At the end of February, Academy Software Foundation members and invited guests gathered for our annual Open Source Forum, a one-day exclusive venue for industry leaders to share their learnings and collaborate to drive the future of open source software development. We were delighted to have Netflix, one of the Foundation’s Premier members, host this event at their beautiful CUE Commons in the heart of Hollywood. As the Foundation continues to grow, this was our largest Open Source Forum to date, with over 150 attendees from around the world gathering to learn, network, and build.
This year’s speaker lineup included two keynotes, one from Chad Nelson, Creative Specialist at OpenAI, and one from Tasia Miles, Senior Director for Technical Architecture at Meow Wolf. Nelson’s presentation explored the potential for creative workflows in today’s AI era, covering OpenAI’s models including ImageGen, Dall-E, and Sora, and informed by his 25+ years of experience in interactive entertainment, from video games to television to mobile apps. Miles brought us behind-the-scenes into the design and fabrication of Meow Wolf’s immersive location-based projects, and the open source technology that is helping to push them forward.
This year’s programming also included a number of inspiring talks and development updates from across the open source landscape, including Foundation member companies and projects. Some highlights include:
- How OpenTimelineIO Enables AI-Native Creative Workflows (Buzz Hays, Google)
- RMTC: Working with AI Responsibly to Meet Production Needs (Eric Hayes, Wētā FX)
- Software Release Waves with Kahn’s Algorithm (Peter Miller, Skydance Animation)
- An Approach to Scalable, High-Performance Video: Tiled Mipmapped Video (TMV) with OpenAPV (Alejandro Arango, Epic Games)
- The Delivery Problem: Why Field-Based 3D Hasn’t Reached Production (Laurie Koenig, Miris)
- Gaussian Splatting in OpenUSD: Collaboration Between the Academy Software Foundation and the Alliance for OpenUSD (Vincent Caux-Brisebois, NVIDIA; Christian López Barrón, Netflix)
We closed out a great day of education and insights with a lively Beers of a Feather reception on Netflix’s outdoor rooftop – with a beautiful view of the sunset and the Los Angeles skyline.
Stay tuned to our YouTube channel for videos of select presentations from the Open Source Forum. And mark your calendars for our annual Open Source Days event on July 19, 2026! Hosted in Los Angeles during the SIGGRAPH Conference, this event is open to all, and will also have a virtual attendance option.
