David S. Perkins is the founder and lead architect at Imaginary Labs, a company dedicated to redefining live event design through real-time visualization. Imaginary Labs develops Carbon for Unreal, the professional DMX toolkit and library for live and virtual events powered by Unreal Engine.
At LDI 2025, he will be teaching a suite of classes with something for anyone who’s into rendering or design and thinks Unreal Engine might have a role to play in their workflow
Use promo code CARBON20 to save 20% on one or more of these fours classes - see details below.
Live Design: What's new at Imaginary Labs this year?
David Perkins: What’s new is that we’re finally launching this thing — Carbon! We’ve spent years building the underlying tech through our Carbon for Unreal plugin, but this year we focused on creating a completely fresh user experience that’s unlike anything else out there. It’s designed to be incredibly approachable for people from all walks of life, and it requires zero knowledge of Unreal Engine — that’s all under the hood, quietly powering everything. We’re done with prototypes and early-access previews. This launch is our first real statement in the market. And we still have a to-do list a mile long, of course, and I’m sure we’re going to hear amazing ideas from everyone who stops by the booth. That’s honestly my favorite part.
LD: How have your programs evolved over the past year?
DP: The biggest thing that’s changed — and honestly keeps changing — is that we’re discovering more and more uses for visualization technology. When we first set out, our goal was to build something in the same vein as the previs tools we’ve all used over the years, with varying levels of success. But the funny thing is, once I started using Carbon more in testing, it felt like things were coming full circle back to my days working in design studios during the concept phase. And it started to get… fun.
We’re built on a game engine, and there’s a huge overlap between people who love this industry and people who love games. So why not lean into that? Design should be fun, and the tools should feel as intuitive as picking up a new game for the first time. I remind the team all the time: nobody reads a manual before they boot up the next chapter of their favorite game. The experience should guide you. Carbon is evolving in that direction — more playful, more intuitive, and more connected to the creative spark that got us into this work in the first place.
LD: What are you teaching at LDI this year and who should attend - what are the key points?
DP: I’m really running the gamut this year with classes. There’s something for anyone who’s into rendering or design and thinks Unreal Engine might have a role to play in their workflow.
The first class — Unreal Engine + Carbon Plugin: Best Friends for Flexible Design — is for people with zero Unreal experience, folks who love technology but stop short of calling themselves software developers. It’s a friendly on-ramp into the world of real-time design.
Then we’ve got the two Carbon.show classes, and these are a big deal because they’re the first chance for people to get hands-on with the new Carbon platform. Since Carbon is collaborative by nature, we’re leaning into that in the class itself — we want people to team up, create together, and meet other designers who are excited about using cutting-edge tools. It’s as much about the community as it is about the feature set.
And the final session is more like a user group slash laboratory. We’re going to push the system, try to break things, and then put it all back together again. If you want to go deep with Unreal Engine and the plugin, or you’re just curious how far you can stretch the tech, that’s the class for you.
LD: Where are we going overall in terms of real-time visualization - new AI solutions?
DP: I think real-time visualization is starting to empower designers in two really important ways. The first is that the tools we used to reserve for the end of the process — previz, technical renders, all that — are now incredibly useful at the beginning. You can vet ideas, try things, break things, and solve problems before you’ve sold a concept or promised something that might not actually work. That shift alone is huge for our industry. This is cracked up to 11 when you can now invite your collaborators in to the conversation in realtime.
The second piece is the rise of AI. It’s easier than ever to generate images that look amazing but have zero connection to reality — they don’t fit the space, they’re not physically possible, or they ignore basic production constraints. Our goal is to help designers separate themselves from that and build trust with their clients. Carbon gives you tools that keep you grounded in what’s real and what’s buildable, so you’re not just creating a cool image and then back-pedaling all the way to the show. We want to empower people who understand both the creativity and the craft — and give them a platform that supports that from day one.