Afloat: On-chain 3D production and distribution

Ecosystem
1

Hello everyone,

My name is Marti and my background is in 3D, design and IT. I’ve been exploring the blockchain space for a while to find the right ecosystem for developing the project, Afloat. After attending the Polkadot Decode event about a year ago, I experienced the passion in the community firsthand. Following the recent news with JAM and looking into PolkaVM, it is clear that the Polkadot ecosystem and vision are something we would love to be part of.

This post aims to understand the community’s thoughts and perspective on the value this project can bring to the Polkadot ecosystem.

Name:

Afloat

Abstract:

Afloat | On-chain 3D Production and Distribution.

Afloat was born out of looking into the broken entertainment industry. From 3D artists getting paid minimum wage just to work on a “cool” project, to the fact that they are often not credited for their work and passion, to the competitive nature of VFX studios bidding against each other, often resulting in bankruptcy.
We envision a world where creators have full control over their 3D assets, projects can license the 3D assets and be funded and managed in a decentralised manner, and where collectors can truly own their favourite 3D assets and stake in the projects they want to see succeed.

Product Description

The Afloat Platform and Network provide production and distribution for managing ownership, monetisation, and creation of 3D assets and projects. By bringing Universal Scene Description on-chain in a framework to support the stakeholders of creators (3D artists, developers), projects (games, movies, animation, and VFX), and collectors (audience, enthusiasts, investors) in the entertainment industry.

The project is divided into two development branches: the Platform application and the Substrate Network.

Platform

afloat.app

Stack
Swift OpenUSD SwiftUSD swift-cross-ui

Afloat Platform is built on Universal Scene Description, an incredible effort by Pixar to bring an open standard for defining 3D scenes. The Platform application is built with Swift, which has C++ interoperability and allows us to easily support the OpenUSD library and maintain and update it whenever a new version of OpenUSD is released.

The User Interface and Experience will conform to the different roles of Creator, Project, and Collector, from the more advanced features that Creators and Projects will require to the simple features that meet the needs of the Collector. The UI design is a simple yet powerful system for building UI elements with a neutral grayscale and background blur, which allows the image to bring colour to the UI elements. This is an important aspect of how Afloat’s UI is built, to personalise the experience with a simple colour or image that will be used throughout the Platform.

We have identified that the desktop application is mainly targeted at 3D artists who will need to view and render their OpenUSD assets before publishing them to the Network. This is where Hydra comes in, a framework that is part of OpenUSD for renderers to understand OpenUSD scenes.

Recent Highlight:
Our recent accomplishment has been to bring the OpenUSD library by Pixar to the Swift programming language, allowing us to build the application with ergonomic SwiftUI syntax and ship it cross-platform to Windows, MacOS and Linux. The library SwiftUSD is open source and developed by our Co-founder Tyler Furby and is about to be part of the Academy Software Foundation ASWF. This has been an important milestone for us, as it will allow the industry to adopt our application with ease as it’s part of the ASWF umbrella.
This is a showcase testing the C++ library OpenUSD interop in Swift with almost no modification to the library, and it is smooth!

We’re currently working on the Platform application and bringing SwiftUSD to the Web with SwiftWASM.

Network

afloat.network

Stack
Rust Substrate Pallets Ink IPFS

Afloat Network is built using Polkadot Substrate, which allows developers to create custom blockchains that are interoperable with other blockchains in the Polkadot ecosystem. With this foundation, the Metaverse can be computed on the PolkaVM by connecting various virtual worlds and services together through interoperability protocols like Cross-Chain Message Passing (XCMP). We’re bringing OpenUSD on-chain connected to Polkadot, in a framework we call production and distribution: PD Framework. The framework is built with pallets for managing ownership, collaboration, and shared revenue of 3D assets and projects.

Runtime Pallets

  • Asset for managing nested smart contracts of the OpenUSD asset structure. This includes ownership, collaboration and shared revenue, ensuring that all parties involved in the creation and distribution of the assets will benefit from the success of the projects.
  • Project allows for the creation of projects in various domains such as games, movies, or animations, created with their own utility token.
  • IP Register is a legal component that deals with trademark IP, offering optional tokens to drive the market value of the IP and IP licensing to other projects.
  • Studio Register Studio organisation and trademark. This component is designed to support the development of projects with creators and peers, ensuring that studios can manage their intellectual property and collaborate with creators on projects.

Ecosystem Fit

We are here to bring 3D production and distribution to Polkadot and, with time, the users that will follow, from 3D artists to games and movie projects, to people who just enjoy engaging in those story universes. We aim to leverage the Polkadot ecosystem to partner with complementary Parachains and utilise the technology of PolkaVM/JAM for opening and rendering massive 3D worlds in OpenUSD.

Roadmap

This project has become very ambitious so it has been important for us to take a step back and focus on the short term goals an how we can ensure a continued development of the Project in the future.

  • Application Desktop and Web app
    • OpenUSD View and render
    • Data models and test pallet feature requirements
    • Publish OpenUSD asset to the Network
  • Data models and test pallet feature requirements
  • Planning out the Pallets and smart contract and start building the OpenUSD asset pallet
  • Partnerships
  • Whitepaper
  • Community building
  • Project pallet
  • Deploy Afloat Network
  • Presale
  • Token listed

Today and Future plans

Today We are actively raising a pre-seed and application grants within the Polkadot ecosystem to scale up and build out the project.

Short term We’re building out the first release of the Platform and Network with iterative feedback from artists and projects in the industry. At the same time we will be working towards community building, partnerships and launching our Token that will sustain the continuous development of Afloat.

Long term The Afloat Platform and Network will transition into a DAO for 3D production and distribution. The platform for creating and publishing 3D assets and Projects to the Metaverse. The developed framework of pallets and smart contract will be open sourced to be expanded upon and the governance will decide the direction of the Afloat ecosystem.

Envision A digital Platform for the audience to experience the finished Projects as well as a Physical extension of Afloat where people can come together and immerse themselves in the worlds of the 3D Projects. This space will feature holographic displays that project the universe of these Projects into the room, transforming the digital experience into an interactive lifelike reality. Lightfield Lab is developing holographic displays that make this possible in the future.

The Team

Founder Marti Staerfeldt https://www.linkedin.com/in/marti-staerfeldt-9abb62135/
Co-founder Xavi Hidalgo https://www.linkedin.com/in/xavireloaded/
Co-founder Tyler Furby https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-furby-439089231/
Douglas Kuhn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dkuhn/
Jack Lucas https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackglucas/
Alexandra Andhov https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alexandra-andhov-b1502423/
Daniel Sanchez https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielsanchezq/
Jacob Moeller Nielsen https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-moeller-nielsen/
Lance Henderson https://www.linkedin.com/in/lance-henderson/

The end

Our mission is to decentralise the entertainment industry and connect creators to tell stories.

Thank you for your time and support. We look forward to your feedback and suggestions as we continue to shape the Afloat Platform and Network.

This is my contact info, feel free to reach out:
Mail: ms@afloat.app
Telegram: @mstaerfeldt

7 Likes
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I support and participate in the project and proposal as this will bring Polkadot into the Metaverse and bring 3D asset primitives to JAM.

4

Hey, got thoughts:

Your writing “Pallet Assets”. - The current implementation of pallet assets is to handle logic for on-chain assets, see assethub common good chain as an example, smart-contracts(ink) is managed by another pallet(pallet contracts).

“We’re currently working on the Platform application and bringing SwiftUSD to the Web with SwiftWASM.” - As I read it, your currently supporting compiling your wasm but want to be able to support JAM when it comes, The architecture of polkaVM is RISC-V and not WASM, are you guys planning on rewriting it so it compiles to risc-v and is compatible with polkavm?

USD - This sounds like a pitch for a stable coin but its something very difference: “Universal Scene Description for constructing animated 3D scenes”. The branding on this is a bit confusing.

Is Afloat a live chain? What type of chain? Do you have a polkadot.js apps link to share?

Do you guys have Github?

“Afloat Network is built using Polkadot Substrate, which allows developers to create custom blockchains that are interoperable with other blockchains in the Polkadot ecosystem. With this foundation, the Metaverse can be computed on the PolkaVM by connecting various virtual worlds and services together through interoperability protocols like Cross-Chain Message Passing (XCMP). We’re bringing OpenUSD on-chain connected to Polkadot, in a framework we call production and distribution: PD Framework. The framework is built with pallets for managing ownership, collaboration, and shared revenue of 3D assets and projects.”

You do not want to create custom blockchains, you guys want to be a future parachain on polkadot with a OpenUSD pallet allowing tokenization of metaverse assets, is that right?

It says that you guys are going to have a presale, is this a future treasury grant ? if so, will a % of ur tokens from your presale, which I assume will be a crowdload be airdroped to DOT holders?

I think the idea of tokenized 3D assets is great! Go for it, how can ownership of these assets be enforced ? How will this work? Seems to be a fewideas floating aroound the web3 space such as mattereum(.)com that claims to have enforcability in over 170 countries.

3D assets are a giant industry thats worth looking at.

~flipchan

2 Likes
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Hi flipchan, thank you for your comment. I see there are things I need to revisit and make more clear.

“Your writing “Pallet Assets”. - The current implementation of pallet assets is to handle logic for on-chain assets, see assethub common good chain as an example, smart-contracts(ink) is managed by another pallet(pallet contracts).” What I mean here is a pallet, that can handle the structure of a 3D asset(OpenUSD).

“We’re currently working on the Platform application and bringing SwiftUSD to the Web with SwiftWASM.” - “As I read it, your currently supporting compiling your wasm but want to be able to support JAM when it comes, The architecture of polkaVM is RISC-V and not WASM, are you guys planning on rewriting it so it compiles to risc-v and is compatible with polkavm?” Correct, I think it’s important to support local compute today, as it’s still early. Yes we will make a PoC on RISC-V and the implementation.

“USD - This sounds like a pitch for a stable coin but its something very difference: “Universal Scene Description for constructing animated 3D scenes”. The branding on this is a bit confusing.” Yes, this is always a problem, I should probably make that very clear in the first line.

“Is Afloat a live chain? What type of chain? Do you have a polkadot.js apps link to share?” We’re working on getting this up and running. So far we have been focusing on the Platform application and building the first iteration, this will help identify the exact needs for the pallets.

Do you guys have Github?

“You do not want to create custom blockchains, you guys want to be a future parachain on polkadot with a OpenUSD pallet allowing tokenization of metaverse assets, is that right?” Exactly this, I will have to make this more clear.

“It says that you guys are going to have a presale, is this a future treasury grant ? if so, will a % of ur tokens from your presale, which I assume will be a crowdload be airdroped to DOT holders?” Yes we would definitely be open for something like this, but nothing is decided yet.

“I think the idea of tokenized 3D assets is great! Go for it, how can ownership of these assets be enforced ? How will this work? Seems to be a fewideas floating aroound the web3 space such as mattereum(.)com that claims to have enforcability in over 170 countries.” Thank you, that’s great to hear! Part of publishing the 3D asset will be to write the metadata in both the smart contract and in the metadata of the OpenUSD asset. So when the 3D asset is being used and modified offline, there will have to be a check between the original asset, the licensed asset and the newly modified asset. Thank you for bringing mattereum(.)com to my attention. Regarding the legal aspects, we have a good legal advisor that will make sure we can comply with the traditional system and web3.

“3D assets are a giant industry thats worth looking at.” Yes exactly and I think this will be very important to get right and support open standards we already have in that industry.

I’m sharing here the PoC of SwiftUSD and Prototype of the platform: Afloat Prototype.mov - Google Drive

Thank you for your comment and I hope you got an answer for all your questions.

~marti

2 Likes
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very good ideal. i 100% support Afloat build in polkadot. i always polkadot fan. now i am Afloat fan too. keep eye on the project

1 Like
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Appreciate the support!

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Recent staff update:
We have joined forces with Martin Montero who has done extensive R & D to bring the cost of Virtual Production down, building a Studio kit for indie creators and filmmakers. He will lead the physical extension of Afloat and help us operate in Canada, allowing our team to operate in the largest regions within the industry: EU, North America, Canada and Asia.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinmontero/

Breven Angaelica has joined Afloat as an advisor, bringing her deep experience and support for indie creators and filmmakers, along with her multiple PhDs in this field. She will help guide us in creating the best possible ecosystem to support creators. She brought to my attention that all creators making less than $10 million do not "exist” on data in the entertainment industry, which accounts for 95% of all creators, with whom she has many contacts.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/angaelica/

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Unfortunately, the Afloat Project was not selected to receive a Decentralized Futures. We will explore alternative ways to sustain the project.