Mike really fell in love with cars when working on Speed Racer with the Wachowski’s. So, when challenged to use Unreal Engine to create engaging imagery based on quickly generated AI concepts, we couldn’t resist.

You see, AI is tricky – it might create a compelling image, but it doesn’t know how to get the details right, quickly (that’s not the Disney Concert Hall! And just how many light sources DO you have in this image!?).

This challenge wasn’t about using Comfy UI and intricate control nets to refine an image, it was about getting some quick and dirty look and feel images to start with, and then capturing the essence of those images in quickly art directable ways.

This was about using real time technology to enhance creative exploration. Taking a look and feel, and distilling it with a film maker’s eye.

This was about having the flexibility, in real time, to explore lensing, to move the sun, to see how the angles, shadows, light contributions, reflections would all react, in a real world accurate environment.

And, how fast could you drop a completely different car in? (Spoiler alert – really fast)

We loved it, we hope you do, too.

AI concepts quickly generated in Chat GPT and Midjourney

Full CG renders created in Unreal Engine, no post render color corrections