Cavalry’s INSANE Web Tool, Spline’s 3D Surprise & AI Relighting Magic | Motion Mondays

Cavalry launches browser-based motion templates, Disney partners with OpenAI for generative video, and Beeble drops AI relighting that feels like magic.

This week we kick off 2026 with news that Spline and Hana are getting cozy by bringing 3D capabilities into Hana's 2D workflow, opening up some really interesting possibilities for interactive design. Meanwhile, Disney and OpenAI struck a landmark deal that's bringing Mickey Mouse and friends into Sora, which feels like a huge signal that generative video is moving from experimental to mainstream.

We're also diving into Cavalry's incredible new web player with Algo's Type Flow proof of concept that lets you create and customize motion design templates right in your browser, plus Beeble AI's relighting tool that's frankly a little bit magical. V-Ray for Blender got some major AI-powered upgrades, the Nuke 17 beta is here with Gaussian Splat support, and we've got updates on Lottie Files, Substance Designer, and a crucial color matching tutorial from Eran Stern.

We're also showcasing some absolutely gorgeous work from Kill Two Birds, Nathaniel Howe Studios, Vucko, and Laundry that demonstrates why taste matters more than ever. Plus our Student of the Week Dina Awadalla crushes the Epic Lyric Smackdown. Our first All Access live workshop with the Rive team is next Thursday, and if you missed our nearly 11-hour end-of-year podcast, now's the time to dive in.

⚡️ New Course: UX Animation Essentials

We are excited to release UX Animation Essentials, where you’ll learn to transform static interfaces into engaging experiences using industry-standard UX motion tools. You'll work through a realistic music app project from kickoff call to developer handoff, learning not just how to animate interfaces, but why certain motion choices solve specific user problems. You’ll also get introduced to the strategic toolkit - Figma for rapid prototyping, After Effects for polished assets, ProtoPie for gesture-based interactions, and Rive for runtime animation - while also learning when to reach for each tool, how to speak the language of product teams, and how to spec your work so engineers can build it.

LEARN MORE ➔

Please Note: UX Animation Essentials is included as a part of our All-Access and Team Training programs.

🎓 SCHOOL OF MOTION COURSES MENTIONED

• School of Motion All-Access

• School of Motion Team Training

• After Effects Kickstart

• NEW: UX Animation Essentials

• Courses & workshops coming soon

🗒️ SHOW NOTES

• Introducing 3D in Hana

• Disney+Open AI Landmark Agreement

• V-Ray for Blender

• SOM End of Year Podcast

• Nuke 17 Open Beta

• Lottie Creator

• Tutorial - Match Colors Across Adobe Apps

• Beeble

• Algo Typeflow

• Substance 3D Designer v15.1- Release Notes

🎨 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

• Kill2Birds - No Sudden Moves Promo

• Nathaniel Howe Studios - HGTV Rebrand

• Vucko - TurboTax

• Laundry - Now You See Me, Now You Don't Main Titles

• SOM Student of the Week - Dina Awadalla

• Dina Awadalla's Portfolio