Senior Artist, Technical (Rigger) - NBA 2K

Location: Novato, California, United States. The position is temporary and compensation is also listed for other US states and British Columbia, Canada; Washington is excluded from the US range section.

Salary: $54–$75 per hour in California; other listed US ranges are $48–$68 or $54–$75 per hour, and British Columbia is CAD $47–$67 per hour.

Company

Visual Concepts is a game development studio creating multi-platform sports and other video game titles through independent, entrepreneurial teams.

What you will do

• Update character rigs to improve deformation and simulate human anatomy more accurately.
• Create math node networks, blendshapes, corrective shapes, and skinweight and blendweight maps for body and face rigs.
• Write Python code to automate tasks, build procedural setups, and improve workflow efficiency.
• Diagnose and resolve character-rigging errors across tools and the game.
• Collaborate with technical artists, engineers, and multiple art departments on feedback and asset requests.
• Contribute to documentation, workflows, and scalable pipeline improvements.

Requirements

• Expertise in Autodesk Maya.
• Strong understanding of human anatomy and deformation.
• Working knowledge of Python and PyMel scripting.
• Experience with FACS-based rigs, joint placement, skeleton design, and game-optimized character rigs.
• Knowledge of topology and edge flow for natural deformation.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and an interest in video games.

Nice to have

• Experience with NgSkinTools, Qt UI development, Perforce, jiggle joints, or dynamic simulation setups.
• Experience using the Maya Python API.

Culture & Benefits

• Work with a diverse NBA technical art team supporting character, prop, and clothing workflows.
• Collaborate with teams across studios in Novato, Irvine, Budapest, Shanghai, Austin, Boise, Seoul, and Parksville.
• Regular full-time roles may include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, paid holidays, vacation, sick leave, parental leave, wellness support, and other benefits.
• Temporary roles are not eligible for many regular-role compensation and benefit programs.