Architecture Groups Sydney

Welcome to the next 2026 AWS Sydney Well-Architected Meetup!

Hi Architects, Welcome to the next 2026 AWS Sydney Well-Architected User Group Meetup! Each month we cover off AWS best-practices across all pillars and give away drones - lots of drones 🥳 **Please also note that AWS Security now requests a company name and company email where it is available. If you are a student, please list your institution and your student email address at that institution 👍** We'll be announcing more speakers on [https://well-architected.me](https://well-architected.me/) and previewing presentations during the coming weeks - our speakers and details this month include: * **Mystery Speaker** **Generative AI Cost Optimisation (Part 2)** Cost Optimisation is essential but with all the anecdotal stories of massive token budget blowouts, staying on top of Generative AI best-practices is essential to avoiding these scenarios. This month's menu will include: * Pizzas * Beer: Nastro Azzurro * Wine: Big and red 🤤 So come join us at 5:30 for a 6pm **SHARP** start, followed by beer, wine, pizza and friendly networking after our talks :-) Tired of Linkedin’s "thought leadership”, spam and advertising? Join https://well-architected.me/ , the AWS community built for architects, developers and cloud professionals. * Connect with experienced AWS practitioners * Preview upcoming AWS Meetups and relive past content * Create and review beautiful AWS case studies in minutes * Prepare for AWS certifications with curated quizzes * Show your manager and reports you’re well-architected (Please note that by registering to attend you agree to your details being shared as and where required with Amazon Web Services and AWS Well-Architected User Group partners)

SSP ..FRI.. .. SCULPTURES BY THE SEA..OpenDay

Lets see the Sculptures on opening day after a coffee on the beach.

Sydney HUG Meetup @ Netflix Animation

Our October 2026 SydHUG is brought to you via a collaboration between the Sydney Houdini User Group, Netflix Animation Studios & the ACM SIGGRAPH Sydney Chapter. We look forward to welcoming attendees from across our communities! \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **PRESENTATIONS** More details coming soon. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **SCHEDULE** 6.30pm: Doors open, networking 7.00 to 8:30pm: Presentations **1.** **Presenters:** Anna Molamphy and James Hardy **Title:** Making a Point - Procedural Modelling Workflows **Description:** Discover how NAS leverages instancing in Houdini to streamline asset and environment creation. We’ll showcase our procedural modelling tools and the backend pipeline that empowers artists to craft and assemble complex worlds efficiently **2\. Presenters:** Eric Chan and Julian Davidson **Title:** What’s the Point in Point Instancing? **Description:** A closer look at point instancers - what they are, why we use them, and the challenges they create for downstream departments. We'll walk through the Houdini workflow we designed for FX to make them less painful to work with. 8:30 to 10:00pm: Networking and refreshments \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **ACCESS & ENTRY** To get to the HUG x SIGGRAPH ACM x NAS Event, you will need to walk into the Entertainment Quarter, up Bent Street, and onto John Hargreaves Avenue to reach Gate 3, which is right next to the [Netflix Animation Studios](https://www.google.com/maps/dir//Netflix+Animation+Studios,+Fox+Studios,+Building+54%2F38+Driver+Ave,+Moore+Park+NSW+2021/@-33.8941309,151.2244582,15.84z/data=!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x6b12b1e61d410469:0x955b6315c608214!2m2!1d151.2281588!2d-33.8931272?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDkzMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D) building. If you walk past AFTRS and the Brent Street Dance School, you will reach a big black gate at the end where Disney security and NAS employees will check in attendees of the event. \- Attendees will receive a NDA\, sent to your email via Envoy before arrival\. Please complete this **before** arrival on the day, and allow 10 minutes to sign in and collect your name tag at Reception upon arrival. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **PRIZES AND GIVEAWAYS** SideFX has Houdini Indie licences up for grabs. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-

AI Project Hub

Welcome to **WSTI's AI Project Hub**—the hands-on heart of the WSTI community's AI Shed model. This isn't a traditional class or a lecture. It’s a weekly, drop-in "Shed" designed for collaborative, project-based learning, where we support each other turning ideas (beginner or ambitious) into real, working prototypes and projects. Whether you're a founder with a specific problem, a developer testing a new tool, or a complete beginner curious about what you can make, this is your space to build, learn, and collaborate. **What to expect:** * **Quick Pitch:** To spark some inspiration, we’ll have a few informal, low-pressure "progress check-ins" where attendees can briefly share what they’re working on. * **Space to Build:** No formal lectures here. Just a supportive environment to polish your prototype, refine your code, or finalise your pitch. * **Guides on the Side:** Our technical mentors will be mingling in the room. They’re ready to offer a helpful nudge, architectural advice, or a tool recommendation if you hit a roadblock. * **Community Wisdom:** If our mentors don’t have the answer, they’ll connect you with someone else in the room who does. We’re all about sharing what we learn. * **Curiosity is Welcome:** You don’t need a hackathon project to pull up a chair. If you’re a regular from our Project Hub looking to share your knowledge, or just a curious neighbour. We have community laptops with access to some AI tools if you aren't able to bring your own. **Tools/Topics discussed may include:** * ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, Opensource AI Models. * Platforms like n8n and other automation tools. * Coding vibe coding like Lovable, Replit, Antigravity and Cursor. * Frameworks such as BMAD. * Image and video generators like Midjourney, Nanobanana and Video models such as Kling, Veo & Seedance. *By attending this event, you consent that you may be photographed and recorded on video. These photos and videos may be used for marketing and promotional purposes in the future. If you have any concerns please let the team know upon arrival.*

Updated! SSP TUE - CITY LIGHT & SHADOWS IN MONOCHROME : Sydney’s Little Laneways

For this photography walk, we’ll explore a very different side of Sydney CBD — its narrow laneways, hidden passages, old sandstone walls and urban spaces — with a particular focus on **light, shadow and monochrome photography**. We will follow the City of Sydney Culture Walks route **“Hidden – Sydney’s Little Laneways”**, which winds through some of the lesser-known lanes and back streets of central Sydney. Rather than concentrating on Sydney’s familiar landmarks, the aim of this walk is to look more closely at the city itself: shafts of sunlight falling between tall buildings, deep shadows in narrow lanes, repeating architectural lines, reflections, textures, silhouettes and people moving through patches of light. During the walk, we’ll look for opportunities to photograph: * strong contrasts between sunlight and shadow * people and silhouettes entering pools of light * geometric shapes, lines and repeating patterns * sandstone, brick, concrete and other urban textures * narrow laneways framed by taller buildings * reflections and layered compositions * small details that become more striking when colour is removed ### **Meeting point:** Chambers Coffee, Gateway Sydney, 1 Macquarie Pl, Sydney NSW 2000 **Start:** 10:30 am **Approximate finish:** Around 12:30 pm **Lunch:** Venue to be confirmed After the walk, anyone who would like to stay is very welcome to join us for a relaxed lunch nearby. ### Come along, slow down, watch the light, and discover some of Sydney’s hidden corners in monochrome.

Inner West Writers Group - Write Club

Saturday 17 October is an in-person event at Marrickville Library. RSVP to secure a place! This group started in January 2020 in a beautiful private room granted by Marrickville Library. We have continued to meet in person fortnightly at the Library, with alternate weeks via Zoom. To keep up to date - sign up and receive our notifications. The group is flourishing! You will need to RSVP each week for the following Saturday so we can organise the right number of Zoom rooms and Library space to ensure good quality feedback. RSVP's will receive the link. The intention is to give a supportive environment to get traction on your writing project, gain useful feedback, and exchange writing and publishing information with each other. Please note that if you are attending for the first time - you are welcome to observe and listen to how we work. Your turn to read and be critiqued will be invited in the second session. So come along, bring up to 1500 words of your latest writing - fiction writers of all types, memoirists, biographers, graphic novelists, bloggists, poets - all writers welcome. You will have up to eight minutes to read out your work, an equal time of constructive critique and feedback from the rest of the group. If you want a tribe of fellow writers to be with you as you finish your writing project, build your author profile, want to get inspired by other writers, or want to just listen and give constructive feedback (we all need beta readers), you are very welcome. This is a free event, but membership is essential to attend. Many thanks to Marrickville Library! For more information, contact Maria, mariaissaris@icloud.com, or Jamie Ramjan (jamie.ramjan@gmail.com) or Sunnie Mosphilis via DM.

Vibrant Colours and Man Made Structures

TechWalking - Sydney - Networking Event for Tech Professionals

**TechWalking is here to stay in Sydney!** 🌊🚶‍♂️A huge thank you to our co-hosts — Malathy, Pragnya, Xi, Felix, Sujata and Amee — for making it happen! Are you a tech professional looking to network beyond the screen? Join us for a refreshing **#TechWalking** event along the stunning Royal Botanic Garden! It’s the perfect chance to connect with industry peers while getting in some steps! Whether you're in software development, cybersecurity, data science, or any tech-related field, this is the perfect opportunity to expand your network in a relaxed setting. 🌅 **Meeting Point:** Archibald Memorial Fountain, Hyde Park 🏖 **Route:** 4 km walk through the Botanical Garden to the Sydney Opera House 🕙 **Start Time:** 10 AM sharp—don’t be late, or you might have to sprint to catch up! **Please note:** unfortunately, dogs aren’t allowed in the Botanical Gardens. A bit sad, we know 🐶💔 Looking forward to meeting you all in real life! **TechWalking is free, and always will be.** But keeping the community going takes time, effort, and a few ongoing costs. If you enjoy TechWalking and would like to help us keep it growing, any donation is greatly appreciated: [https://tech-walking.yanamartens.com/donate](https://tech-walking.yanamartens.com/donate) **TechWalking Community page: [https://tech-walking.yanamartens.com/](https://tech-walking.yanamartens.com/)** *** Join the TechWalking group on LinkedIn! [https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14477058/](https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14477058/) Just moved to Australia? Grab your FREE guide to landing your tech job! [https://yanamartens.com/first-tech-job-in-australia/](https://yanamartens.com/first-tech-job-in-australia/) Follow me on LinkedIn for more information: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yana-martens/ Subscribe to YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ITCareerinAustralia

SSP TUESDAY - Sculpture By The Sea

A visit to Sculpture By The Sea is best in the cool of the afternoon and when the crowds start to thin. We meet at 1:30pm at the steps, near the front door of Customs House, Circular Quay. We walk over to the bus stop for the 333 then 381 bus to Tamarama Beach. We start the sculptures walk from Tamara Beach along the coast to Bondi Beach and end outside Bondi Icebergs Club. We will stop at the "Miniature Sculptures" tent on the hill that houses the smaller 'demonstration models' of the sculptures and have a drink or a snack in that area and depart at 3:30pm. Optional meal or drink following the walk. Location to be decided there. NOT Icebergs as historically too busy during SBTS.

Stoics in the park: NEW LOCATION- Sydney Park

Unlike other philosophies, Stoicism was named after a place not a person, making it accessible to ALL people. In ancient greco-roman times people would meet at the Stoa, where they would discuss Stoic Philosophy. We can meet in the park just as the stoic sages 1000s of years ago. Join us to read through and discuss Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Google books has a FREE PDF you can download. No need to do any homework, we will read together and discuss. Am looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Event fee (optional) is $2, this goes to admin costs of running the group, please consider I am from Wollongong and wanted to keep this group when original organiser stepped down. I have significant travel expenses and am generally organising creative events that take resources. A gratuity would be a wonderful way to make me feel appreciated. Pay on the day, payID 0416147804, PayPal: paypal.me/jonnikaren or private message for direct deposit details. In lieu of event fee, you can buy me a coffee :)

Data Driven or Data Distracted!

Our CCX Sydney October event features a very lively and topical panel discussion entitled Data Driven or Data Distracted We will be applying a $10.00 cover charge to cover Food and drinks and on this occasion will be kindly hosted by the ONSET https://theonset.com.au/ About the session **How Product, Design & Engineering actually use evidence to make decisions** How much data do we really need to make better product decisions? And when does being “data-driven” start getting in the way of good product thinking? For this CCX Sydney session, we’re bringing together four practitioners from different corners of the product ecosystem — analytics, strategy and service design, UX/CX, and engineering — to explore the role data and evidence actually play in product development and delivery. Each speaker will have **15 minutes to make their own case** for — or against — being **DATA-DRIVEN OR DATA-DISTRACTED**. Rather than presenting a single view, they’ll challenge us to look at how research, analytics, customer insight, AI, product requirements engineering and data can influence the decisions we make — from defining the problem and creating the PRD through to designing, building and releasing the product. Our speakers bring four very different perspectives: **Olga Pasikova\, Senior Analytics Director; Rob Tot\, Strategy & Service Design Lead; Thomas Shillingford\, UX \| CX \| Strategy \| AI and Author; and David Berigny\, Forward Deployed Engineer\.** Each panel member will bring their own experience, provocations and examples to the question: **when does data help us make better decisions — and when does it simply give us more information to react to?** Then we turn up the heat. Following the four presentations, **Sophie Greenfield, Senior Product & AI Designer at CBA**, will lead a lively panel discussion, bringing the speakers together to challenge each other's perspectives and explore the tensions between data, evidence, intuition, customer understanding and design judgement. Because being data-driven sounds simple. **Knowing what data to trust, what it actually means, and when to ignore it is where things get interesting.** **About our Panel:** ### Olga Pasikova **Senior Analytics Director** Olga Pasikova is a Senior Analytics Director and experienced digital analytics specialist with more than a decade working across data, analytics and digital measurement. She brings a strong ability to translate complex analytics challenges into clear strategic direction, helping teams use data to understand behaviour, measure outcomes and make better-informed decisions. Olga is also an active member of Sydney’s data and analytics community. ### Rob Tot **Strategy & Service Design Lead** Rob Tot is a Strategy and Service Design Lead who works at the intersection of customer needs, business strategy and service innovation. His work brings together strategic thinking and human-centred design to help organisations navigate complex problems, uncover opportunities and turn insight into meaningful product and service outcomes. ### Thomas Shillingford **UX \| CX \| Strategy \| AI \| Author** Thomas Shillingford is a UX and CX strategist, designer, author and speaker with extensive experience across digital products and customer experiences. His career has included work spanning research, customer journeys, interaction design, usability, design strategy and large-scale digital transformation. More recently, Thomas has been exploring the impact of AI on design practice, including how AI is changing design systems, strategy and the role of human judgement. ### David Berigny **Forward Deployed Engineer** David Berigny is a Forward Deployed Engineer working at the intersection of technology, product development and real-world customer problems. His role brings engineering directly into the product development process — translating customer and business needs into practical technical solutions, testing ideas in the field and using evidence from real-world implementation to inform what gets built and how it evolves. ### Sophie Greenfield FACILITATOR **Senior Product Designer & Facilitator** Sophie Greenfield is a Senior Product Designer at Commonwealth Bank with more than 20 years’ experience across UX, product design, research and digital strategy. Her career has spanned product strategy, customer research and experience design across organisations including CommBank, Westpac and ING Direct. Sophie has a particular interest in the intersection of **data, customer insight, product strategy and AI-enabled design**. She has been exploring and teaching AI-enabled design practices, from research synthesis and hypothesis validation to rapid prototyping and new ways of working for designers. For **DATA-DRIVEN OR DATA-DISTRACTED?**, Sophie will facilitate the conversation between our four speakers, challenging their perspectives and helping unpack the bigger question: **when does evidence genuinely improve product decisions — and when can data become a distraction from understanding the customer?** We are so excited to be wrapping up the year with this awesome panel discussion hosted by new friends of CCX Sydney, the ONSET. [https://theonset.com.au/](https://theonset.com.au/) Lastly make sure you Join us for sponsored drinks post the event at a nearby bar more details to follow. Regards Kevin, Lydia, Sylvia, James and Carolina.

SSP WED - Northside Photography Chat; Getting to a Monochromatic Film Look

Meet for chat over a drink and snack or dinner. Tonight, we will discuss getting a film look to your street photography images whilst still using a digital camera. If you wish to discuss any aspects of your camera or photography technique, please bring the manual and your camera. Bring your laptop with your editing software installed & I will bring a laptop with Lightroom Classic installed. We can discuss any aspect of editing your images. Most image editors are similar, so even if using a different editor, the techniques are similar, mainly due to the menu system. Feel free to bring image(s) on a usb stick, SD, microSD memory card or an iPhone that supports Airdrop. Using Lightroom we can work on extracting the story of the image. If you want photo critique, pls bring print, or full size images, preferably not resized, on a usb stick, SD, microSD memory card or an iPhone that supports Airdrop. Please do not ask for a critique on images displayed on a mobile phone, too small a display to be critical. More info on the venue here chatswoodrsl.com.au Plenty of free parking available nearby as well as the bus stop at the door or metro & rail just 50m away.