We’ve been developing something we’re really excited about – a new AI-powered VFX pipeline that lets us populate immersive 360 scenes with historically accurate characters, without the need for costumes, extras, or weeks of post-production.

To put the technique through its paces, we chose one of the most iconic ships in British naval history: HMS Victory. We used a 360 still image of the real ship in Portsmouth, then filmed a small group of people in our studio performing simple actions – playing cards, cleaning, standing guard.

Using a combination of ComfyUI, Kling, Nano Banana and traditional compositing, we then transformed each person into a period-accurate character. Sailors became Georgian-era crew in linen shirts. Office workers became Royal Marines in red coats. A team member kneeling by a bin and yoga matt became a sailor tending to a cannon. The results were composited back into the 360 environment along with a fleet of ships on the horizon, creating a scene that feels like stepping onto Victory’s deck in 1805.

Watch the VFX Breakdown

We’ve put together a short video that walks through the full process – from the original 360 capture and studio shoots, through the AI transformation of each character, to the final composited scene.

Why This Matters

For years, one of the biggest challenges in immersive historical storytelling has been the cost and complexity of populating scenes with believable characters. Period costumes, large casts, and extensive post-production put many projects out of reach.

This pipeline changes that equation. By combining AI-driven character generation with established VFX craft, we can now create rich, populated historical moments quickly and affordably – and the same approach works just as well for fantastical or imagined scenarios.

We’re already exploring how this technique can be applied to upcoming projects, and we’re keen to hear from anyone working on historical, heritage, or cultural experiences who wants to push the boundaries of what’s possible in immersive content.

Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss a project.