I found this listing at Reel Fx, one of the companies I hope to work for in the future:
http://jobs.reelfx.com/positions/rigging-artist-dallas-location-361
To get the job you must meet the following requirements (as listed on the website above):
• Bachelor’s (BA) degree from accredited four-year college or university or equivalent experience
• 2 years production experience
• A strong understanding of animation and modeling workflows
• A strong understanding of human and animal form and bio-mechanics.
• Able to create rigs that allow for a full range of movement, with a logical, easy to use, and well thought out control structure.
• Excellent knowledge of maya, with a strong understanding of the dependency graph, utility nodes, and the use of expressions. A working knowledge of MEL is a must. A working knowledge of Python is preferred. Knowledge of the C++ API is not required, but is a distinct advantage.
• A general understanding of the principles of animation. Must be able to think like an animator when considering how rigs will move. Prior animation experience is a plus.
• Able to work in a team environment, possess strong communication skills, exhibit a high level of motivation.
• Able to communicate creative and technical thoughts and ideas
• Able to multi-task and prioritize
• Able to thrive in a high pressure, deadline oriented environment
• Able to follow directions well
In CRI1 and CRI2 we learned how to create rigs with a full range of movement that are easy for an animator to use. We were taught to always think about what the animator would want in a rig. We were exposed to python scripting and have done almost all of our work in Maya. We focused more on SDKs than expressions but we did go over them in class. We have worked with deadlines and had to follow directions. However, we didn't really go over MEL, we didn't create a non-humanoid animal rig, we didn't use the dependency graph or utility nodes, and we didn't have any sort of team projects.
I researched another job posting from Laika:
The job requirements as listed on the website above are as follows:
- Bachelor’s degree in relevant area of study or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 2-3 years of CG feature film and/or Visual Effects or equivalent rigging experience.
- Experience working on a fully animated theatrically released CG feature film a plus.
- Knowledge of Maya, Python and MEL
- Experience rigging a variety of facial animation systems, including experience with body and prop rigs.
- Strong knowledge of character kinematics, deformation and biomechanics.
- Basic modeling skills and ability to understand polygonal mesh flow.
- Background in visual arts/design with a strong understanding of form, geometry and movement.
- Ability to provide feedback to team members on work under development and mentor lesser experienced team members.
- Knowledge of dynamics, Linux experience and Maya C++ plug in development, all a plus.
- 3D printing experience a plus
In CRI1 and CRI2 we learned how to use Maya for rigging and how to script with Python. We have learned how to rig and weight facial systems. We went over basic modeling skills in Mudbox to create blendshapes. However, we did not learn about Linux, C++, or MEL.
Comparing these two listings, both want experience and a Bachelor's degree, experience in Maya, experience with Python, and how to create basic and easy to use rigs. I think that on the surface it seems like we were more prepared for the Laika job listing because we spent a lot more time learning facial rigs and controls. It also seems to require less experience with certain aspects of Maya, but at the same time requires the knowledge of three other scripting languages instead of two. Scripting can be very hard to learn, I have multiple friends in Game Dev. that run into a lot of troubles learning C++, so it's hard to tell which one we are actually more prepared for. Overall I feel like if I were to get a job as a TD I would need to know more about scripting languages in general since that seems to be a big part of every TD job listing.
Comparing these two listings, both want experience and a Bachelor's degree, experience in Maya, experience with Python, and how to create basic and easy to use rigs. I think that on the surface it seems like we were more prepared for the Laika job listing because we spent a lot more time learning facial rigs and controls. It also seems to require less experience with certain aspects of Maya, but at the same time requires the knowledge of three other scripting languages instead of two. Scripting can be very hard to learn, I have multiple friends in Game Dev. that run into a lot of troubles learning C++, so it's hard to tell which one we are actually more prepared for. Overall I feel like if I were to get a job as a TD I would need to know more about scripting languages in general since that seems to be a big part of every TD job listing.
