Interviews that focus on the CG creative in visual effects, architecture and beyond. Christopher Nichols of Chaos sits down with directors, artists, photographers and developers for candid discussions on technology and art, all with a focus on computer graphics. Visit chaosgroup.com/cg-garage for more information and an archive of past shows.

SHoP Architects has made a name for itself in its native New York via distinctive projects including Brooklyn’s Barclays Center — and now it’s expanding globally via Uber’s San Francisco HQ, US embassies in Honduras and Bangkok, and an innovation hub in Botswana. To create these buildings, SHoP has embraced technology and started its own in-house visualization team.

In this podcast, Visualization Director Mengyi Fan and Visualization Associate Samantha Anderson join Chris to talk about the various methods SHoP uses in the design and development processes, from videogame techniques to simple illustrations. They also discuss clever technology that allows them to oversee construction over thousands of miles or simultaneously experience VR spaces.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast290_MengyiFan_SamanthaAnderson.mp3
Category:Architecture -- posted at: 8:23am PDT

“When you start taking care of other people, amazing things happen,” says David Guthrie. And he’s right — after discovering the lack of PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic, he took matters into his own hands and founded a company to manufacture and distribute face masks, making use of contacts he’s made in app development and fashion design.

David also discusses how he teaches the fundamentals of design at Rice University and the University of Houston via projects involving cubes, mandolins and furniture, imposing constraints to investigate and understand form and function. He gives his thoughts on how modern architecture and technology don’t encourage socialization — as well as his hopes for the post-COVID future.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast278_DavidGuthrie.mp3
Category:Architecture -- posted at: 8:22am PDT

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Cobus Bothma has gone from industrial designer to architectural visualization artist to one of the most important players at Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF). Having helped create the international architecture firm’s mile-long Abu Dhabi airport — and managed its enormous data set — Cobus now serves as director of applied research.

In this podcast, Cobus tells Chris how the company seamlessly manages data and projects across its nine global offices — and a tenth virtual one. Other topics include how Chaos Group’s Lavina real-time rendering engine represents a paradigm shift in the way architects create imagery, why Hololens has become the tool of choice for visualizing designs at KPF, and computational design, machine learning and sustainability.

Cobus is a visionary with an ear to the ground, and his insight into the future of technology and architecture is unparalleled.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast242_CobusBothma.mp3
Category:Architecture -- posted at: 11:22am PDT

Zaha Hadid Architects has always embraced technology to stay ahead of the game — even the late Zaha Hadid was herself using computers to design buildings back in the 90s. Today, the company makes use of software including Revit, Maya, V-Ray, Rhino and Grasshopper to create its iconic parametric designs, as well as lots of bespoke tools to create VR experiences and model human interactions.

In this podcast, recorded at Total Chaos, Lead Designer/VR Developer Jose Pareja Gomez and Designer Marko Margeta offer a comprehensive breakdown of what happens behind-the-scenes at ZHA and how they get many different pieces of technology to play together nicely. They also talk about how they use scripts to make their lives easier and the ways in which real-time ray tracing promises to change workflows in the near future.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast229_Jose_Marko_ZHA.mp3
Category:Architecture -- posted at: 12:03pm PDT

Since the mid-90s, Greg Lynn has pioneered the use of technology in architecture. When the rest of the industry was using formZ, Greg was experimenting with non-architectural software such as Alias and Maya, using nurbs and fluid sims to create radically different, organic designs. He’s seen masters of the set square become mouse-and-keyboard amateurs and happy accidents become established techniques.

Now, Greg is turning his computer-aided expertise to robotics via Gita, an autonomous robotic companion which can follow its owner on foot journeys and transport up to 45 pounds of shopping or burritos. Greg tells Chris and Lon about the process of designing this lovable bot and ensuring it can track individuals through complex urban environments.

This must-listen podcast also takes in many other facets of the architecture and design industries, including how its business model could be improved and made less resource-intensive, and the role new technology such as Hololens is playing in designs of the future.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast220_GregLynn.mp3
Category:Architecture -- posted at: 11:32am PDT

Summer 1993. Jurassic Park is about to be unleashed in theatres. Meanwhile, at the Rice School of Architecture in Houston, Texas, a young student named Chris Nichols is learning how to use AutoCAD, 3dstudio v2, and Wavefront. Overseeing Chris is Shisha van Horn, a paleontologist turned architecture student, then lecturer.

Chris and Shisha are reunited for this trip down memory lane. Shisha talks about how she set up the school’s first computer network, and cajoled Chris into creating 3dstudio online manuals using nothing more than notepad and HTML tags.

It’s a reminder of how much has changed. Most of Chris’ portfolio from the time now fits on a single SD card, but in 1993 it would have filled a hard drive. The arch viz industry didn’t exist. The department used a dye-sublimation printer which cost $6,300, Gopher and Mosaic were the only ways to look at web content, and Chris even built his own render farms so he could get his thesis done in time.

It’s also testament to the talent and energy Chris brought to the university, then the architecture and VFX industries, and now to Chaos Group. And it’s nice to hear from Shisha, who was an instrumental and influential part of Chris’ life and career.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast153_ShishaVanHorn.mp3
Category:Architecture -- posted at: 2:11pm PDT

Some 20 years ago, Chris graduated with a master’s in architecture from Rice University in Houston, Texas. His thesis advisor and dean at the time was Lars Lerup, himself an esteemed architectural professor, author, artist, and designer.

For this podcast, Chris and Lars are reunited in the hallowed halls of Rice School of Architecture. As someone who’s seen architecture and its students completely change over the last few decades, dean emeritus Lerup knows what he’s talking about. Lars discusses the immeasurable impact of the human race on the planet, and the how it’s now the responsibility of architects to think on a global scale.

At the same time, he argues that there’s a dearth of imagination and risk taking in the industry, which isn’t helped by stark cultural, generational and financial divisions. Which begs the question: why isn’t architecture more fun? Together, Chris and Lars tackle this question in a conversation which takes in teaching methods, Lars’ new book The Continuous City, and the role of 3D software in real and imagined spaces.

Lars is bursting with knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject, and by the end you’ll realize that the people involved in architecture make it an interesting, innovative and fun medium.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast148_LarsLerup.mp3
Category:Architecture -- posted at: 7:02pm PDT

The untimely passing of revolutionary architect Zaha Hadid last year has left a big hole in the world of architecture. Filling it is Patrik Schumacher, now a principal at Zaha Hadid Architects, and one of the world’s most respected architects in his own right. In this deep dive into the theory and practice of architecture, Patrik talks about how architects preempted computer aided design in the 1980s, and how philosophy, nature, and mathematics are integral parts of the medium.

As the author of the manifesto of parametricism, Patrik examines the dogmas and taboos of this architectural movement, and how it embraces computer algorithms. He also discusses how he designs places based around how people congregate in them, and how VR and particle physics are instructing new ways of creating architecture.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast126_PatrikSchumacher.mp3
Category:Architecture -- posted at: 8:24pm PDT

Architect Thom Mayne should need no introduction — but here’s a potted history for the uninitiated. A graduate of the University of Southern California and Harvard, Thom co-founded Morphosis Architects in 1972. This experimental studio rejected contemporary ideas of architecture, instead using metal and concrete to create angular buildings which reflect their purpose and surroundings.

Despite his importance in revolutionizing the form, Thom modestly admits that no architect ever quite feels like they’ve mastered it. He talks about how Nietzsche, Darwin and Freud changed architecture in the early 20th century, and how computers and 3D printing have changed it in the 21st. He also goes into how unique architecture is as an art form and medium, especially in the way it’s taught and learned. By the end of this absorbing podcast you’ll be as passionate about architecture as Thom is.

Morphosis [https://www.morphosis.com/]
How architecture can connect us: Thom Mayne’s Ted Talk [https://www.ted.com/talks/thom_mayne_on_architecture_as_connection]

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast120_ThomMayne.mp3
Category:Architecture -- posted at: 1:21pm PDT

Art Gensler’s name will be familiar to architects and designers, but if you haven’t heard of him, here’s a rundown. In 1965, Art founded M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates, which is now the world’s biggest architecture firm in terms of revenue. It creates everything from wine bottle labels to the biggest buildings in the world. Chances are you’ve set foot in a Gensler-designed space at some point in your life, be it a Gap store or the Shanghai Tower.

Despite the enormous success of his company, Art comes across as humble and amiable in this interview with Chris. This genial nature extends to the whole company—it was years ahead of Apple and Google in valuing its employees, and providing nice surroundings where they could be creative and productive. As well as talking about his company, Art also tells Chris about how he played a round of golf with Arnold Palmer, and his book on the principles which have made Gensler so successful.

Gensler’s official site [http://www.gensler.com/]
Art’s Principles on Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/Arts-Principles-hard-learned-world-class-professional/dp/0986106909/]

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast99_ArtGensler.mp3
Category:Architecture -- posted at: 5:55pm PDT