3D Animator/Rigger (Contract - Project Based)

About this role

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…