BEAR claims to be the most intuitive and easy-to-use rigging tool available, offering production-proven features that streamline the rigging workflow for maximum efficiency and consistency.
According to a report in Indian news outlet, Animation Xpress, Jellyfish is facing financial struggles and has temporarily suspended its global operations.
Programmable Optics for LiDAR and 3D Sensing: How Lumotive’s LCM is Changing the Game
For decades, LiDAR and 3D sensing systems have relied on mechanical mirrors and bulky optics to direct light and measure distance. But at CES 2025, Lumotive unveiled a breakthrough—a semiconductor-based programmable optic that removes the need for moving parts altogether.
The Problem with Traditional LiDAR and Optical Systems
LiDAR and 3D sensing systems work by sending out light and measuring when it returns, creating a precise depth map of the environment. However, traditional systems have relied on physically moving mirrors and lenses, which introduce several limitations:
Size and weight – Bulky components make integration difficult.
Complexity – Mechanical parts are prone to failure and expensive to produce.
Speed limitations – Physical movement slows down scanning and responsiveness.
To bring high-resolution depth sensing to wearables, smart devices, and autonomous systems, a new approach is needed.
Enter the Light Control Metasurface (LCM)
Lumotive’s Light Control Metasurface (LCM) replaces mechanical mirrors with a semiconductor-based optical chip. This allows LiDAR and 3D sensing systems to steer light electronically, just like a processor manages data. The advantages are game-changing:
No moving parts – Increased durability and reliability
Ultra-compact form factor – Fits into small devices and wearables
Real-time reconfigurability – Optics can adapt instantly to changing environments
Energy-efficient scanning – Focuses on relevant areas, saving power
How Does it Work?
LCM technology works by controlling how light is directed using programmable metasurfaces. Unlike traditional optics that require physical movement, Lumotive’s approach enables light to be redirected with software-controlled precision.
This means:
No mechanical delays – Everything happens at electronic speeds.
AI-enhanced tracking – The sensor can focus only on relevant objects.
Scalability – The same technology can be adapted for industrial, automotive, AR/VR, and smart city applications.
Live Demo: Real-Time 3D Sensing
At CES 2025, Lumotive showcased how their LCM-enabled sensor can scan a room in real time, creating an instant 3D point cloud. Unlike traditional LiDAR, which has a fixed scan pattern, this system can dynamically adjust to track people, objects, and even gestures on the fly.
This is a huge leap forward for AI-powered perception systems, allowing cameras and sensors to interpret their environment more intelligently than ever before.
Who Needs This Technology?
Lumotive’s programmable optics have the potential to disrupt multiple industries, including:
Automotive – Advanced LiDAR for autonomous vehicles
Industrial automation – Precision 3D scanning for robotics and smart factories
Smart cities – Real-time monitoring of public spaces
AR/VR/XR – Depth-aware tracking for immersive experiences
The Future of 3D Sensing Starts Here
Lumotive’s Light Control Metasurface represents a fundamental shift in how we think about optics and 3D sensing. By bringing programmability to light steering, it opens up new possibilities for faster, smarter, and more efficient depth-sensing technologies.
With traditional LiDAR now facing a serious challenge, the question is: Who will be the first to integrate programmable optics into their designs?
Petroleum jelly
This crude but reasonably effective technique involves smearing petroleum jelly (“Vaseline”) on a plate of glass in front of the camera lens, also known as vaselensing, then cleaning and reapplying it after each shot — a time-consuming process, but one which creates a blur around the model. This technique was used for the endoskeleton in The Terminator. This process was also employed by Jim Danforth to blur the pterodactyl’s wings in Hammer Films’ When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, and by Randal William Cook on the terror dogs sequence in Ghostbusters.[citation needed]
Bumping the puppet
Gently bumping or flicking the puppet before taking the frame will produce a slight blur; however, care must be taken when doing this that the puppet does not move too much or that one does not bump or move props or set pieces.
Moving the table
Moving the table on which the model is standing while the film is being exposed creates a slight, realistic blur. This technique was developed by Ladislas Starevich: when the characters ran, he moved the set in the opposite direction. This is seen in The Little Parade when the ballerina is chased by the devil. Starevich also used this technique on his films The Eyes of the Dragon, The Magical Clock and The Mascot. Aardman Animations used this for the train chase in The Wrong Trousers and again during the lorry chase in A Close Shave. In both cases the cameras were moved physically during a 1-2 second exposure. The technique was revived for the full-length Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
Go motion
The most sophisticated technique was originally developed for the film The Empire Strikes Back and used for some shots of the tauntauns and was later used on films like Dragonslayer and is quite different from traditional stop motion. The model is essentially a rod puppet. The rods are attached to motors which are linked to a computer that can record the movements as the model is traditionally animated. When enough movements have been made, the model is reset to its original position, the camera rolls and the model is moved across the table. Because the model is moving during shots, motion blur is created.
A variation of go motion was used in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial to partially animate the children on their bicycles.
