the Lightning Artist Toolkit
for hand-drawn animation in XR
by Nick Fox-Gieg


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The Lightning Artist Toolkit (Latk) provides a complete pipeline for hand-drawn volumetric animation—a common exchange file format, and a set of plugins that integrate it into a wide range of XR projects. Readable in any popular 3D graphics application and ready to use in real-world production scenarios, Latk's goal is to make creation in 3D as expressive and intuitive as drawing in 2D.

A note about the name: early animators like Winsor McKay first created their work for a live audience in vaudeville halls—and they were billed as lightning artists.”

You can use Latk files in: Unity hardware support includes:
  • SteamVR desktop (Vive, Index, WMR)
  • Oculus desktop
  • Android headsets (Quest, Mirage, Magic Leap)
  • iOS / Android Phones (ARKit, ARCore, ARFoundation)
  • HoloLens
Related work:
Supported by:
Canada Council for the Arts
Eyebeam Art + Technology Center
York University VISTA
SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship