Lyon heat, Labs, Siggraph and California

Since we moved six months ago, we got to see how cold (and now how hot) Lyon can really get. Many people who moved to San Francisco say that they miss seasons, but I have to confess I appreciated the mild Bay Area weather. I did not miss is having to fight off mosquitoes all night long, and spending sleepless nights trying to stay hydrated in this heat wave. On the other hand, I discovered I really did miss some of these balmy nights that we am getting here in Lyon, walking around in shorts and eating ice cream.

Being in Europe, we got to travel a bunch, by train and by car. Not just for leisure though.. I had the opportunity to be the smiling face of Allegorithmic a few times, adding some Italian accent to our French tech company. I presented my view on Materials and layering at FMX, in Stuttgart, and rubbed shoulders with Google and SketchFab at a panel about Digital Asset Libraries at the MIFA, in Annecy. I'll write about those a bit more once the summer craze dies down.

So, six months! I started initially as an Animation and VFX advocate here, trying to get features we care about prioritized and clarified. That was one of my initial propositions anyway, as I get much better visibility on the challenges and solution from here.

Encouraged by Sébastien, more recently I focused my efforts on regrouping some talented engineers, scientists and creative technologists, into a team which we call Labs. The group's goal is take on riskier projects, test new partnerships, and create prototypes that show the potential of new techniques. Hopefully you will hear about us and our cool projects soon.

This is an exciting time, because next week, at Siggraph in Vancouver, I'll be representing Labs for the first time. First, at the MaterialX Birds of a Feather on Monday. My friend David Larsson did most of the work I'll be showing there.

And then you will find us at the Pixar RenderMan's Science Fair on Wednesday evening. That one will be awesome, as we are presenting something very cool that François Beaune and I have been banging on for a while. That, plus the fuzzy feeling of presenting alongside my friends at Pixar. I'm looking forward to it.

The Vancouver convention center is a might view on the cityscape

That's not it though. The following week I'll still be in the West Coast, roaming California, visiting film studios and seeing friends and family. It will be a hectic time, but I am ready. See you there, and stay tuned!