The Secrets of the Luminara challenge has officially wrapped, and what an extraordinary journey it has been! This year, we took the #KB3Dchallenge to legendary heights—and to match the grandeur of this world-building adventure, we partnered with some of the most iconic brands in the industry to create our biggest prize pool ever.
Participants from around the world showcased their skills and pushed the boundaries of creativity with the free Luminara Kit, competing for dazzling rewards from our incredible partners. From breathtaking concepts to immersive animations and interactive games, the submissions have been nothing short of spectacular.
As we prepare to unveil the winners, let’s celebrate the sponsors that helped make this challenge our most exciting yet and the incredible tools that empowered creators to explore the farthest reaches of their imagination.
The Unparalleled Challenge Prize Pool
We joined forces with leading innovators to assemble the ultimate prize pool, offering a blend of high-performance hardware, cutting-edge software, and industry-leading educational resources. This year's prize sponsors included:
Sony • AMD • Adobe Substance 3D • Maxon • Razer • Dell • StretchSense • CG Pro • The Gnomon Workshop
These incredible prizes were designed to empower creators to push their creative limits, refine their craft, and bring their visions to life with unmatched precision.
Hardware Prizes for Limitless Creation
Razer
Razer stands as one of the premier names in hardware for 3D creators, delivering expertly engineered tools. From high-performance laptops to immersive headsets and innovative tech gear, Razer is tailored to meet the demands of creators and gamers alike. Their gear is built for speed, power, and style—perfect for bringing bold visions to life.
“Partnerships like the one with KitBash3D are incredibly important to supporting the growth of the creative community and by combining our hardware expertise with KitBash’s creative expertise, we’re able to showcase what is possible on just a laptop” - Michael Reagan, Senior Global Product Marketing Manager at Razer.
AMD
AMD is a legend in creating computer processors, empowering creators with high-performance solutions designed to handle the most demanding creative workflows. Their technology ensures creators can stay focused on their vision, knowing their hardware is built to keep up with every challenge.
“AMD cards have always been the best price to performance cards you can buy. Whether I am gaming or creating 3D worlds, this card has me covered with its performance and massive amounts of VRAM. The AMD Radeon Software also makes tuning your graphics card quick and easy while keeping your drivers up-to-date” - Mike Reese, Head of Kits.
Sony mocopi
Sony Electronics’ mocopi is revolutionizing mobile motion capture by empowering creators with a lightweight, full-body tracking solution that works anywhere. Whether crafting dynamic animations or immersive storytelling, mocopi enables creators to bring their characters to life with fluid, expressive motion.
Dell
Dell powered the first-ever KB3D Community Award, delivering cutting-edge technology for artists to craft immersive worlds without limits. From high-resolution rendering to complex simulations, Dell provides the performance, reliability, and scalability creators need to bring their visions to life.
StretchSense
StretchSense empowers creators with industry-leading hand and finger motion capture technology, delivering unparalleled precision and expressiveness. This cutting-edge tool enables artists to breathe life into their digital characters, capturing every subtle movement for more natural and immersive animations.
“This was an incredible opportunity for artists, animators, and game designers to showcase their creativity and unlock the secrets of Luminara. From amazing prizes to industry recognition, this challenge offered opportunities to level up your 3D experience!” - StretchSense.
Software to Build Boundless Worlds
Maxon One
Maxon One is one of the most comprehensive professional 3D software packages available, offering individual artists the power and flexibility of an entire studio. This all-in-one suite includes industry-leading tools like Cinema 4D, Redshift, ZBrush, Red Giant, Universe, and Forger, covering everything from 3D animation and motion graphics to filmmaking, sculpting, rendering, and more.
"ZBrush is an industry-standard tool I use daily at KB3D for its powerful features, versatile workflows, and excellent performance. Whether sculpting detailed forms, creating high-poly models, or refining geometry, it’s an essential part of any 3D artist’s toolkit." - JD Havenga, KitBash3D Modeling Artist.
Adobe Substance 3D
Materials and textures are the soul of many immersive worlds, and Adobe Substance 3D is the go-to tool for our team. From gritty stone walls to sleek sci-fi surfaces, Substance 3D’s powerful creation tools allow you to add rich, realistic details to every asset.
"Substance Painter and Designer are my go-to tools for texture creation—they’re intuitive, workflow-friendly, and offer real-time visualization. I love how they let me shape the story behind each KB3D asset, inspiring me to keep creating for our community!" - Gabs Herera, KitBash3D Texture Artist.
Cargo By KitBash3D
No prize pool would be complete without our flagship product, Cargo Pro. While you’ve already used Cargo’s free access to explore the Secrets of the Luminara Kit, winners will unlock a full year of Cargo Pro, granting access to over 15,000 premium 3D assets—empowering them to continue pushing creative boundaries beyond the challenge.
“We believe it is crucial to equip artists with tools that keep pace with their creative ambitions. This requires eliminating technical barriers by providing creators with access to the fundamental 3D building blocks – models and materials – and ensuring that those assets work with any platform. That’s the promise of Cargo” - Banks Boutté, Co-CEO of KitBash3D.
Education to Fuel Creativity
The Gnomon Workshop
The Gnomon Workshop is a go-to resource for our team, offering classes that help keep our skills sharp and up-to-date. Known for its industry-grade onlinetutorials, Gnomon provides lessons on everything from environment design to character creation—making it an essential tool for world builders aiming to level up their craft. Be sure to check out the free tutorials Gnomon has created exclusively for the Secrets of the Luminara challenge!
“Taking classes at TGW from my desk has been an awesome way for me to continue learning while working full time and I can implement the new knowledge immediately!” - Liosh Shyp, KitBash3D Cinematic Artist.
CG Pro
As the only authorized Unreal Engine training center in North America, CG Pro is dedicated to teaching world builders the skills they need in real-time rendering and virtual production. With their Inner Circle, CG Pro also provides a first-of-its-kind community for live, expert-led support for visual effects artists in the film and games to leverage relationships, gain insights from industry experts, and gain access to reel reviews.
The Adventure Continues...
Thanks to our incredible partners, this year’s Secrets of the Luminara challenge became a launchpad for creators to showcase their talents and push creative boundaries. The journey isn’t over yet—the winners will soon be revealed, and we can’t wait to celebrate their extraordinary work.
While the challenge has ended, there's still an opportunity to make your own discovery.
You can still dive into the world of Luminara by downloading Cargo and accessing the free Secrets of the Luminara Kit. Whether you're refining your submission, starting a new project, or simply exploring new ideas, the journey continues.
Don’t forget to tag @KitBash3D and use #KB3Dchallenge on Instagram to share your creations—we’re excited to see what new stories you’ll tell and worlds you’ll build!
