About this role

A projector’s black is grey, so the contrast that carries a scene on a monitor flattens on a wall, and detail that reads at arm’s length vanishes at bay distance. Nobody is looking head-on either — anything that matters has to land in peripheral vision, in a second or less.

And when nobody is playing, the projection is still on. Attract mode is the art that sells the next round, and it’s yours too.

Every team either builds a new game for Obsidian or takes one already running in the bay and makes it better.

What you’ll do

Build the worlds

Create the 3D projected environments for each mode — urban warzones, sci-fi arenas, tactical facilities.
Design environment lighting and cinematic composition for projection, where you cannot rely on true black.

Make the hits feel good

Create the VFX for hits, misses, explosions, score popups, combo streaks and round transitions.
Treat VFX as feedback, not decoration — a hit that doesn’t look like a hit doesn’t feel like one.

Set the tone

Design and assemble the cinematic intro and outro sequences — camera, staging, lighting and final assembly — around the performance the Character Modeling & Animation Artist supplies.
Build the attract-mode visuals that play between games.
Animate the motion graphics the UI Designer specs: leaderboard reveals, score popups, victory sequences.

Ship it into the engine

Optimize every asset for real-time rendering on the projection system.
Work with the Gameplay Programmers to integrate assets into Unreal or Unity.

What we’re looking for

Required

DigiPen graduate — any graduating class
Portfolio demonstrating 3D environment art, VFX work, or animated sequences
Proficiency in a 3D modeling and texturing pipeline. Ours is Blender, ZBrush, and Substance Painter — Maya-trained artists are welcome, but you must be ready to pick up Blender and work in it from day one
Experience working in Unreal or Unity: asset integration, lighting, materials, and particle systems
Understanding of real-time rendering constraints and optimization

Ideal degree track

ideal, not mandatory — a strong artist from any track is welcome

BFA in Digital Art and Animation, ideally with an Environment Design or Animation focus

A master’s degree in a related field counts the same as the tracks above — an MS or MFA is equally welcome.

Preferred

Already fluent in Blender
In-engine VFX experience — Niagara, Cascade, Unity VFX Graph, or similar particle systems
Strength in environment lighting and cinematic composition
Motion graphics experience: animated UI, kinetic typography, transition design
Comfortable in both Unreal and Unity — the engine is chosen per team, so flexibility is worth real money here
Interest in themed entertainment or immersive experience design
Experience optimizing assets against a specific, fixed rendering target

What you’ll learn

Art directing for projection instead of a monitor, and what that does to palette, contrast, and detail density
Building effects whose job is communication — telling a player what just happened before they’ve consciously registered it
Optimizing for one fixed hardware target, where there is no settings menu to hide behind
Designing for two audiences at once: the player aiming, and the group watching
Making venue art that has a commercial job to do, not just an aesthetic one
Working a real production pipeline alongside designers, programmers, and audio

Compensation

Total hours: 180 hours
Hourly rate: $23.50 / hour
Total earnings: $4,230.00
Expected pace: About 20 hours/week, roughly 9 weeks
Payment: Bi-weekly, direct deposit
Structure: 1099 contractor

The 180 hours are the commitment; the calendar is not. Twenty hours a week for about nine weeks is what we expect in practice, but the weeks don’t have to run consecutively and the pace can flex. We set a schedule with you at the start and work around holidays, travel, and your other commitments.

This is a part-time, paid position and does not include benefits.

How to apply

Apply for this role.

Email [email protected] with 3D Environment & VFX Artist in the subject line. Send all four of these — an application missing one of them is hard to act on, and we would rather not have to come back and ask.

01Your resumeAttached to the email — PDF preferred.
02Your GPARequired. Include it in the email body.
03A link to your portfolioA video reel and a portfolio site are preferred. Make sure everything opens without a login.
04Your general availabilityThe days and hours you can be on-site and reachable, so we can plan collaboration and playtesting around the people on your team.

Apply — 3D Environment & VFX Artist

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