Lane Gresham

#AutodeskPartner Just got back from #AU2025 with Autodesk and, honestly, I’m still processing everything I saw. The scale of updates this year is huge, and as a game developer and animator, a few things stood out right away: - AI everywhere: from an automatic face animator for NPCs, to MotionMaker, blending keyframe, mocap, and AI for faster loops, to a new AI assistant that takes care of repetitive Maya/3ds Max tasks with simple commands. - Tools for everyone: Flow Studio now has a free tier — a big win for indie teams looking to get mocap into their pipeline quickly. - Seamless collaboration: features like Flow Shared Playlists that connect Flow Capture to Flow Production Tracking, smoothing out the messy parts of reviews. - Core tool updates: Maya gets Arnold 5.5.4 and stronger USD support, while 3ds Max also sees important pipeline improvements. The message was clear: more AI, more access, more connected pipelines. And being there in person, I really felt Autodesk pushing to remove the tedious stuff so we, as artists, can focus on the creative. In a time where AI can feel overwhelming or even negative, Autodesk’s approach felt like a reminder that the right tools, in the right context, can empower us instead of replace us. I captured some of my thoughts in this short video — would love to hear what you think about these updates and where AI in our workflows is headed. #MakeAnything https://lnkd.in/em3iXdRR

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Niagara is one of the most powerful systems in Unreal Engine, but without the right profiling and optimization, even simple effects can start to weigh heavily on performance! At Unreal Fest, Adam Kiraly, Senior Technical Artist at Tanglewood Games, an Unreal Engine Service Partner, will share a practical approach to making visual effects performant at scale using Niagara. His session, “Optimizing Niagara: A Practical Approach to Performant Worlds,” takes place on June 3 at 5:00 PM ET in North Session Room 7. Adam will walk through real-world examples of how to profile, debug, and optimize VFX without disrupting your scene, using tools like Effect Types, Budgets, system pooling, and Data Channels. This talk is ideal for developers building games across a range of platforms, especially those working within tight CPU and GPU budgets who still want to create rich, reactive worlds! 🎮🤘😎 Epic Games, Unreal Engine #unrealengine #niagra #games #gamedev #unrealfest

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Vibe coding is fun. But real product teams don’t start from scratch. They iterate on what already exists. With Anima, you can clone your existing product into Playground and work directly on top of it. Need to add a new section? Select where it should go. Capture a section from another live site, or simply prompt Anima to generate one. It automatically adapts to your brand style, spacing, and visual language. That’s vibe coding with context. Not a blank canvas. Not generic AI layouts. An evolution of your real product with production-ready code. Extend. Refine. Ship. Chrome extension: https://lnkd.in/d_7hyJMi

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Spent some time this weekend figuring how all the issues I had earlier building OpenRV and finally got it work as a build from Windows 11. This allows for review for image sequences/video without the need for an Autodesk account or Shotgun/Shotgrid/Flow. With the latest main branch from: https://lnkd.in/gi8XZYBJ These two discussion posts helped me get through the build issues so hopefully it helps others too: - https://lnkd.in/gyus5zU3 - https://lnkd.in/gv7S8-9H Despite the complicated setup for the build pipeline, once the build is out, it can be easily deployed to team members without them installing all the dependencies separately. In retrospect, I feel like a lot of this build pipeline can be simplified and unified to not require a ton of sparse build tools to make it happen, and at worst probably can make a dependency checker or a tutorial video for the setup. Many steps of setting this up was just waiting for a long haul download or build (slow CDNs) and you wouldn't know if something was wrong until the last step. Feel free to reach out if you're interested in setting this up or share your thoughts and use cases for RV in general.

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Today makes it official: HMS is now free. For many XR teams, this is good news. It means no more licensing fees to enroll headsets into ArborXR. Less friction is always a win. But at the same time, HMS is now in "maintenance mode", which means: No new features No big updates Minimal support Meta's shift towards focusing on consumer VR, wearables, and AR is strategic and opens the door to partners like ArborXR and the broader ecosystem to fill the gap in enterprise. But it leaves some XR programs in a tough spot. If you're running an XR deployment, especially if you are getting ready to scale a pilot across locations, departments, and devices, this is a good opportunity to step back and assess hardware choices. Also, if you've been planning on using HMS for managing your devices... it may be time to look at other options like ArborXR. We did a big writeup on what changed today and answered a bunch of FAQs we are hearing. Check link in comment! Or DM me with questions

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A funny thing about 3D modeling... It's always been gatekept by technical complexity. You either spent years learning the tools, or you didn't get to create. Not anymore. My team designed this in minutes, not days: → Described what we wanted to Womp Spark → Got instant, photo-realistic 3D geometry → Modified it with liquid 3D tools (way easier than traditional software) The difference? AI handles the grunt work. You get to spend more time on the ideas. This is what democratizing design actually looks like.

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When a misplaced character turns flawless code into a head-scratcher, it’s a stark reminder that brilliance isn’t just in flashy new tools—it’s in sound engineering. In today’s fast-paced tech arena, a new breed of code partner is emerging, one that reimagines AI assistance by weaving together time-tested software principles with cutting-edge language models. Picture algorithms that transform prompts into skeletal abstract syntax trees, run brisk simulations to weed out errors, and refine outputs until your code compiles like clockwork. While lateral leaps in AI might steal the spotlight, they still depend on your seasoned eye to spot anomalies and sneaky pitfalls invisible to brute token guessing. It’s that blend of disciplined fundamentals and relentless innovation that transforms mere drafts into robust, production-ready code. The journey isn’t about being first—it’s about building systems that mirror the precision of a well-tuned engine, where every component interacts seamlessly from static inference to dynamic test cycles. True mastery comes when you let AI handle the initial heavy lifting, then step in with your cross-disciplinary savvy to polish and integrate the work. When your automated assistant pairs with your engineering instincts, you’re not just generating code; you’re crafting resilient, scalable systems that endure beyond any meme-worthy mischief. Ready to evolve beyond the hype and build lasting software? Follow @LunarTech for blueprints that turn innovative ideas into enduring engineering excellence.

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Every XR project starts with one thing: a messy, exciting unknown. There’s rarely a playbook and that’s exactly what makes it powerful. Over time, I’ve built my own process for approaching new XR challenges. It’s not rigid, but it helps bring structure to the chaos: 🔍 Start with the real problem. Before touching tools or tech, I spend time understanding the “why.” What are we solving? Who’s struggling, and where? 📊 Map the context. Industry trends, platform limitations, user expectations I dig into them early so my ideas aren’t floating in a vacuum. 🧠 Think in experience, not features. I don’t jump to tech first. I imagine what the user feels in the flow clarity, ease, delight and then work backwards. 🧪 Prototype with intent. A quick MVP isn’t just about speed it’s a conversation starter, a validation tool, and a reality check. 🎯 Refine through feedback. Whether it’s internal teams or end users, I treat feedback loops as part of the design not a step after it. This blend of research, strategy, and empathy is how I navigate uncharted XR territory especially when the challenge is big and undefined. #XRProcess #ImmersiveDesign #CreativeThinking #BuildInXR #DesignStrategy #XRApproach #UserCentricDesign #ThinkXR

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Exploring ultra realistic 3D rendering using AI. This entire sequence was built from a single base composition while keeping lighting, material consistency, and physical realism locked in. AI is becoming a powerful tool for generating production grade cinematic frames when you control lighting, material behavior, and perspective intentionally.

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Dear friends, we’re excited to release our new tutorial on image compositing in Wrap. You’ll learn how to render dozens of preview images of FACS scans so you can review them anytime—without loading heavy models. https://lnkd.in/gNBW2My2 #faceform #wrap #compositing #facs

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NVIDIA has unveiled DLSS 4, already running in their companion DCC, Blender. With Cycles elevated to near real-time performance, 3D artists can iterate and create with virtually zero latency. While not yet publicly available, this breakthrough is expected to roll out in upcoming releases. #Nvidia #Blender #DLSS4 https://lnkd.in/dnTxNCiu https://lnkd.in/dmzRyk4n

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New changes on the Perforce Puppet Forge! We have 2 new Puppet Edge premium modules and some updates to the #Puppet Core EULA to help cover Puppet Edge scenarios. Forge News article has the details: https://lnkd.in/gxa5ccbY

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