NeRFs are starting to get more and more attention. And with that comes more demands from creators to use them. We now have one of the first larger companies, Shutterstock, announcing their intention to move into NeRFs.
Shutterstock Boosts 3D AI Capabilities with New Innovative Partnerships
LOS ANGELES - In a recent announcement at SIGGRAPH 2023, the 50th Annual International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, Shutterstock (NYSE: SSTK) has taken a monumental leap into the next frontier of 3D AI technology. The global creative powerhouse is collaborating with three pioneers in neural radiance fields (NeRF) technology: Luma Labs AI, RECON Labs, and Volinga AI. With Luma and Recon Labs, Shutterstock intends to leverage the companies digital assets for commercial licensing.
Dade Orgeron, Vice President of Innovation at Shutterstock/Turbosquid, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “We are embarking on an exciting journey to harness the latest 3D AI technology with the brightest minds in creative production.”
Shutterstock declares their “mission at Shutterstock is to be every storyteller’s superpower by providing world class content, tools, and services to effortlessly turn any idea into amazing. With AI-generated content, we believe creators and businesses everywhere can push the limits of creativity and scale their content faster and smarter. We’re committed to unlocking this opportunity for our customers but want to do so in an ethically responsible way.”
It’s easy to see why NeRFs are on Shutterstock’s radar as they directly correlate with their mission statement. NeRFs allow storytellers to have a new gateway to take moments in time and locations, to tell more stories. By partnering with Luma and announcing their intention to work with Volinga, both of which plug into Unreal Engine 5, people will be able to start filming in locations that perhaps are not accessible to them otherwise.
A Revolution in 3D Creation
Traditionally, crafting 3D scenes is a labor-intensive process, often taking several hours or even days. With the introduction of NeRFs, people can convert 2D videos into photorealistic 3D scenes within mere minutes. This transformative technology harnesses the power of advanced machine learning and computer vision, making the creation process both swift and stunningly realistic.
Orgeron emphasized the technology’s potential, saying, “NeRF technology allows creators to produce 3D content using tools they’re familiar with—their cameras. This will significantly change the content creation landscape.” Orgeron is correct. Creating photo realistic 3D moments in time has never been easier than creating with NeRFs and is open to anyone with any camera.
Luma AI, often recognized as a leading company in NeRF research and platform, aims to make Hollywood-quality 3D universally accessible. Amit Jain, CEO of Luma, remarked, “Real-time, lifelike 3D scenes are now available to all, thanks to Luma. Teaming up with Shutterstock will allow us to deliver our best-in-class 3D generative platform to a broader audience.”
A Network of On-Demand 3D Environments
Shutterstock’s collaboration extends to Volinga AI, which offers the .NVOL file, which also plugs into Unreal Engine 5. A key part of this partnership involves developing an NVOL library, a goldmine of high-quality content for Volinga users. “This library of production-ready NVOL assets will allow our users to start experimenting and using NeRF in their volumes straight away, lowering the entry barrier for this technology”, commented Fernando Rivas-Manzaneque, Co-Founder of Volinga AI.
Setting Standards in NeRF Technology
Under TurboSquid Labs, Shutterstock plans to roll out its inaugural Virtual Locations product, offering complete NeRF environments ready for production. In tandem with its partners, Shutterstock will focus on developing best practices for capturing the highest-quality NeRFs.
At this past SIGGRAPH, I had the chance to dive into some of the assets, provided by Studio Lab’s Ian Messina. There were roughly 6 different scenes that I could explore and insert into Unreal Engine to explore, with more to come.
This partnership adds to a string of initiatives by Shutterstock to champion ethical and responsible AI in the creative domain. With its recent inclusion in the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), Shutterstock underscores its commitment to providing verifiable, tamper-evident information across its content spectrum.
We are continuing to see a world that is beginning to embrace NeRFs more and implement them across product offerings. While entertainment and production appears to be getting disrupted first, I think it is overwhelmingly likely that the industries affected by NeRFs continues to snowball.
