Conference Concluded

ICE.ART 2026.II

The 3D Environment Conference

8 - 10 September 2026

Online / Virtual Stage

5:00 PM GMT+2 • 8:00 AM PDT • 11:00 AM EDT

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ICE.ART 2026.II has concluded. Thank you to all worldbuilding artists, speakers, and partners who joined us!

Missed a presentation? Watch recordings below or explore previous editions in the archive.

Focus & Vision

Inspiration • Creativity • Emotion

ICE.ART is THE conference dedicated to the disciplines encompassing all creative processes around 3D environments, from concept and design to final result. It covers all industries: Entertainment, Advertisement, Training & Simulation, Automotive, GIS, AEC/BIM, and others. The key focus is on the art & the artists - the people who make it all happen.

Inspiration

Inspire people & spark emotion across disciplines and industry borders.

Creativity

Put art, artist, and creativity at the center — from concept to final 3D environment.

Emotion

Connect people, businesses, and disciplines to spark fruitful collaborations.

Topics & What to Expect

From concept and design to layout, workflows, industry insights, and career growth

The scope of topics or tracks shall range widely, from concept art, to design, to layouts of game levels, to technical workflows, research, client relations or project budgeting, but also address related topics such as entering the industries, job security, work-life balance or contract negotiations.

With the introduction of tracks, we now have the opportunity to dive deeper into specific topics and explore them further, with multiple presentations. Still, the field of 3D environments is vast, so we won't be able to dive too deep into technicalities for now. This may change, with the growing conference.

This chosen formatting is great for inspiring experienced professionals beyond the borders of their industries, as well as providing a great insight for less experienced people to gain valuable insights, which may influence their career choices.

“The event targets everybody who is passionate about working directly or indirectly on fictional or reality-based '3D worlds'.”

GOAL: Put art, artist and creativity in the center

Inspire people & spark emotion
Connect people, businesses and disciplines
Spark fruitful collaborations
Help people get into the industries
Take a look into the future (industry developments)

Topics & Disciplines

Deep dives across procedural workflows, visual development, game environments, and real-time tech

Concept Art & World Design

Visual development, composition, color keys, architectural world design, and environmental narrative.

Game Levels & Real-Time Worlds

Level layout design, modular kitbashing, collision pipelines, and real-time optimization in modern game engines.

Procedural Workflows & Shaders

Houdini world generation, geometry nodes, custom shading pipelines, compilers, and automated asset dressing.

AEC, BIM, Digital Twins & GIS

Large-scale geospatial datasets, building topology ontology, architectural visualization, and urban simulation.

Industry, Ethics & Career Growth

Navigating the industry, mental health, ethical AI practices, contract negotiation, and career transitions.

Agenda & Sessions

Masterclasses, technical breakdowns, panel debates, and live interactive Q&As

Day 1 • 8 September 2026

3 sessions

17:00 – 17:30keynote

Opening Keynote & Conference Kickoff

Welcome to ICE.ART 2026.II. Setting the stage for 3D worldbuilding across industries with vision and community goals.

Featuring:

Matthias Buehler• vrbn

17:30 – 18:45presentation

Linked Data & Spatial Ontologies for Built Environments

How modern BIM systems, semantic graph databases, and spatial ontology models (BOT) unlock real-time intelligence for virtual urban environments.

Featuring:

Philipp Dohmen• QAECY

19:00 – 20:00panel

Creative Direction Across Borders: Nordic Tech Meets Japanese Production

A masterclass panel exploring how real-time technologies, photorealistic Unreal pipelines, and cross-cultural production strategy transform studio workflows.

Featuring:

Sachiko Stenroos• Sonagraf

Jaakko Saari• Sonagraf / Digital Hollywood University

Day 2 • 9 September 2026

2 sessions

17:00 – 18:15presentation

High-Performance Geometry Processing & ShadingLanguageX

Deep dive into compilers, real-time procedural geometry generation, and high-performance shader compilation for massive 3D cityscapes.

Featuring:

Dr. Jacob Thorn• vrbn

18:30 – 20:00presentation

Virtual Production & Modern Colour Management Pipelines

Live FX workflows, colour grading hardware integration, and LED volume production pipelines for cinematic virtual environments.

Featuring:

Mazze Aderhold• ASSIMILATE Inc. / Angry Face

Day 3 • 10 September 2026

2 sessions

17:00 – 18:15presentation

Empowering Diverse Voices in 3D Modeling & Animation

Insights from 15+ years in 3D production, education, and running BlkWmnAnimator. Lessons on breaking into the industry, mentorship, and building sustainable artist communities.

Featuring:

Deborah Anderson• BlkWmnAnimator

18:30 – 20:00panel

The Future of 3D Environments & Closing Round

Panel discussion examining generative tooling, procedural environments, ethical concerns, and predictions for the 3D industry in 2027.

Featuring:

Deborah Anderson• BlkWmnAnimator

Mazze Aderhold• ASSIMILATE Inc. / Angry Face

Dr. Jacob Thorn• vrbn

Jaakko Saari• Sonagraf / Digital Hollywood University

Speakers & Contributors

World-class 3D environment artists, art directors, software architects, and studio founders

Philipp Dohmen

CEO & Co-Founder

QAECY

Founding member of buildingSMART Switzerland, long-time SIA committee president, and BIM/data-strategy authority bridging linked data with built environments.

Website

Sachiko Stenroos

CEO

Sonagraf

Finland-based Japanese writer, journalist, and CEO of Sonagraf Oy, a real-time 3D and XR studio. Cross-cultural coordinator connecting Nordic technological innovation with Japanese broadcast and creative industries.

Website LinkedIn

Jaakko Saari

CCO & Associate Professor

Sonagraf / Digital Hollywood University

Creative technologist and real-time graphics specialist with 20+ years of experience across Unreal Engine, Houdini procedural workflows, and virtual production. Former Substance 3D Technical Artist at Adobe.

Website LinkedIn Twitter/X

Dr. Jacob Thorn

Senior 3D Software Developer

vrbn

Senior 3D software engineer at vrbn developing algorithms for geometry processing and shaders. Lead developer of ShadingLanguageX with a PhD from UCL in Computer Science.

LinkedIn GitHub

Mazze Aderhold

Product Design & Worldwide Support

ASSIMILATE Inc. / Angry Face

Freelance application engineer, workflow specialist, and trainer in post-production, colour workflows, and virtual production. Consultant on SCRATCH and Live FX.

Website Instagram

Deborah Anderson

Educator & Founder

BlkWmnAnimator

Animation professional and educator with over a decade of industry experience (Invincible, The Weather Hunters, Family Guy). Founder of BlkWmnAnimator hosting 100+ masterclass interviews with Black animation professionals.

Website LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

Team & Acknowledgements

The people behind the organization, programming, and production of ICE.ART

The ICE conference is proudly organized and hosted by vrbn.

Matthias Buehler

Head of ICE / CTO, vrbn

MSc Arch ETH with 20+ years in Landscape Architecture, ArchViz, Software Development, Urban Planning Consulting and VFX. Founder of vrbn, host of the 3D Environment Podcast, and Board Manager of the German Section of the Visual Effects Society (VES).

Website LinkedIn