Graphite Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 Hey All, Was curious if there were any meet-ups planned for this year, and if not would anyone be interested in possibly putting one together? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Jeff Mottle Posted February 16, 2017 Administrators Share Posted February 16, 2017 Lots of events, but I've never seen any global CG meetups Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graphite Posted February 16, 2017 Author Share Posted February 16, 2017 Hey Jeff, Thanks for the reply; Anything like the conference that was held in whistler a year or two ago? Been looking for a few to attend; but the community isn't very large here in Vegas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Jeff Mottle Posted February 16, 2017 Administrators Share Posted February 16, 2017 Here are all of the ones I know that are related to our industry. You'll notice very few in North America. I'm not sure what it is about North America, but we don't do conferences in our industry well. Likely has to do with the lack of arch viz companies in general in North America compared to Europe. http://vienna.d2conferences.com (Best arch viz event in the industry) - attendance: around 300 https://www.enduserevent.com (Super high calibre speakers, games/vfx/archviz): attendance: around 300 http://www.mundosdigitales.org (mostly games/vfx, sometimes arch viz, Spanish but translated): attendance: around 600 http://au.autodesk.com (Biggest event for Autodesk product users, Design LIVE track for arch viz): attendance: around 9000 http://s2017.siggraph.org (Biggest event, but mostly games and VFX) - attendance: around 20,000 http://www.gputechconf.com - (Technologies around GPU) attendance: around 300 https://www.asai.org (Oldest arch viz event Purely arch viz) - attendance: around 100 Arch Viz VR event (Italy - details coming soon) - attendance: around 200-300 https://trojan-unicorn.com/ Trojan Horse was a Unicorn (The most inspiring and fun conferences I've been to in my 20+ year career): attendance: around 600 http://www.stateofartacademy.com/academyday7/ (purely arch viz, but I've heard a lot of mixed reviews. More of a TV commercial for industry products and too much self-promotion, not much of community atmosphere from what I'm told and the only one I've not been to as a result) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris MacDonald Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Is it just me or are there a distinct lack of events for arch vis in the UK? The chances of my employer paying for a £200 entrance ticket, and flights to vienna and a hotel are pretty slim I'd imagine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Schroeder Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Will there be beer? Maybe a reason for the lack of events/meetups in north america is that employers are typically really tight about letting their employees go to these things. They don't want to front the cost and the employee usually can't afford to go if they pay for it themselves. I begged and pleaded to get our team sent to the Whistler conference. I even told them it could be my birthday and Christmas present! Events are great and I've been to a few AU's, SIGGRAPH, and even a random GDC once and a blue moon. However, I always get stuck on how best to take what I've learned and put that back into practice at work. Usually I come back with a ton of great ideas, try to implement them, face every hurdle in the book, and in the end implement very few if any. Then when the boss asks why they even sent me since we haven't implemented anything, I don't really have a work friendly answer for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Bergeron Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 As one of the organizers of the d2 Conference in Vienna, I have to agree with Jeff that it is the best. By the way, Jeff, thanks for the kind words. We could not have built it up to what it is today without help from people like you! I know that it seems like a lot of money, but what you get out of conferences like these is much more than just a learning extra skills. You get to meet people in the industry and hear their stories. I can guarantee you will leave with a new network of people who can help you out in the future in ways you would not have thought about. Interestingly enough, our most represented country last year was the U.K. We also have many companies using it as a team trip, bringing 5, 10, or even more from their offices. Plus, we start you off with some free beer, and there is a bar in the venue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graphite Posted February 16, 2017 Author Share Posted February 16, 2017 (edited) Thank you for the event list Jeff! Much appropriated! I'll definitely be looking at attending the event in Vienna. To be honest the only event I've ever attended was the DMC event in Boston back in 08 and it was pretty cool. But I also ran into the same issues Scott ran into; not being able to implement techniques and such. My Curiosity now comes from a personal want and desire to meet up with people in our field, kick back have a beer and pick their brains about images. I'm 100% self taught and I feel like I hit a wall. I'm the only Viz Artist at my current firm and I have nobody to really learn anything more from; That coupled with the fact that Nevada is a literal and figurative desert for anything resembling Arch Viz, I feel like I'm being left behind in the industry. A guy can only read and watch so many tutorials... Edited February 16, 2017 by Graphite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dollus Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Nolan, AU is in Vegas around Thanksgiving every year so you should definitely be going to that since it's in your city. Check out the Adesk forums beforehand as there are usually some informal meetups coordinated in the weeks before the conference. THU is in Portugal late Sept. 17-23 and ASAI is in Houston this year October 19-21. I always take off for Thanksgiving so AU is rather impossible for me to attend but I'll be at THU and ASAI conferences this year. If I can bundle the conference with sailing or a marathon, odds are far greater I'll attend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graphite Posted February 16, 2017 Author Share Posted February 16, 2017 THU sounds FLIPPIN AMAZING! Just jumped on their site and page. How did I not know this existed?!!? John; I always look into AU, but always felt it was more geared towards their products and less about Viz and the Art so I've always passed. (Especially because of the cost.) As for ASAI; thats' completely doable, I'm usually out in Austin ever 6 months or so for vacation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francisco Penaloza Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 (edited) I always get depressed when I see all those cool meet ups in Europe and nothing here in the USA. And they are Cheap!!, not counting the fly tickets from here. Last year was my first time going to AU. For me it was great! really fun and I felt that I learned a lot. tho I choose one one theme to go, rather than picking several different classes, I guess that help me to put what I learned back in to my workflow more easily. I live and work in southern California, so the only event I try to go are Sigraph and AU, yes they are not 100% Arch Viz but AU has some decent stuff to offer thanks to Jeff . Some are basics, but there are one or two at a very high level. Now regarding meeting and doing network that everybody talk... I walked around with my beer for a while, smiling like an idiot, until I found an old friend and talked with him I don't know really how you people could go and just stop random people and talk with them... it just didn't happened to me. Maybe I am too shy, or I jut did look like a idiot To me is strange that being right here in LA I don't see much CG groups. The only one who I try to go as often as I can is the one from Gnomon schools. I used to go to a 3D Max group close to San Diego but it died slowly, very sad. Has Scott mentioned not many company are willing to invest on training for their employees here in USA and anything else is expensive to pay out of pocket,(my company thankfully is starting to do it) Would people travel from one state to other just for one day event?? Nevada is closer to LA, so is Colorado or upper states Not sure why nothing happens here or in the East coast. Is ASAI any good?? I can't find anything related on their website. I though it was dead for a while, same website for years. Edited February 16, 2017 by fco3d Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dollus Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 (edited) Is ASAI any good?? I can't find anything related on their website. I though it was dead for a while, same website for years. It changes every year depending upon the conference director. I ran the one in Dallas a few years ago and felt it was a good lineup. We had one speaker back out at the last minute that was going to present on drone use and photogrammetry for presentation renderings but the rest was from Chaos Group on Vray use, StudioJDK on tradigital technique, the Art Director and Creative Director from ReelFX showing the design process behind Book of Life and a couple others. Last year, it was run up in Boston at Neoscape but I was unable to attend. The one in Houston is being organized by Tiltpixel owner, Corey Harper. Edited February 17, 2017 by John Dollus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Jeff Mottle Posted February 18, 2017 Administrators Share Posted February 18, 2017 Is ASAI any good?? I can't find anything related on their website. I though it was dead for a while, same website for years. Last year was the start of a new direction for the ASAI towards a lot more focus on the work that is being done today in the industry. It's the oldest organization around and has its roots in traditional illustration. Some insanely talented people are part of this group. People who have more experience in the industry than than the CG arch viz has been around. I think one of the biggest things they have failed to capitalize on is the passing on of knowledge from that generation to the new generation. For many years that stemmed from the competition between traditional vs CG, but I think we're well past that now. Last year Neoscape poured a TON of resources and time into modernizing the organization. This year as John mentioned TiltPixel has taken the reigns and next year Lon Grohs (CCO at Chaos Group and former Neoscaper) will become President, so it's well on track to becoming a very relevant US event. The organization has struggled over the years, but I think this new change in focus and hopefully with the support of the North American industry, will let this become one of the top events. The website has not been updated yet with the 2017 event, but it should be online soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Jeff Mottle Posted February 18, 2017 Administrators Share Posted February 18, 2017 Thank you for the event list Jeff! Much appropriated! I'll definitely be looking at attending the event in Vienna. To be honest the only event I've ever attended was the DMC event in Boston back in 08 and it was pretty cool. But I also ran into the same issues Scott ran into; not being able to implement techniques and such. Here is the deal with events. And I say this having been going to most of them for the last 20 years and organizing a lot of them too. The typical 60-90 min sessions usually come in three favours (1: Project/Company Reel Show and Tell, 2: Project break down with a few tips and tricks, 3: Out of the Box - business, how I made it in arch viz, tangential CG company, etc.) Because of their length it is difficult to take away a ton of info that you can use in production. They mostly inspire you, make you feel like you are not alone in your struggles, and confirm that you are either doing it right or wrong. There are always some take aways that are implementable, but arguably not enough to justify the costs of the tip, if that is your ONLY criteria for a successful event. There are a few events (like D2) that also have masterclass workshops before or after the event which are far more in-depth, than the typical 1 hour sessions. In these you almost certainly will take away valuable info as they are usually 1-2 days long. The benefits of attending an event, does not always weigh as heavily in favour of the company owners who are sending their staff, if said owners have a very narrow ROI view of that expense. If their only criteria is: I spend $3000 all in to send you to this event, I expect a productivity increase or knowledge increase that is several times that expense in return. In that case, then that is not likely going to pay off. Sadly this is the view of many employers and company owners and is the reason that most events never see more than 300 attendees. Despite our industry being hundreds of thousands in size. The other reason is the actual cost of time out of office increases that $3000 to perhaps $10K+. So why go to an event and what are the benefits? 1) Motivation: Sending staff or yourself to events is a huge recharge to their creative juices and motivation to stay with the company and keep your own company running. It's a perk and the payoff while hard to quantify, I think is beneficial. Most of the companies that realize this and send staff will also have those who attended make a presentation for the entire company to share what they learned. 2) Networking: I stopped counting how many events I've been to, but I can tell you this is the ONLY reason I attend events now. I tell this to people all the time. You can chat with someone online, trade emails, or converse with them on a forum like this, but there is nothing that will ever substitute hanging out with someone for a few days and especially having a few (or many) drinks with them. With the former at best you are an acquaintance, with the latter, in most cases you become friends. Friends can reach out to each other when they are stuck with a major workflow or project problem and they can tap them for help or even hire them when they need more manpower or a special expertise. I have run small private events in the past with some of the top studios in the world and in almost every single case, everyone at that event worked together at some point or shared knowledge. I see the same thing happen at larger events too. You never know what you will need or who will be able to help, but knowing those people makes it much easier. I have built an entire business on networking in this industry, so I can tell you with 1000% certainty it is well worth it. My travel budget last year could have purchased me a pretty damn nice car, but I find the more I travel, the money I ultimately make. 3) Remaining relevant: Remaining up to date with what is going on in the industry. I am probably a bit different than most in that I make it my business to stay on top of what is going on in this industry, but even I can't keep up with it all. Not even close. And I do this full time. Conversations at events loop you into things you may have not even known. A simple conversation could be worth 20 hours of online research on your own. As artists it's very easy to put your head down and rarely be able to know what is going on in the industry and how it might be changing. It's important to know what tools are out there, what workflows are out there etc. That generally only happens by talking to others one on one or in a group. 4) New Business: While not as prevalent while attending an event with your peers, any serious deal that does happen, does not happen without face time. I don't care how much social media evolves, or how we revolutionize communication, getting hired, securing a deal or building a relationship only happens one way: in person. Full stop. It is amazing how many people in this new generation simply don't understand that. The companies that attend events are often a very small group of the same people. I run into some people 2-10 times a year at events. They are by no coincidence also some of the top companies in the industry and the most successful. 5) Getting out of your zone: Every single idea I have ever had that generated revenue or changed the way I think or do something, came while I was NOT in my office. There is a reason for that. When you fall into a routine, so does your brain. If your brain is in a rut, thinking the same way, it's really hard to get better at something or think about changing something or bettering yourself. Not only are events full of like minded and inspiring people, but I bet the ideas will start flowing when you are there. When I first started going to events, I used to go with this mindset that I was spending X so I needed to close deals that at least equaled X. I found out pretty quickly it does not work that way. There are some events that don't pay off immediately. In fact many don't. But they do pay off. It might be in a few months or a few years. Here is an excellent story to prove my point. I was at an event late last year where I ran into someone in the hallway that I have known for quite a few years. I only ever see him at events and rarely speak to him online, but it had been some time since we last spoke. In the 20 min conversation we had, I learned two people I knew from years previous had just been hired to head a new arch viz division at company X. One of those people I knew really well, as I had seen him at events many times in the past and had spoken with him face to face a lot. I rang him up and he said they were putting together the budget for 2017 and they wanted CGA to put together a proposal. As the conversation progressed I learned he was also hiring someone to take over the marketing stuff for him and that person would be my point of contact moving forward. That person is also someone I had not spoken to for years, but guess what. I spoke to him MANY times at events face to face. We're now able to pick up where we left off and the trust, and history is already there. All because I met all of these people at events. I can't count how many opportunities like this have presented themselves in my career because of events and the networking that came out of them. Getting hired, securing contracts and thinking up new ideas and validating ideas have all happened at events. So, events are far more than just those 60 min sessions sessions. I think anyone that attends them on a regular basis will tell you that. The only downside is the hit my liver has surely taken LOL. I'm 41, but I'm sure my liver is now 80! Business lubrication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Jeff Mottle Posted February 18, 2017 Administrators Share Posted February 18, 2017 THU sounds FLIPPIN AMAZING! Just jumped on their site and page. How did I not know this existed?!!? It's only been around for a few years, and really only outside a small circle for the last two. I will tell you this. If you are planing to go, I would buy your ticket NOW! Last year they announced the location and the month (nothing else) and they sold 600 tickets in a week and were sold out. It has such a cult following that it's hard to get in there unless you know about it early. I know the organizer and have been working with him and Chris over at Chaos Group to start the process of brining arch viz to THU. Chris will be speaking this year, but I think we will be able to get more arch viz content at THU in the coming years. Even without, it's such an amazing event. Unlike other events, there is a "no man left behind" philosophy at THU. No one is allowed to stand around on their own and feel like they don't belong. If you walk up to anyone they will make you feel like you have been friends for years and let you into the conversation. It's almost a bit "cultish" but in a very good way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Moir Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 (edited) Is it just me or are there a distinct lack of events for arch vis in the UK? The chances of my employer paying for a £200 entrance ticket, and flights to vienna and a hotel are pretty slim I'd imagine. I went to an Arch Viz conference organised by Jeff in San Diego many years ago, and Venice last year. They were both great. Venice worked out pretty reasonable, although I've only got a certain number of Ryan Air flights left in me... You should ask your employer, it would only demonstrate how keen you are, and the worst they can say is no? It's not really on the same level as the conferences posted by Jeff, but 3ds London is 90% Arch Viz, free and (normally) every month... Come and present your work Chris, they might stump up for a train ticket! Edited February 21, 2017 by sjmoir Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ky Lane Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I say we all lob into Jeff Mottles place for a month.. or so... maybe... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ky Lane Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Holy ****balls... just realised Ive been a member here for 11 years... wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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