3D Artist

About Grinding Gear Games:

Grinding Gear Games is the developer and publisher of Path of Exile, the award-winning online ARPG. Founded and headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, the company was established in 2006 and released Path of Exile in 2013, winning GameSpot's PC Game of the Year Award that year. Since then, we have continued to evolve Path of Exile with over 45 expansions, eventually winning the 2020 BAFTA award for Best Evolving Game.

Path of Exile 2 is in full production and has been released in Early Access as of Q4 2024 - we're looking for world-class artists, animators and programmers to help us continue to develop it. Come be part of our story and join us at Grinding Gear Games!

Position Details:

• Company: Grinding Gear Games, creators of Path of Exile.
• Team: A world-class studio of more than 200 developers.
• Location: On-site in Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand.
• Relocation: Relocation assistance (for the right candidate if needed).
• Employment Type: Full-time position - 40 hours a week.

Responsibilities:

• Work with 3d artists, internal departments, freelancers and outsource studios to create the highest quality artwork and maintain artistic consistency and expectations set by the studio.
• Critique, manage and prepare other artists’ work to ensure functionality with our in-house tools and pipeline.
• Secondarily: Create, improve and maintain the aesthetic of objects, characters and creatures for Path of Exile.
• As a central 3d role, help communicate information, and facilitate needs between various departments, i.e. concept art, rigging, effects, animation, producers, game design.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Good general knowledge of Maya when it comes to modelling, texturing and basic rigging.
• Experience analyzing historical/ancient reference, and natural history, for sculptural and material details.
• Good understanding of import/export processes using .obj/.fbx file formats.
• Confidence and curiosity while learning from others, complex, proprietary engine tools, and systems.
• Proficiency in Zbrush, Substance painter, Maya and Photoshop.
• Experience using one or more game engines.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to evaluate time requirements.
• Proactive and self-reliant.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
• Fluent in art and design language, ability to communicate this verbally and visually.
• Ability to work within a team environment.
• Experience creatively reusing assets efficiently, and planning/designing modular, versatile assets.

Additional Application Requirement:

• Portfolio, and also examples/demonstration of non-artistic, technical and/or communication skills relating to asset production required. For example: annotated paintovers, articulate artistic/technical feedback/critique, planning modular assets, kitbash.
• Must be willing to complete a test if requested to do so.

Preferred Qualifications (Pluses):

• A deep understanding of our games, Path of Exile.
• Experience working in the game industry.
• Personal projects related to 3d modeling.
• Experience scripting in maya, or code/text editors, eg. python or mel.
• Experience with node graph based materials.
• Experience rendering 3d to 2d, ie Keyshot, Marmoset toolbag etc.