VFX tools, techniques, and training: entering the fifth year of MyWorld
Lux Aeterna has been a research partner of the MyWorld programme since its inception, joining institutions such as University of Bristol, BBC, Aardman, and Bristol Old Vic. The five-year programme, backed by UK Research and Innovation’s Strength in Places Fund, brings together industry and academia from the West of England region to explore all things creative technology, and has provided us with access to funding, training, facilities, and pre-market research.
When MyWorld began in 2021, the technology landscape was almost unrecognisable from what it is now. Early large language and latent diffusion models were just starting to appear online, giving users the opportunity to experiment with this burgeoning generative AI tech that has since gone on to become a major topic at all levels across the world. We’ve also seen more VFX-specific developments in volumetric capture with the advent of technologies such as Gaussian splatting and neural radiance fields.
Now MyWorld is entering its fifth year, giving the team a chance to reflect on the progress we’ve made, gather the lessons we’ve learned and showcase the great work we’ve done. For the year ahead, Lux Aeterna is putting these insights together to create one final, showstopping piece.
Reno: a new creative experiment
Reno (working title) is a sci-fi short film produced by Lux Aeterna. As a culmination of our applied research, Reno acts as both a creative project and a proof of concept. In May, we shot most of the film’s scenes at The Sheds — MyWorld’s innovation hub and state-of-the-art virtual production studio.
Virtual production also has evolved since 2021, its capabilities have given teams an exciting new option in how they approach TV and film production. The growth of this field has helped propel Unreal Engine beyond its game development roots to a powerful, emerging platform for creating VFX. Utilising Unreal Engine for Reno allowed us to bring our strengths in crafting high-end VFX to the virtual production stage, providing beautiful, dynamic environments that could be captured in-camera. Our engagement with Unreal doesn’t end with Reno though, as we’re seeing use cases across other projects too.
Lux Aeterna’s approach to AI
Whilst AI and machine learning have been a fixture of VFX toolkits for over a decade, recent developments in generative AI have posed challenging questions to the creative industries. Lux Aeterna is among the few VFX studios to establish its own AI policy, recognising the need for a professional framework that assists in maintaining transparency and integrity with our clients.
MyWorld has enabled us to follow and research generative AI since it first appeared on the scene; delving into its inner workings and creating insightful links with academic partners also engaged in the field. This has included case studies with Bath Spa University and University of the West of England. Our conversations with Dr. Cobus Jooste, Senior Lecturer in Law at UWE, have been invaluable in taking our understanding of AI’s legal and ethical issues to the next level.
All this research has fed into our AI policy, which aims to give our team a straightforward framework they can use to navigate this complex new space, as well as help support compliance with our clients own policies and expectations. The policy puts ethics, client relations, and transparency at its core.
Sharing MyWorld with the industry
To share everything we've learned and achieved, the team will be showcasing MyWorld to the wider industry at major events like SXSW London, Beyond, and SIGGRAPH. We’ll be presenting our latest findings and discussing how they're influencing creative projects with other industry professionals. The programme will conclude with a final showcase in the West of England at BTF+, running from 6-11 October.
If you'd like to catch me and the MyWorld team at any of these events, stay updated on show dates and details via the MyWorld website. You can also find more of Lux Aeterna’s work here.
