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3D Rigging Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Epoch Games

3D Creature Artist

Winston Salem, NC

Rigging and Skinning Experience with 3D Creatures is not required, but is certainly helpful. Communication is key to a smooth and efficient pipeline. You must be able to communicate clearly and ...

Scattermesh

Senior 3D Technical Character Artist

Herndon, VA · On-site

$130K - $156K/yr

... 3D Technical Facial Character Artists to work across client projects on a full time basis on-site ... The ideal candidate should have experience in rigging, sculpting, python/mel, shading, texture ...

Side

3D Character Artist - Talent Pool (N Americas)

$123K - $130K/yr

As a 3D Character Artist , you will play a key role in crafting high-quality characters that bring ... Ensure proper topology, rigging, and skinning for characters to meet animation and gameplay ...

Flying Bark Productions

3D Animation Lead

Denver, NC · On-site +1

The lead also coaches junior artists, collaborates with other departments, and supports production ... An understanding of rigs and typical rigging set-ups, animation pipelines and transferring data ...

Moonlake AI

Technical Artist

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$149K - $179K/yr

The Role We're looking for a Technical Artist / 3D Generalist who can create high-quality ... 3D workflows * Familiarity with physics-ready assets, rigging, articulation, collision, or ...

ARTHREX

OR · On-site

$126K - $151K/yr

General knowledge of the 3D Realtime Art Pipeline. Including new AI art tools and traditional 3D ... rigging/skinning, VFX nodes, UI Design, creating and modifying shaders. Advanced knowledge of ...

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How much do 3d rigging artist jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 20, 2026, the average hourly pay for 3d rigging artist in the United States is $39.46, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $27.16 and $48.56 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the 3D Rigging Artist position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a 3D Rigging Artist, you need a strong understanding of human and animal anatomy, kinematics, and a solid grasp of 3D rigging principles, often supported by a degree in animation, computer graphics, or a related field. Mastery of industry-standard tools such as Autodesk Maya, Blender, and knowledge of scripting (Python, MEL) is typically required, and certifications in these tools can be an advantage. Effective communication, problem-solving abilities, and collaboration skills help you work seamlessly within animation and VFX teams. These combined skills ensure that 3D models move realistically and efficiently, which is crucial for high-quality animation production.

What does a typical workday look like for a 3D Rigging Artist?

A typical day for a 3D Rigging Artist involves creating and refining digital skeletons and control systems for 3D characters or objects, collaborating with animators and modelers to ensure proper movement and deformation. You may spend time troubleshooting and adjusting rigs, developing custom scripts for workflow efficiency, and participating in team meetings to review project goals. Rigging Artists often work closely with other departments, such as animation and technical directors, to address feedback and maintain project consistency. Depending on the studio, you might also help document rigging solutions or mentor junior artists. This structured, collaborative environment helps ensure rapid problem-solving and a high-quality final product.

What is a 3D Rigging Artist job?

A 3D Rigging Artist is responsible for creating the skeletal frameworks used to animate 3D models in films, games, and other media. They build rigs that define how a character or object moves, ensuring natural and realistic motion. Their work involves setting up bones, controllers, and deformation systems like skinning. Rigging artists collaborate closely with animators and modelers to ensure smooth functionality. Strong knowledge of anatomy, movement, and technical skills in software like Maya or Blender is essential.

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3D Rigging Artist jobs near you
Infographic showing various 3D Rigging Artist job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 79% Full Time, 9% Part Time, 3% Temporary, and 9% Contract. Highlights an 76% In-person, and 24% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $82,070 per year, or $39.5 per hour.
3D Creature Artist

3D Creature Artist

Epoch Games

Winston Salem, NC

Other

Posted 3 days ago

Job description

Company Description

Epoch Games is a volunteer-based, all-online, global game development team. We have no centrally-located headquarters and are unincorporated at this time. Most of the original founding members were modders developing the total conversion Middle Earth Roleplaying Project (MERP) mod for the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim:
http://www.moddb.com/mods/merp-middle-earth-roleplaying-project
Currently Epoch Games is developing The Lays of Althas: Sundered Order (LoA:SO). LoA:SO is an in-development indie open-world RPG set in an original fantasy world. The game is being developed using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 4 (UE4):
https://www.unrealengine.com/
For more information about the game, please check out our IndieDb page:
http://www.indiedb.com/games/the-lays-of-althas-sundered-order
NOTE: The address above is the address related to Epoch Games' Incorporation, but is not related to the place of work. We are a fully-online team with no central headquarters at this time. Communication is mostly done via Slack (an instant messaging application) and Trello (an online project collaboration tool).

Job Description

In this volunteer position we are looking for someone who specializes in creating 3D realistic Creatures (yet with fantastical and heraldic touches/details), which includes Mesh Sculpting, Texturing and Fur/Hair Card experience, for "The Lays of Althas: Sundered Order" (LoA:SO). These Creatures would be seem alongside realistic Human characters. Rigging and Skinning Experience with 3D Creatures is not required, but is certainly helpful.
Communication is key to a smooth and efficient pipeline. You must be able to communicate clearly and effectively with other team-members and not be afraid to ask should any problems arise. We are an English-speaking team, so English fluency is a must.
If you are comfortable with teaching, you may be called upon to aid the more junior members of the team in any relevant area.
Other duties include following team policies (given through team orientation as upon acceptance to the team) as well as attending meetings through Slack (our instant message program that we use to communicate)

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

  • Creating realistic Creature meshes and textures
  • Creating Fur sculpts using Hair Card and Alpha Planes
  • Physically-based Rendering (PBR) experience for game sculpting required
  • Previous experience working with low-poly/game-ready assets required
  • Full Texturing ability (Diffuse, Normal, Displacement etc).
  • Able to work effectively and accurately from pre-defined concept art and designs.
  • Able to work with and provide constructive criticism and feedback.
  • Communication and Team-collaboration skills.
  • A passion for modeling and a dedication to creating AAA quality games.
Additional Information

Required Software:

  • Unreal Engine 4 (https://www.unrealengine.com/register)
  • 3D Modeling Software, be it 3DS Max, Maya, Blender or similar. Must have valid license for said software.
  • Adobe Photoshop,  GIMP, Substance Painter, Marmoset, 3D Coat, or similar for creating high-quality 2D Textures.

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