Nov 2024 - Jul 2026
3D Animator on the FIFA World Cup Launch Edition for Netflix Games, contributing from prototype to release.
Handled motion-capture cleanup in Maya and MotionBuilder, integrated gameplay animations into Unreal Engine, and built level sequences for cinematic content.
Collaborated with design, tech art, and animation teams to establish a reliable pipeline for gameplay and facial animation, including directing mocap shoots, processing captured data, and producing custom keyframe animations when required.
Assisted production by owning documentation, help defining animation standards, tracking deliverables, and coordinating feedback loops with internal teams and outsourcing.
Our gameplay and cinematic animation pipeline relied heavily on mocap. Across 1000+ captured animations from Rouge Studios and House of Moves, I worked with a small animation team to clean and retarget mocap data in MotionBuilder, then prepare and import final animation assets into Unreal Engine.
For gameplay animation, we partnered with engineers implementing systems for dribbling, shooting, locomotion, goalkeeper behaviors, jostling, and other interaction states. This included verifying animation behavior in‑engine and supporting iteration on movement readability and responsiveness.
For cinematics, we created cameras, built level sequences, and assembled shots in Unreal Engine’s Sequencer, ensuring polished character performances and cohesive storytelling for trailers and in‑game cinematics.
Using practice mode to demonstrate how the cleaned mocap animations translated into the game’s animation system. This video shows the character dribbling and shooting on the goalkeeper, captured directly in Unreal Engine to showcase in‑engine behavior and responsiveness.
For jostling interactions between attackers and defenders, we started with raw mocap data and cleaned it to ensure proper contact between players without excessive clipping. These animations were challenging because they needed to loop seamlessly, which required blending passes and hand-key adjustments on top of the mocap. We also ensured each character’s root motion followed the correct player, and that their interaction bones tracked the opposing player’s root to maintain engagement between them in-game.
Sample of a shot I worked on that appeared in the first game trailer. We used cleaned-up mocap animations and recorded gameplay footage directly in Unreal Engine. Using the Take Recorder, we baked animation data onto each character, allowing us to adjust their positions, timing, and performances, inside the level sequencer for shot polish.
Aug-Nov 2024
Football Simulator was my first Unity game project, where I worked as an Animation Intern and the studio’s first dedicated animator. At the time, the animation system was still being developed and the project relied entirely on third‑party asset‑pack animations, so I used Maya’s HIK system to establish a functional workflow for producing new animation content. I cleaned and polished existing animations, recorded new mocap using Sony Mocopi trackers streamed through Unreal Engine Live Link, transferred that data into Maya for cleanup and retargeting, and delivered final animation assets into Unity for gameplay integration. I also hand‑keyed custom animations for throws, blocks, impacts, and locomotion, collaborating closely with engineering to ensure the animations behaved correctly within the evolving gameplay system. This role gave me hands‑on experience building a ‘functional’ animation pipeline from scratch and adapting mocap workflows across Unreal, Maya, and Unity.
Breakdown Process
To refine the animations in Football Simulator, we had a few team members wear the Mocopi and capture quarterback throws and other necessary motions. Using the Mocopi app, we recorded the data and followed Sony’s setup instructions to integrate it into Unreal and Maya.
Since Mocopi data is tied to its own skeleton, I had to create and configure an IK rig for the football character. This setup allowed us to process the animations through a Retargeter asset before exporting them to Maya for cleanup. Once refined, the animations were imported into Unity for final delivery.
While Mocopi provides an accessible motion capture solution for indie game development, its limitations became quickly apparent. With only six sensors, no finger tracking, occasional sensor issues, and the extensive cleanup required, we sometimes found it more efficient to record reference footage and hand-key the animations instead.
Breakdown Process
One example of our in-office reference recording was capturing the Quarterback calling out instructions during the huddle. On top of that, I pulled a ton of football footage from YouTube, screen-capturing key moments to break down in SyncSketch and better understand the timing. I also put together image sequences to use directly in Maya as reference.
When animating, I usually tackle one body part at a time, starting with the center of gravity to lock in the overall movement. I focus on the bigger body mechanics first before refining smaller details like hands, fingers, head, and neck movement, depending on the character rig.
Working at an indie studio, I’ve had to wear a lot of hats beyond just animation. Luckily, my time at Gnomon gave me a solid foundation, so I can jump into different parts of the pipeline—or at least learn fast enough to keep things moving. While I trained in Unreal Engine at Gnomon, here at Refactor Games, we use both Unreal and Unity. Along the way, I’ve picked up a bit about animation controllers, timelines, and blending animations in Unity.
For facial animations, we used Live Link, which was the best option for our small team. It made it easy to capture and apply expressions to the football characters without adding extra workload.
