XR AI Spotlight

Today’s guest is Max Van Leeuwen, he is a digital creator known for his innovative work in augmented reality and more specifically Lens Studio. We discuss Max's creative journey, the importance of storytelling in AR projects, and the technical challenges faced when developing for Spectacles. The conversation also explores hand tracking, the role of mobile devices in AR experiences, and how to get started with Lens Studio. Max shares insights on integrating AI into AR and emphasises the need for developers to engage with the platform to drive future innovation. Special thanks to PopulAR for “nudging” Max under the spotlight. PopulAR is a strategic consulting company focusing on the adoption of Virtual World technologies through content-focused lenses and empowering industry authors.
Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/
***
CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST
⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠
 
***
CONNECT WITH ME
🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠
💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
 
***
PAST EPISODES
🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠
🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

In this conversation, Andy Baker, lead developer at OpenBrush, and Sutu, a renowned digital artist, discuss the evolution of OpenBrush, a powerful VR creative tool. They explore its features, the experiences of artists using it, and the collaborative workflows it enables. The discussion also covers the importance of publishing and sharing creations, the future of VR as a creative medium, and the potential for community engagement. The guests emphasise the accessibility of VR and the transformative power of creating in 3D.

Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter 👉 https://xraispotlight.substack.com/
***
CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST
⁠💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Andy
💼 Linkedin Sutu⁠🔗 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠
 
***
CONNECT WITH ME
🐤⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠
💼 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link-in Bio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
 
***
PAST EPISODES
🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Website⁠⁠⁠⁠
🟢 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
🍎⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast

James C. Kane is a Webby-winning developer and emerging tech artist pushing the boundaries of what #WebXR can do. We unpack how he builds narrative-first immersive experiences that grab attention in the first seconds, from establishing shots and pacing, to sound design, voice acting, and careful onboarding. James breaks down how he chooses between engines like Wonderland, PlayCanvas, and SparkJS and how he built and published his #GaussianSplatting based web game called “The Shadow of the Czar”. We also go deep on distribution, why discovery is still the hardest part of web games, and how sponsorships, platform relationships, and niche audiences shape what gets made.
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

Giorgio Ballestin is a Technical Product Manager and XR specialist at MARIN, the Netherlands’ maritime research institute, where he owns the XR development roadmap and helps shape long-term simulation and digital twin capabilities. In this episode, we unpack how MARIN’s ship handling simulators evolved from large CAVE and motion-platform bridge systems into hybrid setups that add VR for deck-level and off-bridge operations. Giorgio explains why VR adoption is slower than it looks on paper, including cybersickness, interaction design, and the lack of industry standards. You will learn how MARIN combines in-house hydrodynamics models with Unreal Engine visualization, where high fidelity matters and where it does not, and how multi-user scenarios are orchestrated by instructors and researchers. We also cover security constraints, local-first stacks, and why physical props and tracking often beat camera-based mixed reality.
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

A single Cascadeur post on X triggered an uproar on social media. From excitement to hatred, the community of professionals and creatives voiced their feelings, asked legitimate questions and tried to understand how AI is reshaping the work of animators. To answer these questions, I talked with Alexander Grishanin, CTO of Cascadeur, who explains how Cascadeur defines AI versus machine learning, what is the state of the art when it comes to “procedural motion”, the ethical implications around training data and the impact AI is having on professional animation workflows.
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