Our Studio

At Spire Studios we empower world-class and diverse creative and technical talent from all mediums to entertain global audiences through animated feature films with heartfelt storytelling, captivating worlds, and inspiring characters.

Key to our vision is developing a real time enabled pipeline that brings intimacy back to the animation process while pushing the creative envelope. Our team has worked on many of the earliest and most successful 3D animated films, and have experienced firsthand the exponential increase in visual complexity and crew sizes as narrative appetite and audience expectations have grown. GPU accelerated rendering and game engines unlock new workflows that can upend long held assumptions underpinning the assembly line approach of legacy studios.

The Job

The FX Lead will oversee and provide continuity for a team of FX artists who will be designing and implementing a variety of FX elements ranging from pyro simulations, vellum simulations, and fluid solves to rigid body dynamics and other FX techniques. Come demonstrate your passion for lighting while building a next-generation production studio.

Responsibilities

• Create stylized FX and elements to match the vision of the production design.

• Create tools and workflows to streamline element generation.

• Be hungry to create/research innovative FX methods to create never before seen visuals.

• Lead an FX crew to deliver per the production's goals and expectations.

• Work collaboratively with creative leadership in a production environment.

• Provide guidance and mentorship to FX Artists; support technical questions of others.

• Assist with scripting and providing support and documentation for tools created.

• Develop Houdini engine assets to assist with world building inside Unreal.

• Work with a range of departments to achieve production goals.

• Stay informed of current FX-related technologies and implement them effectively.

Requirements

• 6 + years experience in photo-real and/or stylized simulations of natural phenomena, particle systems, procedural modeling, procedural animation, hard and soft body dynamics, etc.

• Solid understanding of Houdini and VEX, HOM and Houdini Engine.

• Experience with high-end 3D software – Houdini required, Unreal a plus.

• Must have strong visual and technical skills.

• Experience writing scripts (hscript, Python) and/or programming required.

Bonus

• Previous experience in a leadership role preferred.

• Experience with Unreal/Niagara is a big plus.

Compensation

• Competitive salary.

• “Go home” (finish work) at a decent time to hang out with your family and friends.