ICE.Art returns on 1–2 October 2025. The event runs as an online-only conference, with sessions scheduled between 5 pm and 8 pm CET. That places it outside of most production hours, designed so professionals can join after work or catch up from different time zones without losing project time.
Organiser vrbn positions ICE as a conference “for everybody working directly or indirectly on fictional or real-world 3D worlds.” Unlike broad-spectrum industry fairs, ICE focuses tightly on environments and their technical and artistic context.
Digital environments in film, TV, games, and visualisation are rarely just scenery. They anchor storytelling, guide interaction in games, and stress-test rendering pipelines. ICE’s agenda covers the full stack: from concept art and visual direction to game level layout, pipeline efficiency, and the legal or personal aspects of working life in production. The mix makes ICE relevant not only for environment artists but also for TDs, compositors, shader developers, and realtime specialists whose work intersects with large-scale 3D datasets.
Michael Shelton: VFX Supervisor and Director
Michael Shelton (M. Shelton Supervision) is a Los Angeles–based VFX supervisor and second unit director. He started in creature workshops and practical effects before moving into 2D and 3D digital work. His credits include Game of Thrones, Winning Time, Westworld, The Mandalorian, Mary Poppins Returns and many others.
Shelton also worked on game cinematics, music videos and commercials for Bungie, Activision, Apple, Porsche, Mercedes Benz, and more. Known for a hands-on approach across matte painting, compositing, realtime workflows and practical effects, he combines broad craft skills with a measured view on industry shifts. His FMX 2024 talk on Westworld drew attention for its humour and technical scope.
Jay H. Patel: Unreal Specialist
Jay H. Patel (Jay-H) is a senior Unreal Engine artist and Unreal Engine Fellow. Self-taught, he has 14+ years of experience in realtime technology, focusing on cinematics. Patel’s work spans film production, automotive and architectural visualisation, VR, and realtime cinematics, with a focus on pushing Unreal Engine into cinematic territory.
Faruk Heplevent: CGI Photography Pioneer
Faruk Heplevent (The Scope) is founder, CEO and creative director of the Hamburg-based CGI studio The Scope. Starting as a photographer in the 1990s, he founded The Scope in 2007, coining the term “CG Photography” to describe fully computer-generated, camera-grade imagery.
The studio is a key player in automotive visualisation, delivering campaigns for Audi, BMW, Tesla, NIO, Genesis, Volkswagen and Toyota. Heplevent’s R&D work led to Scope City, a procedural city generator for photoreal customisable urban environments. His talks often highlight the convergence of CGI, realtime engines, and AI.
Sam Martino: Games and Preservation
Sam Martino (Dogwood Gaming) founded his indie studio in 2016, releasing four games on Steam since. Beyond game development, Dogwood Gaming expanded into digital historic preservation. Since 2024, Martino also teaches at Bristol Community College, focusing on entry pathways into the game industry for students.
Why ICE Matters
For environment specialists, ICE provides direct relevance. For others, the value lies in seeing how environment work shapes pipelines across departments. Examples include architectural realism that affects lighting and compositing, or streaming technologies that enable new delivery formats for interactive 3D. The evening schedule also reduces friction. Attendees do not lose production hours to sit through sponsor pitches or expo halls. ICE positions itself as a compact alternative to the large-scale conference calendar.
Community Focus
Since its start, ICE has prioritised access over spectacle. There is no expo floor and fewer marketing launches. Instead, the content leans on production stories, workflows, and first-hand lessons. Talks that discuss dead ends or tool limitations are part of the appeal: they reflect the daily reality of artists, TDs, and supervisors working under pressure.t a mix of visual showcases, pipeline talks, and the usual dose of production survival advice. vrbn highlights that talks will again touch on career development. Given the current state of VFX labour discussions worldwide, that may be as relevant as the technical sessions.
