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.

We’re only just starting to tap into the power of VR for collaboration in architecture — but there are many, many hurdles along the way. For instance: How do you get everyone into the same shared space? How do you represent attendees? How do you point things out within this virtual space? And how do you get tech-phobic participants to embrace the medium without getting scared or frustrated?

Entrepreneur, strategist, inventor — and former Ninja Turtle — John San Giovanni’s company Visual Vocal is revolutionizing this meeting space by making things as simple as possible. Download the app and it syncs with others via clever audio fingerprint tech. Pop your phone into a Homido Mini VR headset and you can look around with other people, and even point out issues. It makes VR meetings as easy as entering an internet chatroom.

In this enjoyable podcast, John helps Lon and Chris grok with Visual Vocal’s concept. And it gazes into the crystal ball of the future of VR, AR and XR, drawing on the video game Myst, “productive hallucinations,” Lon’s hatred of QR codes, and the fascinating Never Built NYC and LA projects.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast146_JohnSanGiovanni.mp3
Category:VR -- posted at: 6:46pm PDT

Chris recorded a lot of podcasts at THU — and this episode treats you to not one, but two 25-minute recordings.

In the first, Chris chats with celebrated CG portrait artist Ian Spriggs, and digital anatomy expert Scott Eaton. They discuss the history of portraits, and how the fundamental idea of representing humans hasn’t really changed from cave paintings, to paintings, to photographs, and now the world of CG. And they talk about the tech which has got us here, from early days of editing vertices in C, to the seamless artistry made possible with packages such as ZBrush and Mudbox.

Chris’s talk with Steven Wang and Phil Liu nicely complements the first part. Steven now works as a concept artist a Microsoft’s The Coalition game studios, but his prior role was alongside Ian Spriggs at Neill Blomkamp’s Oats Studios — Steven even posed for a portrait for Ian. Phil, meanwhile, serves as world artist at Monolith Productions. They discover a shared history in product design, and talk about how ArtStation, Instagram and Facebook have given artists invaluable exposure — but made the industry more competitive than ever.

They’re both engaging discussions, and Chris does a great job of packing important questions into a short amount of time.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast145_IanSpriggs_ScottEaton_StevenWang_PhilLiu.mp3
Category:CGI -- posted at: 11:52am PDT

Presentations are a surprisingly big challenge in the architecture community. It’s easy to wow clients with stills and videos, but if they want changes architects and arch viz studios have to re-render shots and animations.

Barcelona-based company CL3VER has created a clever solution to this issue - a browser-based system which can render realistic 3D models. In this podcast, Chris talks to CL3VER’s creative director Nimrod Friedman, and marketing manager Carlie Pratt.

Despite its simple premise and intuitive, Apple-like controls, Nimrod reveals the huge amount of behind-the-scenes work on a system which reproduces masses of geometry on limited hardware and software. He talks about how it can handle global illumination, ray tracing and reflections, its VR applications, and how they’ve built a cloud-based backend from scratch.

Chris’s enthusiasm and curiosity for the potential applications of CL3VER makes this an animated and interesting discussion.

https://www.cl3ver.com/

http://www3.cl3ver.com/l/212992/2017-10-10/2428q

 

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast144_NimrodFriedman_CarliePratt.mp3
Category:CGI -- posted at: 8:45pm PDT

THU has become a staple for digital artists, and now the festival is increasingly welcoming members of the arch viz community. Syria-born Mahmoud Alkawadri has attended the event twice now – and he’s a poster child for the transformative effects of THU.

In this podcast with Chris, recorded at THU, Mahmoud discusses his experience in VFX and exhibitions in Syria and Germany, his current role as a freelance arch viz artist, and his plans to return to VFX and filmmaking. Along the way, he talks about setting up his own business, the importance of managing your time, and architecture in Dubai.

It’s a deep and insightful conversation about how films and architecture can influence and share ideas with one another.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast143_MahmoudAlkawadri.mp3
Category:CGI -- posted at: 7:24pm PDT

Visualization company ArcMedia has just reached its 15th birthday. To celebrate, Founder and Managing Director Brett Fisher and Creative Director Ben Bancroft joined Chris for a few beers at the D2 conference in Vienna.

Naturally, Chaos Group’s acquisition of Render Legion and Corona comes up, but Brett and Ben highlight an unexpected benefit of the move. They also talk about ArcMedia’s beginnings in visual effects, and its subsequent switch to arch viz, interiors and even luxury yacht renders.

It’s a laid-back, freewheeling conversation which nonetheless highlights some important points about working with clients, getting repeat business, and how Phoenix is changing the way they work.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast142_ArchMedia.mp3
Category:Archviz -- posted at: 7:19pm PDT

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