3D Artist / Animator

ARA's Virtual Heroes group is looking for an exceptionally skilled real-time 3D artist to work on our development team. The ideal candidate has extensive experience designing, modeling, and texturing a diverse visual range of in-game, real-time environments and props, as well as animating humans, machinery, and weapons. This person has a solid grasp of form, color, and lighting for both 2D and 3D art assets, as well as a solid grasp of the principles of animation to help bring our applications to life.
3D Artist / Animator Requirements:

• Candidates selected may be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information
• BS in Game Art and Modeling along with 2-4 years' experience in game development OR MS with 0-2 years' of work experience OR 8-10 years' of experience in lieu of a degree
• Experience with realistic 3D modeling and texturing
• Experience rigging and animating the realistic human bipedal figure, as well as other organic forms
• An exceptional understanding of form, shape, structure, and silhouette in regard to modeling
• Superior eye for light, shade, color, and detail in creating texture maps of different material types
• A thorough understanding of animation pipelines and the processes involved from the conceptual phase to implementation
• Able to effectively collaborate with game designers and programmers
• Self-motivation, good communications skills, and a great team-player attitude

3D Artist / Animator Required Application Materials:

• Resume with link to portfolio site
• Cover Letter stating why you are interested in working at Virtual Heroes/ARA

**Only submittals with Cover Letters will be considered
3D Artist / Animator Preferences:

• Have shipped PC or console titles as a 3D Artist or Character Animator
• Experience with the creation of next-gen shaders and materials
• Experience with MetaHumans
• Strong foundation in the traditional arts including, but not limited to, figure drawing and environmental and/or architectural illustration
• Experience in cinematography, video editing, and story board creation
• Understanding of Unreal Engine 5 and a passion to apply it to solving real-world training and simulation challenges

Who is ARA?
Do you want to work for a purpose? Applied Research Associates, Inc. (aka ARA) is an employee-owned international research and engineering company. We have been providing technically superior solutions to complex and challenging problems in the physical sciences since 1979. ARA has over 2,044 employee owners and continues to grow rapidly. Together, our offices throughout the U.S. and Canada provide a broad range of technical expertise in defense, civil, and health technologies, computer software and simulation, systems analysis, environmental technologies, and testing and measurement.
ARA also prides itself, on having a challenging culture where innovation & experimentation are the norm. The motto, "Engineering and Science for Fun and Profit" sums up the ARA experience. Employee ownership ensures you have a voice with what happens in the company. We are also very proud of our Women's Initiative Network (WIN), whose purpose is to motivate, support, and encourage professional career development for women to maximize career and professional accomplishments.
To find out more about what the Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance Division has to offer, visit our website at: https://www.ara.com/benefits/
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)