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

• WISEcode – 3D Character Artist / Rigger / Animator (Owl Mascot)

  WISEcode is seeking an experienced 3D character artist, rigger, and animator to convert its branded owl mascot into a fully modular, production-ready 3D character system for use across apps, web, marketing, and future AI/conversational experiences.

  Core Deliverable: One master owl model (not a single static asset) that can be recolored, posed, animated, and exported without rebuilding — supporting blue, green, and red variants from day one.

  Key Requirements:

  • Model: Fully modeled, animation-ready topology (wings, body, head, tail, feet, talons, eyes, beak) with clean UVs/silhouette, matching the existing owl's design exactly.
  • Rig: Professional animator-friendly controls for face/eyes, body, wings/feathers, legs/feet, and tail — all clearly named and organized.
  • Materials: Modular, region-based color system enabling brand variants without new textures or rigs.
  • Expressions & Speech: ~15 core emotional expressions, viseme/lip-sync support, and stylized (non-human) speech animation.
  • Animation Library: Idle, communication, product-reaction (e.g., scanning, scoring), emotional, and basic movement/flight animations with smooth transitions and layering.
  • Real-Time/GLB Output: Fully tested, optimized GLB compatible with Three.js/React Three Fiber — correct scale, materials, transparency, and named animation triggers.

  Deliverables: Master Blender file, optimized real-time model, color presets, full animation library with manifest, GLB/FBX exports, turntable/demo renders, and complete documentation (rigging, materials, animation creation, GLB export).

  Process: Candidates propose technical approach, software, milestones, and cost by phase across four suggested phases — modeling, rigging, core animation, and optimization/handoff. Strong candidates may propose added value like procedural eye-tracking, a control API, or a mobile-optimized version.

  Submission: Portfolio (modeling, rigging, facial rigs, creature/bird work, real-time/GLB examples), animation reel, proposed technical approach, milestones, and pricing by phase.

  Why Join WISEcode?

  If you are looking to be part of something that drives real change, WISEcode might be the place for you. We are a team genuinely committed to improving people’s health and well-being. We value transparency, creativity, collaboration, and empowering each team member to contribute their unique strengths.

  This is an opportunity to define how families interact with intelligence, how curiosity turns into learning, and how thoughtful design can shape healthier habits at scale. Come help us build something that matters.

  "You can find the detailed project requirements and scope here".

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