XR AI Spotlight

This AI Can Control Characters in Real Time

Viren Tellis, co-founder and CEO of Uthana, joins the show to discuss how generative AI is reshaping motion creation for games, VFX, and interactive worlds. With over 15 years of experience leading product and operations teams at AppNexus and Hedado, Viren explains how Uthana’s technology can generate animation from text, video, or even in real time, giving creators instant, controllable motion without traditional mocap setups. He breaks down how developers use Uthana’s SDKs and APIs in Unreal, Unity, and web platforms, what defines high-quality motion, and how foundation models for human movement could power the next generation of AI-driven characters.  Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/ *** CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/vtellis/] ⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ [https://uthana.com/]   *** CONNECT WITH ME 🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ [https://twitter.com/GabRoXR] 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriele-romagnolixr/] 🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://beacons.ai/gabroxr]   *** PAST EPISODES 🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.xraispotlight.com/] 🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRuoUmWO_pPu1hSaRm3BTuTGTjklXS4yG&si=SVG9Tg8a5uhhKSL-] 🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/xr-ai-spotlight/id1718315002]

From 3D GenAI to the End of Game Engines

Tejas Kulkarni, CEO of Common Sense Machines and PhD in Brain and Cognitive Sciences and AI from MIT, explains how CSM turns images and sketches into game-engine ready 3D assets. He breaks down why CSM ranked highly on the 3D Arena human evaluation, what “good” means in 3D generation, and how geometry, texture, topology, and parts segmentation affect real workflows. We discuss modular pipelines, UV mapping, controllability, and integration with Blender, Maya, Unity, and Unreal. Tejas contrasts mesh pipelines with splats and NeRFs, then argues that neural network driven game engines are coming, with artists guiding structure while networks fill detail. He also tackles ethics, brain hacking loops, and adoption advice for students and studios. Listeners get concrete guidance on quality metrics, parts based editing, and near term toolchain decisions. Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/ *** CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tejas-kulkarni-56042214/] ⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.csm.ai/]   *** CONNECT WITH ME 🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://twitter.com/GabRoXR] ⁠ 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriele-romagnolixr/] 🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://beacons.ai/gabroxr]   *** PAST EPISODES 🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.xraispotlight.com/] 🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRuoUmWO_pPu1hSaRm3BTuTGTjklXS4yG&si=SVG9Tg8a5uhhKSL-] 🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/xr-ai-spotlight/id1718315002]

The Next Evolution of Motion Capture for VFX Artists

Nikola Todorovic, filmmaker, VFX supervisor, and co-founder of Wonder Dynamics (now Autodesk’s Flow Studio), shares how AI is reshaping 3D animation and post-production. In this episode, he explains how Flow Studio simplifies motion capture and compositing through video-based mocap, motion prediction, and automatic generation of passes like lighting and camera tracking. Nikola discusses the shift from black-box AI tools to transparent, editable workflows, the importance of synthetic data, and the tension between human creativity and automation. He also reflects on how AI can expand access for indie creators while elevating professional pipelines. Listeners will gain insight into the future of VFX, synthetic data training, and the evolving role of artists in AI-driven production. Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/ *** CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikola-todorovic3/] ⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.autodesk.com/eu/products/flow-studio/overview]   *** CONNECT WITH ME 🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ [https://twitter.com/GabRoXR] 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriele-romagnolixr/] 🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://beacons.ai/gabroxr]   *** PAST EPISODES 🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.xraispotlight.com/] 🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRuoUmWO_pPu1hSaRm3BTuTGTjklXS4yG&si=SVG9Tg8a5uhhKSL-] 🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/xr-ai-spotlight/id1718315002]

Gaussian Splats Are Now Web Ready

Will Eastcott, CEO of PlayCanvas and veteran of EA, Sony, and Activision with credits on GTA, Call of Duty, and Max Payne, explains how Gaussian splatting is moving from experiments to production. He breaks down SuperSplat, an open source editor for cropping, recoloring, and optimizing splats for the web, and details a streaming level of detail system that scales from phones to desktops. Will shares how the new SOG format, built on lossless WebP, can cut files by up to 95 % while preserving quality. You will learn practical capture options like lidar based rigs, when to use streaming, how to ship WebXR viewers, and where splats are gaining traction in ecommerce, real estate, and cultural heritage.  Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/ *** CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/willeastcott/] ⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ [https://superspl.at/]   *** CONNECT WITH ME 🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ [https://twitter.com/GabRoXR] 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriele-romagnolixr/] 🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://beacons.ai/gabroxr]   *** PAST EPISODES 🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.xraispotlight.com/] 🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRuoUmWO_pPu1hSaRm3BTuTGTjklXS4yG&si=SVG9Tg8a5uhhKSL-] 🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/xr-ai-spotlight/id1718315002]

Why Laser Dance Took 3 Years to Build

Thomas van Bouwel is an indie XR game developer known for Cubism, one of the most successful puzzle games on Quest. In this episode, he shares the three-year journey of building Laser Dance, a rhythm stealth game that turns your living room into a laser-filled obstacle course using mixed reality. Thomas explains how rapidly evolving SDKs, scene meshing, and body tracking changed the game’s design mid-development, why real room geometry creates both magic and technical chaos, and how extensive playtesting across player abilities and physical spaces shaped the final product. He also discusses accessibility settings, music design, and the realities of sustaining an indie career in XR. Listeners will learn the hidden challenges of room-scale MR development, how to design for unpredictable environments, and how shifting market demographics impact creative and business decisions in today’s XR ecosystem. Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/ *** CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-van-bouwel-ba06233b/] ⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.meta.com/experiences/7209598115800315/]   *** CONNECT WITH ME 🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ [https://twitter.com/GabRoXR] 💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriele-romagnolixr/] 🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio [https://beacons.ai/gabroxr]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   *** PAST EPISODES 🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website [https://www.xraispotlight.com/]⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRuoUmWO_pPu1hSaRm3BTuTGTjklXS4yG&si=SVG9Tg8a5uhhKSL-]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/xr-ai-spotlight/id1718315002]