AI in Digital Arts, Game Dev & Entertainment #5

Let's meet again!

NOTE THAT THE DATE HAS CHANGED FROM OCT 1st to OCT 2nd!

Location: Pixel Nexus!

Doors open: 18h (incl. pizzas)
Talks: 19h - 20h30
Networking: 20h30-...

Constrained Creativity in AI-Accelerated Automotive Design
Ruben Verhack (Datameister)

Ruben is an entrepreneur and AI innovator with a double PhD in computer science from Ghent University and TU Berlin. As founder of Datameister, a fast-growing 3D-AI studio, he focuses on bringing cutting-edge AI—spanning computer vision, deep learning, and generative design—into real-world workflows. In this talk, Ruben will explore how custom AI tools can transform automotive design, a domain where current 2D and 3D generative systems often fall short. Drawing on a collaboration with a world-renowned design studio, he will share a novel “inside-out” process that integrates AI directly into creative pipelines. Expect insights on how this approach reduces iteration cycles, frees designers from non-creative work, and leads to designs that balance creativity, manufacturability, and stakeholder needs.

What's new with Generative AI?
Glenn van Waesberghe (DAE Research - Howest University of Applied Sciences)

The Recent SIGGRAPH conference on AI and computer graphics showcased a vast number of new AI tools and techniques that present unique possibilities for creatives. This talk will highlight some of the most innovative new tools presented there, and elsewhere, as well as providing a detailed breakdown of the current state of the art generative 3D and video models.

Optimizing 3D Gaussian Splatting for virtual tours on WebGPU
Fries Boury (Howest Digital Arts & Entertainment)

Fries Boury is a programming lecturer in the Digital Arts & Entertainment program at Howest. In July 2025, he completed his master’s studies with the thesis titled “Optimizing Radiance Field Rendering for Web-based Virtual Tours: A Two-phased Approach.” His research explores the limitations of 3D Gaussian Splatting and introduces targeted optimizations to improve performance in real-time environments—specifically for applications running in the browser. In this talk, Fries shares his approach, key findings, and insights into the challenges and opportunities of bringing radiance field rendering to web-based platforms.