Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1539634
S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 5 | P E R S P E C T I V E 7 B. JETSET'S INTERFACE SHOWN FROM AN IPAD. THE APP ALLOWS A WINDOW INTO VIRTUAL SETS IN A 1:1 RELATIONSHIP, WITH SIX DEGREES OF FREEDOM. C. WITH DEVELOPER PROVIDED ADD-ONS. USERS CAN BRING THE WORK BACK INTO APPS SUCH AS BLENDER AND UNREAL FOR RAYTRACED RENDERS, AND FURTHER PREVISUALIZATION. Slowly move your device around the space to scan the environment. You'll know scanning is working when dots (feature points) appear on surfaces, or when the app detects planes. Next, tap the grid to set your origin point. You're now ready to load your 3D model! You can build your model in any 3D app, but the full asset—geometry and textures—must fit within the iOS device's memory to run in real time. A good starting point is between 200–500 MB. You can use anything from untextured geometry with simple shaders to fully shaded models with PBR textures and baked lighting. To start a new project, tap the gear icon in the lower left. Tap again to load your asset from local storage, or use the free desktop companion app, Autoshot, to prepare and "push" your model directly into Jetset. Before recording, take a moment to explore your model. The iOS device acts as a virtual camera, using built-in sensors to track movement through space. You can frame shots through the screen like a director's viewfinder. As you move, Jetset records your path, orientation and camera settings for each take. These takes are organized into bins with attached metadata. Once you've completed your shots, use AutoShot to export the recorded camera data for integration into previs pipelines like Unreal Engine, Maya or other 3D digital content creation tools. Jetset includes both chroma keying and AI-based matting tools. Beyond standard green or blue screen keys, the app can also auto-generate a rough matte of a human subject using AI segmentation—even without a backdrop. This lets users composite actors or collaborators over a virtual set in real time using only the device camera. The AI matte prioritizes speed and mobile performance, making it well suited for previs, virtual scouting or rough visualizations. By now, I'm sure readers can imagine a range of use cases. Working this way lowers the barrier to entering a flow state early in the process—enabling fast, visual exploration of blocking, space and shot planning. It shifts from static, top-down presentations to participatory visualization. You don't need perfect pixels to start the conversation. Strategically, this workflow keeps creative control firmly in the hands of the Art Department, turning it into a hub for innovation and feedback. By reducing reliance on external previs vendors, it multiplies the value of the Art Department producers have already engaged! It aligns stakeholders from the outset, reducing confusion about design intent and keeping storytelling anchored in the physical and imaginative space the department creates. Innovation such as this represents a philosophical shift our industry sorely needs. B C