Side

Localization, QA, audio, AI for games

Motion Capture Animator

Animation & VFXConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-timeRemote in PolandNo salary listed

About the Job

Requirements

Three to five years of experience in cleanup and tracking within video game production.
Advanced proficiency with data-cleanup and retargeting software such as Autodesk MotionBuilder and Vicon Shogun Post.
A solid understanding of Autodesk Maya and how animation curves function within engines such as Unreal Engine or Unity.
A deep understanding of human anatomy, weight distribution, and realistic movement to infer missing data.
Patience and attention to detail when performing meticulous vector-data manipulation.
Ability to visually reconstruct complex movements when camera data is missing.
Ability to organize workflows and manage large volumes of performance files under tight schedule constraints.
Advanced proficiency in traditional 3D keyframe animation, including animation curves, graph editors, Euler angles, and resolving gimbal lock.
Knowledge of weight, anticipation, staging, arcs, and secondary action to enhance captured data naturally.
A deep understanding of Forward Kinematics and Inverse Kinematics systems and how character rigs behave with external constraints.
Ability to interpret a director's creative notes and translate performance critiques into technical animation adjustments.
Ability to determine when to preserve an actor's performance nuance and when to replace it with keyframes for gameplay responsiveness or cinematic clarity.

Responsibilities

Identify, label, and track raw point-cloud data from studio shoots, correcting marker swaps and mislabeled tracking points.
Reconstruct missing data points caused by actor occlusions using interpolation, smoothing algorithms, or reference footage.
Remove jitter, spikes, and artifacts from raw tracking curves while preserving the nuances and weight of the original performance.
Solve processed marker data onto 3D character rigs, accounting for proportional differences between actors and 3D models.
Correct structural clipping, stabilize feet to eliminate floor-sliding, and fix basic posture and interaction anomalies.
Synchronize cleaned data with reference video to preserve the actor's emotional intent, timing, and weight distribution in the digital character.
Meet production deadlines and hand off clean data to character animation and cinematic layout teams.
Fix structural issues introduced during retargeting, including hand and foot sliding, floor penetration, clipping, and unnatural joint stretching.
Apply traditional keyframe animation layers to amplify poses, sharpen timing, correct off-balance center-of-gravity issues, and match stylized or cinematic art directions.
Adjust animation curves to ensure contact and interaction with virtual props, weapons, vehicles, and uneven terrain geometry.

Motion Capture (Mocap) Animator

Side · Poland (Remote) · Contract · Posted 2026-10-30

Workplace: remote

Department: Art Production

Description

Position: Motion Capture Animator

Work structure: Remote, within 6 hours time zone difference to Poland

Contract duration: 9-12 months

Start date: As soon as possible

At Side, we partner with some of the world's leading developers and publishers to solve complex production challenges and help bring exceptional games to life. From concept through live operations, our co-development teams work as trusted extensions of our clients' studios, contributing expertise across design, engineering, art, audio, QA, and production.

What you will be doing:

Data Cleaning & Tracking

Identify, label, and track raw point-cloud data from studio shoots, manually fixing marker swaps or mislabeled tracking points.
Reconstruct missing data points caused by actor occlusions (e.g., when a limb is hidden from cameras) using interpolation, smoothing algorithms, or reference footage.
Remove jitter, spikes, and artifacts from raw tracking curves while preserving the subtle nuances and weight of the original performance.

Skeletal Solving & Retargeting

Solve processed marker data onto 3D character rigs, ensuring the performance translates accurately despite proportional differences between the actor and the 3D model.
Correct structural clipping, stabilize feet to eliminate floor-sliding, and fix basic posture/interaction anomalies.
Sync cleaned data with reference video to ensure the digital character perfectly retains the actor's emotional intent, timing, and weight distribution.

Pipeline & Organization

Meet strict production deadlines to ensure a steady stream of clean data is handed off to the character animation and cinematic layout teams.
Fix all structural issues introduced during retargeting, including hand/foot sliding, floor penetration, clipping (limbs passing through clothing/body), and unnatural joint stretching.
Apply traditional keyframe animation layers to amplify poses, sharpen timing, fix off-balance center-of-gravity issues, and push the performance to match stylized or cinematic art directions.
Adjust animation curves to ensure flawless contact and interaction with virtual props, weapons, vehicles, and uneven terrain geometry.

Requirements

What we are looking for:

Technical Skills & Experience

Advanced proficiency in data-cleanup and retargeting software, such as Autodesk MotionBuilder and Vicon Shogun Post
Solid understanding of Autodesk Maya and how animation curves function within engines like Unreal Engine or Unity.
A deep understanding of human anatomy, weight distribution, and realistic movement to accurately infer missing data.
Experience: 3–5 years of experience in a cleanup, tracking within video games production.

Soft Skills & Core Competencies

Exceptional patience and attention to detail for handling repetitive, meticulous vector data manipulation.
Ability to visually reconstruct complex movements when large chunks of camera data are missing.
Highly organized workflow to efficiently handle large volumes of performance files under tight schedule constraints.
Advanced proficiency in traditional 3D keyframe animation, with a deep understanding of animation curves, graph editors, Euler angles, and gimbal lock resolution.
Solid command of weight, anticipation, staging, arcs, and secondary action to naturally enhance captured data without making it look "floaty" or robotic.
Deep understanding of Forward Kinematics (FK) and Inverse Kinematics (IK) systems, and how character rigs behave when handling external constraints.
Ability to interpret a director’s creative notes and translate performance critiques into technical animation adjustments.
Knowing exactly when to preserve the organic nuance of the actor's performance and when to overwrite it with keyframes for the sake of gameplay responsiveness or cinematic clarity.

Benefits

About Side
Side (formerly PTW) is a global video game development and services provider, offering technical and creative solutions to many of the largest developers and studios around the world. Founded in 2009 and drawing on 30+ years' experience from our parent company in Japan, Side has since grown to become a global force with 20 studios in 14 countries across North America, Europe, South America, and Asia.

Our industry-leading services include game development, art production, audio production, quality assurance, localization, localization QA, player support, community management, and datasets.

Help us bring stories to the world! Join a global team of passionate gamers and contribute to delivering unforgettable game experiences.

Experience our side of life. For more information, visit

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About the Company

Side

Localization, QA, audio, AI for games

PTW provides specialized services for gaming and tech, including co-development, live operations, localization, quality assurance, audio production via its SIDE subsidiary, and AI dataset creation for virtual assistants, TTS, and ASR. It supports developers and publishers across the project lifecycle: localization adapts content for languages and cultures; QA tests games across platforms; live operations manages ongoing services; SIDE handles casting and post-production; and AI data services collect and evaluate data to train AI systems. PTW differentiates itself by offering end-to-end, integrated services under one umbrella, backed by SIDE’s 25 years of audio expertise and a global gaming-focused footprint. Its goal is to help clients extend game lifecycles, enter new markets, and deliver high-quality user experiences through dependable, long-term partnerships.

Company size: 1,001-5,000
Company stage: Not listed
Total funding: Not listed
Headquarters: Larkspur, CA
Founded: 1994

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