Eric Pierce
West Hills, CA C: 818-384-5415 | eric.pierce@gmail.com
Summary
Experienced technical animator in the AAA game and VFX industry.  Excels in problem solving, tools creation, rigging, animation, and general 3d skills.  Has a strong art sense coupled with competent programming skills.  Understands and communicates well with artists, animators, and programmers to help achieve best results.
Skills
  • Programming: Python/MEL, Maya API, C#, C, C++, Visual Studio, ZenJect
  • Graphics: Maya, MotionBuilder, 3D Max, Photoshop, QT, Flash
  • Game Engines: Unity, Unreal, Crytek, Quake 3
  • Other: Perforce, Shotgun, Plastic, MixPanel, ScaleForm
Experience
Sr. Technical Animator 01/2021 to 03/2023 Meta - Downpour Interactive Remote

Contract Technical Animator 05/2020 to 11/2020 Ubisoft Remote
Helped fix major rig issue with Motionbuilder character rig and process for upcoming game.

Technical Artist 10/2018 to 09/2019 2K Visual Concepts Agoura Hills, CA
Recreated most of the 3DMax animation, art, and outsource tools in Maya and created other needed tools. Updated Motionbuilder tools and rigs. Refined Maya character rig and skinning. Cut scene canned simulation system and implementation for cinematic scenes.

Tools and Scripted Rig For MK11 Reveal Trailer 03/2018 to 05/2018 Frame Machine Santa Monica, CA
Tools to automate adding assets to Mobu, integrating clients code where needed. Scripted rig and simulation to create high rez cloth simulation to joints rig for MK11 cut scenes. Designed to run real time in Unreal engine.
Game Direction / Developer : The Shred Krew 01/2015 to 02/2018 High Velocity Games Encino, CA
Lead the creation of an advanced runner game in Unity with a small team. Game direction and pipeline creation for Maya, Unity, Perforce, and some Photoshop tools. Closely invovled with building game-play codebase from the ground up with experienced Unity programmers.
Contract Technical Animator : Battleborn 07/2014 to 12/2014 Gearbox Software Plano, TX Rigging tools to significantly speed up character rigging. Animation tools to mirror poses, fcurves, or baked animation. Retargeting almost any size and shaped character with similar limbs to another.
Technical Animator / Pre-production : Black Ops III 08/2013 to 06/2014 Treyarch Santa Monica, CA Mobu tools for rigging and animation. Large Mobu tool to automate process of adding and aligning character rigs and mocap, audio, and video reference.
Tools/Game Scripting for Unreal Project 01/2013 to 06/2013 Megalithic Entertainment Marin City, CA Helped create a prototype MP game with a very small team using Unreal 3. Created basic pipeline, scripted rigs, PlayerController scripting and other necessary game scripting. Implemeted all level models, collision, and animation into Unreal. Scaleform to get UI art and button actions into Unreal, doing all Flash and actionscript work. Implemeted basic audio into the game as well. Some Kismet work.
Senior Technical Animator : COD Advanced Warfare 03/2012 to 01/2013 Sledgehammer Games Foster City, CA Batch converted assets to new formats and specs for art and animation assets. Knowledge sharing with both SHG and High Moon studios. Asset tools scripting and a few rigging scripts.
Lead Technical Animator : COD2 - MW3 : COD WAW 02/2006 to 03/2012 Infinity Ward / Treyarch Encino, CA Handled all animation and art tools at IW throughout the evolution of early post COD 1 assets through the completion of MW3. Scripted rigs with cloth sim for cinematic scenes. Batch scripting for upgrading assets throughout the series. Oversaw weapons, vehicles, and character skinning. Assisted Treyarch on COD WAW and IW/Quake3 engine pipeline and asset tools.
Education and Training
Programming C, C++, C#, Unix 2008 UCLA Los Angeles, CA
Certificate Programing in C & UNIX  / Certificate in Programming C# .NET
Python for Maya 2007 Gnomon Los Angeles, CA
Bachelor of Arts: Computer Animation/Fine Arts 2005 Academy Of Art San Francisco, CA
Associate of Science: Industrial Design 1999 Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, CA AAS in Engineering and Technology - Industrial Design/Minor Computer Science