Coral reefs, the rainforests of the sea. Teeming with life, these underwater cities support 25% of marine species despite covering less than 1% of the ocean floor. They shield coastlines from storms and erosion, and sustain millions of people via food, tourism, and fishing. But coral reefs are also vital indicators of ocean health, and their rapid decline is a warning siren for the planet.

Dr. Orion McCarthy is sounding it. But he also may help silence it, through brilliant use of photogrammetry. Re/Capped in issue #44’s highlight of a partnership between Seatrees, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Samsung, smartphone photogrammetry is creating a sea change for reef monitoring, analysis, and communication.Dr. McCarthy speaks to Ellis Malmgren, with astounding footage, about the origins of coral reef danger, what we face if we lose them, the Samsung collaboration, ecosystems, kelp, why 3D excels in stories and showcasing recovery, artificial general intelligence, optimism & pessimism, academia, intense moments under water, and what makes Hawaii special.

00:00 Introduction

00:50 The Importance and Current State of Coral Reefs

04:02 Coral Bleaching

06:38 The Scripps, Seatrees, and Samsung Partnership

12:02 Photogrammetry and Coral Reef Monitoring

14:27 Microfragmentation and Restoration Techniques

15:54 Innovations in Marine Conservation

20:07 Community Involvement and Conservation Efforts

22:22 Challenges and Future of Marine Conservation

24:19 Personal Insights and Career in Conservation

39:41 Impact of Maui on Research and Personal Life

40:49 Challenges and Discoveries in Coral Reef Research

44:44 Effects of Wildfires on Coral Reefs

47:38 GIS and Photogrammetry in Conservation

49:23 Choosing Scripps for Graduate Studies

51:24 Seasickness and PhD Challenges

54:51 Balancing Visual Storytelling and Scientific Accuracy

58:30 Human Impact on Coral Reefs

01:03:36 Future of Coral Conservation and Technology

01:08:38 Personal Insights and Reflections

If you thought an autographed sports card or concert poster was cool, how about a NASA satellite?!Cutter Shea is one of very few who have penned their name on such a surface. Re/Capped in issue #40, his engineering prowess and broad technical knowledge led to his signature being riveted to the side of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx satellite, which leaned heavily on digital twins. This was the first U.S. mission to collect an asteroid sample with hopes of knowledge regarding our solar system, and the origins of life. Cutter joins Ellis Malmgren in studio for the whole story: NASA, motors & gearboxes, Lockheed, model-based systems engineering, digital twins & simulations, aerospace misconceptions, his journey to Cintoo, DJI and drones, the cloud, LiDAR, what most people don’t get about sales, and theories on last year’s mass drone sightings.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome00:39 The Purpose of OSIRIS-REx01:45 Early Career and Passion for Engineering03:23 The Role of Avior and NASA Collaboration05:46 Model-Based Systems Engineering10:21 Excitement and Challenges in Aerospace13:02 Personal Reflections and Legacy34:16 Transition to Reality Capture and Laser Scanning47:00 Entering the World of Drones48:49 Rapid Iteration in Drone Technology49:26 Drones vs. Laser Scanning: A Comparative Evolution50:49 Aerospace vs. Construction: Innovation Approaches54:04 Client Insights and Industry Learnings56:43 Understanding Point Clouds and Meshes59:25 Challenges in Data Sharing and Processing01:01:06 Future of Laser Scanning and Drones01:04:50 Debating Control Points vs. Checkpoints01:07:56 Reflections on Education and Industry01:14:00 Personal Anecdotes and Professional Growth01:24:11 Rapid Fire Questions and Closing Thoughts

For 3D knowledge, Michael Rubloff is like if the Library of Alexandria was bipedal and could run a website. And yet, his wisdom is somehow matched by his passion.

His stories have been Re/Capped numerous times, as he is the Founder and Managing Editor of RadianceFields.com, created in late 2022 to document emerging radiance field technologies. These methods, such as NeRFs and Gaussian Splatting, enable hyper-realistic 3D to be created from standard 2D images. His mission is to accelerate a multi-industry move into a hyper-realistic 3D world.

Michael has collaborated with some of the most impactful players in technology, such as NVIDIA AI, Shutterstock and Time Magazine. He has spoken at prestigious events like SIGGRAPH, Geo Week, and R-CON, where he unveiled his expertise on immersive NeRFs in the Enterprise. Moreover, Michael is the founder and manager of the largest Discord community of radiance fields, where he fosters a collaborative environment for NeRFs enthusiasts and creators.

00:00 Introduction

01:05 Michael's Early Challenges and Breakthroughs

03:29 Curating and Publishing Content

05:04 RadianceFields' Job Board

07:01 Consulting and Business

08:35 Understanding Radiance Fields

10:57 Shutterstock Collaboration

13:20 Future Vision for the Website

16:15 Key Developments in Radiance Fields

17:54 Michael's Journey into Technology

25:06 Public Speaking and Industry Recognition

26:32 NVIDIA GTC Highlights

30:40 Educational Impact and Misconceptions

35:38 NVIDIA's Ecosystem

36:18 Imaging in 2030

38:32 AGI and Radiance Fields

40:18 Admired Companies

45:27 Art vs. Science

48:52 Filmmaking

50:10 Starting with Radiance Fields

59:30 Upcoming Developments

01:01:50 Research Papers and Young Companies

01:03:28 New York City, Music, Sci-Fi Films, and Parting Remarks

Oh hey, it’s the Re/Cap Podcast with Ellis Malmgren!

This week’s cappenings:

• Capturing a 4th-century BCE Greek shipwreck…20 years ago

• A Titanic digital twin we’ll never let go of, Jack

• 300,000-image Gaussian splatting

• A tacklebox of tech for offshore wind farms and the life around them

• Four contech firms proving AI ain’t no buzzword

• An AEC error of the Week in which the world’s tallest library threw a brick fit 

  
  

Quick caps:

[Article] The Competitive Edge of Innovation in Architecture https://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/design-beyond-tradition-the-competitive-edge-of-innovation-in-architecture

[Video] Engineering The Future With Digital Twins at LSU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJraGVZqAkk

[Article] Disaster recovery is just the start for this Bentley-Google collab https://www.engineering.com/disaster-recovery-is-just-the-start-for-this-bentley-google-collab/

[Video] Drone News: Zipline Expands, Drone Detectors at Border, BRINC Raises 75m https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYOdEjQHaxs

[Article] Revit 2026 marks 25 years of BIM innovation—What’s New

https://architosh.com/2025/04/revit-2026-marks-25-years-of-bim-innovation-whats-new/

[Case Study] Kentucky Students Use VR to Enter Demanding Workplaces https://www.xrtoday.com/virtual-reality/kentucky-students-use-vr-to-enter-demanding-workplaces/

Timestamps

0:00 Topic overview

0:26 A sneak peek

0:44 Pre/Cap: Capturing a 4th-century BCE Greek shipwreck…20 years ago

3:02 Quick cap stories

3:20 Leo, If You Were King of the World, This is the Digital Twin of the World

5:13 A New Tier of Gaussian Splatting is Taking Imaging Beyond Imagination

7:21 Birds and the Buoys: AI LiDAR, Geo Data, and Smarter Offshore Wind Farms

9:04 Four Contech Firms Are Bulldozing Old Workflows with AI

13:41 AEC Error of the Week: University of Massachusetts Amherst W.E.B DuBois Library’s Brick Spalling

Main Re/Cap sources:

https://www.whoi.edu/press-room/news-release/autonomous-underwater-vehicle-maps-ancient-greek-shipwreck/

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy6gjwd0g6o

https://radiancefields.com/infinite-realities-the-future-of-imaging

https://www.tomorrowsworldtoday.com/artificial-intelligence/new-ai-monitoring-protects-birds-supports-offshore-wind-farms/

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/contech-firms-ai-offerings-robot/744639/

http://scua.library.umass.edu/youmass/doku.php?id=d:du_bois_library

Subscribe to The Re/Cap Newsletter! https://www.realitycapturenetwork.com/re-cap-sign-up
Previous Re/Cap Newsletters: https://www.realitycapturenetwork.com/education

Description

It's The Re/Cap Podcast with Ellis Malmgren! 

This week’s ‘cappenings:

• The 2011 mega-capture of a famed 1,000-year-old French monastery

• A Harvard 3D Exhibit is a PhD in photogrammetry and historic preservation

• NASA seeks to safeguard our drones

• Construction bots get the Top 5 treatment

• Digital twins and sustainable design approach peas-and-carrots status

• An AEC Error of the Week at Denver International in which the only turbulence was with folks’ luggage

  
  

Quick caps:

Chinese LiDAR can recognize a face…from space https://www.biometricupdate.com/202504/chinese-lidar-system-could-recognize-a-face-from-space

Gaussian splatting in Blender https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-KNyJiLSPs

A concrete TED Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMiPKpXbm9A

The 3D scanning traveling metrology team keeping Warfighters airborne

https://metrology.news/traveling-metrology-team-keeps-warfighters-airborne-with-3d-scanning/

A new study on improving building energy models https://www.azobuild.com/news.aspx?newsID=23740

High-fidelity wheat plant reconstructions using 3D Gaussian splatting and neural radiance fields https://academic.oup.com/gigascience/article/doi/10.1093/gigascience/giaf022/8096368?login=false

Timestamps

0:00 Overview

0:29 The 2011 reality capture of a 1,000-year-old Cluny Monastery

2:49 Quick cap stories

3:20 Photogrammetry Honored an Architectural Historian, and Resurrected Ruins, at Once

5:07 NASA Is Ensuring Our Drones Can (Safely) Go to Infinity and Beyond

7:20 Droids in the Dirt: Autonomous Robots for Construction Sites, Ranked!

11:14 Copy That: How Digital Twins Make Sustainable Design an Easier “Yes”

13:36 AEC Error of the Week: Denver International Airport’s Automated Baggage System

Main Re/Cap sources:

https://www.cluny-abbaye.fr/en/discover/history-of-the-abbey-of-cluny

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/03/an-architect-detectives-medieval-mystery/

https://www.nasa.gov/missions/aam/nasa-makes-progress-on-advanced-drone-safety-management-system/

https://www.unite.ai/autonomous-robots-for-construction/

https://parametric-architecture.com/digital-twins-and-sustainability/

https://noonpi.com/the-denver-international-airport-automated-baggage-handling-system/

Subscribe to The Re/Cap Newsletter! https://www.realitycapturenetwork.com/re-cap-sign-up

Previous Re/Cap Newsletters: https://www.realitycapturenetwork.com/education

Welcome to The Re/Cap Podcast with Ellis Malmgren! This week’s ‘cappenings:

• The queen of seafloor mapping circa the 1950s

• Uncrewed autonomous ocean drones do work

• Is ConTech adoption as easy as 3 steps?

• AI & LiDAR are like a seatbelt for pedestrians and cyclists

• Say awe for dentalgrammetry

• An AEC Error of the Week so catastrophic, load bearing analysis was never the same

  
  

Quick caps:

• [Video] We Mapped 1000 Acres of Forest on a US Air Force Base With Drone LIDAR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scVpz95UWqk

• [Article] Pinpointing 3D Scanning’s Biggest Trends for 2025 https://www.qualitymag.com/articles/98634-pinpointing-3d-scannings-biggest-trends-for-2025

• [Case study] Computer science team uses AR to treat Parkinson’s https://www.unc.edu/discover/computer-science-team-uses-ar-to-treat-parkinsons/

• [Article] BIM training and new digital learning for the Japanese construction market https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/digital-construction-news/bim-news/bim-training-new-digital-learning-japanese-construction-market/148878/

• [Case study] Finland uses self-driving cars to collect geospatial data https://www.gim-international.com/content/news/self-driving-cars-in-finland-to-collect-geospatial-data

• [Article] 6% of architects use AI regularly https://www.constructiondive.com/news/architects-ai-regular-use-six-percent/743243/

Timestamps

0:00 Intro

0:29  Marie Tharp’s mapping of the ocean floor 50 years ago

3:33 Quick caps overview

4:02 Abyss Autonomy: Uncrewed Vessels, Geospatial Collaboration, and Florida Seafloor Mapping

6:25 Can Construction Tech Adoption Really Be as Easy as Three Steps?

8:53 LiDAR and AI, Giving Pedestrians, Cyclists, and Engineers the Light of Way

11:00 Exam, Cleaning, X-Ray…Photogrammetry

12:49 AEC Error of the Week: Kansas City’s Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse of 1981.

Primary Re/Cap sources:

https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2020/07/24/marie-tharp-connecting-dots/

https://woolpert.com/news/press-releases/woolpert-chance-maritime-employ-autonomous-vessel-and-team-collaboration-to-efficiently-map-florida-seafloor/

https://www.forconstructionpros.com/construction-technology/article/22936717/rdo-equipment-co-the-3-phases-of-technology-adoption-understand-adjust-and-integrate

https://showme.missouri.edu/2025/researchers-using-lidar-and-ai-to-advance-transportation-engineering-and-safety/

https://www.dentistrytoday.com/intraoral-photogrammetry-the-next-step-in-full-arch-implant-precision/

https://dev.thinkreliability.com/case_studies/root-cause-analysis-of-the-hyatt-regency-disaster-cautionary-tale-about-assumptions/

Subscribe to The Re/Cap Newsletter! https://www.realitycapturenetwork.com/re-cap-sign-up
Past Re/Cap Newsletters: https://www.realitycapturenetwork.com/education

Welcome to The Re/Cap Podcast with Ellis Malmgren!  This week’s ‘cappenings:

• A major auto manufacturer’s decade-old, whole-factory digital twin

• Volvo calls on Gaussian splatting for safety

• The world’s first 100%-AI architectural project

• A consumer goods titan rethinks product shoots with digital twins and NVIDIA Omniverse

• Laser & structured light scanning thrill manufacturers

• An AEC Error of the Week in the 1960s at the height of high-rise craze

  
  

Quick caps:

• [Article] NVIDIA Open Sources 3D Gaussian Ray Tracing and 3D Gaussian Unscented Transform https://radiancefields.com/nvidia-releases-3d-gaussian-ray-tracing-and-3d-gaussian-unscented-transform

• [Podcast] Scaling Global Land Rights through Geospatial Innovation https://www.gim-international.com/content/article/scaling-global-land-rights-through-geospatial-innovation

• [Use Case] Digital Twin Consortium: Digital Twin-Enabled Microfactory for Smart Manufacturing https://www.digitaltwinconsortium.org/initiatives/technology-showcase/micro-factory/

• [Article] In the Age of AI, Idea Curation Will Eclipse Creation https://www.qualitydigest.com/inside/innovation-article/age-ai-idea-curation-will-eclipse-creation-032025.html

• [Case study] Public Works Pioneers Drones-as-a-Service Program for Salem, Oregon https://lidarmag.com/2025/03/14/public-works-pioneers-drones-as-a-service-program-for-salem-oregon/

• [Article] Inside Red Bull Racing: How 3D Printing and Scanning create a winning advantage in Formula One https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/inside-red-bull-racing-how-3d-printing-and-scanning-create-a-winning-advantage-in-formula-one-237590/

Timestamps

0:00 Intro: a 100% AI architecture project in historic Slovenia 

0:25  A whole-factory virtual twin…in 2016

2:37 What’s cappenin’ this week + quick caps

3:24  Volvo Is Making Fewer Things Splat, With Gaussian Splatting and Virtual Worlds

5:26  Archificial Intelligence: Behold the World’s First 100% AI Architecture Project

7:58  Deodorant Duet: The $150B Consumer Goods Company Using Digital Twins for Content Creation

9:47 Lighten Up: Laser & Structured Light Scanning, and the Twilight of Traditional Part Inspection

12:55  AEC Error of the Week: East London’s Ronan Point Collapse of 1968

Main Re/Cap sources:

https://www.volvogroup.com/en/news-and-media/news/2017/mar/virtual-twin-plant-shorten-lead-times.html

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/03/volvo-reconstructs-crashes-with-ai-in-virtual-worlds-to-make-safer-cars/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kissacastaneda/2025/03/13/see-inside-the-worlds-first-ai-architectural-project-by-studio-tim-fu/

https://www.unilever.com/news/press-and-media/press-releases/2025/unilever-reinvents-product-shoots-with-digital-twins-and-ai/

https://www.advancedmanufacturing.org/smart-manufacturing/light-em-up/article_80cf757c-0418-11f0-9d87-0fbad974851e.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-44498608

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIvD2agDBnM

Subscribe to The Re/Cap Newsletter! https://www.realitycapturenetwork.com/re-cap-sign-up
Previous Re/Cap Newsletters: https://www.realitycapturenetwork.com/education

Welcome to The Re/Cap Podcast with Ellis Malmgren!

What’s Cappenin’ This Week:- An 1854 mapping story that changed public health forever- GIS steadies pandemic mayhem- The world needs minerals, so mines need SLAM drones- The Middle East wants to build insane stuff, and robots might allow it- Digital twins expedite stroke recovery- An AEC Error of the week of a football stadium’s personal foul, roughing itself, automatic falldown Quick caps:- Apple says Enter virtual Sandman, gets immersive with Metallica for Apple Vision Pro: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/03/apple-unveils-immersive-concert-experience-with-metallica-for-apple-vision-pro/- Drone News: New Helius Drone, Blue UAS Changes, Skydio Sends Tracker to Police, & SkyeBrowse Update: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJaS-w16Ias- How digital twin tech can make a big difference in employers’ GLP-1 costs: https://hrexecutive.com/how-digital-twin-tech-can-make-a-big-difference-in-employers-glp-1-costs/- What are the trends driving BIM in North America?: https://www.bimplus.co.uk/what-are-the-trends-driving-bim-in-north-america/- The Matthew Byrd Podcast: Adapt or Die - The Future of Construction Technology!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61rcAdTkABI&t=2s- Student uses photogrammetry and 3D printing to recreate face of 2,000-year-old 'Kimmeridge Woman': https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/archaeology-around-the-world/article-845420Episode Timeline0:00 Intro: The $500-billion Line 0:40 How an 1800s Epidemic Was Solved with GIS before there was GIS3:02 What’s cappenin’ this week, and quick caps3:44 COVID Had No Roadmap. GIS Helped Draw One, and Is Ready To Again.6:46 Simultaneous Laxing and Mining: SLAM Drones, Critical Minerals, and Mining’s Paradigm Shift8:49 Dune Droids: The Middle East’s Ambitious Construction, and How Robots May Achieve It Training10:55 PT, Meet DT: Digital Twins and Supercharged Stroke Recoveries12:57 AEC Error of the Week: The University of Washington Stadium Collapse of 1987Main Re/Cap sources:https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/john-snow-hunts-the-blue-death/https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/blog/covid-gis-five-year-look-back/https://insideunmannedsystems.com/mines-are-vital-to-the-us-economy-drones-have-joined-the-crew/https://www.cbnme.com/expert-insight/transforming-construction-in-the-middle-east-with-robotics/https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-03-exoskeleton-digital-twin-recovery.htmlhttps://www.historylink.org/File/2947Subscribe to The Re/Cap Newsletter! https://realitycapturenetwork.com/re-cap-signup/?_gl=1*18tlk62*_ga*MTA2NjI0NDQ4Ni4xNzMzNDE4Mzg4*_ga_6WRSZKK4DF*MTc0MjM5MzgyOC4xMjcuMS4xNzQyMzkzODMxLjAuMC4w*_ga_2KDEY26EET*MTc0MjM5MzgyOC4xNzcuMS4xNzQyMzkzODMxLjAuMC4wPrevious Re/Cap Newsletters: https://realitycapturenetwork.com/blogStay Connected with Reality Capture Network🔗 Explore more at: https://realitycapturenetwork.com/📲 Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/realitycapturenetwork/?viewAsMember=true📸 Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realitycapturenetwork/Subscribe for more insights! Stay updated on the latest in reality capture, AEC innovations, and emerging tech. Hit that like button and subscribe for future content!

Welcome to The Re/Cap Podcast, the expansion of RCN’s Re/Cap Newsletter - where reality capture stands, who’s advancing it, and the history behind it. 

This podcast, as it matures, will be far from a solo act. There will be a revolving door of guests, some of them RCN folk, some of them relevant to stories we’ll cover, and others who just own platinum brains you’re sure to glean something from. Enjoy, and we are honored to have you.

What’s Cappenin’ This Week:

• A mind-warping fossil site discovery 15 years ago…and what 3D scanning did with it

• iPhone whale scans bolster knowledge and conservation

• African city planning looks to airborne scanning

• AI-VR de-escalation training for police

• The American Society of Civil Engineers awards a robotic bridge inspector

• An AEC Error of the Week of a structure sinking faster than Drake’s career

  
  

Quick caps:

[Article] Meta Researchers Generate Photorealistic Avatars From Just Four Selfies

[Interview] Creating impact with geospatial and satellite Earth observation

[Article] Robots Making Robots: These Humanoid Robots Are Getting Set To Reproduce

[Article] AI’s Potential for Transforming The Gaming Industry 

[Video] Boston Dynamics Robotics: Pick, Carry, Place, Repeat | Inside the Lab with Atlas

[Video] I 3D-Printed My Drone Footage (Photogrammetry Magic!)

Episode Timeline

0:03 Podcast intro & context

1:05  Pre/Cap: Mind-bending fossil discovery 15 years ago in Chile

3:10 What’s Cappenin’ this week and quick caps

3:55 Mobi-Dick: Smartphone Capture, Stranded Marine Life, and New Necropsy Knowledge

6:21 Natural Disasters Have Made Africa’s Urban Planning Maddening. Aerial LiDAR’s Gladdening.

8:25 You Have the Right to Remain Silent, and Super Calm, Thanks to This New AI/VR De-Escalation Training

10:00 Truss the Process: American Society of Civil Engineers Awards Robotic Bridge Inspection System

11:29 AEC Error of the Week - Kansai International Airport

Main Re/Cap sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRLZ29mLdSQ

https://phys.org/news/2025-03-qa-smartphones-3d-scans-stranded.html -  https://www.suasnews.com/2025/03/utilizing-drone-technology-and-lidar-for-resilient-town-planning-in-african-cities-against-natural-disasters/

https://uknow.uky.edu/research/uk-researcher-enhances-police-de-escalation-training-immersive-ai-vr-simulations

https://news.mst.edu/2025/02/missouri-st-researchers-robotic-bridge-inspection-system-earns-asces-2025-pankow-award/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzr8lkiQ3_A&t=1s