Simulation (Houdini) - Technical Engineer
Sony Pictures Imageworks15 days ago
Vancouver, CanadaMid Level / Senior
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and implement scalable procedural systems and workflows in Houdini for FX, Creature, Crowds, and Environment departments.
- Create, maintain, and optimize Houdini Digital Assets for stability, usability, and production standards.
- Extend, integrate, and support pipeline tools for data flow, asset publishing, and version control.
- Collaborate with artists to gather requirements, troubleshoot issues, and support in-house and commercial tools.
- Work with shading, lighting, and rendering engineers to integrate procedural assets into rendering and compositing pipelines.
- Document tools and workflows for artistic and engineering teams.
- Manage multiple competing priorities with minimal supervision.
Requirements
- 3–5+ years of professional experience developing procedural workflows and tools in a VFX, animation, or game production environment.
- Demonstrated knowledge of Houdini tool creation, optimization, and workflow techniques.
- Strong proficiency in Python and VEX for custom nodes and tool wrappers.
- Experience developing and supporting production pipeline tools and asset delivery.
- Experience with the Houdini API and other digital content creation tools such as Katana.
- Strong understanding of 3D mathematics, linear algebra, and data structures for geometry processing and simulation.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills and a collaborative problem-solving approach.
- Preferred experience developing desktop applications with PyQt or PySide.
- Preferred experience with C++ for high-performance plugin development.
- Preferred experience with data science, machine learning, or complex simulation techniques such as fluid dynamics or cloth.
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, digital media, or a related technical field is preferred.
Benefits
- Healthcare, tuition reimbursement, RRSPs, sick leave, vacation leave, and standard increases according to company policy.
- The position is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- The anticipated base salary is CAD $100,000.00–$120,000.00 per year.