Aaron F. Ross

I am very excited to announce that Ozone Story Tech Subdivs for Unreal Engine has officially launched! Any Skeletal Mesh can now be converted to an Ozone Subdiv... allowing traditional Film / TV modeling and rigging subdivision surface workflows to work directly in engine. Some key wins: 1-1 asset conversion from traditional subdiv pipelines into engine for rendering. No modeling changes required. Resolution independent assets, allowing for progressive quality adjustment as needed. LOD forward vs traditional subtractive LODs. Subdiv meshes are less dense which makes them lighter on disk, faster to load and much easier to model, rig and art direct. 4-16x fewer vertices need to be managed. And much more :) If you are an Animation or Game Studio using Unreal Game Engine... download, try and buy here: https://lnkd.in/gD_eeNXp Rob Di Figlia Ben Minall Chase Cooper Fredrik Nilsson Duncan Burbidge Paul Doyle William Vaughan Vaishak Purushothaman Douglas Bell Quentin Defrance Reel FX Animation Ryan McNeely Eric Soulvie Jason Bickerstaff Brad Clark Atomic Cartoons Mark Andrews Daniel Urbach Brian Rausch Henning Sanden

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At a December meeting of the Columbia College Chicago School of Design AI Working Group, Janell Baxter and I gave a presentation on the impact of impact on animation. The animation production pipeline is undergoing a shift comparable to the early internet era, but with even greater consequences for authorship, labor, and education. Just as the internet transformed how knowledge was accessed and distributed, AI is reshaping how creative work is generated and taught. I discussed “Guardian Supernova,” a music video work in progress that combines live action, computer animation and AI-generated content. (Screencap attached: the only non-AI element is the actress.) AI isn’t just one thing. It isn’t a single tool, but rather a toolbox of specific apps that enable unprecedented speed and scale. Analysis, preproduction, optimized graphic design/rendering, and tools like face replacement and music composition are all handled by different systems. Each of them require different human skillsets and oversight. But don’t let Microsoft fool you, AI slop is real. These tools can absolutely generate incorrect, misleading, or bizarre content. Anyone who puts AI content in front of stakeholders without careful review is asking for embarrassment. To paraphrase David Thornburg, “Any creator who can be replaced by AI, should be.” Students and career professionals are concerned about AI as an existential threat to their livelihood, but they fail to realize that tools don’t replace thinkers: people who understand context, ethics, and craft remain essential. Make yourself irreplaceable! AI will reward those who can direct it effectively, avoid producing slop, and manage stakeholder expectations. The real question isn’t whether AI belongs in the animation pipeline, but how we integrate it responsibly. Looking forward to exploring these ideas with colleagues and students at Columbia College Chicago, and integrating it into Pres. Shantay B.'s #RenaissanceRising initiative in 2026. 

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The Side Note plugin for Unreal Engine now supports Camera Notes and Screenshot Notes, complete with painting tools for quick visual annotations. Check it out at… https://lnkd.in/en3Kyqzt

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How did a traffic planning study help give birth to Star Wars? Check out this video explaining the genesis of the Dystraflex motion control camera! Some details: 🚘Before revolutionizing visual effects with Star Wars, John Dykstra, ASC worked on a project simulating urban development in Marin County, California. In the early 1970s, under the umbrella of Douglas Trumbull’s Future General initiative, Dykstra joined a team at University of California, Berkeley’s Environmental Simulation Lab. Their goal was to visualize how proposed development would affect communities by filming through a miniature model of the local landscape, essentially, a physical simulation of driving through Marin’s suburbs. 🚘Dykstra developed a computer-controlled motion rig using a PDP-11 minicomputer, which guided a 16mm camera on a gantry system through six axes of movement. This setup enabled accurate, repeatable moves with realistic motion blur and deep focus: techniques that were far ahead of their time for non-entertainment applications. 🚘The footage was shown to hundreds of participants to measure psychological responses to different planning scenarios. The motion control system allowed researchers to run side-by-side comparisons with absolute consistency, setting a high bar for realism and repeatability in simulation work. 🚘The project became the proving ground for what would become the Dykstraflex, the motion control camera system used on Star Wars. The technical principles: computer-guided movement, repeatable multi-pass exposures, and photorealistic miniature work supported ILM’s early success. Thanks to Movie Magic for the great footage! #visualeffects #motioncontrol #cinematography #starwars #lucasfilm #disney #asc #ucberkeley #berkeley #moviemagic

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Which candidates for California Governor will support film tax incentives for Visual Effects artists? Most major candidates for Governor of California in the 2026 race support expanding tax incentives that directly benefit Visual Effects (VFX) artists and post-production work. While current state laws have traditionally limited credits for post-production, several candidates have proposed specific changes to include these costs and compete with hubs like Canada and the UK.  🎞️ Candidates Supporting VFX and Post-Production Incentives  Current frontrunners have explicitly mentioned "post-production" and "digital" work in their platforms to stop the "exodus" of VFX jobs to international markets. Steve Hilton (R): His plan is the most specific regarding VFX. He has proposed allowing incentive dollars to be used for post-production costs, which are currently not permitted under the standard California program. Hilton’s proposal includes a credit as high as 60% for certain productions to rival the aggressive subsidies offered in regions like Vancouver and London. Matt Mahan (D): The San Jose Mayor supports an uncapped 40% refundable credit that would apply to "all production costs," including those often outsourced like visual effects. He has emphasized that the goal is to protect the "creative economy" and workers who have seen their jobs decimated by out-of-state competition. Tom Steyer (D): Steyer has pledged to expand and uncap incentive programs to match global competitors. He specifically highlights the threat of AI and corporate monopolization on the future of the entertainment workforce, which includes the digital and VFX sectors, according to his official campaign platform. Antonio Villaraigosa (D): Like his rivals, the former L.A. Mayor has called for eliminating the $750 million cap on state subsidies. While less specific on VFX line items, his platform focuses on making California a "reliable partner" to productions of every size, which would naturally encompass local VFX houses.

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🧮 De-mystifying the Pixel Processor in Substance Designer Chapter 2: Grid Generation Recreating a grid like the Tile Generator can do inside the Pixel Processor is a great practice to understand fundamentals of image processing. By scaling your UVs and taking the fractional part, you repeat a pattern across the surface. Then, by centering and stepping the result, you get a clean, evenly spaced grid, fully controllable in both X and Y. 🧱 Horizontal? Vertical? Brick layout? No problem. However how to get there with different shapes is going to be a different chapter. #madewithsubstance #substance3d #substancedesigner #pixelprocessor

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Highly optimized sci fi drainage system environment built in Unreal Engine 5 (real-time). Inspired by the industrial scale of HALO and the optimistic, eco futurism of Solarpunk, this environment explores how brutal infrastructure can coexist with sustainable design. The focus was on performance-first workflows modular assets, smart material usage, instancing, and real-time lighting to achieve cinematic visuals without sacrificing efficiency. This project is part of my ongoing exploration of game-ready world building, blending lore, scale, and technical optimization for next-gen real-time experiences. Always pushing toward cleaner pipelines, better performance, and stronger atmosphere. 🔑 Keywords Unreal Engine 5, Real-Time Environment, Sci-Fi World Building, Game Environment Art, Optimized Assets, Modular Design, Lumen, Nanite, Solarpunk, Halo Inspired, Level Art, Technical Art, Game Development #Hashtags #UnrealEngine5 #EnvironmentArt #GameDev #SciFiArt #WorldBuilding #LevelDesign #RealtimeRendering #HaloInspired #Solarpunk #IndieGameDev #GameArt #TechnicalArt #3DArtist #Optimization #NextGenGames

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Plank platform generator A procedural tool to save your time while modeling any natural wooden platform or any game asset. Manually creating large numbers of plank and distributing them on platform is time taking. So here it is. All of these planks are instances so they are easy to UV wrap and easy texturing. It don't only generate platform but wooden raling and stairs if two platform have different height. It is one of the features of my new upcoming addon. So stay tuned. #blender #gamedev #addon #geometrynodes #3d

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Here's how you can now use an AI agent to render your previz 3D work. 1. On Luma AI's new site, drop your previz animation in 2. Extract the first frame of your previz 3. (VIP) Tell the agent to build you a photoreal reference sheet of your subject (ex. shoe design) Give the agent real reference photos of your product or subject, plus a few screenshots of your previz from different angles. This helps consistency. 5. Tell the agent to build environment reference sheets (jungle, desert, mountains) 4. Generate your photoreal start frame Have the agent use the subject reference sheet to texture your previz start frame and then tell it to drop your subject in to the environment reference sheet 7. Animate it. Now tell the agent to use your previz for motion and your photoreal start frame for the look. This is where the AI turns it into the final video. Bonus: 8. Tell the agent to add an FX pass if needed. Dust, fog, rain, sparks, flares, whatever helps sell the realism. I put together a Youtube breakdown if you want to see the full process. Linking in comments👇 Luma AI

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Testing Luma Ray 3 in Adobe Firefly with dynamic motion, fast cuts, and HDR. Honestly, I’m impressed. This is the first AI Video tool that can really pull it off. Finally, we can start making short AI fight scenes! What do you think?

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Raynault VFX’s work on Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a masterclass in environment design, utilizing advanced Digital Matte Painting (DMP) and complex set extensions. Rather than simply adding backgrounds, the studio built entire architectural ecosystems, transforming limited soundstages into the vast, epic halls of Mount Olympus and the gritty reality of the Underworld. This approach provided the fantasy world with a divine scale and physical weight, ensuring every structure felt like a tangible, historical monument rather than a digital overlay. The most impressive technical feat in this breakdown is the seamless integration of live-action talent into virtual spaces through meticulous light matching. The team achieved perfect coherence between the CG environments and the actors by precisely crafting reflections and highlights on costumes to mirror the digital lighting of the 3D halls. By layering atmospheric particles and using sophisticated rendering techniques, they added "air" and depth to every frame. This case study proves that modern VFX is the ultimate architect of immersion, making the impossible feel undeniably real. #VFX #RaynaultVFX #PercyJackson #VisualEffects #CGI #DigitalArt #Filmmaking #TechInFilm #EnvironmentDesign

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Pushing creative boundaries with CGI & AI 🚀 Here’s my sci-fi inspired Ailays concept ad blending futuristic visuals with cinematic energy. created this piece using a hybrid workflow: AI assisted frames + CGI inspired detailing + dramatic lighting. Focused heavily on atmosphere, sci-fi texture work, and high intensity visuals. A fun experiment that shows how AI can amplify imagination. Lay's Made at Tribal Gorilla

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🌳 3D Park Environment Modeling – 3ds Max Here’s a park environment model I created in 3ds Max (unrendered viewport preview). ✨ Focus Areas: • Environment layout planning • Asset placement and scene blocking • Modeling of park elements (paths, props, structures, etc.) • Maintaining proportion and spatial balance This project highlights the base modeling and environment-building process before lighting and final rendering. 🛠 Software Used: 3ds Max Currently exploring larger-scale environment design and scene composition workflows. #3DModeling #EnvironmentDesign #3dsMax #3DArtist #GameEnvironment #CGI

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Spending a day to see how the magic happens behind one of the the motion tracking systems I use day to day with the friends & teams OptiTrack I was able to get an exclusive look at the design , technology innovations and craftsmanship that goes into creating world class motion capture systems I get to use on set for MoCap & virtual production in games, TV and film. Thinking of doing a bit more of a deep dive series into how I work with these technologies 🎥🤘🏽 Stay tuned for some more behind the tech. Some new technology and updates in the Optitrack family of tools that are going to make our lives easier working with Motiv, markerless with The Captury and Unreal Engine (MetaHuman & MoCap Manager) among other workflows. Let me know if you would like to see a bit more behind the curtain on the various tools and technology( from AI (ML/CV/GENAI), realtime to advanced camera tech) I use on projects. Might be about time to start the series I have been working on. Shout out to friend and partners Tom Armbruster at @209group #motioncapture #virtualproduction #vfx #games #mocap #optitrack #computervision #film #camera #technology #unreal #unrealengine #animation #machinelearning #AI #markerless #cameratracking #ledvolume

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In 2026, the goal isn't just to make 3D asset, it's to scale them. 💡The latest update from Glossi solves one of the oldest pain points in the pipeline: Texturing. By moving to an AI-driven, browser-based workflow, teams can now generate 4K PBR maps instantly. This update prioritizes accessibility and high-end visualization. It empowers entire marketing and e-commerce teams to produce quality work, moving past the previous reliance on 3D specialists. Check it out! Glossi.io

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For my network in the mid-west: Get inspired! Cinematic 3D Environments that are truly cost effective. Learn more here....

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When engineering operates at the highest levels of precision, traditional media falls short of capturing the true innovation under the hood. Custom 3D animation bridges that gap, translating complex mechanics and proprietary technology into clear, impactful visual narratives. Here is a look at how I brought a heavy-industry purification system to life—maximizing clarity without losing the technical depth.

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