News| Aug 28, 2022

Following the success of last year’s release of ALab, with 4,000 downloads to date, Animal Logic is excited to share the next enhanced iteration of the open-source project.

ALab “Phase 2” provides a view of a full production scene with over 300 production quality assets, two animated characters with looping animation and baked procedural fur and fabric, all provided as a part of the first open-sourced USD shot context from a studio.

“Our first foray into the world of Unreal Engine was a challenge, but we all collaborated and solved any issues together. Our crew were incredible, we’re all so proud of what we’ve achieved.”

David Peers, Director of Unhinged

The new ALab data set inspired the team to begin production on a short film that showcases the beautiful characters, assets, and overall production design. Directed by David Peers and created in Unreal Engine with expert assistance from Mod, real-time studio with specialist Unreal Engine software development and virtual production experience.

“We had a lot of fun working on this beautiful little project with the Animal Logic team.”

Mish Sparks, MOD Business Development Manager

Unhinged follows Goggles and Hinge in the abandoned workshop and provides insight into Animal Logic’s unique style, innovative nature, and playful approach to storytelling.

The wider community can now create their own magic with access to the expanded open-source digital production set, including cameras, lights, and two rigged CG characters, Goggles and her sidekick Hinge. The new release aims to foster further exploration and adoption of the open-source USD ecosystem while promoting the talent at Animal Logic.

ALab has provided an accessible platform for artists and practitioners to develop their individual aesthetics and encourage collaboration across the wider 3D community.

“This asset set provides another key piece in encouraging the wider industry adoption of Pixar’s USD,” said Aidan Sarsfield, Head of Production Technology. “We look forward to seeing it used as an exemplar by individuals, vendors, and studios alike.”

The ALab data set is supplied as three separate downloads: the full production scene, high-quality textures, and baked procedural fur and fabric for the animated characters.

The Animal Logic ALab data set is one of the first digital assets adopted by the Academy Software Foundation’s Digital Production Example Library and is now available to access via animallogic.com/alab.

About Animal Logic Studios

Animal Logic is recognised as one of the world’s leading independent digital production studios, producing award-winning design, visual effects, and animation for over 30 years. With incredible teams across Sydney, Vancouver and Los Angeles, Animal Logic continues to develop strong partnerships with leading filmmakers to produce stories that resonate with a global audience.