
• Excellent communication and visual presentation skills with a natural collaborative ability and strong independent problem-solving capacity.
• Flexible, self-directed learner who thrives on new challenges and adapts problem-solving approaches as needed.

A key member of the CG team, the Character Rigger owns character and prop setup, including rigging, weighting, and skinning, for assets built with international partner studios. Collaborating across leads and partner-studio artists, the Character Rigger builds simplified crowd rigs for Golaem and writes Python tools that keep asset delivery on schedule.

Primary Duties

• Responsible for character and prop setup, including rigging, weighting, and skinning.
• Work with partner studios to build and implement assets.
• Use Python scripting to implement new tools and update and support existing pipeline tools.
• Work closely with partner studios to ensure all character rigging work adheres to creative and technical specifications while meeting scheduled deadlines.
• Provide recommendations and suggestions for designs and animatics in alignment with production schedules.
• Document workflows and processes using Camtasia video and Publisher software.
• Review and provide noted direction on assets crafted by partner studios.
• Build and troubleshoot simplified crowd rigs for use with Golaem crowd software.
• Collaborate with leads and artists in other CG teams to establish processes and pipeline integration during RnD, prebuild, and production.

Position Requirements

• Bachelor's degree preferred.
• At least 3 years of experience in television animation, feature animation, VFX, or video games.
• Experience working in a fast-paced production environment.
• Experience working with international partner studios is a plus.
• Strong attention to detail and outstanding organisational skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a collaborative work style.
• Strong aesthetic ability.
• Experience with asset management software; Shotgun preferred.
• Knowledge of Golaem preferred.
• Extensive Maya knowledge with strong knowledge of IK and FK systems and experience with skin weights.

Realistic in-game facial performance depends on the Character Rigger, who builds body and face rigs, skinning, and secondary motion setups exported through a proprietary system into the game engine. Serving as a key support for the facial motion-capture pipeline, the Character Rigger organizes rig-module libraries and writes Python and C++ tools that keep production technology current across the team.

Engineering Responsibilities

• Build, test, and maintain body and face rigs, skinning, and secondary motion setups for a variety of 3D assets.
• Use a proprietary system to create and export constraints, custom deformers, and secondary motion to the game engine.
• Work closely with animators, automation, and other TAs to create tools and improve pipelines for optimal production workflows.
• Support the facial pipeline and be heavily involved in face assets from motion capture.
• Organise, document, and maintain libraries of rig modules for sharing across a large team through multiple projects.
• Support and help create production tools for new pipelines and future technology.
• Stay current with the latest technologies and research in the field to advance dynamic art visuals in motion and deformation.

Technical Qualifications

• Relevant experience in the game industry as a character rigger, technical animator, or similar role.
• Professional experience developing pipelines and creating tools.
• Professional experience as an artist or animator in games.
• Experience creating tools for rigging and animation.
• Strong Python programming skills with a 3D mathematics background.
• Knowledge of current facial capture approaches including FACS poses, facial blend shape rigs, and feature detection.
• Experience using source control software such as Perforce or Git.
• Experience programming C++ plugins for MotionBuilder, Maya, 3ds Max, or similar DCCs.
• Experience using game engines such as Unreal, Unity, or proprietary technology.
• Experience using a solver-based face animation package such as Dynamixyz or Faceware.
• Strong communication, self-management, and organisational skills.

As the Character Rigger, this role delivers animation control rigging systems for complex, realistic characters and props built in Maya and deployed within Unreal Engine 4 and Blueprint. The animation and engineering team relies on this work to troubleshoot rig issues quickly, using motion-capture pipelines, Python tooling, and version control to keep in-game characters performing reliably.

Duties

• Implement animation control rigging systems for complex realistic characters and props using Maya.
• Collaborate with designers and engineers in the development of in-game animation systems.
• Troubleshoot and fix rig issues, collect artistic feedback, and fine-tune rig behaviour.
• Present solutions to technical issues related to animations consistently.
• Interact closely with animators and other technicians to maintain and improve animation tools.
• Provide hands-on support for artists, animators, and designers.

Skills & Qualifications

• Minimum of three years of production experience in rigging with at least one shipped title or equivalent project work.
• Experience with motion capture pipelines and version control software.
• Experience working with game engine animation systems including Unreal Engine 4, Blueprint, components, and general game design.
• Experience writing Python and optimising workflows with scripts or automation.
• Strong knowledge of Maya character rigging, including full-body and facial rigging, character skinning, and physics simulation setup for clothing and hair.
• Knowledge of Maya API, PyQt, or PySide.
• Self-motivation with a strong work ethic, flexibility, and ability to work in a team.