XR AI Spotlight

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]

Why These AI Glasses Beat Big Tech

Bobak Tavangar, co-founder of Brilliant Labs, joins the show to unpack Halo, the lightweight open-source AR glasses built for AI-first computing. Unlike camera-heavy smart glasses designed for social media, Halo focuses on continuous low-power sensing, on-device AI inference, and full-day wearability—turning an AI agent into a true “second brain.” Bobak explains how Halo handles privacy by discarding raw media and storing only embeddings, why open source is critical for innovation, and how developers are already building real-world applications across healthcare, construction, manufacturing, and robotics. He breaks down the tech stack behind real-time multimodal AI, memory recall, and “vibe coding,” a natural language way to create apps without writing code. The conversation also explores pricing strategy, hardware trade-offs, business models, and where AR input and display technology must evolve next. Listeners will learn what it actually takes to build meaningful AI glasses and where the industry is heading in 2026–2027. Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/ *** CONNECT WITH BOBAK ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobak-tavangar-29445012/] ⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ [https://brilliant.xyz/]   *** 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]

AI Workflows for XR Developers

Preston Platt, CTO and founder of Rock Paper Reality, joins the show to share how his team pushes the limits of XR development by blending AI workflows with rapid prototyping. With more than 16 years of experience in 3D modelling, animation, and spatial computing, Preston has built AR and MR projects for mobile, smartglasses, and headsets like the Apple Vision Pro. In this conversation, he explains how his studio embraces AI to accelerate code and asset generation, the role of generalists in creative teams, and why open XR remains critical for cross-platform development. He also reflects on the challenges of AI-driven characters, latency in NPC interactions, and the tradeoffs between artistry and automation. Listeners will gain insights into emerging workflows, platform adoption, and the future of shared immersive experiences across devices. Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/ *** CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/preston-platt-4b101634/] ⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ [https://rockpaperreality.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]