CG Garage

Tom Grimes — Product Manager, Chaos Corona

by Christopher Nichols CG Garage

Loading podcast...

Archviz artists love Chaos Corona. This renderer has become a go-to for visualizing everything from compact kitchens to sky-scraping towers, giving users stunning results straight out of the box. But what’s on the horizon for this popular renderer?

In this podcast, Product Manager Tom Grimes discusses what makes Chaos Corona a popular choice for the architecture industry and how its philosophy differs from other renderers such as V-Ray. He also talks about the software’s future and plans to make it an integral part of the Chaos ecosphere, as well as how it’s getting real-time functionality via Chaos Vantage.

Links:

Corona Renderer > 


0:04:32 How "Half-Life" and 3D World inspired Tom's career

0:09:35 What Tom does as Corona product manager

0:12:10 How Corona is suited to archviz

0:17:55 Engaging with the community

0:20:23 The results of the Chaos/Corona merger

0:24:38 Corona, global illumination, and why it's important

0:29:27 Why defaults are often the best settings

0:35:53 Corona today and where it's heading

0:39:54 Interoperability standards for 3D software and renderers

0:45:22 How Corona approaches materials

0:51:39 Corona and caustics

0:55:17 Simplifiying interoperability

About the author

Christopher Nichols

Chris is a CG industry veteran and Director of Chaos Labs. He can also be heard regularly as the host of the CG Garage podcast which attracts 20,000 weekly listeners. With a background in both VFX and Design, Chris has worked for Gensler, Digital Domain, Imageworks and Method Studios. His credits include Maleficent, Oblivion and Tron: Legacy.

Subscribe to our newsletter.

Learn all about the latest news, company updates and recommended content, cherry-picked for you.
© 2026 Chaos Software EOOD. All Rights reserved. Chaos®, V-Ray® and Phoenix FD® are registered trademarks of Chaos Software EOOD in Bulgaria and/or other countries.
Tom Grimes — Product Manager, Chaos Corona | Chaos