Job Description

At Microsoft, we have bold ambitions: Empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. To make that a reality, the Mixed Reality Experience Development Team is charged with driving the strategy that turns product vision into reality.

Mixed Reality Experience Development Team is looking for a customer-focused VFX Artist to help us deliver world class visual effects in Mixed Reality experiences. Our team's vision is to create professional, seamless, and friction-free experiences that enable our customers to work less and accomplish more. We strive to transform Microsoft’s powerful and complex technologies into experiences that customers will love.

Responsibilities

As a VFX Artist, you will have the following responsibilities:  

• Create amazing, high quality real-time visual effects and shaders that push the boundaries of Mixed Reality experiences
• Identify, implement, or invent the correct technical approach to be able to render the product vision on target
• Be a positive and creative force in the team
• Work collaboratively with Artists, Designers, and Engineers to create beautiful effects that offer creative solutions to design challenges and create wow moments for the users
• Create high quality real-time visual effects that adhere to the project's aesthetic vision without sacrificing performance
• Work with Creative & Technical teams to develop the project's visual effects language
• Proactively share information with the technical art staff across the organization to improve the craft and accelerate toolset improvements
• Provide unique solutions to improve the creative process in a collaborative environment
• Create task lists & estimates as well as milestone documentation
• Execute the artistic vision of the project and applying your experience directly to the creation of solid artist-driven workflows, automation tools, content pipelines, and asset management that are vital for the design team to deliver highest quality industry content
• Keep up with the latest trends and technical tools for developing visual effects and inspire others through knowledge sharing
  

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• BA/BFA in visual arts, computer science or equivalent industry experience
• 6+ years’ experience working with Unity or an equivalent engine to design visual effects for games, interactive experiences, or apps
• 4+ years' experience using one or more professional 3D software packages for asset content production (ex: 3DSMax, Maya, Houdini, Modo, Motion Builder, Zbrush, Mudbox, Photoshop, C4D, etc.)
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience creating performant real-time visual effects and post effects
• Expertise in creating best-in-class real-time shaders for Unity
• Ability to work within a group as well as autonomously
• Deep understanding of the technical requirements of real-time content development for both current-gen and mobile platforms
• Deep knowledge of real-time lighting and texturing techniques
• Great communication, interpersonal, organizational, and collaboration skills across multiple disciplines - this role works with developers, designers, and artists.
• Agile, flexible, and comfortable dealing with the ambiguity of incubation work
• Collaborative and self-motivated; able to partner effectively with others while also making smart, strategic decisions and working independently
• A fundamental understanding of digital art processes and production - how do artist’s work
• Working knowledge with 3D Asset modeling and UV creation
• Tool development in C++ and Python
• Experience creating advanced real-time visual effects, utilizing particles, static textures, animated textures, lights, post processing, materials, meshes and shaders.
• Excellent composition and sense of scale, timing, detail, form, textureand color.
• Designed visual effects in a Virtual/Augmented Reality experience, or AAA Game that has shipped
• Mobile App Development - You have created great visual effects within the technical confines of a mobile platform
• Experience with middleware content pipelines a plus
  

#mixedreality

#experiencedevelopmentteam

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.