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Senior 3D Environment Artist Jobs in Raleigh, NC

ART What We Do Push your artistic talent to the limit on a team of world-class environment ... Professional experience using a 3D content creation application such as Maya, 3ds Max, or Blender ...

Senior Environment Artist

Cary, NC ยท On-site

$117K - $140K/yr

Our Senior Environment Artists are highly talented, creative, and versatile individuals who build ... Being an expert in 3D asset creation in DCC tools, such as 3DS Max, Maya, Blender, ZBrush. Strong ...

Senior Technical Artist

Cary, NC ยท On-site

$117K - $140K/yr

What You'll Do Epic is looking for a Senior Tech Artist to join our team working on Fortnite Events ... and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award-winning Unreal ...

Senior Technical Artist

Cary, NC ยท On-site

$117K - $140K/yr

ART What We Do Push your artistic talent to the limit on a team of world-class environment ... and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award-winning Unreal ...

Senior Level Designer

Raleigh, NC ยท On-site

$99K - $106K/yr

Founded in 2017 by Anthony and Joe Russo, AGBO is an artist-led independent studio shaping the ... A strong eye for layout, lighting, and visual clarity in 3D environments. * Comfortable ...

Senior Level Designer

Raleigh, NC ยท On-site

$99K - $106K/yr

Founded in 2017 by Anthony and Joe Russo, AGBO is an artist-led independent studio shaping the ... A strong eye for layout, lighting, and visual clarity in 3D environments. * Comfortable ...

Senior Level Designer

Raleigh, NC ยท On-site

$99K - $106K/yr

Founded in 2017 by Anthony and Joe Russo, AGBO is an artist-led independent studio shaping the ... A strong eye for layout, lighting, and visual clarity in 3D environments. * Comfortable ...

Principal Technical VFX Artist

Cary, NC ยท On-site

$117K - $140K/yr

ART What We Do Push your artistic talent to the limit on a team of world-class environment ... and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award-winning Unreal ...

Senior Level Designer

Cary, NC ยท On-site

$94K - $101K/yr

Experience working directly with environment artists on prop placement, lighting, mood/atmosphere ... and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award-winning Unreal ...

ART What We Do Push your artistic talent to the limit on a team of world-class environment ... Hands-on with at least one 3D package (Maya, 3ds Max, or Blender) and the Substance suite * Working ...

... artists, and designers to drive fun, high-quality live content from concept through delivery. We ... and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award-winning Unreal ...

Senior Technical Designer in Animation

Cary, NC ยท On-site

$98K - $112K/yr

ART What We Do Push your artistic talent to the limit on a team of world-class environment ... and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award-winning Unreal ...

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Senior 3D Environment Artist information

See Raleigh, NC salary details

$29.6K

$125.9K

$148.2K

How much do senior 3d environment artist jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 3, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior 3d environment artist in Raleigh, NC is $125,917.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $123,400.00 and $147,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a senior 3D environment artist do?

A Senior 3D Environment Artist is responsible for creating detailed and visually compelling 3D environments for video games, films, or other digital media. They work closely with art directors, level designers, and other artists to design, model, texture, and light scenes that enhance the storytelling and gameplay experience. Senior artists also mentor junior team members, establish best practices, and often contribute to developing the overall artistic vision and technical pipelines for the project.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a senior 3D environment artist?

To thrive as a Senior 3D Environment Artist, you need advanced skills in 3D modeling, texturing, lighting, and a strong artistic sense, often backed by a relevant degree or significant experience in game or film production. Expertise with industry-standard software such as Autodesk Maya, Blender, Substance Painter, Unreal Engine, and a robust digital portfolio are typically required. Creativity, problem-solving, teamwork, and effective communication are crucial soft skills for collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and delivering high-quality assets. These competencies ensure the creation of immersive, visually compelling environments that meet technical and artistic standards in competitive industries.

How does a senior 3D environment artist typically collaborate with other departments during game development?

Senior 3D Environment Artists frequently work closely with level designers, lighting artists, and technical artists to ensure that visual elements not only look stunning but also support gameplay and performance requirements. They participate in regular cross-disciplinary meetings to align on artistic vision, resolve technical constraints, and provide feedback on how environments impact player experience. Effective communication and teamwork are crucial, as Senior Artists often mentor junior team members and help translate creative ideas into practical, in-game assets. This collaborative approach helps maintain consistency and quality throughout the game's development.

What is the difference between Senior 3D Environment Artist vs 3D Environment Artist?

AspectSenior 3D Environment Artist3D Environment Artist
Experience LevelMultiple years, leadership skillsEntry to mid-level
ResponsibilitiesLeading projects, mentoring, complex asset creationCreating environment assets, supporting team tasks
Skills & CredentialsAdvanced 3D skills, portfolio, possibly leadership trainingStrong 3D skills, portfolio, basic industry experience
Work EnvironmentCollaborative teams in gaming, film, or VR studiosDesign teams, freelance or studio settings

The main difference between a Senior 3D Environment Artist and a 3D Environment Artist lies in experience, responsibilities, and leadership. Senior artists typically lead projects and mentor junior staff, while 3D Environment Artists focus on asset creation and supporting team efforts. Both roles require strong 3D skills and industry experience, but senior roles demand more advanced expertise and leadership capabilities.

What are the most commonly searched types of 3D Environment Artist jobs in Raleigh, NC?

The most popular types of 3D Environment Artist jobs in Raleigh, NC are:

What are popular job titles related to Senior 3D Environment Artist jobs in Raleigh, NC?

For Senior 3D Environment Artist jobs in Raleigh, NC, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Senior 3D Environment Artist jobs in Raleigh, NC look for?

The top searched job categories for Senior 3D Environment Artist jobs in Raleigh, NC are:

What cities near Raleigh, NC are hiring for Senior 3D Environment Artist jobs?

Cities near Raleigh, NC with the most Senior 3D Environment Artist job openings:

Infographic showing various Senior 3D Environment Artist job openings in Raleigh, NC as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 78% Full Time, 18% Part Time, 2% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 92% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $125,917 per year, or $60.5 per hour.

Principal Environment Artist

Epic Games

Cary, NC โ€ข On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 3 days ago


Job description

WHAT MAKES US EPIC?
At the core of Epic's success are talented, passionate people. Epic prides itself on creating a collaborative, welcoming, and creative environment. Whether it's building award-winning games or crafting engine technology that enables others to make visually stunning interactive experiences, we're always innovating.
Being Epic means being a part of a team that continually strives to do right by our community and users. We're constantly innovating to raise the bar of engine and game development.
ART
What We Do
Push your artistic talent to the limit on a team of world-class environment, character and concept artists who strive to innovate and inspire.
What You'll Do
Epic Games is seeking a Principal Environment Artist to help define and elevate the visual quality of Fortnite's worlds. This role combines hands-on environment art production, artistic leadership, and technical problem-solving.
You will create benchmark-quality work, establish visual standards, develop scalable workflows, and solve complex artistic and technical challenges. Working closely with Art Direction, Technical Art, Design, Engineering, and Production, you will help align visual quality with gameplay, performance, memory, and production requirements while mentoring artists and advancing environment art practices across the project.
In this role, you will
  • Create benchmark-quality environment assets, materials, modular kits, and complete scenes that establish the visual quality bar for Fortnite
  • Establish and maintain environment art standards across composition, lighting, color, atmosphere, materials, visual storytelling, gameplay readability, and environmental polish
  • Develop and improve scalable environment art workflows that increase visual quality, consistency, production efficiency, and content reuse across the project
  • Partner with Technical Art and Engineering to develop content creation pipelines, and maintain environment art documentation, best practices, workflows, and quality standards
  • Identify and resolve complex artistic and technical problems while balancing visual quality, runtime performance, memory usage, platform requirements, and production schedules
  • Mentor artists across different experience levels by providing technical guidance, artistic critique, workflow support, and professional development
  • Evaluate emerging tools, technologies, and production techniques and recommend improvements that meaningfully advance the environment art team's capabilities
What we're looking for
  • Bachelor's degree or at least 10 years of progressive professional experience creating real-time 3D environments for commercially released video games
  • Professional experience creating production-ready environment assets, materials, modular kits, and complete real-time scenes
  • Preferably professional experience using Unreal Engine for environment world-building, PBR materials, lighting, content implementation, and optimization
  • Professional experience optimizing real-time environment content for performance, memory usage, visual quality, and multiple hardware platforms
  • Professional experience using a 3D content creation application such as Maya, 3ds Max, or Blender; texture-authoring software such as Substance Painter or Substance Designer; and image-editing software such as Photoshop or equivalent professional tools
  • Experience developing or improving environment art workflows, pipelines, documentation, or quality standards
  • Experience reviewing the work of other artists and providing actionable artistic and technical feedback
  • Experience mentoring or providing professional guidance to environment artists
  • Portfolio demonstrating professional environment artwork, including examples of 3D modeling, materials, composition, lighting, world-building, and completed real-time environments
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills and demonstrated experience collaborating with multidisciplinary development teams

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Experience developing large-scale worlds for a AAA, multiplayer, or continuously updated game
  • Experience with procedural environment creation, advanced material systems, shader workflows, terrain systems, or environment art tools
  • Experience establishing visual benchmarks and discipline-wide quality standards
  • Experience collaborating with external development partners or reviewing externally produced environment artwork
  • Experience delivering environment content across multiple platforms with different performance and memory constraints
EPIC JOB + EPIC BENEFITS = EPIC LIFE
Our intent is to cover all things that are medically necessary and improve the quality of life. We pay 100% of the premiums for both you and your dependents. Our coverage includes Medical, Dental, a Vision HRA, Long Term Disability, Life Insurance & a 401k with competitive match. We also offer a robust mental well-being program through Modern Health, which provides free therapy and coaching for employees & dependents. Throughout the year we celebrate our employees with events and company-wide paid breaks. We offer unlimited PTO and sick time and recognize individuals for 7 years of employment with a paid sabbatical.
ABOUT US
Epic Games is a leading interactive entertainment company. For over 30 years we've been making award-winning games and engine technology that empowers others to make visually stunning games and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award-winning Unreal Engine technology not only provides game developers the ability to build high-fidelity, interactive experiences for PC, console, mobile, and VR, it is also a tool being embraced by content creators across a variety of industries such as media and entertainment, automotive, and architectural design. As we continue to build our Engine technology and develop remarkable games, we strive to build teams of world-class talent.
Like what you hear? Come be a part of something Epic!
Epic Games deeply values diverse teams and an inclusive work culture, and we are proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. Learn more about our Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy here.
Note to Recruitment Agencies: Epic does not accept any unsolicited resumes or approaches from any unauthorized third party (including recruitment or placement agencies) (i.e., a third party with whom we do not have a negotiated and validly executed agreement). We will not pay any fees to any unauthorized third party. Further details on these matters can be found here.