Without the power of 3D animation and the advancement of technology, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy video games, movies, and TV shows.

Three devoted art lovers - Barthelemy, Eric, and Neal, revolutionized the way the world perceives 3D art. By giving 3D artists the necessary tools for a more revolutionized artform, they changed the way the world viewed 3D art, eternally.

Artomatix is a new innovative platform that offers countless opportunities for 3D artists. The company helps 3D artists perfect their art, by making it even more realistic.The platform is based on an AI material creation tool, called ArtEngine, that assists 3D artists to create even more lifelike pieces of art.

If you want to know more about the trio’s journey to bringing realistic 3D art to prospectors, read the full story below.

Rebirth

Barthelemy Kiss was born in Dublin in the late 1980s. From the very first steps, little Bart walked with confidence and reassurance. There was a calculating mind behind those big blue eyes, and his parents noticed that at a very young age. Bart would solve tasks with such ease that his parents were thrilled that he excelled in kindergarten. His mind developed swiftly and so did his interests. The computer was a full-on enigma for Bart and the field of science a source for inspiration.

Eric Risser, who also comes from the US, was curious, creative, and rambunctious. Even from a very young age, it seemed like he was getting ready to build something marvelous. He would strategically stack the toy building blocks to create skyscrapers, towers, and animals. His keen interest was also in the field of science, strictly artificial intelligence. As he was growing more curious throughout the years, as to what and why something exists, Eric would create his algorithms to explain the connection.

Neal O'Gorman was a born businessman. This young Irish lad had the independence and leadership skills that many experienced entrepreneurs still struggle to achieve. As a baby, he was calm and curious with a keen interest in art. Art pieces would always spark up his interests as they would provoke a sense of calmness within him. Another key interest of his was also the uproar of technology as he would spend most of his time planning and practicing on the computer. He too wanted to learn more about the fascinating world of technology.

Hopeful Days

Barthelemy stayed true to his wishes when he pursued a career in financing and accounting. These were the necessary steps that he had to overcome at an early stage of his life so he could, later on, focus more on science. His wish was to dip his toes in the field of accounting so he could acquire the right tips when building a startup. The next step was to decrease the distance between the fields of science and entrepreneurship. After his years studying finance, Bart Kiss earned a master’s degree at Sciences Po.

Eric Risser on the other hand pursued his dreams when he started to study engineering. This brought him one step closer to his dream wish of directly discovering how things are made and work. He would maybe try his hands at AI, as he had many ideas. He became an expert at computer graphics and 3D projection by creative AI solutions. Eric earned a master's at Columbia University and later on a Ph.D. at Trinity College. Eric and Noel met at the University of Dublin, where Noel also studied engineering. However, Noel took the other way around. He learned about AI technology because he purely loved science. His accomplishments were more in the business field. As before Artomatix, Noel O’Gorman had two successful startups that were acquired by Agilent Technologies. Noel was successful and knowledgeable in the field of business, to say the least. He occupied a few job positions before Artomatix and some included being a CEO, product manager, sales, and business development manager.

Maybe Noel knew what he was getting himself into because of his extensive experience, but the two other co-founders did not know what to expect.

Starry Summer Night

One summer evening in 2014, Noel, Eric, and Barthelemy were all at a mutual friend’s party. Eric and Noel were conversing about their keen interests in science and business. When Barthelemy heard the conversation, he joined in with his love for art. All three were talking about some of their favorite pieces when they suddenly realized that all of them share most of their keen interests and jobs. The trio wanted to bring art examination to a whole new level. The trio merged all their domineering skills to bring the world Artomatix the first-ever 3D art projection through AI software.

So, Noel, Bart, and Eric launched Artomatix in the fall of 2014. Artomatix had the goal to bring artistry closer to the beholder and creator. Through an AI-assisted projection of famous art pieces, artists can focus more on their creativity instead of tiring themselves with it. Artificial intelligence, mostly developed by Eric, was built to mimic human-like artistic creation. It did not seek to replace the artist himself but to ease the manual labor. The AI software can also give suggestions to the artist and thus inspire them further. Artomatix 3D-automating AI focuses on texturing the skin, which gives the art pieces a clean and polished look, up close and personal. The world seemed like it was theirs to conquer when Eric, Noel, and Barthelemy stumbled upon some difficulties getting recognized.

Ups & Downs

Artomatix did see its fair share of doubts in its budding months, which is to be expected when beginning a startup journey. Not many people believed that artwork can be perceived in any other way nonetheless in 3D. There was a decline in interest and a lack of confidence in the project. But as they say, don’t knock it until you try it.

The year after its birth a bright light shone on Artomatix when it secured $100k from NVIDIA’s Early Stage Challenge. What was also a grand surprise for the trio of founders was that Artomatix reached the top 2.5% of TechCrunch Disrupt. Later on, it reached the top 0.8% of Hello Tomorrow.

To expand the vision, the trio pitched the idea and raised €2.1m in March 2017. Artomatix and its invention were featured in TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Le Monde, and the Irish Times.

In late December of 2020, Artomatix was purchased by Unity Technologies for 60 million dollars. Unity Technologies is one of the most popular video game creators out there, worth an astounding $6 billion.

Artomatix, Today

With Artomatix booming and the growing interest in the 3D market, it is estimated that the trio will hit $281 billion by the year 2022. Its headquarters are in Dublin and it has more than 17 employees working constantly on new ways of lessening the art creation process. The increasing need for 3D computer graphics in the entertainment market was directly related to Artomatix and its capabilities. Because the company was at such a high level, other 3D content creators could not match its industrial design. Today, the company is increasingly sought after in the entertainment and video-game developing industries.

After Artomatix was acquired by Unity Technologies, it garnered a lot of recognition as apps developed by Unity can reach up to 2.7 billion devices all over the globe. This doubled the chance of exposure for Artomatix and 3D artists were given the respect they deserve. Artomatix's future goal is to re-introduce the 3D way across the globe and become the leader in automated 3D creation. The inevitable future of content creation also lies in AI development. The goal is for future artists to forget all the previous tedious labor. With Artomatix the industry is bound to completely transform in the future just like sailing ships were able to make room for airplanes.