Houdini Simulation Technical Engineer

This is a Full Time Job

Simulation (Houdini) - Technical Engineer

658 Homer Street., Suite 405, Vancouver, BC, V6B 2R4

Language in work environment - English

Role overview:

We are looking to expand our development team dedicated to enhancing our Creature Effect, Crowds, Environment, and FX tools and workflow. We are looking for a highly proficient Technical Engineer to focus on the development and implementation of robust, high-performance, and domain-specific procedural toolsets using SideFX Houdini.

This role requires strong technical leadership and the ability to work effectively with minimal supervision alongside a Lead Software Engineer or Architect. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced production environment where priorities can shift quickly.

What You'll Be Doing:
• Design, develop, and implement scalable procedural systems and workflows within Houdini for various departments (FX, Creature, Crowds, Environments).
• Create, maintain, and optimize robust Houdini Digital Assets (OTLs), ensuring stability, ease of use, and adherence to production standards.
• Extend the core pipeline by developing, integrating, and supporting tools that manage data flow, asset publishing, and version control.
• Collaborate closely with artists (Creature, FX, Lighting) to gather requirements and troubleshoot technical issues, providing support for both in-house and commercial tools.
• Partner with engineers across other teams (Shading, Lighting, Rendering) to ensure seamless integration of procedural assets into the overall rendering and compositing pipeline.
• Document tools and workflows thoroughly for use by the wider artistic and engineering teams.

Required Technical Experience & Skills:
• 7 Years of professional experience in developing procedural workflows and tools in a VFX, Animation, or Game production environment.
• Exceptional, demonstrable knowledge of the Houdini environment, including tool creation, optimization, and advanced workflow techniques.
• Expert proficiency in Python and VEX for writing efficient, custom nodes, and tool wrappers.
• Proven experience developing and supporting production pipeline tools and asset delivery.
• Experience leveraging the Houdini API and other DCCs like Katana.
• Strong grasp of 3D math, linear algebra, and data structures as applied to geometry processing and simulation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a collaborative approach to problem-solving.
• Capable of delivering on multiple competing priorities with little supervision.

Preferred skills:
• Documented experience with desktop application development using PyQt/PySide to create custom user interfaces.
• Experience with C++ for high-performance plugin development.
• Experience with data science, machine learning, or complex simulation techniques (e.g., fluid dynamics, cloth) in a production context.
• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Computer Science, Digital Media, or a related technical field.

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