3D Character Artist (CONTRACT)

JOIN THE CARBONATED TEAM! Carbonated is a studio built on the "Fearless Curiosity" of industry veterans. We are backed by top-tier partners and driven by a culture of constant experimentation. We are looking for individuals who share our key values: Talent, Attitude, and Fearless Curiosity. We’re currently working on our dream game, MadWorld—a revolutionary real-time global PvP battler—as well as several unannounced projects that push the boundaries of visual fidelity and technical innovation. THE ROLE: CHARACTER & TECHNICAL ARTIST We are seeking a Character & Technical Artist who can blend the artistry of a master sculptor with the mindset of a technical architect. You will be responsible for creating high-fidelity, hero-tier character models and developing the procedural pipelines that allow us to scale our world. WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Hero Asset Creation: Sculpt high-resolution, realistic characters and gear using ZBrush, focusing on anatomy, silhouette, and "readability" at high resolutions.
• The "Bake" Master: Execute a flawless high-to-low-poly pipeline, ensuring high-frequency detail is preserved across optimized geometry.
• PBR Texturing: Create high-quality, photorealistic textures in Substance Painter (or equivalent), with a deep understanding of PBR materials and shader logic.
• Procedural Workflows: Utilize graph-based editors like Substance Designer, Houdini, or Blender Geometry Nodes to create versatile, non-destructive art systems.
• Pipeline Scripting: Leverage Python, C#, or Lua to automate repetitive modeling tasks, optimize export workflows, and bridge the gap between DCC tools and our game engine.

WHO YOU ARE

• Experience: 3+ years in character modeling with a portfolio demonstrating high-fidelity "Pro-level" console/PC assets, characters roughly 50-100k tris.
• DCC Mastery: Expert-level proficiency in Maya or Blender, and a deep understanding of digital sculpting in ZBrush.
• Technical Aptitude: You don't just "make art"; you understand how it works under the hood. You are comfortable writing scripts to improve your own efficiency.
• Collaborative: Able to work closely with Animators and Tech Artists to ensure topology is perfectly optimized for complex "Gun Fu" deformations.

BONUS POINTS

• Systemic Thinker: You enjoy using node-based systems to solve complex visual problems, whether it's through procedural modeling or custom shader graphs.
• You use the latest tools to speed up workflow and improve quality:
• Use Reallusion’s CC5 to create a base character that you can take artistic control over and bring into Maya/Zbrush and into our game engine.
• Use AI to speed up your artistic workflow, generate rough models that you can then sculpt, retopologize and texture with PBR textures.
• Procedural Modeling: Experience with Houdini or advanced Geometry Nodes for environment or character prop generation.
• Engine Logic: Familiarity with the technical constraints of modern game engines (O3DE, Unreal, or Unity).
• Rigging Knowledge: A basic understanding of character rigging to better inform your modeling topology.
• Culture: A passion for innovation and a great sense of humor (we still love those dad jokes!).

SOUND LIKE YOU?

• Please send your resume, portfolio link, and cover letter to [email protected].