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Adam here with a one-of-a-kind highlight to wrap up the year, plus loads of exciting announcements and development regarding Lighthouse AI Academy.

2025 has been a spectacular first year for us, filled with learning, laughter, challenges, and exponential growth. We’re so proud of what we’re building and we’re glad you’re with us for the ride. 

We plan on continuing this momentum in 2026, so stay tuned as we skyrocket into the next dimension of GenAI education. 

Now, before we get too emotional, let’s plunge into the student project that’s the focus of this newsletter.

You’ve seen ComfyUI power fashion films, product shoots, and speculative design.

But this week, we’re exploring something wildly different.

Can an image-generation engine be adapted to experiment with visualizing real scientific data?

That’s exactly what Lighthouse student Ania set out to explore in her project: Molecules in ComfyUI.

Let’s dive into this technical (and oddly poetic) experiment that stretched ComfyUI beyond art, and into the world of structural biology.

Ania began with a deceptively simple question: Can ComfyUI understand protein data?

To test this, she turned to PDB files, the gold standard for molecular structure.

To us? Geometry, helices, sheets, loops.

To ComfyUI? Just thousands of numbers.

The creative tension: How to turn raw, scientific data into visual structure ComfyUI can parse.

To bridge this gap, Ania built two entirely new custom ComfyUI nodes:

PyMOL Renderer Node

Python-Based Native Renderer

Together, these two nodes formed a dual rendering pipeline: one for scientific fidelity, the other for stylistic exploration.

With visualization functional, Ania leveled up again:

Automation Node

Stylized LoRA Training

What began as an exploration became a full visual pipeline capable of rendering, styling, automating, and generating.

All of this remains a work in progress, and each custom node still requires refinement to improve stability, accuracy, and usability as the workflow continues to evolve.

Beyond being a mind-blowing experiment, we see it as a signal too.

ComfyUI isn’t limited to cinematic storytelling or fashion fantasy.

With the right tools, it becomes a bridge between science and design.

Ania’s work shows that when you bring artistic tools into scientific spaces, you open new ways of thinking, teaching, and communicating complex ideas.

This is the future we’re building: workflows that are powerful, visually expressive, and rooted in rigor.

If this workflow resonates with you or you have any further questions, please reach out.

We would love to get your feedback on what works and what doesn't regarding this process.

Inspired by Ania? Try this 3-part creative prompt:

The creative edge lies in translation.

Feel free to share your outcome with us by email, or tag us on LinkedIn if this helps!

We’re thrilled to announce our first official partnership: 

Lighthouse is now an AI education provider inside the Wonder App, the platform from Wonder Studios.

Together, we’re creating a unified space for learning, building, and experimenting with AI filmmaking workflows.

Check it out:

Fresh design. Clearer navigation. Updated course info. Spotlighted student work.

Get scrolling.

Students who complete a flagship course and present a final project now receive official certification.

You can add it to LinkedIn under Licenses & Certifications, and show the world your real AI workflow skills.

We’re offering FOUR Merit Scholarships for:

What we ask:

A short 60-120 sec video where you share:

If you’ve ever thought, “just give me a shot”... this is that shot.

This season, our Creative Leaders and Master ComfyUI students launched projects that felt less like homework and more like prototypes for the future of creative work.

From visual systems and pitch decks to full pipelines, cohorts 2 and 3 were a thing of beauty.

Breakdowns coming soon — for now, a huge congratulations to every single student.

You move us.

P.S. Some of these projects are part of our Lighthouse incubator, where we love offering assistance and guidance to all manner of tech creatives.

If you've got creative ambitions in the pipeline (or even pipe dreams), tell us about them; we'd love to see how we can work together to make your ideas dance into this world!

It’s official: AI for Architects 2-Week Studio is live and launching on January 15, 2026 🏗️

This is a focused, fast-paced 2-week studio designed to help architects, designers, and visual artists bring their spatial ideas to life using advanced AI workflows.

What you’ll learn:

Designed for architects who want to build with AI, not just experiment with it.

🟡 Basic ComfyUI

 → Build clean, readable visual workflows from scratch — no prior node experience required.

🟡 Advanced ComfyUI

 → From prototype to pipeline — batching, automation, quality control, and repeatability.

🟡 AI for Creative Leaders

→ Design systems (not just outputs), integrate AI with teams, and lead with strategy and ethics.

Wherever you are in your journey, whether starting out, building mastery, or leading innovation, there’s a place for you at Lighthouse.

'Tis the season to level up. Whether you're just getting started or refining your AI superpowers, now’s the perfect time to commit to your creative growth.

Use the codes below when applying for courses to get 10% OFF our 5-star courses:

🎅 ChristmasComfy10 → Dec 20–31

🌟 NewYear10 → Dec 25–Jan 3

Enroll now, lock in your seat for 2026, and make your next year a beautifully Comfy one.

Let learning and curiosity be your gift this season. 💛

Ania’s project reminds us that boundaries are only temporary.

ComfyUI wasn’t intended for molecular science.

But with hard work, knowledge, and dedication, she showed just how powerful and versatile the software is.

This is what happens when creative people show up with curiosity, skill, and the belief that tools can be repurposed for something bigger.

That’s it for now: Thanks for reading and for building this new era with us. 

Whether you’re building scenes, systems, or something entirely new—

We’re here for it and we’re here for YOU. 💛

Applications for our 2026 cohorts are now open and as you can see, there is plenty going on and plenty to look forward too.

As the year comes to an end, we’d just like to thank all of our students, mentors, supporters, staff, and followers; none of this would be possible without you.

We wish you a joyous end to 2025, a merry Christmas, and a blessed beginning to the new year.

Step by step, node by node — and away we go.

Keep creating and always remember to have fun.

— Adam & the Lighthouse AI Academy Team ☀️