Contact
New York, NY
T +1 (415) 416 9207
seth@alotofmoving.parts
Articles
About
Seth Thompson is a designer and software engineer in New York. His work engages with spatial representation and computational image-making. Seth is the founder & creative director of A Lot of Moving Parts, a research studio for interactive 3d visualization. He is also an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University GSAPP. He holds a Master of Architecture from Yale University. Previously, he worked at Notion and Google, and served as the digital director of the New York Review of Architecture.
I strive to bring greater depth to my view of the world. I make software, tools, and images in search of an elemental understanding of how things work. I am interested in new ways of seeing and new mediums of expression. I work between disciplines in order to address the how & the why, in addition to the what. The hardest problems require oblique solutions. To envision a better future, we must remember where we have been. Perfect is the enemy of the good, but good is also the enemy of the perfect.
Library
Details
2026
Self-initiated
Website
Library is an AI search engine for my physical library of art, architecture, and design books. Searching a topic, visual description, or question returns pages with relevant text, images, and figures. The interface teases the books' contents, but encourages further browsing with the physical copies.
I built a custom PDF scan pipeline to support books with complex visual layouts. The pipeline accurately parses text, figures, and figure captions from full page spreads. The search engine retrieves results instantly with an in-memory HSNW index for semantic embeddings, BM25+ for keyword search, and the Jev decision model for re-ranking.
Rendering Systems
Details
2022–
Columbia GSAPP
Role, Adjunct Assistant Professor
Website
Rendering Systems is a graduate course for architects and computational designers at Columbia GSAPP. The course teaches an overview of physically-based rendering (PBR), procedural modeling, shader design, and AI image generation in Blender.
I teach the fundamentals of light, physics, and perception and situate rendering in a history of image-making that includes photography and drawing. Students explore the potential of computational images to encode dynamic spatial information and data in 3D pixels.
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All Light, Expanded
Details
2021
Client, Theo Anthony & MEMORY
Role, Designer & Fullstack Developer
Team, Bhavik Singh (Designer & Fullstack Developer)
Website
All Light, Expanded is an interactive online companion to Theo Anthony’s award-winning film “All Light, Everywhere.” We created a custom interface that allows users to scrub through the film and uncover connections, research and ideas that inspired the documentary.
The website combines multiple dimensions of analysis—temporal, spatial, conceptual and relational—to organize and display 400 references, including archival images, videos, notes, and research citations.
NYC Facade Architecture
Details
2025–
Client, NYC Facade Architecture
Role, Designer, Fullstack Developer, 3D Generalist
Website
Forthcoming
The NYC Facade Architecture website displays a 3D map of the entire city of New York, highlighting the architectural firm's projects across iconic buildings in multiple boroughs. Zooming into a project shows the exact services performed—from imaging to restoration—with diagrammatic overlays on miniature 3D models.
The map shows the current time of day in New York, using a full day / night cycle with accurate shadows and sun position. I built a custom GLTF export pipeline and model editor for annotating and compressing 3D models exported by the architects from Rhino CAD software.
New York Review of Architecture
Details
2021–2025
Client, New York Review of Architecture
Role, Digital Director, Designer, Fullstack Developer
Website
The New York Review of Architecture website features a complete print archive of 7 years of architectural criticism and writing. It also features an event database, a social directory, and a full print & digital subscription platform.
The site translates the bold, illustration-driven visual language of the print publication to the web. I built a custom e-commerce integration in Kirby CMS to support paywalls, subscription tiers, gift subscriptions, shipping & fulfillment, order management, and newsletters.
