3D Animator/Rigger (Contract - Project Based)

Join the Movement for Health Empowerment at WISEcode WISEcode is on a mission to transform how people understand, choose, and enjoy the foods they eat. We are not building another static health app. We are pioneering an intelligent, interactive experience that empowers families with clarity, confidence, and curiosity around everyday decisions. WISEcode is looking for an experienced 3D character artist, technical rigger, and animator to transform our existing branded owl into a fully controllable, reusable 3D character system. Project Overview: WISEcode Modular Owl Character System Project Overview This is not a request for a static model or a single finished animation. We need a master owl asset that can be recolored, posed, animated, exported, and placed into any digital environment without rebuilding the character. The owl will be used across: WISEcode products and applications Websites and interactive experiences Product onboarding and education Marketing and social media Video and motion graphics Future conversational and AI experiences The character must preserve the design, proportions, personality, and visual identity of the existing WISEcode owl. Core Project Goal Create one production-ready master owl that can: Change between approved color variations Be posed and animated through a professional control rig Support expressive facial and full-body animation Be rendered against transparent or custom backgrounds Be exported as an optimized GLB for web and application use Support future accessories, animations, and character variations Be maintained by another qualified artist or developer after handoff The master system should initially support our blue, green, and red owl characters without requiring separate models or rigs. Must Have Project Requirements Accurate 3D Character Model The artist must create a complete three-dimensional interpretation of the supplied WISEcode owl. The model must include: Complete front, back, side, top, and underside geometry Fully modeled wings, body, head, tail, feet, and talons Functional eyes, eyelids, beak, and mouth A clean silhouette from every viewing angle Animation-ready topology Clean UVs, normals, and deformation areas Optimized geometry suitable for both rendering and real-time use The finished owl must look like the supplied character—not a generic, realistic, or redesigned owl. 2. Complete Character Rig The owl must have a professional, animator-friendly control rig. The rig must provide direct control over: Face and Head Head and neck Eyes and independent eye direction Pupils and iris scale Upper and lower eyelids Blinks and winks Brows or expressive eye shapes Beak and jaw Mouth and tongue where required Facial expressions Ear tufts Body Spine and torso Chest and belly Squash and stretch where appropriate Body lean and weight shifts Root and center-of-gravity control Wings Independent left and right wings Wing folding and spreading Wing-tip gestures Primary and secondary feather groups Feather fanning and overlap FK and any appropriate assisted controls Lower Body Legs and feet Individual or grouped talon controls Ground contact Foot placement IK/FK functionality where appropriate Perching and gripping poses Tail and Feathers Tail direction and fanning Major feather-group controls Ear-tuft and feather secondary motion Manual control over any automated movement Every major control must be clearly named and logically organized. 3. Modular Color and Material System The character must support multiple branded owl identities from the same master model. At minimum, the following regions should be independently adjustable: Main body Face Chest and belly Wings Wing tips Tail Ear tufts Eye iris Eyelids Beak Feet and talons Accent markings The initial system must include tested presets for: Blue owl Green owl Red owl Color changes must not require repainting textures, duplicating the rig, or rebuilding the character. Materials should be organized so future seasonal, promotional, metallic, or special-edition variations can be added efficiently. 4. Facial Expression and Speech System The owl must communicate emotion clearly through its eyes, eyelids, beak, head, and face. The system must support core expressions such as: Neutral Happy Excited Proud Curious Thinking Confused Concerned Disappointed Surprised Skeptical Frustrated Warning Tired Playful Expressions should be adjustable and, where practical, blendable. The character must also support: Beak opening and closing Stylized speech movement Basic visemes or equivalent speech shapes Automated or hand-authored lip-sync workflows Facial animation independent from body animation The final solution should allow the owl to speak naturally without forcing human mouth anatomy onto the character. 5. Core Animation System The initial animation library should focus on reusable product and brand behaviors rather than a massive list of isolated animations. Required Animation Categories Idle and Awareness Neutral idle Attentive or listening idle Thinking or processing idle Happy idle Concerned idle Natural blinking and gaze Head tilts and observational movements Communication Speaking Listening Explaining Pointing Presenting Nodding yes Shaking no Waving Encouraging Asking a question Product Reactions Starting a scan Processing or analyzing Scan complete Scan unsuccessful Score reveal Positive-score reaction Mixed-score reaction Low-score or warning reaction Comparing two or more products Suggesting a better option Success Error Try again Emotional Reactions Happy Celebrating Curious Thinking Confused Surprised Concerned Disappointed Supportive Warning Basic Movement Standing Walking or hopping Turning Takeoff Hovering Flying Landing Perching The selected candidate will help determine the exact animation list, variations, and production priority. 6. Animation Architecture Animations must be reusable, clearly named, and delivered as separate clips or actions. The animation system should support: Clean looping Smooth transitions Crossfading between states Layered facial and body animation Gaze control independent of the main animation Blinking during other actions Speaking while gesturing Emotion layered over idle or speech Left- and right-facing variations where needed In-place and root-motion versions where appropriate The owl should be able to transition naturally among states such as: Idle to listening Listening to thinking Thinking to speaking Speaking to a reaction Reaction back to idle Standing to takeoff Flight to landing The artist should establish consistent starting and ending poses so animations can blend without visible snapping. 7. Real-Time and GLB Requirements The final GLB must be tested as a functional production asset—not only exported successfully from the source software. The GLB must: Load in modern browsers Preserve the skeleton and approved animations Preserve materials and color variations Maintain correct scale and orientation Work with Three.js and React Three Fiber Support transparent rendering Avoid missing textures or external dependencies Avoid unsupported rig constraints Be reasonably optimized for web and application use Allow animations to be triggered individually by name Any simulation, constraint, or procedural motion that cannot be exported must be baked into supported bones, shape keys, or animation data. Required Deliverables The final production handoff must include: Master Assets Rigged master Blender file High-quality master model Optimized real-time model Approved lower-detail version if required Blue, green, and red material presets Complete UVs and texture-source files Shape keys or blend shapes Facial-expression controls Speech or viseme controls Feather and secondary-motion controls Animation Assets Approved core animation library Separate, clearly named animation clips Facial-expression presets Pose library Transition animations Real-time optimized animation data Animation manifest listing each clip and its intended use Export Assets GLB/glTF FBX Source texture files Transparent-background animation previews Still turntable renders Rig demonstration video Color-preset demonstration Test files showing animations running in the target environment Documentation Rig-control guide Material and color-editing guide Animation naming guide GLB export instructions Instructions for creating new animations Instructions for adding accessories Instructions for adding new color variations List of dependencies and known limitations All project source files and custom scripts created specifically for the project must be included in the handoff. Technical Quality Standards The completed asset must demonstrate: Clean topology Reliable deformation No broken or disconnected geometry No visible wing or feather clipping during approved animations No foot sliding during grounded movement Clean eye and eyelid movement Correct wing folding Stable feather behavior Consistent animation naming Clean animation curves Predictable animation transitions Organized files and collections No unexplained dependencies Successful GLB playback in the actual target environment The rig should be intuitive enough that a qualified animator can use it without reverse-engineering the setup. Items to Discuss With the Selected Candidate The following should be finalized collaboratively based on the candidate’s technical approach and our implementation needs: Final polygon budgets Number and complexity of model LODs Bone count and real-time performance limits Bone-based versus geometry-based feather system Shape keys versus joint-based facial animation Exact viseme set and lip-sync workflow Level of individual feather control Physics-driven versus baked secondary motion Exact launch animation list Animation clip count by project phase Animation frame rate Root motion versus in-place movement Runtime material-switching method Accessory attachment system Three.js and React Three Fiber integration approach Mobile performance targets File-size targets Review schedule and animation approval batches The candidate should explain the tradeoffs behind their recommended approach rather than simply selecting the most complex solution. Candidate Value-Add Opportunities A strong candidate may improve the project by proposing: A simplified animator-facing control panel A developer-facing control API Procedural eye tracking Procedural blinking Runtime gaze targeting Emotion-intensity controls Animation state-machine recommendations A reusable accessory socket system A lightweight mobile model Automated color-variant generation Automated GLB export tools Animation compression recommendations A browser-based character test environment Reusable animation layers Better methods for managing feather performance A scalable system for future owl personalities Integration documentation for developers A practical roadmap for expanding the animation library These are not substitutes for the required deliverables. They are opportunities for the candidate to demonstrate technical leadership and improve long-term scalability. Candidate Submission Requirements Applicants should provide: Character-modeling portfolio Rigging reel Facial-rig examples Creature, bird, or winged-character examples Real-time character examples GLB/glTF export examples Animation reel Rig-control demonstration Proposed production software Recommended technical approach Proposed milestones Cost by project phase Revision policy Testing and quality-assurance process Any risks or recommended changes to this scope Applicants must identify which portions of the work they will complete personally and whether any parts will be subcontracted. Suggested Project Phases Phase 1: Model and Technical Direction Character translation Turnaround approval Production model Topology and UVs Initial materials Technical pipeline confirmation Phase 2: Rig and Character Controls Complete body rig Face and eye rig Wing and feather controls Expression system Color preset system Initial GLB export test Phase 3: Core Animation Library Idle states Communication gestures Product-analysis states Score reactions Essential emotional reactions Basic movement and flight Transitions Phase 4: Optimization and Handoff Real-time optimization Final GLB testing Animation naming and cleanup Documentation Source files Developer handoff Final quality assurance Definition of Done The project is complete when WISEcode receives one fully editable master owl system that: Faithfully matches the supplied owl design Supports the blue, green, and red character variations Provides complete control over the face, eyes, eyelids, beak, head, body, wings, major feathers, tail, legs, feet, and ear tufts Supports expressive facial and body animation Includes the approved core animation library Transitions cleanly between product states Exports to a functional, optimized GLB Can be placed into any transparent or custom environment Can be controlled by developers inside an interactive experience Can be expanded without rebuilding the model or rig Includes complete source files and usable documentation Has been tested in the actual target environment