This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Principal Level Designer to join an exciting new project and team, taking a guiding role in level design, world-building, and game structure on Unreal Engine 5 (UE5). The project is based at our studio in Sofia, Bulgaria. This can be discussed upon application.The successful candidate will drive strong, compelling level design, that enhances in-game encounters and the overall experience. They will also be responsible for enabling the game's overarching structure and its world architecture to a high standard, working closely with the leads to come up with ideas and processes to help the team to deliver on this.Key ResponsibilitiesOn a day-to-day basis you will:Own and help to define the world design rules, so that the LD's have the best practices and building blocks from which to create the worldBuild and own large features and map areas. Helping to lead and drive direction within the map teamAssist the leads on helping to establish the world’s lore, coordinating with Narrative to ensure we are creating a believable worldHelps to unblock and drive solutions for the level design teamCommunicates across teams, and between internal and external leadershipProvide guidance and mentoring to the level design teamWorks closely with the leads to develop strong processes for validating level design content, being an advocate for playtestingHelps to create User Stories, and contributes to roadmap planning and scope estimatesKnowledge, Skill and ExperienceEssentialExperienced in UE4/5Strong level of autonomy, can manage their own work, and act as a support for the team when neededExperienced building and owning more challenging levels for FPS charactersStrong single-player experience building levels within a narratively driven mission-based structureA highly experienced level designer, with one or more shipped AAA titles in a level design roleProficient at crafting 3d spaces using Unreal based tools, geometry scripting, and or Whitebox quality-based assetsKeen worldbuilding sensibilities that serve the gameplay requirements but also keeps in mind and compliments the artistic goals for the worldHub-like soft skills working and communicating within multi-disciplined feature teams or pods.Be an ambassador for the player experience. Highly tuned to the pacing feel, emotive response and interactive elements within the world and its threats to shape engaging and tense memorable momentsComfortable presenting to internal and external stakeholders, and documenting feedback from both to incorporate into day-to-day task workDesirableExperience developing a game's macro structure and hour-to-hour flowExperience creating a reusable level design library of modular kit piecesExperience in a mentoring roleComfortable planning and writing concise user stories in Jira that outline clear acceptance criteriaHave worked on a game with a focus on survival or stealthAbout Creative AssemblyCreative Assembly crafts deep and detailed games that last, entertaining millions of players across the globe for decades.We are all game makers and we care deeply about the experiences we create. We empower our teams to make significant contributions to our games, supported by skills development and growth opportunities.We are located in Horsham, UK and Sofia, Bulgaria.We offer many benefits to support you and your family including:Work from Anywhere for a temporary period each year (restrictions apply such as VISAs)Enhanced holiday allowance, maternity and paternity breaks, flexibility with our core hours, and no-notice holidaysBespoke relocation package for you and your dependentsPrivate medical and dental insurance, life insurance, permanent health insurance, critical illness cover and free health care screeningGenerous holiday allowance plus full studio closure over the Christmas and New Year period, and all Bank holidaysJoin our Diversity and Inclusion Network – an employee-led groupSeason ticket travel loans and cycle to work scheme with free bike servicing and discounted car valet service on siteWellbeing support and virtual confidential counsellingCommunity activities including parties, football and more.Our studio sites have disabled access.We are an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief.Note to Recruitment Agencies: SEGA Europe Limited and our studios do not accept unsolicited candidate introductions from unauthorised third parties. For the avoidance of doubt, SEGA Europe is not liable for any fees, compensation or any other costs associated with the introduction of a candidate or recruitment services unless and until an agreement has been duly executed. Further details can be found here.

Commemorating the spirit of resilience and transformation, the “Hug Me” Chair emerges as an emotional and artistic response to three decades of inspiration drawn from Steel-Land, a powerhouse in China’s high-end home furnishings industry. This chair pays homage to Steel-Land’s journey, channeling its story of growth, endurance, and heartfelt connection with customers into a single, memorable piece of design. The genesis of the Hug Me Chair stems from the symbolic narrative of Steel-Land’s 30-year milestone. From its early days in 1993, when it entered the market with innocent ambition, to its current position as a trusted industry name, Steel-Land’s evolution is reflected in the chair’s enveloping form. The chair’s extended armrests, mimicking an embrace, represent both affection and gratitude, encapsulating the emotional warmth and recognition that Steel-Land sought and eventually earned. Designer: Zipeng Zhou The Hug Me Chair distinguishes itself with a design that speaks volumes. Its naturally flowing armrests create a visual and tactile representation of a hug, giving users a sense of emotional and physical comfort. Meanwhile, the solid and grounded base evokes stability and strength, symbolizing not only durability but also the firm foundation that inspired this design. This thoughtful balance of emotional narrative and practical form gives the Hug Me Chair a unique presence, equal parts sculpture and sanctuary. The chair invites interaction through its variety of fabrics and colors, offering personalized luxury. The polyester fiber option, enhanced by advanced 3D technology, delivers a soft, breathable, and deformation-resistant texture. The lambswool variant, with its delicate curl and warmth, mirrors natural wool, offering comfort and a cozy aesthetic. Both fabrics are resistant to pilling and wear, maintaining a pristine look over time. Multiple color options allow the Hug Me Chair to adapt easily to a range of interiors, from understated modern to relaxed rustic, creating spaces that feel grounded, inviting, and distinctly human. Designed with ergonomic precision, the Hug Me Chair supports relaxation in any setting. Its 105-degree reclining backrest complements the human form, making it ideal for reading, lounging, or shared moments at home. The inner metal framework is paired with slow-rebound molded foam for a seating experience that is both firm and cloud-like. Exquisite hand-stitching, an integrated molding structure, and glue-free construction contribute to its structural integrity and environmental consciousness. With lotus leaf bionic technology applied to the fabric, the chair resists water and stains, allowing for effortless maintenance without compromising its luxurious look and feel. At the heart of the Hug Me Chair is a careful negotiation between visual expression and everyday functionality. The design challenge was to maintain a distinct, sculptural aesthetic while enhancing comfort and ensuring long-term durability. Through meticulous research and craftsmanship, this balance was achieved, resulting in a product that offers as much meaning as it does comfort. The post Hug Me Chair Is An Emotive, Ergonomic Seating That Blends Comfort, Style, and Sculptural Design first appeared on Yanko Design.

Architizer is excited to announce that Daniel Libeskind, one of the most visionary figures in global architecture, has joined the jury for the 2025 Vision Awards. Known for his emotive, idea-driven architecture and deeply symbolic design language, Libeskind’s presence brings immense creative weight to a program that celebrates the most powerful architectural images and concepts shaping the future of the built environment. Libeskind will review entries submitted in an expanded Vision Awards program, which invites architects, designers, photographers, videographers, rendering artists, model makers and students to enter their work for global recognition and publication in print. The Main Entry Deadline is June 6th, 2025, so get started on your entry today: Enter the Vision Awards Over the course of his storied career, Libeskind has built a portfolio that transcends typology and geography. His seminal project, the Jewish Museum Berlin, redefined the relationship between architecture and memory, setting a new standard for how buildings can engage with history and human experience. Since then, he has completed groundbreaking cultural landmarks around the world — from the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, to the Denver Art Museum, to the Military History Museum in Dresden — each one a testament to his ability to turn abstract concepts into built form. In 2003, Libeskind was selected to design the master plan for the rebuilding of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, a project that required not only architectural vision, but deep emotional sensitivity. His design emphasized resilience, remembrance, and rebirth — values that continue to define his work today. Studio Libeskind also has notable conceptual or planned projects that form powerful cases studies in architectural ideation, including the Kurdistan Museum, designed as “the first major center in the Kurdistan Region for the history and culture of the Kurdish people.” Start My Entry Early sketches for the Kurdistan Museum by Studio Libeskind, Iraq This lifelong pursuit of the profound makes Libeskind is an ideal fit to judge the Vision Awards. A passionate advocate for architectural representation as a creative act, Libeskind’s design process is rooted in drawing, sketching, and conceptual storytelling. “My mother told me if I were an artist, I’d be so poor I wouldn’t even be able to afford a pencil,” said Libeskind in conversation with Architizer at his studio in Lower Manhattan. “‘You should become an architect,’ she said, ‘because you can always be an artist in architecture.’” As a juror for the 2025 Vision Awards, Libeskind will bring a critical eye to 50+ award categories that explore visual storytelling, conceptual clarity, and emotional impact — from architectural drawings and models to unbuilt projects that speculate on the future of cities, culture, and the human condition. Enter the Vision Awards National Dutch Holocaust Memorial of Names by Studio Libeskind, Amsterdam, Netherlands | Popular Choice Winner, Religious Buildings and Memorials, 10th Annual  A+Awards Joining Libeskind on the 2025 Vision Awards jury is a distinguished panel of professionals from various disciplines, including: Steven Holl, Founding Principal, Steven Holl Architects. Winka Dubbeldam, Founding Principal, Archi-Tectonics and Director & CEO, SCI-Arc. Sanjay Puri, Founding Principal, Sanjay Puri Architects. Suchi Reddy, Founding Principal, ReddyMade. Arjun Desai and Katherine Chia, Founding Principals, Desai Chia Architecture. This multidisciplinary jury reflects the Vision Awards’ commitment to honoring a broad spectrum of architectural creativity and innovation. View the complete Vision Awards jury here. Start My Entry Early sketch and photograph of the Imperial War Museum North by Studio Libeskind, Manchester, United Kingdom “I remember when there were all these people in the studio, like draftsmen, doing chores,” Libeskind recalled in his interview with Architizer. “Now, creating architecture is like a performance. It’s beautiful at every stage.” It is these ‘stages’ that will be given the spotlight in the Vision Awards, as the art of creative iteration — whether through drawing, rendering, model making, video or photography — is celebrated on a global stage. Libeskind’s presence underscores the Vision Awards’ mission to elevate not only how architecture is built, but how it is imagined, represented, and shared. With his guidance, this year’s jury will recognize submissions that embody bold thinking, narrative depth, and artistic rigor. Enter the 2025 Vision Awards today for the opportunity to have your work seen by Daniel Libeskind and other global design leaders. The Main Entry Deadline is June 6th, 2025. Start Submission The post Daniel Libeskind Joins the Vision Awards Jury, Bringing Emotive Design to the Fore appeared first on Journal.

Plus, Sony Pictures Imageworks on ‘cubifying’ characters and environments, making Jack Black and Jason Momoa fly, and dealing with an intense array of different hair types on greenscreens. Yes, the internet has gone wild over *that* scene in Jared Hess’ A Minecraft Movie, when a baby zombie rides on the back of a chicken—the chicken jockey. Behind the visual effects of that sequence was Sony Pictures Imageworks, working with production visual effects supervisor Dan Lemmon.  “I remember early on looking at that scene and going, ‘This is the one the fans are going to love. The kids are going to love this,’” shares Imageworks visual effects supervisor Seth Maury. “That scene started with storyboards. Then we worked with Dan to create little animated vignettes of the characters. For the baby zombie and the chicken, we recreated one of the boards, which was the baby zombie falling out of the box onto the chicken. The director saw it and had such a good reaction to it, so we knew we were onto something that was energetic and fun.” During production, the scene—which takes place in a wrestling ring in the Woodland Mansion against Jason Momoa’s Garrett ‘The Garbage Man’ Garrison character—was filmed in a three-walled set. Imageworks extended that environment and then tackled the character animation (Wētā FX was involved in designing the characters and co-ordinating a motion capture shoot in their mocap facility). Says Maury about the final results: “I just remember looking at that one and thinking, ‘Wow, this looks great and people are going to love this,’ but you don’t know until you let it out in the wild what’s going to happen.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jared Hess (@iamjaredhess) Finding the Minecraft look In that chicken jockey fight, and in all of Imageworks’ visual effects for the film, the studio had to incorporate a specific ‘look’ to its characters and environments. It’s something Maury called ‘cubify’. “We had to work out, what does a cubified character look like and what does a cubified environment look like? The rules for the environment were that anything that was a hard surface was cubic and anything that was a fluid followed normal fluid rules. We spent months on what a cubic cloud looks like, for example. How square are they on the bottom? What kind of vaporous surface do they have on top? It had to look photoreal, but it had to look cubified. And my son came back from seeing the movie and he’s like, ‘I didn’t look at the clouds at all.’ And I laughed. It’s like, well, of course not, right? It’s a background element. It’s just meant to be something subconscious.” “The characters were much, much more tricky,” adds Maury. “Until you start to see them in 3D and you see it turn and you see it move, only then you can understand, ‘How square is a square head?’” For example, the character Chungus, a general Piglin in Malgosha’s army who is voiced by the director, presented several ‘cubify’ challenges to Imageworks. “We thought, what does it mean to cubify your tricep muscle or your back muscle?” notes Maury. “We would start to give it edged shapes, but it still had to have some kind of anatomical detail. If you pull back from a macro level, it looks cubic, but the more you push in, there is some organic quality to it.” When Chungus leads a raid on the village, Imageworks also had to deliver shots of many villager characters. Their stand-out qualities, aside from their squarish heads, included largely expressionless faces. “The original brief from Jared was that they were less emotive than more,” advises Maury. “They didn’t have a ton of expressions, and their emotions came out through their body. We still built a proper facial system for all of them and then had to work out, well, how far do we push it? Do they smile, for example? In the end, most of their emoting came with eyebrows and just some small smiles and little frowns.” “I was on set at one point talking to the choreographer and I said, ‘Well, what is their motivation? What are they meant to be doing?’ And she said that Jared’s brief was that they should be like chickens with their head cut off. They’re jumping around, they’re a little bit mindless, but they have some kind of intelligence. So, we started with the body motion and then we had to translate that same idea to the head.” Integrating live-action and CG For scenes involving live-action characters like Steve (Jack Black) and Garrett (Momoa), production filmed primarily on partial sets surrounded by greenscreen or bluescreen. Integrate the live-action actors with their many CG companions involved careful attention to matching the on-set lighting, notes Maury, who praises his lighters and compositors.  “We came up with two light rigs,” says Maury. “We had an HDRI from on set and we would use that to match the set lighting exactly. The other light rig that we had was a daytime light rig which was essentially a sun and a sky dome. Any time we had to integrate or put CG into live-action, the team had both of those going. We would typically use the on set HDRI rig in the middle of the set to make sure that everything integrated, since there would be lights coming from multiple directions. But the further you got out radially from the center of the action, we let it fall off into the daytime rig so that your brain still felt like it was photoreal.” Another essential part of that integration effort was dealing with live-action actors who just happened to mostly have quite fuzzy hair. The keying and rotoscoping involved was meticulous. “We paid a ton of attention to it and we heard as well that the studio was very keen on hair edges,” recalls Maury. “There were scenes with the villages where the performers were wearing a robe and a gray skull cap on with some tracking markers on it so that we could place the head, and they might walk behind Dawn (Danielle Brooks) who has very curly hair. Also, because all the characters were heavily rim lit, you picked up every little bright hair. Simply, it was a ton of keying work and a ton of roto work, and, at the end of the day, painting back hair by hair if necessary.”  Then there was Garrett’s pink jacket with all of its tassels, as Maury describes. “This was the thing that kept me up at night. The jacket has got all these tassels hanging off of it and he’s flying on the greenscreens and those tassels get lost in the motion blur in an instant. Many, many times we were painting those back or we had a CG version of them, which meant we’d cut them off along the bottom of the arm and replace them with CG.” Making Jack Black and Jason Momoa fly While evading a group of Piglins, Steve, Garrett and Henry (Sebastian Hansen) narrowly escape by launching themselves off a cliff edge using elytra wingsuits. Mid-flight, they are chased through canyons by a series of flying Ghasts, which eventually meet some fiery ends.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jack Black (@jackblack) Imageworks began its work on the flying scenes with an Unreal Engine scene and previs from production. “We had two canyons we needed to build,” outlines Maury. “Canyon A was modeled after the American Southwest and looked a little like the Grand Canyon. We found some photos of the Grand Canyon and sculpted the silhouettes of what it looked like to go down into the gorge, and we copied the staining patterns and the color banding. Then they go into Canyon B, which was much more of a limestone look. There’s some mountains in China that we used for reference there. The effects team and the environment team did an amazing job putting all that together.” The actors were filmed on wire rigs against greenscreen. “Dan Lemmon’s view was that, if your characters are going to be anywhere foreground to midground, you want them on a plate,” states Maury. “When they’re midground to background, it’s a digi-double. What we did a lot as well, because the rigs that they were wearing were either bulky or didn’t allow them to move as if they were really flying, was limb replacement. We might cut them off at the waist and replace the legs and then do a cloth sim. One of the trickiest things there was lighting interaction. When you’re on a greenscreen, it’s hard to get all the live movement that will sell—the rolling and tumbling and all that as they’re flying—so a lot of that we did in 2D later on to give it some dynamic movement.” The post How the crazy chicken jockey scene in ‘A Minecraft Movie’ was made appeared first on befores & afters.

“Another Place,” Casart Edition, bronze, 32 x 30 x 35 centimeters Paola Grizi Adds New Meaning to ‘Literary Figures’ in Emotive Bronze Sculptures May 14, 2025 Art Kate Mothes In the emotional bronze and terracotta sculptures of Paola Grizi (previously), faces and hands merge with pages of books and manuscripts. Handwriting slides off the leaves onto skin and reliefs of eyes, noses, and mouths peer outward like knowledge and stories personified. Many of her works are scaled to sit on interior surfaces, while others, like “Inner Motion” or “Looking Ahead” take on monumental proportions. Grizi currently has work permanently on view at Marciano Contemporary in Paris, Bel Air Fine Art in Luxembourg, and Gallery Van Dun in Oisterwijk, The Netherlands. This summer, pieces will also be included in a presentation at Gallery Maner in Port-Aven, France. See more on the artist’s website. “Looking Ahead,” Casart Edition, bronze, 120 x 110 x 20 centimeters “Background,” Casart Edition, bronze, 32 x 12 x 15 centimeters “Inner Motion,” Casart Edition, bronze “Kiss,” Casart Edition, bronze, 35 x 37 x 20 centimeters “Boundless,” terracotta “Composition,” Casart Edition, bronze, 30 x 35 x 25 centimeters “Multiple Lectures,” Casart Edition, bronze, 35 x 30 x 20 centimeters Work in progress in the artist’s outdoor studio Previous articleNext article

This is insane.Fresh HellRepublican lawmakers slipped language into the Budget Reconciliation Bill this week that would ban AI regulation, on the federal and state levels, for a decade, as 404 Media reports.An updated version of the bill introduced last night by Congressman Brett Guthrie (R-KY), who chairs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, includes a new and sweeping clause about AI advancement declaring that "no State or political subdivision thereof may enforce any law or regulation regulating artificial intelligence models, artificial intelligence systems, or automated decision systems during the ten year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act."It's a remarkably expansive provision that, as 404 notes, likely reflects the engraining of Silicon Valley figures and influences into Washington and the White House. Tech CEOs have vied for president Donald Trump's attention since he was inaugurated, and the American tech industry writ large has become a fierce and powerful lobbying force. The Trump administration is also stacked with AI-invested tech moguls like David Sacks, Marc Andreessen, and Elon Musk.Meanwhile, the impacts of a regulation-free AI landscape are already being felt. Emotive, addictive AI companions have been rolled out explicitly to teenagers without evidence of safety, AI companies are missing their climate targets and spewing unchecked emissions into American neighborhoods, and nonconsensual deepfakes of women and girls are flooding social media.No regulation will likely mean a lot more fresh hell where that came from — and little chance of stemming the tide.Blank ChecksThe update in the proposed law also seeks to appropriate a staggering $500 million over ten years to fund efforts to infuse the federal government's IT systems with "commercial" AI tech and unnamed "automation technologies."In other words, not only does the government want to completely stifle efforts to regulate a fast-developing technology, it also wants to integrate those unregulated technologies into the beating digital heart of the federal government.The bill also comes after states including New York and California have worked to pass some limited AI regulations, as 404 notes. Were the bill to be signed into law, it would seemingly render those laws — which, for instance, ensure that employers review AI hiring tools for bias — unenforceable.As it stands, the bill is in limbo. The proposal is massive, and includes drastic spending cuts to services like Medicaid and climate funds, slashes that Democrats largely oppose; Republican budget hawks, meanwhile, have raised concerns over the bill's hefty price tag.Whether it survives in its current form — its controversial AI provisions included — remains to be seen.More on AI and regulation: Signs Grow That AI Is Starting to Seriously Bite Into the Job MarketShare This Article

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 narrative lead Jennifer Svedberg-Yen has revealed that the turn-based RPG once looked very different from the Belle Époque-styled epic that’s already become a contender for game of the year. From the near soulslike-level boss battles and rousing score to the emotive narrative at its core, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has demanded the attention of the gaming community, and its popularity shows no sign of slowing down.