TED-Ed series Ada fuses storytelling with eye-catching animation. The Should We Studio production team explain how they relied on V-Ray for rendering, refining the process as production progressed
By Contributor
Published: March 28, 2025 Updated: March 31, 2025
TED-Ed series Ada fuses storytelling with eye-catching animation. The Should We Studio production team explain how they relied on V-Ray for rendering, refining the process as production progressed
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
After years as a senior editorial producer at TED-Ed, where she wrote over 200 scripts, Elizabeth Cox took the leap and founded Should We Studio to create content that raises awareness of issues shaping our future. We specialise in tackling consequential topics with exuberance, explains Cox. For us, exuberance means humour, vibrant settings, and above all, a willingness to engage with the weird.
Ada, the studio's first major production, stemmed from Cox's interest in the ethics of emerging technology and the challenge of making these discussions accessible. We all have a stake in the future, she says, but the discourse around this stuff is so off-putting and exclusionary of everyone but a small set of sci-fi/tech enthusiasts with a particular aesthetic.
Eager to find a way to bring these concepts to a wider audience, Cox and her core team of 12 started work on the series. They worked on Ada with no external guidelines and complete creative freedom, creating their own big-picture guidelines for the production:
Vibe: Sci-fi for non-sci-fi fans
Subjects: topical yet timeless
Tone: conversational, humorous but thoughtful
Worlds: lush, timeless-not overtly futuristic
Uncertainty: the future depends on our choices
The team set lofty goals for Ada's look and feel, striving for a handmade feel while finding a realistic way to achieve it within their restraints. With our relatively small budget and team size and quick turnaround time, we decided pretty early on that the best way to achieve the look we wanted within our constraints was to use a 3D pipeline to achieve a handmade look, says Cox, also adding that projects like Arcane and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse inspired them due to their completely new looks achieved in 3D animation.
After deciding on a 3D approach, the Should We Studio team turned to V-Ray, among other tools, to help execute their vision.
How V-Ray helped shape the look of Ada Because each episode of Ada contains two distinct worlds: Ada's reality, which stayed the same throughout the season, and the future she imagines, which looked different in each of the five episodes, the Should We team had to create a total of six distinct visual styles across the series.
Then, when it came to the characters, the team animated them in 3D and rendered them in a flat style to fit with the 2D painted backgrounds, which closely evoked traditional animation. The team didn't render lighting from 3D but instead created lighting using rim lights in After Effects and other 2D tricks. This simple render is very forgiving and well-suited to our production constraints but creates other problems to solve, Cox explains.
The team needed to render a stroke pass for the characters so their internal features, like noses and the distinction between jaw and neck, would not disappear in the flat render. Moreover, the team wanted the stroke pass to be variable, with some strokes appearing and disappearing depending on the characters' movement. It was here that V-Ray was able to render the stroke pass, giving the team the look they needed.
Wing Luo, Should We's technical director, spent time experimenting with how to land the right look for the series, ultimately deciding on V-Ray. With our small team and tight timeline, we needed to minimise manual corrections, Cox says. So being able to refine our process in V-Ray was essential.
With each episode, the team refined their workflow, mastering V-Ray to meet their vision. By the end of the series, the team's approach had evolved so much that they made the bold decision to go back and re-render the stroke pass on the first two episodes, ensuring consistency across the entire series.
This wasn't just a technical improvement-it was a testament to how much the team had grown in their mastery of V-Ray. What began as an experiment in achieving a handcrafted 3D look had become a fine-tuned process that ultimately elevated the series as a whole.
A unique series that resonated with audiences With the series completed with the help of V-Ray, Cox, and Should We Studio began finding the right distributor for Ada.
Though Cox had worked at TED, Ada wasn't made for TED-Ed-but after exploring distributors, she found it was the perfect home. One thing that really appealed to me about hosting Ada on TED's channels is that the content isn't paywalled, she explains. An experience that is free to the viewer is very much in keeping with the mission of Should We Studio and the series.
TED released Ada one episode per week over five weeks, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Viewers praised the show's engaging style, thoughtful exploration of interesting, complex topics, and distinctive animation. Many even called for more episodes, eager to see the show's world expand into a longer format.
For Cox, this reaction reaffirmed the studio's approach to storytelling. I hope people will take away the following message from Ada: We should invest in the social structures to support transformative technologies in parallel and in proportion to our investment in the technologies themselves, she says. And I hope Ada models the value of an exuberant spirit of inquiry-a willingness to engage with weird or off-putting questions and reach surprising conclusion
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
20/08/2026
TV, BritBox and Mammoth Screen have announced that filming is now underway on th...
20/08/2026
The music between the notes Coming together In the middle of 2026, as conversations around artificial intelligence continue to raise questions about how musi...
20/08/2026
Arvato Systems Brings Together Digital Transformation Leaders in the Manufacturi...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
Company launch with stereo-imaging tool
Panoramic is the debut release from Panorama Labs, a new company formed by mastering engineer Nicholas Di Lorenzo. C...
18/08/2026
Control software now available for older interfaces
Focusrite have just announced the launch of an update that extends Control 2 software support their Scar...
18/08/2026
Tuesday 18 August 2026
Sky Sports and The Fast and the Curious announce new partnership
Sky Sports and The Fast and the Curious have announced a new long-term...
18/08/2026
Wuppertal August 18, 2026
Riedel Brings Professional Live Production Into the Classrooms of ECURiedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan Universi...
18/08/2026
Apple today announced changes to its business terms for apps in the European Uni...
18/08/2026
THE HEALY RAES: BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS AIRS WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 ON RT ONE AT 9:35PM
A new documentary The Healy-Raes: Blood, Sweat & Tears airs on RT One and ...
18/08/2026
Stunning Irish performances at European Athletics and Swimming Championships rea...
18/08/2026
The two-part series begins Sunday 23 August at 6.30pm on RT One and RT Player
...
17/08/2026
New MIDI processor & macro controller revealed
SHIK have announced that they have opened pre-orders for the S32, a standalone MIDI processor and macro contr...
17/08/2026
Cover extended on innovative motorised pot system
Melbourne Instruments have just revealed that the innovative motorised pot system used in their synths and...
17/08/2026
Latest firmware version now available
1010music have just released a free firmware update that brings some nice new features to their renowned Bluebox digit...
17/08/2026
Rohde & Schwarz showcases integrated defense and test solutions at DALO Industry...
17/08/2026
Calrec's ImPulseV Virtualised Audio Mixing Engine joins NEP Platform, the industry's largest ecosystem of trusted production software, bringing scalable...
17/08/2026
Visitors to IBC 2026 will see how FilmLight is reshaping the modern post pipelin...
17/08/2026
Visitors to Stand 1.C41 can explore innovations in areas such as addressable advertising, hybrid distribution, managed services and operational simplification.
...
16/08/2026
Virtual drummer joins line-up
The latest release from Gospel Musicians adds a virtual drummer to the company's line-up, combining a pair of meticulously...
15/08/2026
In-ear monitoring line-up gains new universal models
In-ear monitoring experts JH Audio have just announced a significant expansion of their Universal-Fit r...
14/08/2026
Latest instalment delivers disco-inspired grooves
The latest addition to UJAM's virtual drum line-up has been designed with contemporary pop, disco, dan...
14/08/2026
Elite range gains giant 24-inch powered sub
The latest expansion of Yorkville's Elite range introduces what the company say is the world's first act...
14/08/2026
Friday 14 August 2026
Breaking news! Sky releases trailer for The Paper, return...
14/08/2026
It's been one year since our client, Cotswolds Designer Outlet, opened its doors and we've loved seeing the scheme come to life. Together, we've hel...
13/08/2026
Company preview bio-interactive' synthesizer
VAEMI have announced the upcoming launch of a new standalone bio-interactive' generative synthesizer....
13/08/2026
Plug-in host gains new Slot Scenes feature
Ravine DSP have recently updated their innovative plug-in host, kitting it out with a new feature that brings yet...
13/08/2026
New U and U&W Documentary Features Kathleen Richards, One of the Last Surviving Witnesses to Fred and Rose West
Kathleen is Reunited with Childhood Friend and ...
13/08/2026
Thursday 13 August 2026
Official trailer released for the return of Tea with Ju...
13/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
13/08/2026
Wenvoe serves over 1 million people across South Wales
13 August 2026, Winchester, UK - Vale of Glamorgan MP, Kanishka Narayan, has praised the engineering exp...
13/08/2026
RT 's Miriam O'Callaghan welcomed a range of specially invited guests to the National Concert Hall last week for a unique event to mark a new season wit...
13/08/2026
August 13 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Seattle Seahawks Become First Team to Bring Dolby O...
12/08/2026
Enhanced DAW & plug-in control for the UC1, UF8 and UF1
The software that powers SSL's range of control surfaces has just received a major update that d...
12/08/2026
In-line preamp features one-knob EQ
In addition to their range of in-line preamps, Triton Audio recently managed to squeeze a compressor into an enclosure t...
12/08/2026
Captures system audio with or without a DAW
Depending on your setup, capturing system audio in a DAW can be a tedious process, so much so that Arvital Audio...
12/08/2026
Comscore Reports Second Quarter 2026 ResultsRESTON, Va., August 12, 2026 Comscore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), a trusted partner for planning, transacting and evalu...
12/08/2026
NEW BOOKSHOP OPENING IN LONDON THAT OFFERS NEW IDENTITIES, NOT BOOKS, WITH FREE ...
12/08/2026
Brand-new trailer unveiled as Sky announces SNL UK ticket ballot will open on 14...
12/08/2026
Wednesday 12 August 2026
Sky Sports agrees deal to show Laver Cup from London's O2
Sky Sports has agreed a deal with Trident8 to show all three days of th...
TED-Ed series Ada fuses storytelling with eye-catching animation. The Should We Studio production team explain how they relied on V-Ray for rendering, refining the process as production progressed
