BlueSky CGI takes pride in marrying art and technology, so it is no surprise that Lee Waters, Rick Chou and their team of artists find themselves attracted to and thoroughly engaged in the work they do with the aerospace industry. On the heels of an entirely CGI created project for a leading aerospace manufacturer, we sat down with Lee and Rick to talk to them about this very specific and niche industry that relies on technical expertise, discretion and creativity. 

Doug Truppe: What interests you most about the aerospace industry?
BlueSky: Our team is very interested in technology and complex mechanical systems in this industry. We are always thrilled to have the opportunity to dive into these projects.  They say that work should be work or else it would be called fun.  To us our work is fun, especially when we get to spend our days learning about really cool technology, and then applying the things we have learned about to create amazing images and animations that promote the products of the future.

Doug Truppe: How do you prepare for a project of this caliber? 
BlueSky: We spend a lot of time on research. We travel to see the technology in action, meet with the engineers that have created it and search far and wide for the info we need to make sure we understand how the products work. If you want to make an animation of a jet engine spinning while it disassembles you must understand what every part is and what its function is.  Elegant engineering is in the end, very logical.  We love breaking down complex mechanical systems and highlighting the beauty of their function and design.

Doug Truppe: What marries these two disciplines, CGI and Aerospace, so well?
BlueSky: The end result of our work is images, videos and other media that you would think of as more artistic, but at the heart of it is math. CGI work in the trenches is very mathematical and so is the aerospace industry.  A modern day aircraft is almost a magical technology, but is actually based in physics and math and computer programing.  The same is actually true of the software that we use on a daily basis.  We understand the systems that we are asked to feature because our brains are wired that way to begin with. 

Doug Truppe: What is the most exciting part of collaborating with agencies and in-house companies on projects of this magnitude? 
BlueSky: We have a long history of creating images of products no one knows exist.  We routinely work on assets for products that will not exist until next year or for years to come. While its fun for us to know about what is coming next, we take great pride in keeping our clients advancements from their competitors. I could tell you what we are working on now- but I won’t!

BlueSky CGI has a broad range of experience and a vetted history of working with commercial airlines and highly classified aerospace manufacturers. At this point, Rick and Lee have seen it all, which allows them to remain flexile and confident in producing outstanding creative for this extremely technical and innovative industry. We cannot wait to see what comes next from this forward-thinking duo and their team of artistic engineers.