3D Environment Artist job at Epic Games, North Carolina

Key Responsibilities as Environment Artist

Your day-to-day operations as a Senior Environment Artist will blend hands-on high-fidelity asset creation, cross-departmental coordination, and team-wide technical guidance.
1. World-Building & Point of Interest (POI) Development

Concept to Engine Execution:

Translate loose 2D concept art, mood boards, and basic level design greyboxes into fully realized, high-fidelity 3D environments within Unreal Engine.
Asset Creation & Texturing:

Model, sculpt, and texture high-quality 3D assets, focusing heavily on complex architectural sets, modular kit pieces, and distinct thematic props that level designers can use to dress worlds.
Advanced Material Workflows:

Masterfully utilize a high-to-low poly baking workflow. Develop tileable textures, complex trim sheets, unique UV unwraps, and high-fidelity displacement maps to achieve stunning visual density efficiently.
2. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Pipeline Ownership

Art & Design Alignment:

Act as the primary environment art point of contact for your assigned zone. Work in close lockstep with your Level Design partner to ensure spaces are fun to navigate, readable at high speeds, and visually coherent.
Production Sync:

Collaborate directly with Art Leads and Production teams to assist in tasking, estimating timelines, and prioritizing visual deliverables to guarantee milestone deliveries remain on schedule.
Pre-Production Prototyping:

Contribute actively to early ideation phases by building physical prototypes, material test beds, and modular sets that help de-risk upcoming production cycles.
3. Performance Optimization & Platform Scaling

Hardware Restraints Navigation:

Maintain a deep technical understanding of modern rendering budgets, poly-count limits, draw calls, and texture memory management.
Cross-Platform Scaling:

Ensure all crafted assets and environmental layouts are optimized to scale seamlessly across multiple platforms, including PC, high-end consoles, and mobile devices without losing core artistic intent.
Peer Guidance:

Provide daily mentorship and feedback to mid-level and junior environment artists, helping to hone their artistic eyes and technical execution.
Documentation & Standards:

Author internal tutorials, build workflow style-guides, and create pipeline documentation to streamline team onboarding and preserve historical knowledge.
Setting the Bar:

Lead by example, demonstrating an impeccable standard of artistic quality, clean scene organization, and timeliness in all deliverables.
Required Skills, Knowledge, and Expertise

Professional Qualifications

Industry Tenure:

At minimum,

5 years of professional experience

operating within a video game production pipeline specifically focused on environment art and asset creation.
Proven Track Record:

A minimum of

3 shipped video game titles

that explicitly exhibit AAA quality art, verified through credits.
DCC Tool Mastery:

Expert-level proficiency in industry-standard 3D modeling and sculpting software, including

Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, Blender, and ZBrush .
Texturing & Baking Excellence:

Deep, demonstrable knowledge of look-development tools, specifically

Substance Painter, Substance Designer, and Marmoset Toolbag .
Communication Skills:

Exceptional written and verbal English communication skills. You must be completely comfortable defending creative choices, delivering actionable feedback, and writing clear technical documentation.
Epic Job + Epic Benefits = Epic Life

Our intent at Epic Games is to cover all things that are medically necessary and fundamentally improve our employees’ overall quality of life. We believe our comprehensive benefits package is unmatched in the tech and gaming sectors:
100% Studio-Paid Premiums:

Epic covers 100% of the insurance premiums for both you and your legal dependents. This includes premium Medical, Dental, and a Vision Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA).
Financial & Future Security:

Full coverage for Long-Term Disability, robust Life Insurance policies, and a highly competitive 401(k) retirement plan featuring an excellent company matching system.
Mental Well-Being Focus:

Access a robust mental well-being program powered by Modern Health, providing completely free therapy sessions, clinical coaching, and mindfulness resources for employees and their dependents.
True Work-Life Balance:

Take advantage of our unlimited PTO and sick time policies. Throughout the year, the studio celebrates its staff with regular studio-wide paid breaks and community events.
7-Year Sabbatical:

To reward long-term commitment, Epic fully recognizes individuals who reach 7 years of continuous employment with an extended, fully paid milestone sabbatical.
About Epic Games

Epic Games spans across 25 countries with 46 world-class studios and more than 4,500 employees globally. For over 25 years, we have been crafting award-winning games and game engine technology that empowers creators to bring 3D environments to life like never before.
Our award-winning

Unreal Engine

technology does not just give game developers the capability to build high-fidelity interactive experiences across PC, console, mobile, and virtual reality; it is also a vital tool being embraced by forward-thinking content creators across a massive array of industries—including media, film, television entertainment, automotive design, and high-end architectural visualization. As we continue to advance our core engine technology and build remarkable new digital game experiences, we strive to construct diverse, inclusive teams of world-class global talent. Come be a part of something Epic!
Note to Recruitment Agencies:

Epic Games does not accept any unsolicited resumes or casual approaches from unauthorized third-party placement or recruitment agencies with whom we do not hold a validly executed, negotiated agreement. Epic will not pay any fees to unauthorized third parties.
3D Environment Artist job at Epic Games, North Carolina
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