Animaxar Studio

Gears of War: E-Day Pushes Animation and Destruction Further with Unreal Engine 5

The Coalition has shared new details on how Unreal Engine 5 is being used to build Gears of War: E-Day, the first mainline entry in the series developed entirely with UE5.

The studio is using the engine not only to increase visual detail, but to rebuild several parts of its production pipeline around the needs of the new game. Nanite allows the team to work with film-quality assets and significantly denser environments, while Lumen and MegaLights support dynamic lighting across heavily damaged urban spaces.

Destruction is also a larger part of the environments and combat. The game features destructible spaces alongside semi-open city blocks, allowing environmental damage to become part of both the visual presentation and gameplay.

Animation has also been updated while preserving the weight and physicality associated with the original Gears games. The Coalition is combining modern movement systems with the series’ cover-based combat, while Unreal Engine’s tools are being used across gameplay animation, cinematics and character presentation.

The studio’s goal is to return to the darker atmosphere of the original game while rebuilding its environments, lighting, animation and gameplay systems for current hardware.

Gears of War: E-Day is being developed by The Coalition for Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Source: Unreal Engine / The Coalition

Project Maya Brings Together 30 Indian Animators for a New Short-Form Anime Series

Canvas is preparing to launch Project Maya, a new original short-form anime series created by a team of 30 Indian animators and creators.

The Hindi-language production has been in development for 12 months and is being created by Otaku Bharat, a studio focused on developing original short-form anime around Indian stories, characters and settings. The series has been designed specifically for mobile viewing, with its story divided into short episodes.

Project Maya explores the idea of freedom across different generations, comparing what independence represented in India nearly a century ago with how younger people understand it today. Its characters, environments and cultural references are rooted in India rather than adapting an existing Japanese property.

Voice actor Sanket Mhatre is part of the production, while former Netflix Head of Anime Rob Pereyda is involved as executive producer. According to Canvas, the production team spent nearly a year developing the visual world and story rather than simply placing Indian characters and locations within an established anime format.

The series will debut in Hindi on the Canvas app during the first week of October. English and additional regional-language versions are planned afterward.

Source: AnimationXpress / Canvas / Otaku Bharat

FluidNinja LIVE-2 Expands Real-Time Fluid Simulation in Unreal Engine 5

András Ketzer has introduced FluidNinja LIVE-2, a new generation of his real-time fluid simulation system for Unreal Engine 5 following roughly three years of development.

Rather than being a direct update to LIVE-1, LIVE-2 has been rebuilt as a separate system with an expanded feature set. Its architecture relies primarily on Unreal Engine’s Niagara framework and is wrapped in Blueprints, moving away from the C++-based approach used in the previous generation.

Recent demonstrations show the system handling different types of real-time fluid effects, including viscous materials such as mud, along with water behavior and destructible effects. Previous development tests have also demonstrated interactions such as water filling available spaces and being displaced by objects.

FluidNinja is designed for effects that need to react inside real-time environments rather than relying entirely on pre-rendered simulation. Earlier versions of the technology have been used in productions including Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Dune: Awakening, The Callisto Protocol and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered.

A playable LIVE-2 demo is currently available for testing, while the Unreal project is also being shared with the FluidNinja community.

Source: 80 Level / András Ketzer / FluidNinja

Japanese Independent Animators Take the Spotlight at OIAF 2026

A dedicated program exploring the international future of Japanese independent animation takes place at the Ottawa International Animation Festival on September 27.

“New Way, New World: Connecting Japanese Animators to the World” focuses on independent short-animation creators from Japan and the opportunities available for their work beyond the domestic market.

The session forms part of NeW NeW, a Japanese initiative created to support short-animation filmmakers with international potential. The program provides support spanning artist development and opportunities to introduce their work to audiences and industry professionals outside Japan.

Rather than focusing on the country’s established commercial anime studios, the initiative works with independent filmmakers developing their own visual languages, production approaches and original short-form projects.

The OIAF program places that work within a wider discussion about how emerging Japanese animators can connect with international festivals, audiences and professional opportunities.

The session takes place at Arts Court Theatre in Ottawa on September 27 as part of the final day of OIAF 2026.

Source: Ottawa International Animation Festival / New Way, New World

VISION Forum 2026 Explores AI, Gaussian Splatting and the Future of VFX Pipelines

The VISION Annual Forum takes place in Montreal on September 26, bringing researchers and industry professionals together to discuss technologies being developed for visual effects and animation production.

This year’s program focuses on several areas currently affecting CG and VFX pipelines, including 3D Gaussian Splatting, machine learning and the changing role of AI in film production.

One industry panel examines Gaussian Splatting and its current applications. The technique represents complex scenes using collections of 3D Gaussian primitives and has attracted attention as an alternative approach to reconstructing and rendering captured environments.

A separate discussion looks at the practical use of AI in VFX and film, including both its advantages and the costs or limitations involved in integrating machine-learning systems into production.

The program also includes a panel dedicated to the future evolution of VFX and film pipelines, alongside research presentations covering neural rendering, dynamic object models, simulation, texturing and geometry processing.

Participants include professionals and researchers from Autodesk Media & Entertainment, the National Film Board of Canada and Canadian universities.

VISION Forum 2026 takes place at École de technologie supérieure in Montreal and is also available online.

Source: VISION / ÉTS / Carleton University

Alberta Game Jam 2026 Brings Developers Together for 48 Hours of Game Creation

Alberta Game Jam begins on September 25, bringing game developers together across Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge, with remote participation also available.

The annual event gives participants 48 hours to create a new game around a secret theme revealed at the start of the jam. Developers can work on digital or tabletop projects, with teams bringing together different disciplines including programming, game design, 2D and 3D art, animation, audio and writing.

Participants can arrive with an existing team or form one after the theme is announced. Teams are limited to 10 members, although solo development is also allowed.

The format is designed around rapid production: teams have to move from an initial concept through design, asset creation, development and testing within a single weekend. For newer developers, the event also provides an opportunity to work through a complete development cycle and create material that can later become part of a portfolio.

All projects must be submitted at the end of the 48-hour development period, followed by presentations where teams show what they created and discuss their experience.

Alberta Game Jam 2026 runs from September 25 to 27.

Source: Alberta Game Jam / Alberta Makes Games

Framestore Brings VFX, Real-Time Technology and Immersive Entertainment Together in London

Framestore is hosting “Step Inside the Story” in London on September 24, bringing together specialists from VFX, real-time technology, location-based entertainment and experiential production.

The event focuses on how entertainment is being developed for spaces and formats beyond traditional cinema and television, where digital environments, real-time tools and physical venues become part of the audience experience.

Framestore’s Theo Jones will open the program with a presentation on how the studio is using AI across its business. The following panel brings together Julian Randall, Director of Business Development & Strategy at Epic Games; Eugénie von Tunzelmann, VFX Supervisor at Framestore; Andy Merkin, Senior Director of Entertainment Productions at Cosm; and Bowie Faas, Principal Creative Producer at Walt Disney Imagineering.

The discussion will cover the development of immersive entertainment and the production challenges involved in creating experiences that combine storytelling, technology and physical environments.

For studios working across VFX and real-time production, the event brings several parts of that pipeline into the same conversation — from visual effects and interactive technology to large-scale experiential content.

“Step Inside the Story” takes place at Framestore in London on September 24.

Source: Framestore

Ottawa International Animation Festival Opens Its 50th Edition

The Ottawa International Animation Festival begins its 50th edition on September 23, marking five decades of showcasing independent and professional animation from Canada and around the world.

Running through September 27, the festival brings together animators, filmmakers, studios, producers and students for five days of screenings, competitions, talks and industry-focused events across downtown Ottawa.

The program includes animated shorts and feature films selected for the Official Competition, alongside special screenings and presentations covering different approaches to contemporary animation. The festival receives more than 2,000 submissions each year, with selected projects representing a wide range of techniques, visual styles and production backgrounds.

The 50th edition also features the first all-Canadian competition jury in the festival’s history. Events are taking place at several Ottawa venues, including Arts Court, the National Gallery of Canada, ByTowne Cinema and the National Arts Centre.

Beyond screenings, OIAF continues to serve as a meeting point for the animation industry, with professional programming connecting artists, studios and emerging creators throughout the festival.

The Ottawa International Animation Festival runs from September 23 to 27.

Source: Ottawa International Animation Festival

How Studio Orange Makes 3D Animation Look Like 2D Anime

A new production breakdown explores how Studio Orange builds its distinctive anime style by combining 3D production with techniques associated with traditional 2D animation.

The Japanese CG studio is known for projects including BEASTARS, TRIGUN STAMPEDE and Land of the Lustrous. Rather than aiming for conventional photorealistic CG, Orange has developed workflows designed to preserve the graphic qualities, timing and visual language associated with hand-drawn anime.

The breakdown looks at how the studio combines 2D and 3D workflows, traditional 2D anime key-frame drawing and algorithmic camera technology. These elements allow artists to work with the flexibility of 3D characters and environments while controlling the final image so it remains visually connected to Japanese 2D animation.

Orange has continued refining this approach across different productions. TRIGUN STAMPEDE, for example, lists dedicated CG direction, VFX art direction, character design, set design and special-effects design teams alongside the wider animation staff, illustrating how the studio’s CG pipeline brings together several specialized disciplines rather than treating 3D as a separate visual layer.

The newly published breakdown offers a closer look at how those production choices contribute to Orange’s recognizable cel-like 3D animation.

Source: 80 Level / Studio Orange

Houdini HIVE Equinox 2026 Kicks Off in Toronto

SideFX begins Houdini HIVE Equinox 2026 in Toronto on September 21 with a Toronto Houdini User Group kickoff, followed by two days of workshops, technical presentations and production-focused sessions.

The event brings together Houdini artists, technical directors and VFX professionals to discuss workflows used across procedural production, simulation, visual effects and machine learning. The program combines practical training with presentations showing how Houdini is being used on current film and television projects.

Among the production sessions, Rodeo FX will present its work on fire simulation for the Battle of Tumbleton in House of the Dragon Season 3. Rocket Science VFX will also discuss effects created for Wednesday Season 2, giving attendees a closer look at Houdini workflows used in episodic VFX production.

The technical program extends beyond individual projects. SideFX sessions cover procedural tools from SideFX Labs, crowd workflows and machine learning, including the use of ONNX inside Houdini. Workshops range from introductory Houdini training to more specialized techniques for artists already working with procedural systems.

The September 21 kickoff opens the event, while the main Houdini HIVE Equinox program runs September 22–23 at One King West in Toronto.

Source: SideFX