🎙️ Generative AI for 3D Worlds with Atlas CEO Ben James

Gaming x AI: Atlas enables 3D models to be developed 200X faster and cheaper!

Look for a new interview every week discussing current and relevant game industry development topics!

This week, we continue with the Gaming x AI trend and speak to Ben James, CEO of Atlas, applying generative AI to create 3D worlds dramatically faster and cheaper than existing methods.

More and more opportunities seem to emerge for applying AI technology to gaming, and we’ll keep you updated.

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Anchor ← Subscribe now!

Speakers:

• Ben James. CEO at Atlas.

• Joseph Kim. CEO at Lila Games.

Ben James brings a unique perspective with a background in architecture to the intersection of generative design and technology applied to building 3D worlds.

This podcast almost didn’t happen. Ben and I connected on a call, and I was not expecting to record when we first talked. Life is short, and we decided to record on the spot without preparation, and I’m so glad we did.

I really could not believe what I was hearing. You should listen to this podcast and hear the potential implications. If this is real, the impact on game development could be massive.

Keep watching Gaming x AI people; this will be a major theme for all of us for at least the next decade!

🔑 Key Takeaways

1. Atlas’ Vision: Atlas specializes in transforming 2D images, like concept art or mood boards, into diverse, eclectic 3D models for gaming worlds. A user inputs 2D reference images in a specific art style, and models are dynamically created in a game engine like Unity or Unreal. They leverage their custom tech stack to understand and recreate the style and aesthetics of the original images. They can produce 3D models at a massive scale and dynamically change art style.

2. Efficiency and Scale: Atlas' technology significantly accelerates the creation process of 3D assets, evidenced by a pilot they recently completed that generated 20,000 unique buildings for a VR game 200x faster than traditional methods, highlighting potential time and cost savings for game developers.

3. Game Concept Testing: To date, most of the applications have focused on early game concept testing. Using sketches to get a visceral feeling of 3D worlds in different art styles and quickly iterating on game world layouts and styles has been a primary application. Production usage of the 3D models is possible but still being worked on.

4. Future of Game Development: We discuss the potential for Atlas technology to do the work of human level and map designers. Ben James feels this will happen but that we should not fear this outcome. Ben feels their technology will augment rather than replace human creativity.

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See you next week!