XR AI Spotlight

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🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

Roy Rodenaheuser, a London-based creative technologist and founder of CanvasTique3D, shares his innovative tool that projects physical materials onto real-time 3D models for rapid prototyping. He discusses its impact on industries like fashion and interior design, emphasizing the preference for simplicity over photorealism in prototyping. Roy offers insights on balancing full-time work with side projects, the art of storytelling in product demos, and the importance of early prototype sharing for validation, inspiring creative technologists everywhere.

In a world where AI revolutionizes creativity, Manuel discusses how diverse voices are now empowered to contribute. He shares insights from his cultural preservation project, Protopica, emphasizing the blend of storytelling and AI. With a focus on balancing generalist and specialist skills, he advocates for curiosity and play as future necessities. Manuel also highlights the evolving landscape of creative professions, where adaptability and storytelling take precedence over traditional credentials. The conversation touches on the ethical implications of AI and the importance of preserving cultural nuances.

Philip is a VFX artist at RiseFX creating visual effects for Films and TV Shows. He is growing an incredible a youtube channel called Pixel Artistry covering the latest tools and workflows in the rapidly evolving world of 3D GenAI to share his learning with a growing community of over 8000 subscribers. His content is some of the best I have found when it comes to 3D GenAI. His videos are both clear and actionable and today I sit down with him to learn:How he deals with the current limitations of 3D models generated by AIWhat are his favourite 3DGenAI models and why What is the next thing you should do if you are serious about 3D GenAI.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH PHILIP⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

Roberto Coviello is an engineer at Meta Reality Labs, where he builds open-source showcases and samples to help push XR development forward. He’s also known for his YouTube Channel full of in-depth XR tutorials that played a key role in his career. In this conversation we look at:How he started his professional journey as a developer, turned content creator, and the path that led him to become a Software Engineer at MetaWe look at several SDKs provided by Meta and what he thinks is a must-have for any MR appWhat are his thoughts on the role of AI for artists and developersHow he finds the right balance between employment and cultivating his dreamsSubscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH ROBERTO⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

Sam Cole, the CEO and co-founder of FitXR, shares his journey in transforming fitness through virtual reality. He discusses the evolution of immersive fitness experiences and how community feedback shapes innovation. Sam's candid thoughts on AI highlight its potential in creating personalized workouts, while also addressing challenges in maintaining personal coaching connections. He envisions a future where smart glasses integrate seamlessly into fitness, enhancing user experiences but warns of associated risks. His insights on team management emphasize the importance of culture in a rapidly changing tech landscape.

Mo Sayar, a designer with 18 years of experience in immersive XR and AI products, shares his insights on the evolving role of designers in the tech landscape. He discusses the importance of networking in the XR industry and how thoughtful design has become essential in product development. Mo reflects on his diverse experiences across startups and corporates, emphasizing the importance of skill growth. He also explores the innovative integration of AI into design processes, advocating for a focus on creativity and human interaction in an AI-driven world.

Don Carson started as an illustrator, but soon his work expanded beyond the sketchbook to focus on the design of physical and virtual spaces. He worked as a Senior Show Designer, as an Imagineer, he designed entire lands for the Disney Parks and he is now Sr. Art Director at Mighty Coconut, the team behind Walkabout Minigolf, one of the most popular and loved apps on the Meta Quest. In this conversation we look at:How the team has embraced the low-poly graphics to create worlds people loveSome of the major challenges when it comes to building worlds and telling storiesHis secret for engaging and keeping players hookedDon offers me a guided tour of Raptor's Cliff to experience firsthand some of the storytelling techniques that make Walkabout’s worlds so popular and of course, I get the chance to showcase my terrible golfing skillsSubscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH DON⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

Dmytro Kornilov is an innovation marketing futurist with 15+ years of experience in the industry. He is the founder of FFFACE.ME an award-winning innovation company, and LOOOK.AI an AR and AI Mirrors company. With practical experience in AR, MR, Digital Beauty and Fashion, AI and Phygital, Dmytro has led omnichannel innovation projects for global brands like Prada, Inditex, PUIG, Ralph Lauren, D&G, Valentino, Burberry, L'Oréal, Mugler, Meta, and many moreNathan C Bowser (they/them): is a product strategist and founder of Awesome Future, an innovation studio that helps global technology brands break through go-to market barriers and grow great ideas faster. Nathan has spent the last decade demystifying cutting edge tech for the endterprise as a podcaster, product leader, technology writer, and speaker who has been teaching and using AR and VR in marketing since 2015.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH OUR GUESTS⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:⁠NathanDmytro ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

Lennard Wolff, holds a Master in Cinematography and he is an expert in volumetric capture technology. He is Former Senior Technical Director at Synthesia and now the CEO of AdventuryXR a London based a startup revolutionising corporate learning through photorealistic immersive experiences.Georgii Vysotskii the co-founder and CEO of Gracia.ai a deep tech company specializing in the visualization and distribution of Gaussian splatting even in VR.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/***CONNECT WITH OUR GUESTS⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ ***CONNECT WITH ME🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ***PAST EPISODES🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast