3D Rigging Apprenticeship

About BUCK:

BUCK is a talent-driven, global creative company with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Sydney, London and Amsterdam. Since 2004 we have been building a home for the world’s most talented dreamers, makers, and doers in a collaborative, ego-free culture that breeds partnership and creative ambition. At our core, we exist to find creative opportunities in every challenge, not just to think, but to make, and ultimately put extraordinary things into the world that inspire people.

Job Description:

At BUCK, we realize that there is nothing more powerful than someone willing to learn and grow in order to hone their craft. This is why BUCK is looking for talented and driven people to join teams across our many departments as an Apprentice.

Apprentices are considered to be a valuable part of our team and process. In fact, 35% of our current team first joined us as an apprentice. We now have Department Heads and Group Creative Directors who have had their entire career at BUCK.

The ideal candidate is someone with some professional experience, but more importantly we are looking for those who are curious and willing to learn. This opportunity is best suited for recent graduates, self taught artists and anyone in between.

The 3D department is a team of highly creative and technical artists working in a collaborative environment. We value the importance of in-person collaboration as a cornerstone of building positive culture, fostering growth, and driving success for individuals, the department, and BUCK as a whole.

In 2025, the guidance for in-office work is 1–3 days per week, with exceptions considered on a case-by-case basis.

What we can expect from you:

Commitment & Location:

• Six-month, full-time apprenticeship

• Live in commutable distance to BUCK’s LA office in Little Toyko, with hybrid schedules open for discussion

Responsibilities:

• Work closely with your assigned mentor to reach your personal and assigned goals for the apprenticeship

• Create character and prop rigs with appealing deformation in a range of styles, as well as creative rigging for unique visual puzzles. For both, pre-rendered work and real-time

• Corrective modeling and skin weighting

• Check models for clean and necessary topology

• Provide ongoing support to the animation team

• Continuously update your skill set and learn new tools to meet the evolving needs of the department, clients, and market

• Share insights with the department and the wider BUCK team, promoting the department’s culture of collaboration and growth

Experience & Skills:

• 2+ years of experience studying or working in an industry relevant to the skillset

• Understanding of anatomy, motion, mass and volume

• Understanding of the core fundamentals of rigging

• Understanding of real-time engine limitations and workflows

• Demonstrated aptitude for character, prop and creative rigging

• Strong organizational skills and discipline in tracking your own work

• Meticulous attention to detail

• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to engage in self-directed learning

• Receptiveness to feedback and instruction from supervisors and leads

• Solid understanding of the 3D pipeline and flexibility to adapt to different roles based on the project requirements

• Willingness to adapt and learn new tools and techniques to stay current with industry trends and project requirements

• Enthusiasm for sharing knowledge and collaborating with team members to cultivate a supportive and innovative work environment

• Beneficial but not required:

  • Character Modeling and/or Hard Surface Modeling

  • Maya API knowledge

  • Look-development and Texturing

  • Scene assembly and Lighting

Software Requirements:

• Solid knowledge of at least one of the following:

  • Maya

  • Python

  • MEL

• Additional software knowledge (beneficial but not required):

  • Nuke

  • Unreal or any other realtime engine

  • Relevant pioneering tech and software (ie. AI image/video/asset generation)

What you can expect from us:

• The chance to work alongside collaborative teams under some of the most talented artists in the world to build knowledge, skills and responsibility to further your career

• Be paired up with a mentor for the duration of the program. The mentor will be an active staff member, who will support your education and experience at BUCK

• A formal mid-point review in addition to check-ins throughout the program

When applying, keep in mind:

• The website you provide should be updated, working and accessible and passwords provided

• Project breakdowns accompanying reels are always helpful

• Our program is on a rolling basis, meaning we are always looking for new talent to join when spots become available

• Due to the amount of applications we receive, you might not hear back right away and it’s difficult to provide individual feedback for everyone. We’ll reach out to you if this is a good fit!