Junior 3D Modeler, Texas Immersive Institute, Moody College of Communication

Junior 3D Modeler, Texas Immersive Institute, Moody College of Communication Hiring Department

Moody College of Communication

All Applicants

12

Non-Exempt

Feb 24, 2026

Expected to Continue Until Jun 08, 2026

UT MAIN CAMPUS

Texas Immersive Institute is looking for a junior 3D modeler for an Interactive Spatial Sound Aquarium project for SNF Nostos. The project will go live in Athens, Greece in June 2026.

The Interactive Spatial Sound Aquarium is a 22m x 6m large-scale LED installation debuting at SNF Nostos 2026. The experience transforms festival visitors into co-creators of a living digital ecosystem. Each participant designs a personalized sea creature via WebXR, which is deterministically generated and released into a persistent, Unity-powered digital ocean.

This installation will run continuously for 8 days and must support thousands of concurrent users while maintaining visual beauty, performance stability, and emotional resonance.

• Undergraduate and Graduate Students, (NO WORK STUDY)

• 10-12 hours/week

• March - June 2026

• In-person at the Texas Immersive Lab (CMA 5.102)

• We are seeking a Junior 3D Modeling & Environment Assistant to support the industry professional 3D/Environment Design Lead in building, refining, and preparing fish and environmental assets for Unity. This role is execution-focused. You will not be responsible for leading the art direction, system architecture, or full animation pipeline - but you will play a critical role in asset production, cleanup, optimization, and testing.
  
  This is a strong opportunity for a student interested in immersive installations, real-time systems, and large-scale LED experiences.

• Asset Support & Optimization:
  Assist in the sourcing/creation and optimization of template 3D fish models and environmental assets to ensure high performance in a real-time engine.
• Texturing & Look Dev:
  Apply and modify textures to fish species and environmental elements, following the art direction established.
• Environment Set Dressing:
  Help layout and create the 3D environment for the immersive aquarium.
• Pipeline Management:
  Support the development of the fish customization workflow, ensuring that models and textures dictated by user selection in web app appear accordingly in the aquarium.
• Rigging & Animation Coordination:
  Help manage/source animation rigging files and animation clips, ensuring that models move correctly from the modeling software into the final engine (NOTE this does not mean to create rigging or animate files, only the management/handling).
• Technical Troubleshooting:
  Assist in testing underwater shaders and lighting setups to ensure they scale correctly for large-format projection.

• Proficiency in 3D modeling software (e.g., Blender, Maya, or 3D Max).
• Experience with real-time engines (e.g., Godot, Unreal Engine, or Unity).
• Understanding of UV mapping and P  texturing workflows.
• Basic knowledge of rigging and keyframe animation.
• Strong organizational skills for managing complex file structures and version control

• 3D software
• animation design
• processing mapping and flowcharting
• game development

• Experience or knowledge of 3D texturing software (e.g Substance Designer)

• $25/hr

• Resume
• One-page Cover Letter
• Link to portfolio or work samples

Please make sure you meet all the required qualifications and you can perform all of the essential functions with or without a reasonable accommodation.

Students in this position may choose to enroll in the UTSaver voluntary retirement programs.

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information,…