Recruiter's Glossary

Examples: Texture Painting • Deep Compositing • Arnold

Skinning

Term from Special Effects industry explained for recruiters

Skinning is a fundamental technique in animation and visual effects where artists prepare 3D characters or objects for movement. Think of it like creating a digital puppet - artists define how the outer surface (like skin, clothing, or material) moves when the underlying structure (like bones or framework) is posed. This process is essential for making characters move naturally in movies, video games, and animations. It's similar to how a person's skin moves when they bend their arm - the surface needs to stretch, fold, and move realistically with the motion.

Examples in Resumes

Created realistic muscle deformation using advanced Skinning techniques for main characters in animated film

Improved character movement quality through custom Skin weight painting in action sequences

Led team of artists in Skinning and rigging for AAA game characters

Developed efficient Skin deformation solutions for real-time game engines

Typical job title: "Character Technical Artists"

Also try searching for:

Character TD Character Technical Director Character Setup Artist Character Rigger Technical Animator Character Artist Character Setup Technical Director

Where to Find Character Technical Artists

Online Communities

Job Boards

Professional Networks

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How would you handle skinning for a character that needs to transform between human and creature form?

Expected Answer: A senior artist should discuss managing multiple skin setups, smooth transition techniques, and ways to maintain consistent deformation across different forms. They should mention practical examples from past projects.

Q: How do you approach optimizing skin deformation for large numbers of characters in real-time?

Expected Answer: Should explain methods for balancing visual quality with performance, such as reducing joint influences, using efficient deformation methods, and implementing level-of-detail systems for characters at different distances.

Mid Level Questions

Q: What's your process for fixing skinning issues like texture stretching or joint pinching?

Expected Answer: Should describe their troubleshooting process, including identifying problem areas, adjusting weight painting, and possibly adding corrective shapes or additional joints to improve deformation.

Q: How do you ensure consistent skinning quality across multiple characters?

Expected Answer: Should discuss creating and following standards, using templates or copying settings between similar characters, and implementing quality checking procedures.

Junior Level Questions

Q: Can you explain the basic process of skinning a character?

Expected Answer: Should be able to describe the steps of binding a mesh to a skeleton, initial weight distribution, and basic weight painting to improve movement quality.

Q: What tools do you use for weight painting and how do you use them?

Expected Answer: Should demonstrate familiarity with common software tools for adjusting skin weights, basic brushes and their settings, and when to use different tools.