For those who don’t know the tool: Spark Story sits in early previs and story workshops, pairing a browser build step with a mobile virtual production app, plus workflows that touch Blender and Unreal Engine.

NAB gets the hands-on bit

Spark Story is set for a public preview at NAB Show 2026, with an interactive booth demo that lets attendees create shots live and move between a browser session and a mobile virtual production app. The preview is scheduled on the show floor from April 19 through April 22 in Las Vegas (Booth N3148). Lightcraft calls Spark Story the first piece of a broader Spark platform that is still in development, with the NAB preview focused on rapid virtual-shot creation, script linkage, and a browser-to-mobile workflow. A beta notification signup page for the broader Spark platform is already live, indicating that a formal beta program is planned and more or less around the corner.

The pitch is simple: start workshopping a film on day one with the team, using rapid virtual shot building instead of waiting for later stages to see whether scenes and beats land. The preview demo uses scanned environments (Splats) and prompted environments as part of setting a scene, plus the ability to block and capture camera shots from a phone.

Browser to phone, with script in the loop

The preview description frames Spark Story as a real-time workflow that links a browser tool with a mobile app so teams can collaborate while building scenes and placing cameras. Script linkage sits near the center of that workflow, with an emphasis on connecting shots back to a screenplay, and on turning camera placement in a 3D scene into entries that feed a shot list tied to settings and framing.

A separate feature preview calls out collaborative screenplay editing and breakdown, aimed at real-time collaboration and development from partial ideas into a full screenplay. That matters less for the final file format and more for how teams keep intent, coverage, and revisions connected while the visuals evolve.

If you have lived through the classic version of previs, where shots float around in a folder tree while the script keeps changing in a different tool, this is clearly trying to make that disconnect go away. The claim is that a team can move much faster through early planning, pitching, and shoot preparation.

Environments: scans, prompts, and Gaussians

The preview highlights three main buckets of scene content: scanned environments, prompted environments, and more traditional 3D content. It also calls out support for Gaussian Splats and imported USD assets in the same workspace.

For Gaussian Splats, the industry standard is 3D Gaussian Splatting, a real-time radiance field rendering approach with an official, publicly available reference implementation. For USD, the relevant target is OpenUSD, positioned as a platform for building and exchanging 3D scenes at scale.

The interesting bit here is not that any one of those elements exists, but that the preview bundles them into one collaborative shot-building flow. If teh tool can keep scale, orientation, and camera intent consistent while teams mix splats with USD assets, that would remove a lot of glue work that currently happens in side scripts and one-off conversion steps.

Camera intent and virtual production capture

The preview copy states that Spark Story builds scenes around realistic digital environments, physically correct motion, and camera and lens models intended to keep early decisions consistent through shoot days. That is a marketing claim, but it is also a promise: camera behaviour and motion should (!!!!) translate from early planning into on-set execution without a full redo.

On the capture side, the preview positions a mobile app as the place where shots get captured from anywhere, with an integrated iOS experience described as push-button simple. For the platform piece, that points straight at iOS, no word of Anroid yet.

The practical production question is what data comes out the other end and how it plays with the rest of a pipeline. The preview text focuses on workflow and collaboration rather than interchange details beyond imported USD assets. So, at press time, there is no confirmed list of export formats, tracking data handoff details, or round-trip guarantees for specific DCCs in the NAB preview description. But there are importers for Fab.comMegascans, Unreal, Autoshot, as well as Blender, Nuke and After Effects. No word on Lightwave.

What is confirmed on the ecosystem side

Outside the NAB preview messaging, the public documentation site already carries Spark Story sections alongside broader tooling docs, including workflow pages that reference Blender and Unreal-related processes and USD troubleshooting topics. That is not a full product spec, but it does confirm that Spark Story documentation exists publicly and that USD sits inside the expected workflow surface area.

That matters because it suggests this is not a closed demo-only concept. There is already a documentation structure, including tutorials and debugging notes, which is usually where pipelines go first when they try to validate a tool against real production constraints.

What to test before you bet a schedule on it

Rapid collaborative previs sounds great right up until a production needs repeatability, versioning, and predictable handoffs. If you plan to evaluate Spark Story, put it through the boring tests early: multiple artists editing the same sequence, script changes mid-session (Thrice), asset relinking, and exporting or round-tripping anything your downstream tools require.

New tools and innovations should always be tested before use in production, preferably on something disposable, like a two-day internal short that still hits the same technical constraints as a real show.

The post Spark Story at NAB first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Jürgen Firsching.

For those who don’t know the tool: Poser 14 is Bondware’s long-running 3D character posing and animation package, first released in 1995 and now mainly used for illustration, comics, and previs. It provides rigged figures, props and render engines like SuperFly and FireFly.

A venerable poser returns (and we almost missed it)

In the festive mail avalanche, we briefly lost sight of one of CG’s oldest names. Bondware quietly shipped Poser 14 in late November 2025. We only noticed now, and the fault is entirely ours. Missing a veteran like Poser feels mildly sacrilegious, so here’s a proper look at what’s new and what’s missing.

The update in short: simpler materials, tidier backgrounds

Poser 14 focuses on usability rather than expansion. The release adds a reinstated Simple Material tab to the Material Room, designed to simplify PBR (Physically Based Rendering) workflows. Artists can now drag texture maps exported from tools like Substance Painter directly into the interface, skipping the former multi-node complexity.

A new Simple Background tab consolidates scattered controls for environment setup into a single location. Users can choose from four background types (colour, static image, movie, or HDRI environment) with a real-time HDRI preview now built in.

Rendering: updated SuperFly and Intel Arc support

The SuperFly render engine has been updated to the latest stable version of Cycles, providing improved ray tracing stability and compatibility with Intel Arc GPUs through Intel’s OneAPI framework. FireFly Renderer remains available for compatibility with legacy scenes, alongside non-photorealistic render modes such as Cartoon, Comic Book, and Sketch.

Goodbye Cloth Room (for now)

The most visible removal is the Cloth Room, the long-standing simulation module for dynamic clothing. Bondware acknowledges the change directly, advising users who depend on cloth simulation to continue with Poser 13. According to the developers, new simulation options are being investigated, and a return of cloth dynamics is on the roadmap, but without a timeline so far.

Platform changes and pricing

Poser 14 is now Windows-only. The macOS edition has been discontinued, with Bondware citing a desire to “streamline” development toward the majority user base. The simplification also extends to pricing: the full licence now costs 175 USD (down from 199 USD), while upgrades from Poser 11, 12, or 13 are available for 99.95 USD. A 21-day free trial version is also provided.

Compatibility and legacy features

Poser 14 retains Python scripting, support for LaFemme and L’Homme figures (versions 1 and 2), HiveWire3D content, and render layers in FireFly. The internal content library continues to ship with over 30 GB of bundled figures, props and environments. System requirements list Windows 10 or later (64-bit), 16 GB RAM, and an OpenGL-capable GPU. CUDA and OptiX are recommended for GPU rendering.

Poser 14 in context

After three decades, Poser remains one of the few dedicated figure-posing environments not tied to a larger DCC (Digital Content Creation) suite. The latest release suggests Bondware is favouring long-term maintenance and accessibility over feature expansion. Whether that approach will restore Poser’s relevance against free alternatives like Daz Studio remains to be seen. Still, the team’s willingness to cut complexity may please those who simply want to light, pose, and render without fighting their tools. As always, artists should test new releases thoroughly before introducing them into production pipelines.

The post Poser 14 drops Cloth Room, gains simpler PBR setup first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Framestore is hosting a live webinar featuring FX Lead TD Evan Peignet, who will dissect the technical artistry behind the magical effects in Wicked. From the smallest shimmering detail to large-scale spectacle, the event will showcase how procedural workflows and advanced simulations were used to build the whimsical world of Oz.

Attendees can expect an insider’s breakdown of Glinda’s bubble effect, along with a look at the technology Framestore used to generate convincing crowds of Munchkins. Peignet will highlight how modern procedural techniques turn visual ideas into production-ready magic.

Executive Producer Martina Chakarova will host the session, which wraps up with a live Q&A. This is a chance for VFX professionals and digital artists to get direct answers from Framestore’s production floor and see how cutting-edge workflows are shaping Wicked’s fantasy.

Tuesday 8 July: 17:00 BST / 09:00 PT / 12:00 ET

RSVP here: (Zoom Meeting Invitation)

Here is the full invitation: https://mailchimp/framestore/webinar-wicked

How to Attend

The webinar is open to artists, supervisors, and anyone interested in seeing how the visualisation process is handled on a major VFX-heavy feature.

The post Framestore Opens Up Oz: Wicked FX Webinar with Evan Peignet first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Available systems with artificial intelligence (AI) play to their strengths in different ways when creating images and videos. AI artists therefore use different solutions depending on the workflow. With “Flora Fauna AI”, you get a solution that combines popular AI systems and lets them interact with each other via a node network. No installation is necessary as the software runs completely in a compatible browser. Images and videos can be loaded into the workspace via the import function.

Nodes for text, images and videos are available for use. Notes can be inserted and linked in the workspace with a click of the mouse. Navigation in the network is simple and has many similarities to CG packages. Notes can also be inserted in boxes to describe the workflow. Work in groups is provided for and existing projects can be shared.

Nodes in Flora Fauna AI

Text nodes are a way to improve your own prompts, but also to analyse images. This can be style or colour schemes. This information can be incorporated into the process when generating and modifying motifs. This enables style transfers or the colouring of images or videos, for example. The user can choose from various AI modes for the text nodes:

• Claude 3 Sonnet
• GPT o4 mini
• Google Gemini 2.0 Flash

To create still images, simply type a prompt into the input field of the image node and start the calculation. Text or other images can also be used as input during this process. Two images with people can be combined to create completely new scenarios. The style option makes it easy to automatically change the result. This creates a great deal of flexibility when working.

The nodes can be quickly duplicated for different variants and the parameters or the AI engine for the calculation can be changed. “Flora Fauna AI” automatically generates variations of an image on request. When calculating the images, the system has support for various AI engines, including

• Flux Dev and Flux Pro 1.1
• Ideaogram 2.0
• Luma Photon
• Recraft V3 Stable Diffusion 3.5

If an existing image is linked to an image node, the context changes. The existing information can optionally be displayed with Google Gemini 2.0 Flash, Flux Canny, Flux Depth and Flux Redux. There is also an option to remove the background. In practice, the user can quickly change the perspective or view with “Gemini 2.0 Flash”, for example. Useful if you need different frames for video production later on.

The production of videos is part of the programme’s range of functions. This can be a simple prompt or you can combine images or descriptions via the node network. Depending on the instructions, the selected AI generates the clips. For the calculation, the user can choose between

• Hailou Minimax
• Kling 2.0 / Kling Pro 1.6 / Kling 1.5
• Luma Ray 2 / Luma Ray 2 Flash
• Pika
• Runway Gen-3 Alpha
• Tencent Hunyan
• Lightricks LTXV
• Google Veo2
• WAN 2.1

Create your own styles

Since the end of March 2025, the available styles for creating images can be expanded with your own entries. To do this, the user uploads a series of 20 to 30 images to “Flora Fauna AI”. Their content determines the new style. Training is started with one click and the style appears in the list after a short time. It is important here not to violate copyrights. The controversy surrounding the “Studio Ghibli” style in images and videos when “OpenAI ChatGPT 4o” was released shows how polarised this topic is.

Conclusion

With “Flora Fauna AI” you get a useful AI workspace for a wide range of tasks. The system can help with the development of designs, storyboards or concepts for games. The node network makes the work flexible and is a great help for the presentation of designs. Thanks to the broad support of various AI systems, there is no need to switch between different offers. The styling allows the generation of completely individualised images and videos. Many tasks can be realised directly in a project. “Flora Fauna AI” also eliminates the need to manage different subscriptions because the service manages the various AI systems under one roof.

Featured image: © Flora Fauna AI

The post AI-Workspace: Flora Fauna first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Jörn-Erik Burkert.

We made an exception for FMX 2023 because “The Beauty“, a somewhat older project from the Animationsinstitut, simply fitted in perfectly with this year’s FMX motto EVOLVING, which deals with sustainability and the environment.

DP: And if we take a look at your FMX time: What was your favourite trailer?
Mario Müller: The great thing about the FMX trailers over the years is the wide range of techniques used. I particularly remember “Globosome” from FMX 2012(is.gd/globosome_fmx – the pictures at the top of the page), “Wrapped” from 2015(is.gd/wrapped_fmx – the pictures at the bottom of the page), and “The Beauty” this year, which is perhaps my overall favourite because of its message and storytelling. If you already like the trailers, the short films they are based on are real revelations
Revelations.

DP: At your first FMX, what were the important themes back then?
Mario Müller: That would be FMX 2012. The topic of the hour was the beginnings of virtual production, which entered the industry with the workflow that had been established for the first Avatar film. Previs, tech-vis, performance capture and virtual camera setups, some with real time feedback, were being used in more and more Tentpole productions, which led to a focal topic with which we tried to bring all aspects and important players to the stage.

DP: And, when FMX takes place, what is the part that you enjoy the most?
Mario Müller: The thing that fascinates me most personally is that the technical, creative and logistical feats that it takes to realise a film with the complexity of today’s blockbusters are performed by completely normal, approachable people that we bring to the stage in the Haus der Wirtschaft in Stuttgart.

The fact that these people are usually pleasant contemporaries in conversation before or after their presentation and are happy to talk to us is the greatest gift for me and for many national and international visitors to FMX.

DP: FMX evolves every year – what are you doing differently this time?
Mario Müller: FMX has evolved every year in small steps to pick up the fans of the established as well as those curious about the changes in the industry in the present and take them into the future.

Since we’ve largely left most of the technical hurdles of photorealism of virtual people, creatures and fantastical scenarios behind us, the question is what the industry’s creatives are – and should be – concerned with. In this respect, more “soft” topics have found their way into FMX in recent years, such as working conditions, diversity and equality, and more general media production topics such as storytelling.

On this basis, it was possible – and important – to make the topic of sustainability in film and media production the main focus of FMX this year. There is a lot to do here, and a lot is already being done. Bringing this together for the FMX audience is the big task for FMX 2023.

And while we’re on the subject of sustainability, we’ve also taken the opportunity to transform FMX into a climate-neutral event. A long road, but one that has already led to certification as a climate-friendly event by the Baden-Württemberg Climate Protection Foundation this year.

DP: Since corona, there has been a hybrid version – how has it been received and will you continue with it in the long term?
Mario Müller: As things stand today, the topic of hybrid and online presence is here to stay as long as there is interest and demand for it. As nice and important as the personal meeting on site in Stuttgart is, the online addition to FMX still enables people in other countries to participate in the content of FMX. This expands the circle of participants and reduces the overall number of journeys to and from FMX, which unfortunately cannot be made without CO2 emissions.

In this respect, the offer of an on-site and an online visit to FMX allows both approaches depending on the personal (also financial) possibilities and the ecological awareness of the participants. In particular, we see the offer of being able to access a large part of the FMX offerings as video on demand for several weeks as a great benefit for all visitor groups, because they can watch many presentations, discussions, masterclasses and more as recordings, which they would otherwise miss due to the large number of lectures taking place at the same time during FMX.

DP: If we look at the “focus topics” of FMX, which ones do you think have been particularly interesting in recent years and which topics were just hypes that have already gone away?
Mario Müller: We don’t look at it from that perspective. Some of the topics and trends that have been discussed at FMX over the years have not, or not yet, become established in the industry and the mainstream. However, the discussion about them, especially within the industry and community, are and remain important opportunities to discuss the pros and cons of the respective buzzwords. Some of the topics that have not yet achieved market penetration are nevertheless relevant because they may lead to other important milestones at a later date.

“THE” buzzword of recent years, metaverse, will sooner or later penetrate not only the market but society as a whole, even if a precise definition is still being discussed and work is still being done on standardisation. Nevertheless, the long-promoted immersion of large sections of society in spatially presented content will take shape, for which some previously discussed and supposedly failed XR topics will find application. In this respect, it was and is important for FMX to address most of these trends and topics.

DP: Let’s unpack the crystal ball: What kind of theme will FMX 2030 have?
Mario Müller: I don’t think we can actually imagine it. Many of the topics that the industry and community are currently researching and working on – not least metaverse and artificial intelligence – will lead to changed platforms, marketing channels and working models that are currently still the subject of visionary or dystopian discussions. For me, it remains exciting that we will be able to discuss this more in terms of content and creativity in the future than purely technical challenges and achievements.

DP: Do you already have plans for the next FMX?
Mario Müller: As I said above, FMX 2024 will focus on developments that are constantly changing work in the media & entertainment industry. Increasingly, these changes must also be viewed critically. It has not yet been decided which of these topics, which are already being discussed today, will be the focus of FMX 2024 (a shortlist already exists). First and foremost, however, we – the organisers, speakers and visitors – want to get involved with FMX 2023, which will take place from 25 April on site in Stuttgart, on 28 April online and until the end of May on demand!

The post Behind the FMX.. first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.