Jill Harrington Technical Animator
BIGGEST HOBBY?
Buying craft supplies, to be honest. Or pottery.
MOTTO?
“Life’s too long to use bad toilet paper.”
SECRET?
I will read your fan fiction.
HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME INTERESTED IN A CAREER IN VIDEO GAMES?
I’ve been playing video games since my mother brought home our first computer when I was six. Graphics were green and black back then. Somehow, I didn’t realize that someone had to make the art for video games until after I graduated from art school.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN ON THE TEAM?
Two years.
GIVE THE READER AN IDEA ABOUT YOUR DAY-TO-DAY TASKS.
There’s a lot of variety in my work. Some days I spend all my time coding tools to help the animators export their work into the game engine. Other days, I’ll polish the deformation for an armor set or create the animation rig for a creature.
WHAT WAS THE TRICKIEST TASK ASSIGNED TO YOU?
When I started at BioWare, I didn’t have as much experience with the coding as I do now. I inherited the responsibility for many of the tools our animators use. If the tools didn’t work, there’d be no animation or cinematics in the game, and it would be my fault! I learned debugging skills so I could see what went on behind the scenes when the tools broke.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF CONCERNING THE GAME?
Technical animation is mainly a behind-the-scenes job. I’m proud that my work helped our artists and animators make the game look great.