Chaos Drops Butch Cassidy-Inspired Ray Tracing FTW Short [Video]

Leading global visualization technology company Chaos has released a short film, Ray Tracing FTW, which highlights the state of VFX and filmmaking – from the artist’s point of view. The comedic short is the first major test for Project Arena, the culmination of the Chaos Innovation Lab team’s dive into potential applications of real-time path-tracing technology for in-camera visual effects (ICVFX) on virtual production stages.

Project Arena seamlessly integrates virtual shoots into the overall production pipeline, enabling direct use of film production assets without any preprocessing. The application is meant to eliminate the need for scene stripping, asset conversion, or baking, to maximize efficiency while reducing production costs, and ultimately making virtual production more accessible.

Ray Tracing FTW, inspired by classics like Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid and Once Upon a Time in the West, is an Easter egg-laden commentary about what holds productions back from telling great stories. While a “fix-it-in-post” mentality can certainly cause …