Character Surfacer (DNEG Animation) 3 Locations

Job Position(s): Character Surfacer (DNEG Animation) 3 Locations

DNEG Animation is hiring a Character Surfacer across three locations on a six-month contract. This role sits within the Surfacing department and focuses on delivering finished character assets, including texturing, grooming, and look development, for feature animated film production. It suits an experienced surfacer who has shipped work on animated features and can move fluently between different artistic styles and technical pipelines.

About the Role

DNEG Animation operates at the feature film level, and the Surfacing department is responsible for how characters look on screen, from skin texture and hair simulation to final look development renders. A Character Surfacer in this team works from provided reference material to build assets that hold up through the full VFX pipeline, attending dailies, production reviews, and department assemblies as a regular part of the schedule. The work requires equal attention to artistic quality and technical precision before assets are handed off downstream.

Key Responsibilities

• Create character surfacing, grooming, and texturing assets for feature animation production using approved reference material and established look direction.
• Submit work to dailies and production reviews, receiving and addressing both artistic and technical notes through each iteration.
• Quality check all assets against DNEG protocols before handoff to downstream departments, including rigging and lighting.
• Learn and operate within DNEG Surfacing department workflows and proprietary pipeline tools specific to each production.
• Contribute to project-specific reviews and discussions, bringing informed creative and technical input on surfacing solutions.
• Work directly with Surfacing Leads and Supervisors to ensure character assets meet quality and technical viability standards for the production.

What You Bring

• Production credits as a Character Surfacer on feature animated films across varying artistic styles.
• Proficiency with fur and feather grooming tools including Maya, XGen, Yeti, Shave and a Haircut, and Houdini.
• Experience in Mari, Substance, Photoshop, or BodyPaint 3D for texture painting and look development.
• Working knowledge of ray-tracing or path-tracing render software, specifically RenderMan or Arnold.
• A demo reel with a descriptive breakdown that demonstrates painting, illustration, or design knowledge in a production context.
• Familiarity with Katana for look development and Solaris is a strong advantage.

Why This Role

DNEG is one of the most established visual effects and animation studios in the industry, with a feature animation division building a slate intended to compete at the highest level of the field. This Character Surfacer position offers direct involvement in that work across a six-month contract, with exposure to a structured production pipeline and a surfacing team working at feature film scale. For a surfacer looking to build credits on ambitious animated features, this is a substantive engagement.

Apply now for the Character Surfacer role at DNEG Animation and bring your feature animation surfacing experience to a production team working at the top of the discipline.