In this fascinating SIGGRAPH Encore conversation, I sit down with Christopher Nichols of Chaos and CG Garage to explore how real-time ray tracing, Gaussian Splats, AI, and cloud computing are rewriting the rules of filmmaking.
Chris takes us behind the scenes of some incredible virtual production experiments, including a digital building that can be relit and set on fire in real time. We also explore how globally connected cloud infrastructure could give independent filmmakers access to the same creative power as major Hollywood studios.
And Chris makes one prediction that could change everything:
“The generalists are coming back.”
From the future of virtual production to the rise of smaller, more agile creative teams, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.
[EMBED YOUTUBE VIDEO HERE]
Download our SIGGRAPH 2026 research paper and explore the technology behind the experiment.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE CHAOS ARENA CLOUD RESEARCH PAPER (PDF)
Can professional real-time virtual production actually work across continents? We decided to find out.
During SIGGRAPH 2026, CenterGrid and Chaos presented our groundbreaking Chaos Arena Cloud research paper, demonstrating how cloud GPU rendering infrastructure can support geographically distributed virtual production.
Our experiment connected cloud computing resources in the United States, a remote operator in the Netherlands, and a virtual production stage in Bulgaria.
During the interview, Chris shared his enthusiasm for the project and the possibilities it opens for the filmmaking community:
“Instead of saying, no, it’ll never work, you said, why don’t we try it?”
The research explores the architecture, technical challenges, latency considerations, and lessons learned while bringing cloud rendering into a real-time virtual production workflow.
[Continue with the remainder of the original article.]One of the highlights of our conversation was Chris’s reaction to the Chaos Arena Cloud research project presented at SIGGRAPH.
For years, conventional wisdom suggested that the latency requirements of virtual production made geographically distributed cloud rendering impractical.
Chris challenged that thinking:
“Instead of saying, no, it’ll never work, you said, why don’t we try it?”
Our collaboration between CenterGrid and Chaos, with Ivo Slivkov and Greg DeCecco helping bring the infrastructure together, demonstrated that real-time cinematic production could operate across continents.
Chris explained why that matters:
“That means that you basically can have the power of an entire cloud infrastructure for your LED wall.”
Instead of investing in massive local rendering systems, filmmakers can access GPU resources as needed, work with centralized storage, and connect artists and production stages across the world.
Chris also highlighted the advantages of CenterGrid’s dedicated cloud infrastructure, including avoiding traditional cloud egress charges, addressing security concerns, and having hands-on technical support to help artists get up and running.
Chris also shared a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at June July, a Western film project using Gaussian Splats and Chaos Vantage to bring a real California location into virtual production.
The team captured a historic, deteriorating building, transformed it into a high-dynamic-range Gaussian Splat, added CG architecture, and introduced interactive lighting and fire effects—all rendered in real time.
But the real breakthrough isn’t simply visual quality. It’s collaboration.
Chris wants directors, cinematographers, lighting artists, and even gaffers to interact with digital environments as naturally as they would on a physical film set.
“I want the gaffers to control the CG lights just as easily as they control the physical lights.”
By bringing these creative decisions directly onto the set, real-time ray tracing helps eliminate the traditional disconnect between production and post-production.
Beyond generative AI hype, Chris highlighted practical applications already improving production.
Using Chaos’s AI material tools, he demonstrated how a photograph of real-world wood could become a production-ready digital material in minutes rather than hours.
His philosophy is straightforward:
“This just makes it faster and easier.”
But faster tools don’t automatically create better art. Chris emphasized that original ideas, artistic judgment, and personal creative identity remain essential.
The technology should serve the artist—not define the art.
Perhaps Chris’s most exciting prediction is that traditional, monolithic VFX pipelines will give way to smaller, more agile production teams.
“The generalists are coming back.”
He envisions filmmakers assembling specialized teams for individual productions, creating what he calls pop-up studios, and using cloud infrastructure to bring together talent and computing resources wherever they’re needed.
He also emphasized connecting pre-production, production, and post-production so the same digital assets can evolve throughout the filmmaking process rather than being recreated at every stage.
It’s a future where physical location, infrastructure costs, and traditional studio boundaries become less of a barrier to great storytelling.
And that’s exactly what our From Cloud to Set conversations are about: giving creative people the freedom to collaborate, experiment, and tell incredible stories from anywhere.
A huge thank-you to Christopher Nichols, the Chaos team, and everyone who helped make our SIGGRAPH research and Encore sessions possible.
Watch the full SIGGRAPH Encore interview: [Insert replay link]
Keep creating. Keep experimenting.
CenterGrid Virtual Studio — Create From Anywhere.
