Motion Capture (Mocap) Animator
This is the employer's own posting, not a copy on a job board.
What we know
Is it still open?
Confirmed still open
Last checked 2d ago — checked against the employer's own applicant tracking system, which is the company answering directly.
We re-read the employer's own applicant tracking system and the posting was still there. That is the company answering directly.
How old is it?
Posted 3d ago
The date the source published, not the day we noticed it (2026-10-30). Last seen at its source 2h ago.
We have tracked this listing since 30 Oct 2026 (2 days). The employer's own board has carried it every time we have read it, most recently 2 hours ago.
Is it remote?
Marked remote on the employer's board
Their board carries a remote setting on this posting — a field they filled in, not wording we read. The location field names somewhere specific, which is usually where the team or the entity sits.
Who may apply?
Poland, United States, Portugal, Brazil, India
The description agrees: it names Poland.
What the ad says
…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 publisher…
Pay not stated
Similar roles pay, by region:
- Europe €41k–75k/yr (31 listings, all levels)
- LATAM $1,275–2,200/mo (23 listings, all levels)
- North America $120k–207.5k/yr (400 listings, all levels)
Not enough comparable listings for Asia. Middle 50% of Design listings that do state pay in each region, in the currency most of them state. This employer has published no salary; this is what comparable listings we hold disclose, never converted between currencies or periods. How this is calculated.
Skills named in the ad
Recognised terms only, from a fixed vocabulary — this is what CV matching compares against.
Carried by 1 source
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Workable employer's own board first seen 2d ago · last seen 2h ago
The listing
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