Two-day VirtualX Summit inaugurated at Chandigarh University campus

Chandigarh, 17 April: A two-day VirtualX Summit on diverse aspects of visual effects, gaming and animation has been inaugurated at Chandigarh University today. The Summit is being organised   by the Department of Animation, Chandigarh University, in collaboration with the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India; and ABAI (Association of Bangalore Animation Industry).

Chandigarh University is serving as the North Zone partner for the Zonal Competition of the WAFX WAVES VFX challenge, being held by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and ABAI, to foster local talent and support the 'Create in India' initiative of the government.

Key topics discussed during the summit include behind-the-scenes insights into the making of Chhaava, a much-anticipated animated feature, as well as Netflix’s upcoming animated title Wolf King. The event also covers cutting-edge developments in Computer Generated Imagery, Visual Effects, and Extended Reality applications, providing valuable exposure to students and professionals in the creative technology space.

The inauguration was led by departmental leaders Mr. Pradeep Kumar, Head of Department; Prof. Pamil Arora, Assistant Director; and Mr. Ajaypal Singh Channa, and attended by several distinguished guests from the industry. In his inaugural speech, Prof. Dr. V.R. Raghuveer, Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) told the students that the University tries to give them a sandbox environment where the students can experiment, try new things and fail, so that they become future-ready. Shri Chand RK, Executive Director, The Mill; Mr. Biren Ghose (President, ABAI), Mr. Anirbandeep Dutta, Founder & Creative Director, Pixel & Ratio; Mr. Viren Patel, Director, Zebu Animation; Mr. Shyam Deshpande, Art Director, Krafton;  and Mr. Rakesh Venugopalan, Creative Head of Department, The Mill, also shared their insights and perspectives with the students and other summit participants.

The winners of the WAFX Zonal Competition of the North Zone will be announced today and felicitated by the guests. The Zonal winners will compete in a 24-hour challenge at WAVES 2025. The contestants will utilise green matte screens, 3D assets, and FX libraries to create a VFX shot. The Grand Champion in each category wins a cash prize and exclusive goodies.

The summit will continue on April 18 with further sessions on visual effects, animation and gaming.