Oscar Winner Brings Monsters to Life With His Simulation Software
While walking to school as a child, Jernej Barbič would marvel at how beautiful his home was. He was born and raised in a picturesque village in northwestern Slovenia (formerly Yugoslavia), located in the European Alps. Surrounded by alpine and beech trees, Barbic dreamed of replicating their swaying in the wind for others to enjoy. At the time, he didn’t have the tools or the knowledge to create…
Jernej Barbič, a professor of computer science at the University of Southern California, has brought monsters to life through his simulation software. Born in a picturesque village in Slovenia, Barbič's childhood fascination with the beauty of nature sparked his interest in computer graphics. Though he lacked the tools and knowledge at the time, this curiosity drove him to pursue a career in the field.
After earning his bachelor's degree in mathematics and then a Ph.D. in computer science from Carnegie Mellon, Barbič developed Ziva VFX software, which allows for realistic simulations of muscles, fat, and skin in 3D digital humans and creatures. The technology, launched in 2016 by Ziva Dynamics, has been used in over 60 movies, including Aquaman, Godzilla x Kong, and Venom: Let There Be Carnage. For his work, Barbič received a 2025 technical achievement Academy Award.
Barbič's passion for computer science was ignited by his father, an engineer who headed a cement factory's research department and invented a technology using magnetic resonance imaging to test cement integrity. His mother, an elementary school teacher, introduced him to computer science at the age of eight when a school bought a ZX Spectrum computer, and she brought it home for him to play on.
With permission from the principal, he started creating his own games using the BASIC programming language, eventually developing a game where players guided a snowman along a winding road.
Throughout his career, Barbič has focused on bridging the gap between academic research and practical applications in the film industry. His Vega FEM software, developed at USC, allowed for the animation of realistic 3D deformable objects, which was later refined to meet the needs of filmmakers. With Ziva VFX, Barbič has enabled the creation of more lifelike digital characters, fundamentally changing the way stories are told on screen.
Written by urgent.news from IEEE Spectrum's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
