3D Artist • Rigger • Animator Needed for Second Life Project

3D Artist • Rigger • Animator Needed for Second Life Project

I’m looking for a high quality 3D artist who can model, rig, and animate a fully functional Companion pet for Second Life.

This is a stylized fantasy creature project (cute (kawaii) fused with realistic, whimsical, mythic aesthetic) - this is a first companion of a collectible series ongoing series.

Project Requirements

Core Deliverables

Create one complete Companion creature (animesh-style pet) for Second Life.

The model must be fully compatible with the official Second Life skeleton for smooth in-world use.

Include rigging, animation, and texture setup -ready for upload and testing (SL Ready)

Must stay under 25–30 Land Impact with clean topology, efficient UVs, and correct weighting.

Animation Requirements

Include at minimum: idle, walk, sit, and fly/hover loops. But a few added options to bring out the companions personality.

Animations must be smooth, seamless, and looped properly for in-world playback.

Must be able to create additional animations and FX (wing flaps, glow pulses, particle auras, etc.) — this is a necessity & based on each companion and their personality

Texture & Customization Setup

Textures must support swappable components, including:
• Pelts (coat patterns / fur textures)
• Eye designs / Eye Shapes
• Markings / gradients
• Ears
• Horns / Wings / Other appendages depending on companion
• Accessories (hats, collars, charm items, etc.)

These components will be reused for future sub-projects and alternate variants, so each layer must be fully editable.

Provide texture setups using PBR-style or baked maps (Diffuse, Normal, AO, etc.)-cleanly separated and labeled.

Deliverables (Must-Haves)

All source files, including but not limited to:

.BLEND or .MAYA file (depending on your software)

.DAE export (SL upload ready)

.FBX if applicable

All textures as both layered PSDs and flattened PNGs & textures must be complete (no blurry, half done, messy, etc)

All animation files (in editable form)

Preview renders or turntable animation

Everything must be unlocked, editable, and organized, including:

Properly named bones, meshes, and materials

Organized layer/folder structure

No flattened or merged assets

Clearly documented texture assignments

Ready for easy modification and future variant creation

This means I should be able to open your files and easily change colors, swap components, or export variants without rebuilding from scratch.

NO AI!

Ideal Artist Skills

Strong knowledge of rigging, animation, and optimization for Second Life or similar real-time platforms.

Proficient in Blender, Maya, or equivalent software suitable for creating game-ready, rigged assets.

Experience with stylized or fantasy creatures: think soft, cute, mythic designs (dragon-cows, plush sphynxes, elemental foxes, etc.) A world where Kawaii (cute) fused with realistic.

Creative Direction

Visual style: Kawaii-meets-fantasy & realism, soft pastel tones, expressive features.
Think: adorable mythic pets that look part plushie, part realistic. Like when someone sees it they can tell what it is especially if a Hybrid version.

I’ll provide:

Visual Mockups -with front, back, side views, color palette, eyes, etc

Example animation references - A full animation brief

2D Art Concept briefs for this specific creature

Understanding of LOD optimization and efficient geometry for SL mesh uploads.

Excellent communication and organizational skills -must label and document your work clearly.

Budget & Timeline

Fixed price project. But my current budget stands at $400 per companion.

Multiple milestones will be used (Model → Rig → Animation → Final Polish/Fixes).

Timely updates and Work in progress videos required for milestone approval.

I attached an example of what we are looking for style wise.