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Freelance 3D Rigging Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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 ...

Roblox

Senior 3D Artist, Technical

San Mateo, CA

$163K - $200K/yr

As a Senior Technical Animator, you will be working with a team of talented engineers, artists, and ... Partner with engineers to prototype and guide the development of our movement and rigging systems

VDA, Inc.

Freelance Event Associate

Somerville, MA · On-site

$20 - $23/hr

VDA is a leading Experiential Event Design Agency specializing in 3D marketing and design for ... Ensure proper rigging and cabling of lighting systems. * Troubleshoot any lighting issues during ...

Prolific Academic Ltd

$15 - $30/hr

Game Development / Environment Artist - AI Training (Freelance - Remote) About Prolific Prolific is ... The Opportunity We are inviting 3D Artists and VFX experts with experience creating computer ...

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

As of Jun 23, 2026, the average hourly pay for freelance 3d rigging artist in the United States is $22.97, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $18.75 and $18.75 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Freelance 3D Rigging Artist?

A Freelance 3D Rigging Artist is a professional who specializes in creating the skeletal frameworks (rigs) that allow 3D models to move realistically in animation and visual effects projects. They work independently on a contract basis for various clients, such as animation studios, game developers, or advertising agencies. Their main responsibilities include designing and implementing rigs for characters, creatures, or objects, ensuring they are ready for animators to bring to life. Freelance rigging artists need strong technical skills in 3D software like Maya or Blender, as well as a solid understanding of anatomy and motion.

What are some common challenges faced by freelance 3D rigging artists when collaborating remotely with animation teams?

Freelance 3D rigging artists often face challenges such as ensuring compatibility with the team's animation pipeline, maintaining clear communication about rig requirements, and adapting to various software preferences. Since much of the work is done remotely, staying aligned on project updates and feedback can require extra attention to detail and proactive communication. Building strong documentation and using shared project management tools can help overcome these challenges and ensure seamless collaboration with animators and other team members.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Freelance 3D Rigging Artist, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Freelance 3D Rigging Artist, you need expertise in character rigging, a solid understanding of anatomy and movement, and proficiency with industry-standard 3D software such as Maya or Blender. Familiarity with scripting languages like Python or MEL and experience using rigging toolsets are highly advantageous. Strong problem-solving abilities, effective communication, and adaptability help you collaborate with clients and other artists remotely. These skills ensure you can deliver flexible, high-quality rigs that meet project requirements and deadlines in a competitive freelance market.
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Freelance 3D Rigging Artist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Freelance 3D Rigging Artist job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 91% Full Time, 8% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $47,772 per year, or $23 per hour.
Technical Artist: Avatar Systems

Technical Artist: Avatar Systems

Genies, Inc.

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$149K - $179K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, PTO

This job post has expired today. Applications are no longer accepted.

Job description

Genies is an AI avatar technology company powering the visual and embodiment layer for AI. Through the Genies SDK, their proprietary avatar framework brings AI to life as fully realized AI personas that look, think, behave, and play like living identities. Genies powers AI companion, NPC, and agent use cases across enterprise, consumer, creator, entertainment, and gaming. Genies has raised $200M from Silver Lake, BOND, and Bob Iger. Genies is built on the belief that every website, app, game, brand, and human will have an AI persona.
Genies is seeking a Technical Artist: Avatar Systems to help build the next generation of avatar creation tools. This role blends deep expertise in character rigging, geometry processing, and real-time pipelines with experience in AI-assisted workflows. You'll advance the development of modular avatar systems and scalable pipelines that enable highly customizable, production-ready avatars across platforms, working at the intersection of art, engineering, and machine learning.
What You'll Be Doing:
  • Design, build, and extend avatar systems using modular components, automated rigging, and AI-assisted workflows
  • Develop and scale cloud-based rigging and deformation systems for interoperable avatars and assets
  • Apply procedural and machine learning techniques to solve complex problems in asset creation, processing, and customization
  • Integrate generative AI into internal and public-facing 3D content pipelines
  • Partner with ML engineering, art, and product to prototype and ship tools and workflows across mobile, browser, and game engine environments
  • Define technical standards, benchmarks, and best practices across systems and pipelines
  • Mentor senior team members and drive technical direction across projects

What You Should Have:
  • 10+ years of experience in Technical Art, Character TD, or similar roles
  • Strong programming skills in Python and C++
  • Deep experience with character rigging, skinning, and deformation systems
  • Experience transferring rigging data across meshes (skin weights, blend shapes, UVs, textures)
  • Strong foundation in 3D math, linear algebra, and mesh topology
  • Proven experience building scalable, production-grade pipelines and tools
  • Experience applying procedural and machine learning techniques to 3D workflows, including computational geometry and implicit/neural representations (e.g., SDFs, Gaussian splatting)
  • Experience applying USD composition concepts (layering, references, payloads, variants) within asset pipelines and workflows
  • Experience working cross-functionally with engineering, ML, art, and product teams

Excellent to Have:
  • Familiarity with open-source geometry processing libraries (Python/C++)
  • Experience with 2D/3D segmentation, feature detection, and pose estimation
  • Experience with procedural dynamics systems (cloth, secondary motion)
  • Familiarity with AI-based 3D generation (diffusion, GANs, VAEs, etc.)

How Genies will support you
  • Competitive salary and equity packages
  • Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
  • Unlimited PTO
  • Parental leave
  • Hybrid work structure (minimum 4 days in office weekly)
  • Monthly wellness reimbursement

Genies is a well-funded, fast-growing start-up that values innovation, creativity, and ownership. Our roles and their responsibilities are created with a breadth of scope that introduces each employee to exciting new challenges and opportunities that a growing start-up encounters. The actual base pay is dependent upon a number of factors, including: professional background, training, transferable skills, work experience, education, location, business and product needs, and market demand. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.
These are for our full time, benefits eligible positions

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