What happens when real-time technology meets a global pop phenomenon? Discover how UE transformed previs, layout, and iteration on ‘KPop Demon Hunters.’

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Unreal Engine

Sony Pictures Imageworks used Unreal Engine to overhaul the previs and layout pipeline for the Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters. The team built a workflow connecting Maya, Unreal Engine, and USD to bring animation rigs into real-time and visualize complex concert lighting and crowd scenes earlier in production. A custom plugin was developed to export animated lighting curves via USD into Foundry's Katana, preserving F-curve data without baking per-frame keys. The result was a 20–25% improvement in layout and previs efficiency, with the pipeline now serving as a foundation for future Sony Pictures Imageworks projects.

Reimagining Previs and Layout for 'KPop Demon Hunters' with Unreal Engine