The tool highlights advancements in generative AI, enabling the creation of interactive, real-time scenes, such as a Japanese garden, from simple textual prompts.
Unlike other AI image-generating tools, Odyssey’s main focus is on photorealism, achieved through training on real-world landscapes captured using Odyssey’s proprietary 360-degree camera system.
Generated scenes can be exported to popular creative tools like Unreal Engine, Blender, and Adobe After Effects for further refinement. At its core, Explorer relies on Gaussian splats, a well-established volume-rendering technique supported by many graphics platforms.
“While early, we’re excited about the 3D detail and fidelity Explorer can already achieve,” Odyssey shared in a blog post, emphasizing its potential for applications in live-action filmmaking, hyper-realistic gaming, and immersive entertainment.
The company also highlighted ongoing research into generative motion in 3D, aiming to provide artists with fine-tuned control over dynamic scenes.
Explorer has current limitations, however: Scene generation currently takes about 10 minutes, and the output can suffer from resolution issues and visual artifacts. Yet Odyssey is already collaborating with production houses like the UK-based Garden Studios and a growing number of independent artists to refine the tool.
Amid concerns that artists and creative workers may face job disruptions with tools such as Odyssey, the startup has acknowledged these concerns and has pledged to work alongside, not against, creative professionals. The company recently welcomed Ed Catmull, Pixar co-founder and former Walt Disney Animation Studios president, to its board of directors.
“Generative world models represent one of the most untapped frontiers in AI,” Odyssey wrote. “We envision worlds that feel indistinguishable from reality, where human creativity and machine intelligence converge. If our work only results in marginally better films or games, we will have missed the mark.”
To date, Odyssey has raised US$27 million from investors, including EQT Ventures, GV, and Air Street Capital. Cameron previously served as VP of product at Cruise, while Hawke was a founding researcher at Wayve. Explorer is available for testing through an application process on Odyssey’s website.
