[Course]newmediaartist,yuxicao Details
Intro
Class Intro
New Media Artist,
Yuxi (James) Cao
"Let's turn real-world materials into immersive digital compositions using real-time particle systems."
Crafting Immersive Worlds with Particle Systems
This class introduces a fluid, production-ready workflow for translating real-world materials into immersive digital compositions. Guided by artist and creative director Yuxi Cao, you'll learn to capture the organic complexity of natural objects through 3D scanning and reinterpret them using real-time particle systems.
Working across TouchDesigner, Unity, and Unreal Engine, the course moves through the full pipeline—from raw scans and point cloud data to generative behaviors and cinematic visuals. The emphasis is not just on mastering a single tool, but on building a flexible system of techniques that support both technical precision and creative exploration.
Working across TouchDesigner, Unity, and Unreal Engine, the course moves through the full pipeline—from raw scans and point cloud data to generative behaviors and cinematic visuals. The emphasis is not just on mastering a single tool, but on building a flexible system of techniques that support both technical precision and creative exploration.
Throughout the class, Yuxi will incorporate insights accumulated from his collaborations with global clients such as Louis Vuitton, Mercedes-Maybach, and the Beijing Winter Olympics. His perspective bridges artistic experimentation with large-scale production, offering a foundation for developing a personal yet scalable visual language.
Whether you're new to generative visuals or looking to refine your approach, this class will give you the tools to experiment with confidence, the structure to build complex systems, and the mindset to transform raw data into expressive digital art.
Whether you're new to generative visuals or looking to refine your approach, this class will give you the tools to experiment with confidence, the structure to build complex systems, and the mindset to transform raw data into expressive digital art.
Class Preview
Still Not Sure?
Check Out Yuxi's Class Preview!
Chapter 07.
Importing to TouchDesigner/Unity/Unreal Engine
1. How to import PLY files to real-time engines
Expert New Media Artist Yuxi Cao's Portfolio
Why Take This Class?
Shaping the Future of Visual Media
Digital exhibitions and immersive art experiences are reshaping how audiences engage with media. In this changing landscape, the ability to work fluently with 3D scanning, real-time engines, and generative systems is becoming an essential creative skill. Yuxi Cao’s work has been presented at institutions such as Nxt Museum and OCAT, as well as major international festivals, following this shift toward experiential and computationally-driven art.
Rather than teaching a fixed formula, this class invites students into a dynamic workflow that mirrors how digital art is created today: through iteration, collaboration, and a balance of technical precision with artistic intent. For those looking to move beyond tutorials and toward a professional, process-oriented approach to digital creation, this course offers both the tools and the mindset to begin.
12 Class Exercises
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3D Scanning with Postshot -
Mesh Cleanup on CloudCompare -
Mesh Cleanup on Blender
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Basic Particle Systems in TD -
Complex Particle Systems in TD -
Poly Counts Optimization
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Shadows & GI Rendering -
Particle Systems in Unity -
Particle Systems in Unreal
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Particle-Based Game Creation -
Custom Visual App Building -
From 3D Scenes to Previsual Renders
Final Product Example
Nature Inspired Particle Render (GIF)
Instructor
New Media Artist
Yuxi (James) Cao
Cao Yuxi (James) is a leading voice in new media art whose multifaceted practice spans sound visualization, live performance, creative coding, data-driven installations, and contemporary art. His work—often expressed through projection-based public art or digital crossovers—redefines the boundaries of technology and creativity. With an MFA in Computer Art from the School of Visual Arts in New York and a BA from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, his installations and performances have been featured internationally at venues such as Today Art Museum, Minsheng Art Museum, OCAT (Shenzhen and Chengdu), and MoMA PS1.
Notable public works include Interactive Ink and Cloud Mountains and Seas at Beijing Daxing International Airport, and Dimensional Sampling #1, permanently installed at Shenzhen Citizen’s Plaza. In 2022, he served as visual effects director for the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Cao’s work reflects a pursuit of idealism shaped by critical self-awareness and a desire to resist societal constraints. Based between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, he continues to push the boundaries of new media art, shaping the global conversation around art and technology.
New Media Artist
Yuxi (James) Cao
[Current]
Creative Director at Cao Yuxi Studio
Projects & Awards
(11/2024) "Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful", Park Avenue Armory, New York, NY, USA
(10/2024) "Dimensional Sampling_#2", Signal Festival, Prague, Czech Republic
(08/2024) "Palindrome Codex", Mutek, Montreal, Canada
(11/2023) "TimeCube", Interval Festival 23, West Bund Artistic Center, Shanghai, China
(08/2023) "Palindrome Codex", Interval Festival 23, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
(07/2023) "Seasonal Proximities", Veranos de la Villa Festival 2023, Espacio Cultural Serrería Belga, Madrid, Spain
(06/2023) "Seasonal Proximities", Reverberation Qingshan Art Season, Qing Shan Village, Hangzhou, China
(02/2022) "Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony", National Stadium, Beijing, China
(04/2021–05/2022) "EVER-CURIOUS—Mickey: The True Original Exhibition World Tour", Walt Disney Company, Shanghai/Chengdu/Beijing/Shenzhen, China
(02/2021–12/2022) "200 malles 200 visionnaires The Exhibition", Louis Vuitton, Global
(04/2020) "Dimensional Sampling_#1-4", Nxt Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
(10/2019) "Artchouse Live Performance", Artchouse, Washington DC, USA
(09/2019) "Interactive of ink", Daxing International Airport, Beijing, China
(05/2019) "The Vast Land", Gallerie delle Prigioni, Treviso, Italy
(05/2019) "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains", Zürcher Gallery, New York, NY, USA
(11/2018) "Time Maze", Minsheng Art Museum, Beijing, China
(10/2018) "Gravity Tower", Guangzhou Light Festival, Guangzhou, China
(07/2018) ".zip Season 2: Developing The Future", 3ld Art & Technology Center, New York, NY, USA
(04/2018) "Remix Garden: Gravity Tower", City Future Festival, Shenzhen, China
(12/2017) ".zip: Unzip The Future", 3ld Art & Technology Center, New York, NY, USA
(07/2017) ".zip: Future Rhapsody Xiaomi · Future of Today", Today Art Museum, Beijing, China
Highlights
Class Highlights
Hacking Reality: The Art of 3D Capture
Explore the complete workflow of 3D scanning, from simple to advanced techniques, and gain a clear understanding of how real-world objects are captured, cleaned, and prepared as digital assets. These digitized forms will serve as the foundation for expressive, particle-based compositions built in real-time visual environments.
Poetic Particle Systems in Real-Time Engines
Transform scanned 3D or 2D assets into evocative, particle-driven compositions using tools like TouchDesigner, Unity, and Unreal Engine. This includes building real-time simulations that abstract, fragment, and recompose visual data into expressive works that reflect the sensibility of digital impressionism. The process encourages both technical curiosity and poetic interpretation, pushing particle systems beyond aesthetics into a form of storytelling.
Extending Digital Art into Physical Installations
Expand digital works into the physical realm through projection mapping, holographic displays, and other spatial techniques. You'll experiment with accessible, DIY formats to transform particle-based visuals into immersive installations that blur the boundary between screen and space, resulting in a better understanding of how digital compositions can be adapted for unconventional displays and customized environments.
Class Details
You'll Learn
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Scanning the PhysicalExplore a range of 3D scanning methods, from smartphones to DSLRs and drones. You'll learn the core principles behind image-based scanning and how to digitize the organic forms found in nature. -
Cleaning Up Digital FormsGet hands-on with raw scan data and learn how to refine it for creative use. You'll learn how to clean, optimize, and prepare mesh topology, UVs, color, and material information for creative use. -
Real-Time Particle WorkflowsDive into real-time visual pipelines in TouchDesigner, Unity, and Unreal Engine. You'll learn how to transform 3D and 2D data into expressive, particle-based compositions.
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Creative OptimizationDiscover how to debug and optimize your particle systems and rendering pipelines. You'll learn to balance computational limitations with human creativity and strategic problem-solving. -
Data-Driven ArtConnect data sources like sound, weather, or live sensor input to your visual systems. You'll learn to create interactive and generative works that reveal unseen rhythms and patterns.ur characters. -
Beyond the ScreenTranslate your digital creations into physical installations using projection mapping, holography, and custom-built display systems. You'll learn how to bring digital art into spatial, real-world contexts.
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Interview with
New Media Artist Yuxi (James) Cao
Question.01
What makes your class different from other classes?
This class is entirely derived from my original art series Pollen Pixel and Seasonal Proximities. It goes beyond technical tips or software manuals for particle rendering—delving into the aesthetic and creative process, from raw data to final visual output. More than just a technical tutorial, it serves as an artistic documentary that explores the journey of visual storytelling through particles.
Question.02
Please share with us how you started your career journey.
I began this journey as a nightclub VJ, a visual dreamer drawn to the shadows. In those nights, I found beauty in the darkness, where only the flicker of projectors and the shimmer of screen pixels painted the room, dancing like fireflies to the rhythm of a night’s emotional tide. There was magic in sculpting light in real time, responding to every shift in BPM, every pulse of the crowd. It wasn’t long before I felt the urge to craft my own visual worlds—to create the clips and textures that would breathe life into the moving light.
Question.03
What kind of industry developments do you foresee for the future?
There will definitely be more diverse directions emerging within my industry. It started with music festival stages and has expanded to include concerts, operas, experimental theater, and more. On the exhibition side, formats like city light festivals, expo showcases, and Instagrammable contemporary art exhibitions—often supported by brand sponsorships or art institutions—are becoming dominant trends.
I believe the future of media art will resemble the YouTuber model, where creators can directly reach and grow their audiences. A successful artist in this field must be able to craft compelling narratives and use the right techniques to package ideas into a variety of formats that resonate with the rhythms of everyday life around the world. This ability to bridge creativity and communication is key to the industry's future development.
I believe the future of media art will resemble the YouTuber model, where creators can directly reach and grow their audiences. A successful artist in this field must be able to craft compelling narratives and use the right techniques to package ideas into a variety of formats that resonate with the rhythms of everyday life around the world. This ability to bridge creativity and communication is key to the industry's future development.
Required Programs
This course will utilize Blender, CloudCompare, TouchDesigner 2023, Unity 2023, and Unreal Engine 5.4.
Please purchase and install these program(s) for an optimized chapter experience.
*These programs and/or materials will not be provided with the chapter.
