Neurathon 2023

Where 3D rendering meets AI.

November 25, 2023 | Prague

Meet the first Chaos Neurathon.

Chaos Neurathon 2023 was the first edition of the specialized software programming hackathon in search of AI solutions supporting physically-based rendering technology. The goal of the Neurathon is to help the CG visualization industry by exploring different ways to generate physically-based materials using machine-learning models built for that purpose. It was launched on November 25th, 2023 in Prague.

The participating teams worked for five days to develop an ML-generated materials set based on a given dataset of textures. They spent more than 1,600 work hours on the virtual machines provided for the competition under the supervision of nine Chaos Machine Learning Team mentors. A total of 78 successful submissions of more than 100 GB were made during the hackathon.

The winners of the first Chaos Neurathon are:

1st place: Team All You Need Is All You Need - Radim Spetlik, Michal Kučera, David Kunz
2nd place: Team Boleslavský & Karafiát - Andrej Boleslavský, Pavel Karafiát
3rd place: Team 10 -Jaroslav Urban, Filip Žitný
Honorable mention: Team Two Brain Cells - Martin Mirbauer and Matus Golias

The Neurathon in brief

Consider the 12 hours of the hackathon on November 25 as a start of the Neurathon, when you can meet your team, start developing your ML model, and discuss your ideas with our mentors on-site.
Your task will be to develop a machine-learning model that synthesizes a set of physically-based rendered textures for a given type of diffuse textures.
You will receive a pre-processed dataset of textures of different materials. See below examples of pairs of albedo map and bump and roughness maps.

You can use libraries and frameworks such as PyTorch, Tensorflow, Scikit-learn, Hugging Face, or any other framework that can help you perform better.
We know that you will need more time to work on your model, which is why we will expect you to submit your model remotely on November 29 by the end of the day (24:00 CET).
Each team will have access to a dedicated virtual machine for the computational work during the entire period of the hackathon. You will have access to these resources two days before the event, on November 23, so you can test how it works before the start of the hackathon. You will be able to use it till November 29, when you will have to submit your work.
You can get in touch with our mentors on Discord for the entire period of the hackathon.
The organizers will review the submitted models and will validate them upon a test set of textures.
The 3 best performing models will receive prizes. The winners of the Neurathon will be announced on November 30 at 18:00 CET at the office of Chaos in Prague. You will receive a separate invitation for this event.
To participate in the hackathon, you are expected to have some experience in software development, especially in rendering technologies, computer vision technologies, or ML models.

Let’s explore the future of CG visualization!

The future paths of visualization and physically-based rendering are closely tied to the ones of neural networks and machine learning. Let us explore how ML can help generate physically-based materials and test the results on-site.

What is the task for the day of the Neurathon?

We invite you and your team to explore the intersection between AI and physically-based rendering by building a machine-learning model that can synthesize a set of PBR textures for a given type of diffuse textures.

You will be given a certain data set of material textures and provided with relevant computational resources. The results will be validated against a test set of textures and by Chaos mentors.

What’s in it for you?

Joining the Neurathon, you will have the chance to:

Explore the ways AI can support the physically-based rendering
Cooperate and collaborate with like-minded mates
Showcase your skills
Be rewarded for your efforts with great prizes

Who can participate?

Anyone aged 18+ interested in programming for computer graphics, deep neural networks, and image processing can participate in the Neurathon event in Prague on November 25, 2023.

Whether you're an upper-course student, a recent graduate, a researcher, or a seasoned pro, we're interested in your passion for exploring how AI can be integrated into graphic technologies.

We welcome individuals and teams of developers of up to four people.

What are the judging criteria?

Our mentors will check the validity of your results, and they'll also run automated tests and compare your results to a set of pre-defined textures.

We'll see how close your results are to the originals.

You'll get a more detailed task description and more info about the judging criteria closer to the event date.

Will there be mentors to guide the teams through the task?

Yes. Our colleagues from Chaos Innovation Lab will be available on-site to mentor the teams.

Should I bring my own laptop?

Yes, indeed. Please bring your own device. The rest of the infrastructure (connectivity, online resources, cloud access, etc.) will be on us.

Where will the event take place?

Node 5, Radlická 180/50

You can park your car in safe parking Anděl.

What are the prizes?

We have some awesome prizes for the top teams!

1st place

60 000 CZK (in-kind)

2nd place

35 000 CZK (in-kind)

3rd place

20 000 CZK (in-kind)

Why is Chaos running a Neurathon?

We are running a Neurathon because we're committed to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the world of computer graphics technologies.

Developing leading 3D technology, we know that innovation doesn't happen without collaboration. Whether you're an artist, industry leader, or academic researcher, you're welcome to contribute to development discussions and help solve key computer graphics challenges.

That’s why we have set up our Chaos Innovation Lab, a dedicated initiative to encourage sharing ideas and research in graphic technologies, including offline and real-time rendering, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI).

Get in touch with us.

Drop us a message at neurathon@chaos.com.

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Where 3D rendering meets AI.

November 25, 2023 | Prague

Meet the first Chaos Neurathon.

The Neurathon in brief

Let’s explore the future of CG visualization!

What is the task for the day of the Neurathon?

What’s in it for you?

Who can participate?

What are the judging criteria?

Will there be mentors to guide the teams through the task?

Should I bring my own laptop?

Where will the event take place?

What are the prizes?

We have some awesome prizes for the top teams!

1st place

2nd place

3rd place

Why is Chaos running a Neurathon?

Get in touch with us.

Drop us a message at neurathon@chaos.com.

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