Description
Position at DNEG

Software Developer, Creature Performance

The Creature team at DNEG creates and maintains a suite of tools and software to facilitate complex creature work in the production of award-winning Visual Effects and Feature Animation. As a Software Developer on this team, you will implement tools and underlying technologies to generate, manipulate and render everything from photo-real digi-doubles, to highly stylized CG characters, from single hero performances to large-scale digital crowds and all of the CFX required to bring them to life.

It is a multidisciplinary team covering specialized domains such as Crowds, Fur, Deformation, Rigging, etc., specialized UI/UX interfaces and widgets, researching and implementing the latest algorithms and improving the performance and capabilities of our core software stack that underpins all of the tools we develop. Our primary DCC creature platforms are Maya and Houdini, with code written in C++ and Python.

The Software Developers in our Creatures team are highly technical and methodical in their approach to solving complex problems. You will be required to:
• Implement creative solutions for Creature artists to rig, groom, animate and simulate shots of varying complexity, including digital humans, animals, fantastic creatures and armies of characters.
• Investigate solutions and techniques to improve our in-house and off-the-shelf Creature tools and software packages, assuming responsibility for the low-level integration into our pipeline and high-level functionality.
• Research and develop novel ways to perform kinematics, deformations and simulations.
• Provide technical assistance to shows in their day-to-day use of workflows relating to Creature work, dealing with bug reports and support requests swiftly and efficiently.
• As well as being technically proficient, you will also need to be a good communicator – you will be producing technical documentation, communicating development timeframes and presenting your ideas to stakeholders and senior developers in your team.
• You will also be interacting regularly with artists and non-technical production staff, therefore your ability to clearly articulate complex technical information to non-technical people will help you thrive in this role.

We value your expertise, and with the help of our dedicated Technology Project Managers you will be able to plan your own development projects, working with senior developers and stakeholders to schedule development work and establish your own project deadlines. The variety of opportunities available within the Production Technology department allows our smart, creative and adaptable software developers the opportunity to learn and grow while working at the centre of a dynamic studio.

Must Have
• Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or equivalent experience.
• Experience developing algorithms and tools using C++ and Python.
• Experience working with artists to identify requirements and design solutions.
• Good understanding of the creative CG pipeline.

Nice to Have
• Experience using C++ and Python APIs for applications such as Houdini or Maya.
• Experience using VEX in Houdini.
• Proven experience developing VFX-related tools.
• Practical knowledge of programming libraries such as OpenGL, Boost, Bullet.
• Experience with UI toolkits such as Qt/PySide and Houdini's viewer states.
• Experience developing solutions for artists in disciplines like: rigging, creatures FX, technical animation, groom and crowds.
• Practical experience with Agile software development methodologies in a team environment.
• Experience working on Artificial Intelligence solutions for Computer Graphics.
• Experience developing Unreal Engine plugins and scripts.

We would not be able to produce award-winning work without our Production Technology department, which is committed to nurturing an inclusive, diverse and exciting workplace. Our technical directors have a variety of backgrounds and originate from a number of different countries, working across the globe at the forefront of technology in the industry.

About Us

We are DNEG, one of the world's leading visual effects, animation and stereo conversion companies for feature film and television, with studios in London, Vancouver, Mumbai, Los Angeles, Chennai, Montreal, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Goa.

About Us
We are DNEG, one of the world's leading visual effects and animation companies for the creation of award-winning feature film,television, and multiplatform content. We employ more than 10,000 peoplewith worldwide offices and studios across North America (Los Angeles,Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver), Europe (London), Asia (Bangalore, Mohali,Chennai, Mumbai) and Australia (Sydney