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)
Conference ConcludedICE.ART 2026.II
ICE.ART
The Premier 3D Environment & Worldbuilding Conference
Inspiration • Creativity • Emotion
✨ ICE.ART 2026.II has concluded. Thank you to all worldbuilding artists, speakers, and partners who joined us!
Missed a presentation? Watch the recordings below or browse past editions in our video 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.
I
Inspiration
Inspiring experienced professionals beyond the borders of their industries and sparking emotion.
C
Creativity
Putting the art and the artists at the very center of everything we do.
E
Emotion
Connecting people, businesses, and disciplines to spark fruitful collaborations.
Topics & What to Expect
Spanning concept, procedural workflows, game levels, simulation, and career growth
The scope of topics and tracks ranges widely: from visual development, concept art, and architectural design to game level layouts, technical procedural workflows, real-time shaders, and spatial ontologies.
Beyond technical craftsmanship, ICE.ART addresses essential professional topics including entering the industry, mental health, ethical AI practices, career transitions, and contract negotiations. With multi-track programming, attendees can explore deep technical breakdowns as well as cross-industry inspiration.
“The event targets everybody who is passionate about working directly or indirectly on fictional or reality-based 3D worlds.”
Core Conference Goals
- ✓Put art, artists, and creativity at the absolute center
- ✓Inspire creators across industry silos and spark authentic emotion
- ✓Connect people, studios, software creators, and disciplines
- ✓Spark fruitful collaborations, mentorship, and career opportunities
- ✓Provide accessible roadmaps for aspiring artists entering the industries
- ✓Take a thoughtful, grounded look into the future of 3D environment technologies
Tracks & 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
3 sessions17:30 – 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
2 sessions17:00 – 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
2 sessions17:00 – 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
PD
Founding member of buildingSMART Switzerland, long-time SIA committee president, and BIM/data-strategy authority bridging linked data with built environments.
DA
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.
MA
Freelance application engineer, workflow specialist, and trainer in post-production, colour workflows, and virtual production. Consultant on SCRATCH and Live FX.
DJ
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.
SS
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.
JS
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.
Partners & Collaborators
Supported by leading industry studios, software creators, and community initiatives
Friends of ICE.ART
Community alliances, professional societies, and creative institutions.
Media Partner
Spreading the word via their dedicated industry channels and press outlets.
Chaos
World leader in photorealistic rendering and visualization
Pitch Games
Indie games showcase and developer network
ikweta arts
Creative design and arts collective
MH Tutorials 3D
3D modeling, texturing, and rendering education
FMX
Conference on Animation, Effects, Games and Immersive Media
Digital Production
Leading trade magazine for digital media creation in DACH
Prize Partner
Contributing lottery prizes and software licenses for attendees.
Content Partner
Organizing speakers and panelists from diverse creative backgrounds.
Awareness Partner
Raising awareness for ethical, cultural, social, educational, and mental health topics.
Organizer
The ICE conference is proudly organized and hosted by vrbn.
Sponsoring Partner
Sponsoring conference operations financially.
Video Archive & Past Editions
Catch up on presentations, keynote recordings, and panel discussions from previous conferences
ICE.ART 2026.I
📅 7 - 8 April 2026VESxICE Special Panel: 'Beyond VFX'
📅 26 November 2025About the Ethics of AI. In collaboration with Visual Effects Society (VES) Germany Section and Megabrain Masterclasses.
ICE 2025.II
📅 1 - 2 October 2025ICE nexus 1
📅 25 June 2025ICE 2025.I
📅 21 - 22 May 2025ICE 2024
📅 1 - 3 October 2024ICE 2024 Spring
📅 16 - 17 April 2024ICE 2023 Fall
📅 14 - 16 November 2023ICE 2023 Summer
📅 15 - 16 June 2023ICE 2022
📅 8 April 2022ICE 2021
📅 30 April 2021Team & Acknowledgements
The people behind the organization, programming, and production of ICE.ART
MB
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).
Special Thanks
With deep gratitude to the people and partners who help make each edition possible:
Angel Lis MontesinosRobert TruongChristian Tanner