Inside the creative engine redefining what’s possible with WebGPU and real-time design.

Forged is a creative studio based in Orange County, California, built at the intersection of art, code, and AI.

We craft immersive digital experiences that blend cinematic design, real-time rendering, and emerging technology from interactive websites and installations to generative storytelling, AR, and VR.

At the center of everything we make is a custom WebGPU engine, designed for high-end rendering, AI integration, and seamless cross-platform interactivity.

Whether the project lives in a browser, a physical space, or a multiplayer world, the same framework powers it; keeping creative intent perfectly aligned from concept to execution.

Our Journey

Forged was founded by Michael Modena, an industry veteran who set out to build a studio that could move as fast as technology itself.

What started as a six-week experiment quickly became a new model for how a creative team could operate: small, adaptable, and obsessed with precision.

The goal wasn’t to rebuild what already existed, but to rethink it: What would a future-facing studio look like if we built it from scratch today?

The early days were defined by rhythm, mornings spent building the technical foundation, afternoons spent creating. That balance between engineering and artistry became our DNA.

The first major milestone was the creation of our own WebGPU renderer, capable of delivering film-quality lighting inside a browser. From there, Forged grew into a creative engine that now powers projects across web, physical, and immersive spaces.

Showcase

Hall of Flowers: Collective Bloom

For Hall of Flowers 2025, we created The Collective Bloom, an interactive installation powered by over 4.5 million real-time particles rendered in WebGPU. Attendees used their phones to place digital flowers into a living sculpture inspired by the Statue of Liberty, each bloom joining a growing field of color that evolved over the two-day event. What started as a simple gesture became a massive, ever-changing artwork; a collective expression of creativity brought to life through cutting-edge graphics and shared participation.

NEFT: Frozen Barrel AR

At Formula D, NEFT’s drift car giveaway became a small piece of theater: we turned their signature barrel into an AR activation. Fans entered to win, then scanned the real barrel to watch it ice over in real time and were invited to break the ice for a shot at bonus prizes. A simple giveaway transformed into a shareable, story-driven brand moment that felt as satisfying as cracking open the win.

Aura Vinyl: Color Explorer

The Aura Color Explorer reimagines how people shop for vinyl wrap. Built with real-time 3D rendering, it lets users rotate, light, and explore over a dozen vehicle models to see how each film behaves under true-to-life lighting. It’s Need for Speed in your browser. It’s become the centerpiece of Aura’s online experience, helping shoppers spend more time exploring and making confident, inspired choices.

The Trevor Project: What Hope Looks Like

What Hope Looks Like is an AI-guided meditation on hope and resilience. Led by Sol, a calm, reflective AI presence, users are invited into a short conversation that turns their words into living watercolor art, painted in real time by Google’s Imagen model. Built with custom watercolor shaders and particle systems, the experience blurs the line between human emotion and machine expression; culminating in a shared gallery of glowing lanterns, each carrying someone’s personal reflection. Created in support of The Trevor Project, it transforms a moment of introspection into a collective act of hope.

Culture & Team

Forged is intentionally small: a workshop, not a factory. Everyone is a maker. We value taste, precision, and originality over scale.

Our culture runs on rhythm and trust. AI plays a role in nearly everything we do, but never replaces the human hand. We work remotely, but share one philosophy: Everything should feel crafted not manufactured.

The name Forged isn’t metaphorical. It’s our process. We heat, hammer, and shape every idea until it’s perfect.

Michael Modena

Michael Modena is the founder of Forged, a next-generation creative studio exploring the intersection of technology, design, and storytelling. Previously a co-founder of Active Theory, Michael has spent over a decade crafting award-winning digital experiences for global brands. At Forged, he’s focused on pushing the boundaries of WebGPU, AI, and real-time 3D to shape the future of interactive storytelling.

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