3D Simulation Artist (UE5, LiDAR, 3D Modelling)

3D Simulation Artist (UE5, LiDAR, 3D Modelling)

About SkyBound SkyBound is an innovation-led tech startup on a mission to transform public safety and emergency response. Our platform automates drones so they can reach incidents faster, deliver real-time situational awareness, and ultimately help protect lives. It’s meaningful work with genuine impact - and we’re only just getting started.

We’re now beginning the next major version of our system. This is a ground-up rebuild with new architecture, new ideas and new capabilities. You’ll be joining early enough to influence how everything is designed, built and scaled, working closely with our CTO on decisions that genuinely shape the future of the product.

Location & Working Pattern Remote first with one day a month in Southampton.

The Opportunity We’re looking for a talented 3D Simulation Artist to help create highly realistic synthetic environments used to train and develop autonomous drone systems and AI technologies.

This is a unique opportunity to work on cutting-edge simulation technology with real-world impact. You’ll play a key role in designing immersive, high-fidelity urban environments within Unreal Engine 5, helping to support next-generation drone autonomy, public safety applications and AI model development.

You’ll join a lean, highly collaborative team where your work will have direct visibility and influence across the business.

What You’ll Be Doing Design and build high-quality 3D simulation environments in Unreal Engine 5 Create realistic urban landscapes including roads, buildings, transport infrastructure and public spaces Optimise scenes for real-time simulation performance while maintaining visual fidelity Work with large-scale 3D tile datasets to clean, rebuild and refine road and pavement layouts Develop realistic materials, textures and lighting setups to accurately reflect real-world environments Support procedural environment generation using UE5 PCG workflows and automation tools Process and integrate LiDAR and photogrammetry data into cohesive simulation-ready environments Collaborate closely with engineering, AI and robotics teams to support simulation requirements and future product capabilities

What We’re Looking For 3-5 years of commercial experience within 3D environment art, simulation, digital twins, architectural visualisation or related fields Strong Unreal Engine 5 experience, including scene building, level design and optimisation Experience modelling within tools such as Blender, 3DS Max, Maya or Rhino Experience working with real-world environment reconstruction or large-scale map datasets Strong understanding of materials, textures and lighting workflows Ability to rapidly create realistic environments based on real-world references Strong eye for environmental detail, scale and realism A portfolio or showreel demonstrating relevant 3D environment or simulation work

Nice to Have Experience with photogrammetry or LiDAR workflows Familiarity with procedural generation pipelines and automated environment creation Experience working with Perforce or other source control systems Understanding of real-time rendering optimisation techniques Exposure to drone technology, simulation platforms or autonomous systems Experience with Unreal Engine Blueprints and actor-based workflows Character animation experience within Unreal Engine

Why Join SkyBound? Remote first with one day a month onsite Work on genuinely meaningful technology with real-world impact Join an ambitious and fast-growing startup environment Influence product direction and technical decisions from an early stage Collaborate with a highly skilled multidisciplinary team across AI, robotics and software engineering Flexible hybrid working model Opportunity to work on cutting-edge simulation and autonomy technology Benefits & Perks Casual dress Company pension Health & wellbeing programme On-site parking Sick pay Free tea, coffee and fruit on site 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme EV charging points Internal and external development courses Salary sacrifice schemes