Technical Design Artist, Intern 2027

About the Role

As a Technical Design Artist Intern, you will work at the intersection of art, engineering, and real-time technology. You will help build and improve the Unreal Engine 5 systems that bring our products to life. This is early-career work with real stakes, where you will collaborate with engineers and technical artists to solve problems and iterate on technology.

Location: Austin, TX (on-site)

Duration: Summer 2027 (~10–12 weeks)

Key Responsibilities

• Build and integrate 3D assets, materials, textures, animations, and visual effects in Unreal Engine 5.
• Collaborate with engineers and technical artists to develop and iterate on real-time visual systems.
• Create materials and shaders using Unreal Engine's Material Editor, including custom node-based and HLSL-based solutions.
• Build tools and workflows to improve artist and engineer efficiency.
• Use Blueprints and Python to automate tasks and enhance content pipelines.
• Investigate and resolve performance issues across graphics, memory, rendering, and content.
• Utilize Unreal Engine technologies such as Nanite, Lumen, Niagara, and Chaos.
• Work with engineers and product teams to translate technical requirements into visual solutions.
• Document tools, workflows, and technical decisions.
• Manage projects from initial concept through implementation, feedback, and iteration.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Game Development, Computer Graphics, Animation, Interactive Media, or a related field.
• Coursework, project, or internship experience with Unreal Engine, real-time graphics, technical art, 3D content creation, or game development.
• Experience with Unreal Engine 5, including familiarity with the editor, Materials, and Blueprints.
• Experience with a 3D content creation tool such as Blender, Maya, or 3ds Max.
• Basic understanding of real-time rendering, including materials, lighting, textures, geometry, and performance.
• An interest in understanding how software and technical systems function.
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Curiosity about working closely with engineers and understanding the impact of technical decisions.
• A builder's mindset: willingness to create, receive feedback, and iterate.
• A portfolio or project examples demonstrating work with Unreal Engine, 3D content, shaders, tools, visual effects, or other real-time technology.

You'll Stand Out

• Experience with Python, C++, or HLSL.
• Experience building Unreal Engine tools or workflows with Blueprints or Python.
• Experience creating custom materials, shaders, or visual effects.
• Experience with Niagara, Nanite, Lumen, Control Rig, or Chaos.
• Experience with Houdini or procedural content generation.
• Experience using graphics or performance profiling tools such as RenderDoc, PIX, Unreal Insights, or the Unreal GPU Visualizer.
• Experience working directly with software engineers on technical or creative projects.
• Projects involving simulation, robotics, autonomy, embedded systems, or other real-time technology.
• Experience taking a project from prototype to a working, usable result.