Tales from the 3rd Dimension

The Transformative Impact of Open Source in Academia

Explore the impact of open source on academia and its transformation over time as Royal, General Manager of Digital Media and Games at the Linux Foundation, speaks to Stephen Jacobs, professor at RIT’s School of Interactive Games & Media and head of Open@RIT. Stephen recounts his longtime involvement in open source, sparked by a program to develop educational games for the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative that led to the birth of the netbook market and groundbreaking programs at RIT. He explains how open source projects, like the Open 3D Engine, enable students to gain practical experience, build their portfolios, and create professional connections, and touches on the significance of joining the Open 3D Foundation. Learn about RIT’s innovative Magic Center, a dynamic hub fostering collaboration and creativity in game development and multimedia, as well as Project Eureka, an exciting new initiative that provides students with real-world experience.   Guest: Stephen Jacobs -- Director, Open@RIT and Professor, School of Interactive Games & Media, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Stephen Jacobs designed and built exhibits for the Capital Children’s Museum in the 70′s, ran the AmiEXPO trade shows for the Commodore Amiga in the 80’s, and began teaching at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in the 90’s. Today, he teaches Video Game Design and Production at RIT, while running one of the largest and most comprehensive Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) university programs in the world, the FOSS@MAGIC.

Gaming across AR/VR/XR Interfaces

In this podcast episode, Royal O’Brien, General Manager of Digital Media and Games at the Linux Foundation, discusses gaming across AR, VR, and XR interfaces with Sidharth Moudgil from AWS. Sid is a Senior Graphics Engineer and has extensive experience in rendering for games. They discuss the complexity of graphics programming, challenges of rendering for VR applications, and the structure of the XR gem, among much more.    Guest: Sidharth Moudgil, Senior Graphics Programmer, Amazon

From Dungeon Master to Diversity Champion: A Conversation with Gaming Luminary Sheri Graner Ray

Diversity and inclusion haven’t been the hallmarks of the gaming industry. But that’s changing thanks to advocates like Sheri Graner Ray and open source technologies that allow anyone to develop and showcase their skills.  In this episode of Tales from the 3rd Dimension, Open 3D Foundation (O3DF) Executive Director Royal O’Brien chats with Sheri – an award-winning game designer, author, and consultant – about the trails she has blazed in the gaming industry, the barriers that have been torn down, and how others can forge their own path.  In addition to revealing the Dungeons & Dragons defection that sparked her illustrious career, Sheri explains the impact diversity has on creativity, innovation, and the bottom line. She and Royal discuss the value of ready-made, open source engines for aspiring game developers. And they find insight and irony at the intersection of Barbie and Call of Duty.   GUEST BIO Founder and CEO of Zombie Cat Studios, Sheri Graner Ray is an award-winning game designer, author, consultant, and speaker. She’s the recipient of an IGDA Game Developer’s Choice Award and has been named one of the top women in games by The Hollywood Reporter and WGEN.

Beyond Games: How Open Source 3D Simulations are Accelerating Robotic Innovation

The applications for open source 3D technologies extend well beyond gaming realms. In fact, Open 3D Engine (O3DE) is increasingly being used to develop and validate the next generation of robots – those that will help us explore new worlds and assist with countless tasks here on Earth. In this episode of Tales from the 3rd Dimension, Open 3D Foundation (O3DF) Executive Director Royal O’Brien talks with Robotec.ai’s VP of Robotics and Simulation Adam Dąbrowski about the value of simulating robot behaviors and their environments using O3DE. In the wide-ranging discussion, Royal and Adam explain why traditional and commercial simulation engines are insufficient for the complexity and scale of modern robotics applications. They discuss the integration between O3DE and the popular robot operating system (ROS), and how it will accelerate robotic development and innovation. They talk about the joy, pride, and opportunities that often come with open source contributions and community participation. And they envision a future aided by fruit-picking farm robots and spacefaring exploration robots. GUEST BIO Adam Dąbrowski leads robotics and simulation work at Robotec.ai. He is also an independent expert in robotics for the EU Commission. His current focus is science, machine learning, robotics, research, and social impact projects. Adam is passionate about ideas and projects that benefit society as well as bold technical challenges.

Democratization of the Creator Community

Amazing interactive 3D content can spring to life across all 3D engines—and in time, the Metaverse—with open source tools that creators are accustomed to using. Integration and shared standards for interoperability across real-time 3D engines bring freedom and flexibility to those creators. Collaborative communities such as the Open 3D Foundation foster incredible innovation and creativity, drawing industry leaders together. Royal O’Brien talked with Marc Petit, Vice President of the Unreal Engine Ecosystem at Epic Games about their shared passion for the future of 3D technology, covering a lot of ground: * The evolutionary moments in 3D and the biggest trends that emerged in the transformative years from the 1990s to now, including:  * The transition from work stations to PCs * Real-time ray tracing (which brought Marc out of retirement and to Epic Games) * Content democratization * The maturity of hardware platforms * The emergence of AI and ML advancements in helping create good content, allowing humans to do really creative things. * The role 3D engines play as integrated toolsets, as complex as operating systems. * The need for real-time 3D to be accessible everywhere, and why open source technology is the key to making that possible.   Marc and Royal share an excitement for a future creator economy with real-time 3D as a mainstream medium. Together, all players in the industry can create a shared, standardized foundation of content that will catapult us to the next level of creation.