Using Virtual Production for visualization in Unreal Engine is one of the key demos from Epic Games presence at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, taking place June 11-17, in France.

A celebration of the animation community, the Annecy International Animation Festival, every year, inspires, and rocks the world to the rhythm of animation by highlighting the creative dynamism and richness this sector represents. From exclusive presentations of the latest animated works to demonstrations of the latest and future trends, via meetings with seasoned directors and emerging talents, the Festival is the place for the public to see what’s new and the event to go to see what’s on the horizon for creators.

For an entire week, the event gathers together the biggest names in the sector and celebrates the creative and diverse animation styles and techniques. It all started back in the 1960s, and the economic dimension of the event continued to grow as well as the importance of the event. The Annecy International Animation Film Festival celebrated its 50 years of existence as a mature festival in 2010.

Animation has changed drastically in recent years, and for this edition of the festival Epic Games has a series of live demonstrations of MetaHuman Animator and of the latest Unreal Engine advancements via the Electric Dreams proof-of-concept short and real-time demo, in addition to customer presentations from Praxinos, Kitestring, ICVR, Omen Studios and Ynput in the Epic Booth (#A.09).

Featured in-booth demos will include:

• Using Virtual Production for Visualization in Unreal Engine – showcasing virtual camera and performance capture in Unreal engine
• Animating in Unreal Engine – animation principles plus advanced workflows for animators learning Unreal Engine
• VR Puppeteering – bring your traditional craft to the virtual world with Unreal Engine

Festival attendees can also check out multiple panels showcasing Unreal Engine technology, projects and talent. Here are some of the suggestions, but be sure to check online, for the whole program, as there is more from Epic Games than just the panels and demonstrations here:

“Short but Epic” June 15, 11:15-12:30 at L’Imperial Palace, Salle de la Rotonde:

Over the last several years, Epic has supported a portfolio of short animated projects with some of the most exciting names working in animation. Putting real time Unreal Engine technology & tools in the hands of these storytellers has not only produced great work, it’s bringing ground breaking opportunities to the industry. This conversation will be moderated by Epic Games’ Karen Dufilho, Executive Producer of Partner Content. Panelists include: Alan Barillaro, Executive Producer and Creative Director, Passion Pictures, Hannah Wahlers, Lead Unreal Artist, Passion Pictures, Brad Booker & Dave Mullins, Co-Founders, Electroleague, Marc Craste, Director, Co-Founder of Studio AKA and Miguel Ortega & Tran Ma, Directors of “The Voice in the Hollow”.

“Future of Animation” June 14, 11:00-12:30 at L’Imperial Palace, Europe Room:

Leading industry professionals share their vision on how and which new technologies will shape the future of animation in a conversation moderated by producer Sylvain Grain with panelists that include Epic Games’ Karen Dufilho, Mark Flanagan, Learning and Development Manager at Animal Logic (Australia), Lotte Kronborg Thomsen, Head of Studies at The Animation Workshop (Denmark) and Angélica Lares, Executive Director & Production Manager at Taller de Chucho (Mexico)

“The Art of Finding Your Dream Job” June 13, 2:30-3:45 at Mifa Campus, Room #1

Stephanie Hayot, BD at ArtStation will moderate a panel featuring Joan DaSilva (Epic), Tran Ma (Artist, Educator), Hsiang Chin Moe (SVA, Animation Chair) and Stéphane Biava (Proj Production), as they share their personal experiences and insights on how to successfully navigate the journey from student to professional. Students will discover tips and tricks that will help them embark on this exciting new chapter of their life.

Whether or not you’ll be attending Annecy this year, stay up to date on the latest animation news from Unreal Engine online.