Intermediate-Senior 3D Artist
We're Hiring: Intermediate-Senior 3D Artist (Project Contract)
Looking for a technically strong, production-focused Intermediate-Senior 3D Artist to join our Visual & Animation craft team and help create high-quality, performance-ready 3D assets for our immersive VR/XR training experiences.
This is more than a traditional 3D modelling role.
We're looking for someone who understands that a great asset for immersive technology needs to do two things exceptionally well: look convincing and perform efficiently.
You'll work across modelling, texturing, optimisation and Unity implementation, collaborating closely with XR Developers, Delivery Leads and other specialists to create assets that are visually strong, technically sound and ready to perform in demanding real-time environments.
At this level, we're looking for someone who can take meaningful ownership of their own production work, solve technical and artistic problems, contribute specialist insight to project teams, and continue developing toward a future 3D Craft Specialist role. This progression is specifically built into the role framework.
What you'll be responsible for
Designing and developing high-quality 3D models and assets for VR/XR environments.
Building assets from the outset with Unity and VR performance constraints in mind.
Creating clean, efficient topology and production-ready geometry.
Developing and applying PBR-based materials and textures optimised for real-time environments.
Refactoring and optimising existing, legacy and third-party 3D assets for use in VR.
Reducing polygon counts, optimising textures and replacing inefficient or incompatible shaders without unnecessarily compromising visual quality.
Working within defined performance budgets, including polygon counts, LODs, draw calls and memory constraints.
Creating believable, immersive assets that maintain the required visual style, realism and consistency across projects.
Preparing, importing and validating assets in Unity so they are immediately usable by XR Developers.
Ensuring correct scale, orientation, pivots, naming conventions, folder structures, materials and prefab setup.
Testing assets within Unity to identify performance, material, reference, import or visual issues before developer handover.
Working closely with XR Developers to ensure smooth asset integration and resolve art- and asset-related implementation issues.
Supporting build QA by reviewing VR/XR builds for visual, asset and Unity-related issues and providing actionable feedback.
Working with Delivery Leads to support project milestones, production requirements and delivery commitments.
Communicating dependencies, blockers, risks and technical requirements before they affect delivery.
Providing technical production input during planning, scoping, optimisation and implementation discussions.
Contributing realistic input on modelling complexity, optimisation requirements, feasibility and production effort.
Supporting prototypes, demonstrations, proposals and solution-development activities where specialist 3D input is required.
Contributing to knowledge sharing, production improvements and the continued development of TBR's 3D craft capability.
What we're looking for
Must have:
A relevant qualification, diploma, certificate or strong demonstrable professional experience in 3D Art, 3D Design, Animation, Game Art, Digital Art or a related discipline.
A strong professional 3D portfolio demonstrating modelling, texturing and production-quality asset creation.
Solid experience creating 3D assets for real-time applications.
Strong 3D modelling skills with a sound understanding of topology, geometry and polygon optimisation.
Experience creating and working with PBR materials and textures.
Strong understanding of UVs, texture optimisation, resolution and compression considerations.
Practical experience optimising 3D assets for real-time performance.
Understanding of LOD creation and implementation.
Experience preparing assets for use in Unity or another real-time game engine.
Ability to work within polygon, draw-call and memory constraints.
Understanding of correct scale, orientation, pivots, naming conventions and asset organisation.
Ability to troubleshoot both technical and artistic 3D asset problems.
Ability to interpret storyboards, references, specifications and art direction accurately.
Ability to work independently on assigned production tasks and deliver reliably against project deadlines.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to producing technically clean, developer-ready assets.
Ability to collaborate effectively with developers, artists and multidisciplinary project teams.
Advantageous / Bonus Skills
Strong hands-on experience with Unity.
Previous experience creating assets specifically for VR/XR applications.
Experience working on training simulations, serious games or simulator environments.
Advanced knowledge of real-time asset optimisation and performance profiling.
Experience creating and managing Unity prefabs.
Understanding of Unity materials, shaders and asset import settings.
Experience diagnosing draw-call, overdraw, memory or other asset-related performance issues.
Experience converting or rebuilding legacy, CAD or third-party assets for real-time use.
Experience with hard-surface modelling, particularly machinery, industrial equipment, vehicles or technical environments.
Experience working from technical references, drawings, photographs or physical equipment.
Animation, rigging or technical animation experience.
Substance Painter / Substance 3D experience or equivalent texturing expertise.
Exposure to photogrammetry, scanning or other real-world asset-capture workflows.
Experience contributing to prototypes, technical demonstrations or solution-development activities.
Experience providing technical guidance or supporting more junior artists.
Understanding of Git, Azure DevOps or similar collaborative production/version-control environments.
The person we're looking for
We're looking for someone who cares just as much about what happens behind the asset as what appears on screen.
You should be the kind of 3D Artist who asks:
Does this asset actually need this much geometry?
Will this still look convincing once I optimise it for VR?
Why is this asset affecting performance?
Is the topology clean and reusable?
Are my materials and textures appropriate for the target environment?
Can the XR Developer drop this into Unity and use it immediately?
Is there a better way to build this so we can reuse it on future projects?
You should be comfortable taking responsibility for your own production output while also knowing when a technical challenge needs collaboration with an XR Developer or Craft Specialist.
We are looking for someone with a strong production foundation who is progressing toward deeper specialist capability---someone who can contribute technical production insight, help solve increasingly complex problems, share knowledge and steadily develop toward greater technical.
If you're passionate about 3D art, real-time technology and immersive experiences, and you enjoy the challenge of creating assets that are both visually impressive and technically efficient, we'd love to hear from you.