I just got back from RENDR Festival in Belfast, invited by Render Network. Still carrying that rare post-conference feeling: not just inspired, but aligned. You know the one. When the talks are good, but the real value comes from the hallway conversations, the introductions that turn into leads, and the sudden realization that your “niche” is actually a shared language spoken by a lot of very serious people.
Belfast greeted us with proper cold. The kind that makes you walk faster, keep your hands in your pockets, and appreciate every warm indoor light like it’s a small miracle.
The venue itself had that old factory energy; raw textures, high ceilings, and a moody, industrial atmosphere that instantly felt right for a conference about rendering, pipelines, and production reality. It wasn’t sterile or corporate. It had personality.
It made everything feel a bit more grounded: less “conference center,” more “gathering of craftspeople.” I met a lot of high-profile professionals, people who’ve shipped real work, solved real problems, and built systems that don’t just look good in a demo.
The conversations I enjoyed most were with folks involved in Solaris and Katana pipelines. There’s something uniquely satisfying about talking to pipeline-involved artist, considering I'm deeply into it myself: you can skip the surface-level stuff and go straight to the questions that matter.
Second day had an unexpectedly joyful detail: staff walking around in Mandalorian armor, a whole squadron. It sounds like a gimmick on paper, but in person it was genuinely a lovely touch - playful, memorable, and perfectly tuned to a room full of people who spend their lives building worlds. It broke the ice, lifted the mood, and somehow made the whole event feel more human.
RENDR wasn’t just a “nice trip” or a list of talks. It was a reminder that the industry is full of builders. People who care about craft, performance, reliability, and the small decisions that make a workflow sing.
Massive thanks to Render Network for the invite, and to everyone who took the time to chat.
I just got back from RENDR Festival in Belfast, invited by Render Network. Still carrying that rare post-conference feeling: not just inspired, but aligned. You know the one. When the talks are good, but the real value comes from the hallway conversations, the introductions that turn into leads, and the sudden realization that your “niche” is actually a shared language spoken by a lot of very serious people.
Belfast greeted us with proper cold. The kind that makes you walk faster, keep your hands in your pockets, and appreciate every warm indoor light like it’s a small miracle.
The venue itself had that old factory energy; raw textures, high ceilings, and a moody, industrial atmosphere that instantly felt right for a conference about rendering, pipelines, and production reality. It wasn’t sterile or corporate. It had personality.
It made everything feel a bit more grounded: less “conference center,” more “gathering of craftspeople.” I met a lot of high-profile professionals, people who’ve shipped real work, solved real problems, and built systems that don’t just look good in a demo.
The conversations I enjoyed most were with folks involved in Solaris and Katana pipelines. There’s something uniquely satisfying about talking to pipeline-involved artist, considering I'm deeply into it myself: you can skip the surface-level stuff and go straight to the questions that matter.
Second day had an unexpectedly joyful detail: staff walking around in Mandalorian armor, a whole squadron. It sounds like a gimmick on paper, but in person it was genuinely a lovely touch - playful, memorable, and perfectly tuned to a room full of people who spend their lives building worlds. It broke the ice, lifted the mood, and somehow made the whole event feel more human.
RENDR wasn’t just a “nice trip” or a list of talks. It was a reminder that the industry is full of builders. People who care about craft, performance, reliability, and the small decisions that make a workflow sing.
Massive thanks to Render Network for the invite, and to everyone who took the time to chat.
