3D Animation / Modeling Intern

About the job

ETC Interactive is an independent game studio based in New York City. We are a tight-knit team of passionate gamers building Special Authority, a 72-player extraction-style first-person shooter built from the ground up in Unreal Engine, launching in 2027.

We are looking for a 3D Animation / Modeling Intern to help with Blender and Unreal Engine 5 work across the project, with a particular focus on our weapons animation pipeline. This is a generalist role and a practical one. A lot of it is one-off tasks as they come up: cleaning up and retargeting weapon animations, editing Anim Montages in Unreal, prepping meshes for import, with room to take on larger pieces of work, such as vehicle geometry or destructible building geometry, as you find your footing. What we need most is someone proficient in Blender and comfortable inside Unreal's animation tools who is around and ready to pick things up.

Responsibilities

· Help our two developers refine the weapons animation pipeline: importing, retargeting, and cleaning up first-person and third-person weapon animations in Unreal Engine 5

· Edit and assemble Anim Montages in Unreal for reloads, equips, and inspects, including notifies, sections, and blend settings

· Model, clean up, and prepare assets in Blender for use in Unreal Engine 5

· Take on one-off modelling, rigging, and geometry tasks as they come up across the project

· Build vehicle geometry, from blockout through to game-ready meshes, and work on destructible building geometry

· Handle UVs, LODs, collision meshes, skeletal mesh setup, and export settings so assets drop into UE5 cleanly

· Iterate quickly on feedback from the founders and engineering as gameplay needs change

Qualifications

· Working proficiency in Blender, including basic rigging and animation. Academic, self-taught, and hobby experience all count

· Familiarity with Unreal Engine 5's animation tools (Anim Montages, Animation Blueprints, retargeting), or a clear willingness to pick them up quickly

· Understanding of game-ready modelling: topology, polycount budgets, UVs, and collision

· Comfortable being handed a loosely defined task and asking good questions rather than waiting for a full spec

· Interest in FPS games is helpful. You will have better instincts for how a weapon should feel in the hand and what a space needs to feel like to fight in

· A portfolio or reel of your modelling or animation work, however informal. Coursework and personal projects are fine

Location

This role can be performed remotely or in person from our New York City studio, whichever suits you. Some overlap with Eastern Time working hours is expected.

Term

This is a part-time internship that runs alongside your classes during the fall, winter, and/or spring terms, with hours flexible around your schedule, exams, and breaks. We are looking to bring someone on as soon as possible, and we are open to continuing across more than one term. If you are pursuing academic credit, we will work with your school on whatever paperwork it needs.

Compensation

The expected pay range for this position is $17 to $25 per hour. The actual compensation offered will be determined in good faith based on the candidate's experience, qualifications, and skills.

Questions or need accommodation? Reach out to careers@etcinteractive.com