Democratizing Access to Real-Time Filmmaking, Motion Capture, and Virtual Production Careers with Cloud GPU Labs
Official SIGGRAPH Link to the Session https://s2025.conference-schedule.org/presentation/?id=bof_160&sess=sess491
Date/Time: Thursday, August 14th from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm.
Room Name: East Building, Room 8
Cloud-based GPU workstations are transforming how—and where—creative education happens. This global panel of educators, technologists, and industry leaders will present real-world case studies from Latin America, Europe, and North America, demonstrating how GPU cloud labs are dismantling geographic, economic, and infrastructure barriers. With nothing more than a laptop and an internet connection, students are now engaging in high-level training using professional-grade tools like Unreal Engine, Vicon motion capture systems, and generative AI—all hosted in the cloud.
Panelists from CGPro, Final Pixel, Vicon, the Virtual Production Academy, and infrastructure partner CenterGrid will offer candid insights into the challenges, surprises, and successes of building virtual classrooms powered by GPU-enabled cloud environments. Attendees will hear firsthand stories from educators and students who’ve used these systems, explore strategies for launching inclusive and scalable remote labs, and gain a practical roadmap for democratizing access to motion capture, animation, VFX, and virtual production training.
Whether you’re an academic administrator, studio training lead, or creative technologist, this session offers a compelling look at how cloud infrastructure is unlocking global talent pipelines and building the next generation of storytellers—no matter where they live.
Head of Final Pixel Academy | Virtual Production & Creative Talent Development Specialist
Dr. Jodi Nelson-Tabor is a dynamic leader, systems thinker, and specialist in virtual production, talent development, and digital innovation for the creative industries. With over 25 years of experience spanning film production, education, organizational strategy, and research, Jodi has dedicated her career to bridging critical skills gaps and accelerating digital transformation within the rapidly evolving worlds of AI, virtual production, and real-time technologies.
As Head of Final Pixel Academy, Jodi oversees the strategic vision and development of one of the industry’s most forward-thinking virtual production training programs. She designs industry-leading curricula and manages a global talent ecosystem, equipping the next generation of artists, technicians, and producers with future-ready, in-demand skills. Her work builds directly on Final Pixel’s virtual production expertise for clients like Disney/ABC and Discovery.
An accomplished academic and researcher with a PhD in Media & Film from the University of Sussex, Jodi’s expertise extends to AI integration, storytelling innovation, DEI, and sustainability in production. She has contributed to key initiatives such as Digital Catapult’s Workforce Foresighting Insights Report on AI in Media Production and ScreenSkills’ Virtual Production Competencies framework.
Jodi’s passion for ‘inducation’ — merging industry and education to cultivate creative, future-focused teams — positions her as a vital voice in navigating the creative sector’s technological transformation.
Find out more about Jodi, in her SIGGRAPH 2025 LinkedIn Spotlight article and download her paper before the session: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/siggraph-2025-creative-leader-spotlight-dr-jodi-eric-pinkel-awwec
VICON Educator, Lead Researcher, and Virtual Production Specialist
Carlos Vilchis is a globally recognized expert in Virtual Production, Visual Effects, Motion Capture, and Digital Human technologies, with over 15 years of experience bridging the worlds of high-end VFX production and education. A former Senior Mocap Technical Director at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Carlos played a key role in real-time motion capture operations and StageCraft Virtual Production workflows for blockbuster productions, contributing both on set and in the development of internal learning resources and documentation for the studio.
Carlos holds a PhD in Computer Science from Tecnológico de Monterrey, with specialized research in facial tracking, computer vision, real-time performance capture, and the emotional perception of digital humans. His academic work focuses on integrating advanced motion capture and facial animation pipelines into Unreal Engine, helping shape the next generation of immersive and interactive content creation tools.
As the Founder and Head of Education at VirtualProduction.es, Carlos designs and delivers professional training programs for studios, universities, and production teams across Latin America, Canada, and Europe. He is an Unreal Authorized Instructor and Epic MegaGrant recipient, deeply involved in training and mentoring new Unreal Authorized Instructors and consulting on curriculum development for virtual production academic programs.
In addition to his studio and educational leadership, Carlos serves as Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder at HCG Technologies, a leading provider of Vicon motion capture solutions in Mexico and Latin America. In this role, he has developed strategic academic product placement initiatives for Animation and VFX tools throughout Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and Central America — fostering industry-academia partnerships and infrastructure for emerging creative communities.
Carlos is a regular speaker at major industry events, including Unreal Fest and the Epic ICVFX Fellowship, where he shares insights into performance capture, real-time pipelines, and the future of virtual production. His career stands as a testament to the power of combining cutting-edge technology with academic leadership to empower artists, educators, and studios worldwide.
Currently based in Vancouver, Carlos continues to advance education and production workflows as a part-time Instructor and Curriculum Developer for Virtual Production at Humber College, contributing to Canada’s rapidly growing virtual production ecosystem.
Find out more about Dr. Carlos in his SIGGRAPH 2025 LinkedIn Spotlight article and download his VICON paper before the session: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/siggraph-2025-vicon-virtual-produciton-spotlight-dr-carlos-pinkel-vf7pc
Unreal Authorized Instructor, Environment Artist, and Virtual Production Educator
Daniel Langhjelm is a rising force in the world of virtual production and real-time 3D education. A self-taught artist turned instructor, Daniel’s journey reflects the transformative power of cloud-based learning and digital storytelling. He is an Unreal Authorized Instructor at CG Pro, where he leads hands-on training in real-time environments, world-building, and cinematic pipelines using Unreal Engine.
A graduate of Vancouver Film School and alum of Think Tank Training Centre, Daniel combines artistic sensibility with technical fluency—shaping immersive environments for indie games, short films, and real-time productions. His work as an instructor is deeply informed by his passion for democratizing 3D tools, offering accessible pathways into creative careers for students across the globe.
Daniel was a lead instructor for Island Creatives: Global Careers, a groundbreaking education initiative connecting classrooms in Hawai‘i with mentors across the world through cloud-based workstations and real-time Unreal Engine workflows. The program showcased how virtual production and remote collaboration can empower students from island and Indigenous communities to contribute to global media projects.
As an advocate for education, accessibility, and open knowledge-sharing, Daniel continues to mentor emerging artists, helping build the next generation of real-time creators. Based in British Columbia, he actively contributes to Canada’s growing Unreal Engine and virtual production ecosystem.
Find out more about Daniel, in his SIGGRAPH 2025 Spotlight article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/siggraph-2025-cg-pro-artist-instructor-spotlight-daniel-eric-pinkel-zz3jc
Dive into our full Island Creatives, Global Careers case study before the session— the project that made this collaboration possible:📖https://cgvirtualstudio.com/island-creatives-global-careers-an-education-case-study-in-remote-realtime-filmmaking
Chief Operating Officer, CenterGrid | Strategic Advisor, CyberQ US
Christopher Beard is a transformational leader at the intersection of digital infrastructure, education, and innovation. As Chief Operating Officer at CenterGrid, he leads a team pioneering GPU-powered cloud platforms that enable real-time collaboration for virtual production, immersive training, and AI-accelerated learning environments.
With over two decades of experience in IT strategy, cybersecurity, and cloud operations, Christopher’s work has recently focused on a pressing challenge facing universities today: how to reimagine higher education for a digital-native generation. In his upcoming paper, he confronts the inertia of traditional academia — institutions often slow to adopt change — and presents a compelling argument for integrating Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR), gamification, and e-learning technologies across disciplines.
Drawing from original research in Ohio’s academic ecosystem, his work explores the systemic gaps in how institutions approach innovation — from a lack of digital fluency among leadership to a widespread underutilization of immersive technologies in pedagogy. Christopher advocates for a future where universities don’t just digitize content, but transform the way students experience learning through safe, interactive, skill-based virtual environments.
His insights extend beyond theory. At CenterGrid, he’s directly involved in building scalable cloud solutions that empower educational institutions to deliver cutting-edge XR experiences without the prohibitive infrastructure costs. His mission is to close the gap between academia and the evolving demands of the workforce by making immersive, cloud-native education accessible, measurable, and industry-aligned.
Christopher holds a degree from the University of Dayton and has served in key roles across sectors, from Fortune 500s to cybersecurity startups. He brings both executive vision and operational know-how to this year’s panel, where his voice will help illuminate how cloud-powered XR can reshape the future of learning and work.
Read Chris’s Paper before the session: https://centergrid.com/research-studies/it-infrastructure-research-into-higher-education/
You’re Invited: SIGGRAPH Cloud AI & VFX Educators Network Mixer: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/siggraph-centergrid-cloud-ai-vfx-educators-network-mixer-eric-pinkel-vvaoc
Stop by our booth on the SIGGRAPH show floor to meet the panelists in person. and discover how they are pushing the boundaries of VFX, and virtual production Education. Learn firsthand about the creative possibilities unlocked when cloud classrooms meets scalable cloud infrastructure.
