Kaedim

“Be open to everything… don’t immediately discount things just because you don’t know it.” We recently sat down with John Lee, who’s spent over 30 years in animation working on iconic films like Hercules, Cars, WALL-E, and more. In this episode, we talk about: • What it was like working across both hand-drawn and 3D animation • How films like WALL-E were actually made • The evolution of animation pipelines over the last three decades • Why new technologies (including AI) are often misunderstood at first A thoughtful conversation on craft, change, and staying adaptable in a fast-moving industry. 🎧 Watch here: https://lnkd.in/di4-zNxH

“Most people are learning the wrong things.” Our key takeaway from Tyler Fermelis (Creative Director @ Kaedim, ex Laika, Zynga, Netflix). 🐧 From Marvel Heroes to Happy Feet and Spider-Man 3, to stop-motion films like Missing Link and Wendell & Wild—his career spans 20+ years across games, film, and now AI. His edge is simple: → Learn how to learn Tools change. Industries shift. Your ability to learn fast is what compounds. “No pain, no growth, no beauty.” In the age of AI, the winners won’t just use better tools—they’ll learn faster. 🎧 Full episode: https://lnkd.in/dW_fCJND

After 7+ years in mobile games, he walked away — to build the kind of game he actually wanted to make. In this episode, we sat down with Damià Ferràndiz — Creative Lead at UNIVRSE (immersive VR experiences) and former Lead Narrative Designer at GameHouse, where he spent 7+ years building story-driven games. We talk about: 📖 Why game narratives start from the ending 🖊️ Breaking into writing in games (from Barcelona, non-native English) ❗ What changes when you lead a writers’ room 🎨 How he thinks about using AI in creative work One of our favorite takeaways: 👉 “What I want are very good ideas that are rough… what I don’t want is a very polished idea that’s not very good.” If you’re in games or storytelling — take a listen. 🎧 Full episode: https://lnkd.in/gt2-S6AU #GameDev #NarrativeDesign #Storytelling #IndieGames #VR

Our #GDC2026 highlights: • handed out 3,000+ donuts 🍩 🚚 (yes, our team packed every single one) • electrolyte goodie bags to keep everyone functioning past day 2 ⚡ • Game Leaders happy hour with some of the best in the industry 🍸 • 3D art + indie games showcase featuring great games, a lot of pizza, and very serious playtesting 🍕 🎮 Somewhere between the sugar rush and GDC exhaustion, we also talked a lot about AI + 3D... Thanks to everyone who stopped by — for the conversations, the ideas, and of course, the donuts 🍩 See you next year (we’ll bring more donuts! 🤭)  #games #gamedev #3d #ai

Today is a big milestone for Kaedim. For the past five years, the 3D AI tools powering our internal 100+ artists have been evolving quietly behind the scenes... We've been building AI for accelerating 3D workflows for the better part of a decade, and we are now launching part of our tool suite as a 3D AI co-pilot available to 3D creators everywhere. We’re excited to officially launch Secret Sauce 3D — we are live today on Product Hunt. Secret Sauce 3D is built differently. Instead of generating a “final” mesh that creates more cleanup than value (we’ve all been there…), it acts as an AI co-pilot inside a real production workflow: • High-poly foundations • Geometry optimization • UVs • Texture bases • PBR texturing Every output is editable. Every stage is usable. Every step is designed to fit into real pipelines. You still need 3D skills. That’s intentional. We’re not replacing artists — we’re reducing friction so your time goes into improving your work, not recreating base geometry. Since our soft launch, we’ve been shipping updates multiple times a week — and we’re just getting started. The feedback from artists outside our team has been incredible, and it’s shaping the product in real time. If you’re a 3D artist, we’d love for you to try it, push it, break it — and tell us what’s missing. And if you want to support us, check us out on Product Hunt (link in comments). Thank you to everyone who helped us reach this point! Onwards 🚀 Made for 3D artists, by 3D artists.

“I don't think that there's a way back." Pamella Pesareli, Sr. Producer @ Scopely (ex-DNEG, Scanline VFX), sees AI as a turning point - and a call for creatives to experiment, adapt, and rethink how they work. In this episode, Pamella shares her journey from 3D artist to leading global VFX productions — managing tight deadlines, cross-continent teams, and complex pipelines. We also dive into: 👩🎨 The shift from hands-on 3D to production leadership 🚀 How large-scale VFX teams stay aligned 🖌️ What AI is changing (and what it isn’t) in creative workflows If you're a producer or 3D artist thinking about the bigger picture behind the pipeline, this one’s for you. What new tool has changed your production process the most this year? 🎧 Full episode: https://lnkd.in/gneSTFUH #VFX #3DArt #Production #CGI #Film #GameDev #AI

“AI simulates thinking, but it doesn’t think.” Aa an Art Director and former Vehicle Lead on Asphalt 8 & 9, Damiano De Cataldo, MBA (prev. Vehicle Lead @ Gameloft) shares his perspective on the real role of AI in game production. From leading AAA racing titles to restructuring art teams and testing 3D AI tools in production, Damiano explores: 🛠️ The difference between cool outputs and actually usable assets 🎨 Why pipelines, not creativity, are often the real bottleneck 🎖️ How good leadership matters more than ever in the AI era Are we using AI to execute our vision — or letting it define it for us? 🎧 New episode: https://lnkd.in/g3jAgsHT

“They’re not making games worth switching to.” - Fraser Clark (Lead Game Designer @ Sandsoft, ex Ubisoft, Socialpoint) on why most new mobile games fail. 🎮 ⛔ In today’s saturated market, players aren’t deciding in a vacuum. They’re comparing your game to titles they’ve already invested time, money, and community into. Incremental innovation isn’t enough. In this conversation with Fraser, we explore: 📉 Why “80% proven” strategies are losing effectiveness 🔥 Creative risk vs. saturation risk 👾 What actually makes a game worth switching to For anyone working in mobile games, product, or game design, this is an important perspective shift. 🎧 Full episode: https://lnkd.in/gdjGwTry #gamedesign #gamedev #ai

Andy McNamara (Generative AI Lead at Cinesite) on today's generative AI: "It's just too much like a slot machine at the moment." 🎰 Spending over 30 years in VFX and film, he's worked on projects like Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Witcher (s3), and many more. Today, he leads TechX, Cinesite’s internal R&D unit testing and validating where generative AI genuinely fits — and where it doesn’t. What needs to change before generative AI is truly production-ready? 🎧 Full episode: https://lnkd.in/gmSmGjFq