Jinmu Staddon Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 (edited) Hello everyone! My colleague and I have been trying to wrap our heads around the Archviz conference circuit recently since our boss has promised he would send us to one this year. I just wanted to see what conferences you all recommend and start a general discussion about attending conferences and how to get the most out of them. I saw a really good thread from 2017 and thought we could talk about 2019. (Let me know if this thread already exists) So far, we're looking at: D2 because we've heard it's awesome. Total Chaos because Chaos Group is awesome. And ASAI because it seems like the only good archviz focused conference in the US/NA-we're in western Massachusetts. Of course, I could be totally wrong there. I've been to Siggraph, which I really enjoyed, but since it's for work this time I want to go to one that is archviz specific. THU sounds amazing, of course, but similar issues there. Would love to hear what you guys think of the above in terms of who's going where this year, good/bad experiences, recommendations, cost, etc. Edited February 20, 2019 by ka_mi_sa_ma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Schroeder Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Autodesk University is not a bad one to go to either. Midwest University might have some stuff on the fringe sides of visualization. The tough spot is that there are very little visualization conferences here in the States. Your other options could be GDC, though not necessarily for architecture but more for environment art. NVIDIA usually has a conference or 2 in the States that mostly focuses around real time visualization work. In the end, conferences are great if you can actually implement the ideas back to your workflow. If you can't do that, then more often than not it's not worth your companies time to send you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinmu Staddon Posted February 20, 2019 Author Share Posted February 20, 2019 Thanks for the info! Have you been to d2 or the ASAI conference? If so, any thoughts on them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Schroeder Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 I have not been to either, though I am a member of ASAI. It seems that every year their conference is the same as a major conference for my wife's work and I seem to always draw the short straw to stay home with the kiddo. I have been to Autodesk University though and there is quite a bit of good information there. I'm not 100% sure if CGArchitect is still doing a sub conference at AU anymore, but they have in the past. If they do, then I would highly recommend AU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinmu Staddon Posted February 20, 2019 Author Share Posted February 20, 2019 Turns out a few of our engineers have been to AU. I'll def get the low down from them. Anyone out there been to ASAI or Total Chaos? I've heard from a lot of people that d2 is great, but haven't heard much about these two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francisco Penaloza Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 I have been at Autodesk University, and yes there are good demos or talk, but if you are an advance Visualization Artist, there is very little to learn. Also specific to Arch Vis there is very little, and my problem that they always coincide on the time of presentation, it is ridiculous, so I feel I am always missing something good. I have been disappointed with presentations too, the title sound really good, and end up being just a sale pitch for something Autodesk or some else company. It is fun, Autodesk does a good job treating you well, but for that price, I feel I am not learning enough. My Boss went last year to ASAI and he said is a lot better for Arch Viz, lots os hand on and since is focused on Arch Viz, there is a completely different vibe. I am going next year. Regarding any of the European, they all look great, I think they are really pushing the boundaries, if you can go I would totally recommend, besides they are in a completely different continent, that alone will help you to widen your view Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Schroeder Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 I forgot one other that may be really useful, Sketchup Basecamp. The classes that are available on YouTube are most excellent, and it is in the States. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinmu Staddon Posted February 20, 2019 Author Share Posted February 20, 2019 Hmm.. yeah that's kind of the picture I'm getting of AU. ASAI seems like a good option, especially since airfare to get there is really cheap at the moment ($250 from Boston). Tickets to Vienna for d2 are more like $1200. But like you said, just getting out of your bubble is a good reason to go to Europe rather than the US, though I'm sure my boss would argue that's not a good enough reason. Basically, I'm trying to decide between d2 and ASAI at this point. d2 sounds cooler, but I really have no idea, since I've never been to either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 ASAI seems like a good option, especially since airfare to get there is really cheap at the moment ($250 from Boston)... Wherever it is this year. ASAI is good, in principle, I was involved for its first decade or so. But they tend to be overly academic, formal and self-congratulatory. It is an organization about itself more-so than the members. But it is all about architectural art, even if it had to be dragged kicking and screaming to recognize the digital practitioners. They did, though. I should get back to one of their events, at the very least to catch up with some old friends. Unfortunately, because they aren't done now, the very BEST arch-viz conferences were the DMVC ones that Jeff Mottle put together. They were awesome, 300 - 400 attendees drinking up relevant presentation-after-presentation. Sadly, they were killed off by the Great Recession. No one had budget to go. Jeff tried to do more later, but I recall had difficulties recapturing the magic from before. So...I guess try ASAI. At least it will be all about arch-viz, even if by traditional media, and probably not sales pitches by companies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dollus Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 ASAI has evolved quite a bit in the last few years and it will be in Germany next year so this is the last US one for a couple years. If your goal is to learn, I'd suggest the ASAI conference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinmu Staddon Posted February 20, 2019 Author Share Posted February 20, 2019 Hmmm Interesting. ASAI is sounding more and more like a good option. It seems a little odd to me that it's going to be in Germany next year. Wonder what the strategy is. Doesn't the first A in ASAI stand for American? On a more general note, do you guys have any comments on what you've done in the past to get the most out of your conference visits? Of course, it depends on what you're trying to get out of them, but I'd like to hear about that too. For me, improving technical skills is very important, but isn't necessarily on the top of my list. Connecting with experienced artists and hearing about their approach to our common challenges, creative process, inspiration, etc. is what I'm most excited about. I know some people feel like the networking is how they benefit the most. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dollus Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 yes, there has been much discussion about the 'A'. ASAI is very much an international organization. The conference is held every year in the host city of the current president. Next year, Sergei Tchoban will be President so he will be organizing the conference in Berlin. The LA conference coming up is being organized by the founder of Kilograph, Keely Colcleugh, so I expect you will see a much more digital-centric appraoch to the lineup than Berlin will be but you never know until the schedule is posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinmu Staddon Posted February 21, 2019 Author Share Posted February 21, 2019 yes, there has been much discussion about the 'A'. ASAI is very much an international organization. The conference is held every year in the host city of the current president. Next year, Sergei Tchoban will be President so he will be organizing the conference in Berlin. The LA conference coming up is being organized by the founder of Kilograph, Keely Colcleugh, so I expect you will see a much more digital-centric appraoch to the lineup than Berlin will be but you never know until the schedule is posted. Ahh, I see. That certainly puts things into perspective. I personally have no problem traveling to Europe for a conference, but I think my bosses see it as frivolous even though it's about the same cost for us to go to California. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 Curious, I looked up the next ASAI Conference. There is no info posted other than "October 3–5, 2019 Hollywood, CA" Well, you had me with CA. But nothing else. Does anyone have an idea of what the conference costs? I might go just for the show. But info--is it 'too soon'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinmu Staddon Posted February 22, 2019 Author Share Posted February 22, 2019 ASAI hasn't released much info for this year's conference, but I did some searching and it looks like tickets were around $500 last year. Can anyone else confirm? I emailed them about it and never heard back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinanne Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 Jinmu and Ernest, glad to hear that you are both considering attending the Architecture in Perspective conference this year in Hollywood. Jinmu, I believe we have been in contact last week to get you the information you requested. I hope to meet you both! Ernest, I've been a fan of your work for a very long time. The schedule for the AIP conference is ALMOST done. I can tell you that currently we've confirmed the following speakers: Maxx Burman of Kitbash3D Joy Lea of ARwall, Inc Mike Golden of Kitbash3D, Former Senior Artist at DBox Eric de Broche des Combes of Luxigon Keely is currently focusing on the 34th Architecture in Perspective competition, I'm sure you saw those details on the website with the conference. As soon as she has that under her belt, she'll be able to get back to planning the conference. As Jon mentioned in his post ASAI has been working very hard to change the previous perceptions of the organization. Our members are very important to us. ASAI wouldn't exist without them. I'm happy to answer any other questions and will let you know when the final details have been made for the conference. Until then, I hope to see work from both of you in the competition. I love to see all the different styles and mediums from artists. it's such a diverse body of work. Very interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dollus Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 For what it's worth, the Exec Director for ASAI has been trying to reply to this thread with information but it's been held up in forum moderation since last week and not being posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinanne Posted March 11, 2019 Share Posted March 11, 2019 For what it's worth, the Exec Director for ASAI has been trying to reply to this thread with information but it's been held up in forum moderation since last week and not being posted. Thanks John. It looks like the post was approved. I'm happy to answer any other questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesper Pedersen Posted March 15, 2019 Share Posted March 15, 2019 Hi Jinmu, We used to go to some of the early 3d conferences in Copenhagen. As Scott said, your office will really benefit from it if you have a culture of sharing skills/knowledge on your return. What is difficult to put a value on, is the feeling of "Enthusiasm" and "can do" attitude that you can get from being surrounded by your peers. We're a small studio and I have often toyed with the idea of getting in touch with perhaps 1 or 2 other companies who are equally ambitious, with the intention of creating a knowledge exchange, where we visit each other's office and do a work session, so the visitor is a fly-on-the-wall. I expect there would be many, "oh, yeah, we never thought of that" ..and "seriously, you've never thought of doing it like this instead" moments. We see the work of offices like Mir ...well mostly Mir, and think brilliant but how do they get that look? It's difficult to find the time for training when your small studio is caught up in ongoing projects and deadlines. The perk here might also be the trip to another country! I expect this would work best if the companies are not competing on the same "turf". ..so, ..if anyone in Bergen is listening, ..spring can be really nice in Cork, Ireland regards, Jesper Pedersen www.pedersenfocus.ie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinmu Staddon Posted March 20, 2019 Author Share Posted March 20, 2019 Jesper, I'm happy to travel to Cork and have a work session! I think you're right that it is probably easier to do an idea exchange with another group that isn't in your back yard, both in terms of geography and industry. Not sure if my company will pay for that, but maybe I can combine it with a vacation sometime We decided finally on d2 and were able to get it approved, but I don't see why we wouldn't continue to try out different conferences in future years. Definitely excited to hang out with and learn from a bunch of other artists! We're starved for creativity around here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dollus Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Jinmu, I know it's a long way to August but please report back here on all the amazing things you learn at D2. A lot of people ask about conferences but it's rare to have a followup from someone who attends as a workin' stiff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinmu Staddon Posted March 26, 2019 Author Share Posted March 26, 2019 Jinmu, I know it's a long way to August but please report back here on all the amazing things you learn at D2. A lot of people ask about conferences but it's rare to have a followup from someone who attends as a workin' stiff John, that's a good point. I'll put it in my calendar so I don't forget. And I would say the same for everyone else. I'm sure I'm not the only one here going to a conference this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Berntsen Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 We landed on d2 as well. Considered Total Chaos, but our travel times are x2 to Sofia compared to Vienna. Speakers and program not announced, but I don't think d2 will hold back. It will probably be great with relevant content. Hopefully traditional topics, gpu, VR, AR and a whole lot of cutting edge stuff. Being partly(?) organized by Jeff, or at least the 3d awards is a great plus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onetwo Posted April 19, 2019 Share Posted April 19, 2019 Hi everyone, I have been attending D2 for about 4 years now. It is a great venue, with really nice vibe and one can meet a lot of artists. Literally from all over the world - last year, there have been around 400-450 professionals, this one is probably going to be even more, considering the venue will take place in much bigger space.There used to be a workshop a day or two upfront, and I was lucky enough to visit one, lead by the guys behind PlompMozes. Last year there was a workshop, related to Unreal. From what people told me, it was bit too technical. The Total Chaos is definitely bigger one, and not so tightly related to archviz. Lucky enough to work in Sofia, so travelling is not a problem. Strongly suggest the full package tickets, since there are really some quite nice talks and discussions which go simultanously with the main room event. There is going to be workshop as well a day upfront, and I am definitely looking forward it as well. The venue takes place really close to airport, and there are at least 2-3 rally nice, big hotels situated in close proximity to venue. The venue was visited by around 700-1000 people last year, with talks ranging from modeling to VFX - archviz, automotive, movie industry and of course some coding stuff as usual. There are several other nice events - in Italy, one called immersive "something" and in Spain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonanderson Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 Hello Everyone, I know this thread hasn't been updated in awhile, but our company is also thinking of sending some people to one of these conferences this year. A question we have is, does anyone have a good grasp on how deep any of these conferences in the past delved into the AR/VR/MR realm? We're working on improving our immersive technology, and hope attending these would give us direct insight on where the industry is heading We're leaning toward the ASAI conference because of the cost, but also looking at D2 and ADX Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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