OpenAI Sora Copyright ⚖️, Unity IL2CPP Boost 🚀, UE5.6 Real-Time 🎬, Blender Crowds 🧑🤝🧑
Indie Real-Time Spotlights 🎮
Proving It’s Not AI: Dev Shares Godot BTS to Quell Doubts
With AI muddying authorship, low-poly art often gets mislabeled as machine-made. After skepticism hit Guselect’s tribute to a hit indie, the dev posted a Godot behind-the-scenes clip and a detailed devlog to show it’s hand-crafted. The piece links to a broader community response against viral AI “concepts” and spotlights the resurfaced Project Shadowglass. Takeaway: transparency and process documentation build trust.
From Rig to Render: How A-COM Built a Real-Time Short in UE5.6
Agora Studio breaks down the A-COM Beta Intro—a full real-time animation pipeline built entirely in Unreal Engine 5.6. Explore clean project organization, Sequencer setup, and render queue options, plus why they mix live control rigs with baked animations for speed. Learn per-shot lighting with a BP Light Manager and hybrid VFX using 2D overlays, Niagara, and Blueprint lasers. The downloadable sample includes hero rigs, props, and a handheld-ready camera rig.
Blender & Unity Power-Ups ⚙️
iCrowds Brings Needs‑Based AI and Huge Crowds to Blender
The creators of iCity have launched iCrowds, a Blender add-on built for massive, intelligent crowd simulation in archviz, games, and cinematics. Seven specialized systems spawn thousands of agents that navigate dynamically and respond to hunger, sleep, fun, and restroom needs. Real-time debugging tools make behavior tuning fast, while 10 ready-made high/low-poly characters and deep outfit customization speed iteration. Designed to work alongside iCity, it streamlines building believable, bustling city scenes.
cpp2better: Post-Processing Boosts for Unity IL2CPP Performance
cpp2better is a build-time tool that optimizes IL2CPP-generated C++ to improve CPU performance—no code changes required. Designed for clean, non-incremental builds on your CI, it’s a simple opt-in via a config file and easy to remove. Results vary by project, with the best gains on large, already-optimized codebases (DOTS/Burst, size-conscious). Supports Unity 2022 LTS+ across PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch 2, Android, and iOS, with trial access before licensing.
AI, Rights, and Rendering Basics 🤖📚
Japan’s CODA Tells OpenAI: Stop Using Member Content for Sora 2
Japan’s Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA) has asked OpenAI to halt training Sora 2 on member works, alleging outputs closely resemble Japanese content. Backed by Studio Ghibli, Bandai Namco, Square Enix, Kadokawa, and Shueisha, CODA argues Japanese law requires prior permission rather than post-use opt-outs. The group demands OpenAI respond to infringement claims, adding momentum to growing legal challenges over AI training data.
Dithering 101: How Old Tricks Fake Smooth Gradients
Dithering once solved hard limitations in early graphics by faking extra colors through noise. This explainer covers quantization, spatial averaging, and two core approaches: ordered dithering with a Bayer matrix and error diffusion via Floyd–Steinberg. Learn how matrix size affects perceived shades and why error diffusion reduces visible patterns. Today, dithering is mostly a stylistic choice for retro vibes—but still powerful in games.