Layout in the animation and VFX (visual effects) industry utilizes a broad scope of tools to bring cinematic ideas to fruition. This session will be a deep dive into the benefits found using Maya software and Bifrost to boost creative film making and ultimately save time and money. In this course we will capitalize on the latest toolsets and features to compose content that aligns with the director's vision at an early stage of production.

In this talk, we look at the variety of features and toolsets inside Maya that can be leveraged by artists to create compelling and engaging animated performances, in sometimes unexpected ways.

Few characters in modern horror are as unpredictable as Pennywise, whose terrifying transformations lie at the heart of IT: Welcome to Derry. In this session, Rodeo FX Animation Supervisor Scott Holmes will reveal how the team used Maya software to design rigs and craft performances for Pennywise's many monstrous forms. Through production examples and animation breakdowns, the talk will explore the creative process behind building creatures that can shift from subtle unease to full nightmare, while remaining believable, expressive, and terrifying on screen.

In this workshop, we'll discuss how we used Maya software to create our short film Scrap Metal. We will take a deep dive into what kickstarted the project, how we got it funded, and all the technical and creative challenges. We'll also talk about managing a short film of this scale and complexity on an indie budget. At the end, we'll discuss the further development of the IP, and where we want to go next.

In this class, you will learn how to improve your design process, increase your creative freedom, and reach your deadlines faster with Autodesk® Alias®, Autodesk® SketchBook® Pro, Autodesk® Maya®, and Autodesk® Mudbox® software. We will go through the entire process of creating a new product, from the conceptual level up through surfacing and prototyping. All class data will be available for download.

Open-source projects play a critical role in the creation of film and TV content. In this session, we'll dive into the work behind OpenColorIO v2, MaterialX, and other key open-source initiatives, including collaboration with tech partners and creative studios.

In this instructional demo - we will use Autodesk Recap to create a 3d model from a series of photographs, Autodesk Maya to re-topologies that model and generate a UV Map to then use NOTCH VFX to generate real-time content and Disguise to remap that video content back onto the original object using digital projectors. The demonstration object will be chosen as relevant to an industrial design or fabrication process to also show how this technique can be used in creative fabrication. This demonstration will last approx 1 hour.

Two things continue to be true in visual effects and rendering projects: schedules fluctuate, and the effort to get to final remains impossible to predict. This is where ZYNC was born: from the rendering pipelines of real studios, enabling small creative teams to focus on creativity rather than infrastructure. Using native Maya plugins and built-in licensing for today's most powerful rendering software, ZYNC lets studios burst their rendering to the cloud when they need it most. ZYNC has been the go-to rendering solutions for over a dozen feature films and hundreds of commercials, totaling over 50 million core rendering hours. This course will show how small-to-midsize facilities can leverage the power of Google Cloud Platform to render their most complex, CPU-intensive jobs on ZYNC.

When Fox Nation’s Revolutionary War docuseries called for A-list performances in historic American locations, GO delivered the future. Instead of flying talent across the country, GO recreated the Boston Tea Party and Mount Vernon as immersive SCAPEs using LiDAR, NeRF, and photogrammetry. In this panel, we’ll break down how GO brought Rob Lowe to a virtual Boston Harbor and Kelsey Grammer to a digital Mount Vernon—without ever leaving LA. From Sustainable Design and cost-savings to creative flexibility, this is a case study in Digital Prototyping production, Autodesk integration, and the new blueprint for high-end, low-impact filmmaking.

What is the relationship between passion, vocation, and profession? In this talk, Armando Gomez, a multimedia director with the innovative international multimedia studio Moment Factory, shares his approach to creating spatially dynamic experiences. Through pioneering, interdisciplinary methods, Moment Factory tells visual stories in collective spaces, enhancing their unique toolbox of technologies by working in various forms of entertainment. The studio’s large-scale projects require complex workflow and continual interchange between different talents and skill sets. From illuminating the Jacques Cartier Bridge using real-time social media data to creating generative content for a Madonna stadium tour, Armando channels his training in music, architecture, and design into every exciting project. Join us for a discussion of new media design, and learn how Autodesk products used by Moment Factory, such as 3ds Max, Maya, and AutoCAD, are shaping exciting changes in the industry.

As technology continues to evolve, the intersection of 3D design and artificial intelligence (AI) presents exciting opportunities for innovation in content creation. In this session, we'll showcase experimentation with innovative techniques—namely, ComfyUI, ControlNet, and Stable Diffusion—to forge a future pipeline that seamlessly integrates 3D rendering with AI-driven processes. We'll outline a visionary approach toward empowering artists and streamlining the content creation process. By using advanced AI algorithms and data-driven insights, we aspire to give artists greater control over their creations as they enhance their efficiency and creativity while using Autodesk tools, specifically Maya and Arnold software. Our vision for the future pipeline revolves around achieving a seamless transition from 3D design to AI render, while empowering artists with unprecedented control over their creations.

Whether we use a pencil or the latest technology, as digital artists we still need to develop creative to give our clients an advantage over the competition. Clients sell the same product to the same clientele—how do we help them differentiate? We have technology converging in many ways (architectural visualization, video games, real time)—how do we find the best way to make use of this convergence? Ultimately, as a creative agency or architectural visualization firm, we need to look for ways to show off products and environments that are visually more compelling so that they become the catalyst of this differentiation. Products such as 3ds Max software, Maya software, NVIDIA mental ray software, Revit software, AutoCAD software, and new emerging real-time technologies like Showcase software help with this problem, but that’s just the beginning. In this roundtable we will talk about why we follow these trends and where these new technologies will bring us. Is it all a fad? Will we find a real practical use other than entertainment? Will our clients end up showing us the way?

Customers in the AEC and Film & Television industries are transforming traditional workflows to accelerate the production of linear and non-linear, interactive content. From using virtual production technology on The Mandalorian, to building a digital twin for Wellington City for public engagement, we’ll explore how real-time technology opens the door to a new world of creative opportunities. This session will dive into how Datasmith is connecting the dots with Autodesk solutions like Forge, Revit, 3ds Max, Navisworks, and Maya. You’ll find out how Twinmotion and Unreal Engine are used to collaborate and engage with stakeholders and peers using Pixel Streaming and other methods. It isn’t all about AEC, as the session will also cover how real-time technology is changing the way films and TV shows are made. And while there won’t be enough time to get into all of the technical details, we’ll point you to free resources to learn how to achieve the same results.