CHRISTOPHER McCABE
Rigging TD · Character TD · Creature & Facial Rigging · Pipeline Tools
Profile
Rigging TD with over a decade building character, creature, prop, and wardrobe rigs for feature animation, visual effects, and cinematics. Specializes in animator-friendly modular rig systems, facial rigging and deformation, and Python tool development that streamlines production workflows. Experienced supervising a rigging department and partnering closely with modeling, animation, CFX, and pipeline teams to deliver reliable, production-ready assets at feature scale.
Selected Credits
Shrek 5·Kung Fu Panda 4·Trolls Band Together
DreamWorks Animation · Rigging TD
Experience
DreamWorks Animation — Rigging TD
Apr 2022 – Dec 2023 · May 2025 – Present- Rig and skin primary and secondary characters, wardrobe, and props for feature animation, delivering animator-friendly, production-ready assets.
- Automate rigging tasks through internal APIs with pipeline and software engineering across the CurGen and NextGen pipelines.
- Author rigging training documentation and onboard new artists onto proprietary pipelines and rig standards.
- Partner with animation to hold asset standards, diagnosing and resolving rig and deformation issues ahead of shot production.
Framestore — Rigging TD
Jan 2024 – Jul 2024- Developed script-driven modular character rigs, puppet skeletons, cloth, and mechanical rigs to animation specification.
- Contributed to an advanced in-house rigging toolset as both user and developer, building tools to streamline animation workflow and rig interaction.
- Diagnosed rig issues, gathered artistic feedback, and tuned deformation behavior to creative and technical standards.
Company 3 — Rigging Supervisor
Mar 2020 – Apr 2022- Supervised daily operations of the rigging department, driving workflow, communication, and quality of output against production deadlines.
- Architected a modular rigging system in Python to replace linear character rig workflows, and built the modular rig components behind it.
- Administered the F.A.C.S. facial rigging system; captured and processed full-body and facial motion capture data for the animation library.
- Developed departmental tools and established Git version control standards; prioritized animation feature requests against production need.
DNEG — Rigging TD
Sep 2019 – Mar 2020- Developed and enhanced rig modules within the proprietary Pinocchio rigging system; built Python libraries automating common rigging tasks.
- Supported the Ziva VFX workflow with CFX, ran pipeline testing, and supported the secondary rigging department in Mumbai.
Blur Studio — Rigging TD
Jun 2017 – Aug 2019- Built realistic character rigs with modeling and animation, developing rig functions and specifications to animator request.
- Designed character effects including cloth and fur simulation to add realism and detail to animated sequences.
Technical Skills
Rigging
Character Rigging · Creature Rigging · Facial Rigging (F.A.C.S.) · Modular & Component Rig Systems · Simplex · Maya · Houdini & · Deformation · Blendshapes · Auto-Rig Frameworks
Software
Autodesk Maya · Ziva VFX · Zbrush · Marvelous Designer · Git
Development
Python · MEL · Pipeline & Tool Development · Studio API Integration · Rig Automation · Version Control
Production
Feature Animation · Visual Effects · Cinematics · Character FX (CFX) · Cloth & Fur Simulation · Motion Capture · Department Supervision