Ubisoft Montreal, an industry leading developer of video games, located in the heart of Montreal’s Mile-End, offers a unique environment where creativity, teamwork and cutting-edge technology bring to life critically acclaimed video games and iconic AAA franchises. You will benefit from a competitive compensation package, an open learning environment, and contribute to an international team driving innovation.
Summary
The incumbent will determine, prepare and adapt the graphic tools used in production. Whenever possible, he/she will take part in selecting the engine and establish the work methods that are best adapted to the productions. The incumbent will train the artists on the selected methods and tools and supervise the integration of objects and environments in the game engine.
Mission
The main and routine tasks of the technical director - graphics are to:
- Be familiar with the game design documents so as to be able to determine the technical needs of the project as they pertain to graphics; - Assess existing Ubi engines to determine the strengths and weaknesses of each one and recommend those that could meet expectations in terms of graphics; - Help design a new engine if the existing ones are not useful and inform the programming team of graphic needs; - Test the engine that is selected or developed, request enhancements, verify all engine-related documents and modify or draft new documents whenever necessary; - Develop or determine optimal tools and methods to enhance and facilitate the work of the graphics team; - Test tools before they are deployed and ensure that they function properly throughout the production process; - Create, organize and lead training sessions for graphics team members so that they learn how to properly use the tools and methods; - Draft documents on tools, methods, training sessions, processes and engine constraints for future reference; - Coordinate and be the main point of contact between the graphics and programming teams; - Communicate technical constraints and their reasons for being to the graphics team on a regular basis; - Establish the naming scheme for the files created by the graphics team in order to structure file location and ensure that the information is easily found; - Be proactive by foreseeing technological issues and needs before they occur (game design, level design, etc.); - Provide constant technical support for tools and the engine to every member of the graphics team; - Supervise the design, integration and validation of graphic data in the engine; - Be the point of contact for graphics issues during knowledge-sharing activities; - Carry out all other related tasks.
Training
College diploma in video games modeling or any other equivalent training.
Experience
Five years’ experience in graphic design, including two years as an assistant technical director – graphics/game graphics integration or any other relevant experience.
General skills
- Client focus; - Organization skills; - Good communication skills (spoken and written); - Teaching skills; - Writing skills (technical documents); - Ability to work as part of a team.
Specific skills
- Extensive knowledge of 2D and 3D computer graphics software; - Knowledge of Houdini and procedural environment creation - Extensive knowledge of video game engines and platforms; - Extensive knowledge of video game production working units; - Knowledge of data safety options (e.g. Perforce, VSS, Alienbrain); - Knowledge of programming languages (C++, etc.) an asset; - Knowledge of Max Script an asset.
