Rigger (Game Characters)

Job Desription

Riggers are the people who create the characters and the character’s “skeletons”. Their goal is to make the character's body move like normal in a 3D space so that the animators can make the movement of the character. Basically, Rigger’s make the “skeleton” of the character which determines how a character moves.

Salary average: $30,000-$100,000

Occupational Outlook

There are job openings for this field and the field is growing as the need for 3D models increases.

Links to Learn More About This Career:

Educational Requirements:

A college degree isn't needed for being a rigger as long as the person has a decently sized portfolio. Some employers do require a bachelors in some sort of animation/3D rigging/media arts category.

University of Kentucky

Address: Lexington, Kentucky

Website: https://www.uky.edu/

Information on the Major: https://finearts.uky.edu/savs/digital-media-design-bs

Northern Kentucky University

Address: Highland Heights, Kentucky

Website: https://www.nku.edu/

Information on the Major: https://nku.edu/academics/informatics/programs/undergraduate/dfx.html

Rochester Institute of Technology

Address: Rochester, New York

Website: https://www.rit.edu/

Information on the Major: https://www.rit.edu/study/3d-digital-design-bfa

Soft Skills, Characteristics, and/or Abilities Need For This Career:

Knowledge of Animation
Art
Collaboration
Coding
Knowledge of 3D programs

Software Knowledge Needed For This Career:

UNIX operating system
MEL
Maya
Motion Builder
3D Studio Max
XSI
C++
Java
Perl

Pros and Cons to Choosing This Career

Pros (Positives to this Career)

Can work from home
Can follow your passion
Can work in a multitude of online forms (animations, games, etc)

Cons (Negatives to this Career)

Not a whole lot of job stability
Huge Learning Curve
Requires external programs

Typical Working Conditions For This Career:

Riggers can work from home or in the office. They have to work with others to get feedback so that they can improve the 3D models. They will have to face deadlines to get the 3D model done.

Career Researched By: Ben Stumpf