Hearing Shutterstocks’ Dade Orgeron, VP of Innovation, say AI could ‘disappear into the background’ in 2025 as it becomes genuinely useful is a refreshing message as we begin the new year.
Reflecting on AI, one of the biggest 3D art trends for this year, it would be easy to pick up where 2024 left off and feel despondent, but maybe this is the year when AI art tools become just that, tools for artists
I caught up with three pros working in the 3D art industry, from Shutterstock, Leica Geosystems and VFX studio Whiskytree to hear what they think 2025 will see and how things will change.
Below you can read their thoughts, but first Dade puts 2025 into context against 2025, saying the 3D industry reached a “pivotal moment” in 2024, “as generative AI began transitioning from experimental technology to practical tools”.
New AI tools can now generate 3D models, textures and even saw how Tencent’s GameGen-O could create entire environments from simple prompts. Dade also highlights how 2024 saw the rise in Neural radiance fields (NeRFs), a game-changing technology for capturing and reconstructing realistic 3D environments from 2D data. “Their integration into virtual production and XR applications set a strong foundation for broader adoption in 2025, where I expect the tools that enable radiance fields to become even more accessible and user-friendly next year,” says Dade.
Reflecting on 2024, Whiskytree’s Brian Meanley says it’s been a “transformative year for the VFX industry” with AI dominating conversations and workflows. He adds, “These technologies have introduced notable efficiencies, particularly in areas like asset generation and animation, but the rapid pace of development has left many evaluating how best to integrate them thoughtfully – balancing innovation with maintaining artistic integrity.”
Getting away from AI, Andy Fontana, Technical Product Specialist at Leica Geosystems reveals how the use of LiDAR technology had increased in 2024, for virtual productions and LED walls. “Studios are under pressure to find new ways to get the most out of their productions and think outside the box,” says Andy. “We’ve seen some amazing teams build creative workflows and pipelines with LiDAR data to position individual LED walls and create coordinate systems for camera tracking equipment to produce the most accurate visual possible for the camera pose.”
Against the background of dramatic change in 2024, including the rise of AI art technologies, leading to Adobe setting out its approach to AI and copyrights, the three experts I speak to highlight the changes coming in 2025 below – and there are plenty of positives to start the year off with.
Brian Meanley, VFX Supervisor, Whiskytree
“AI tools and workflows will likely remain central to conversations among VFX artists and studios. The key will be to leverage these tools to solve creative and technical challenges, streamline workflows, and enhance efficiency – without replacing the artistry and craftsmanship that define VFX.
“While generative AI for final-pixel image and video production is gaining the most attention, other advancements, such as AI-driven motion capture and procedural environment generation, offer exciting opportunities to improve production processes and push creative boundaries.
“As these tools evolve, it will be crucial to use AI ethically – respecting artists’ contributions, ensuring originality, and avoiding over-reliance on automation to preserve the integrity of the craft.”
Visit Whiskytree for the latest on what this VFX studio is doing (previous credits include Andor, The Bubble and Rogue One).
Dade Orgeron, VP of Innovation, Shutterstock
“I expect to see an evolution of trends that began in 2024 as generative AI tools evolve from promising concepts into robust, professional-grade solutions – even disappearing into the background in some cases. In a small way, generative AI has already begun automating tasks like modelling, texturing, and rigging. Still, I expect the coming year will bring more refined, reliable, and deeply integrated tools into professional pipelines.
“At the same time, I still hope we may see a rise in cloud-based platforms that foster seamless collaboration across globally distributed teams, enable real-time co-creation of 3D content, and potentially leverage AI to enhance artists’ and developers’ workflows and bridge creative gaps.
“Together, the evolution of generative AI and collaborative technologies should empower artists and studios to iterate more quickly, experiment creatively, and produce high-quality work with far less time and effort.”
Visit the Shutterstock website to try out the latest AI art tools.
Andy Fontana, Technical Product Specialist, Leica Geosystems
“We’ve seen a growing demand for creating digital twins and realism in environment capture. There has been a high interest in NeRFs and Gaussian splat creation to make environments easier to capture and process into high-quality visuals.
“The current end-result quality of NeRFs and Gaussian splats is not quite there for most use cases, but the technology is improving extremely fast as more teams develop new processing methods and algorithms. Using LiDAR, NeRFs and Gaussian splats have more ability to become photoreal.”
Visit the Leica Geosystems website for the latest laser scanners.
Read our guides to the best 3D modelling software and the best laptops for 3D modelling to get ahead in 2025.