Computer Graphics World articles from April 2007

Computer Graphics World archives from April 2007

A growing trend.(in computer gaming consoles)(Game Developers Conference)(Editorial)
April 1, 2007... Computer game development is, well, no longer a game. It's big business. Retail sales have risen dramatically, thanks to the latest-generation consoles. These new platforms, along with suped-up PCs, advanced wireless devices, and powerful...

Gelato 2.1 delivers hair-raising results.(NVIDIA Corp.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Nvidia recently served up Gelato 2.1, its high-quality, GPU-accelerated rendering software, which now includes support for Joe Alter's Shave and a Haircut software for computer-generated hair and fur effects. With support for Shave and a...

Imagineer Systems starts its motor.(PRODUCTS: ROTOSCOPING)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Imagineer Systems rolled out Motor, the company's first offering in its new initiative to deliver sophisticated, high-end visual effects and design capabilities to mainstream visual effects artists. Specifically designed to be more...

Alienware enters the fourth dimension.(PRODUCTS: WORKSTATION MJ-12 8550i)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Triggering the start of a new evolution in the company's workstation line, Alienware has introduced its most powerful offering to date: the MJ-12 8550i, powered by the Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor 5300 series. As the first Alienware...

Right Hemisphere 5 makes global debut.(PRODUCTS: MANUFACTURING)
April 1, 2007... Right Hemisphere, a provider of enterprise-class solutions for the manufacturing market, has rolled out its latest offering, Right Hemisphere 5, an integrated suite of visual product communication and collaboration solutions. The software...

Nvidia rolls out new Quadro solutions.(PRODUCTS: GRAPHICS BOARDS)(Quadro FX 4600, Quadro FX 5600)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Nvidia unveiled a new line of professional graphics solutions that include the Quadro FX 4600 and Quadro FX 5600, as well as the Quadro Plex VCS Model IV. These offerings move beyond typical graphics processing to offer compute-processing...

Luxology delivers Modo 203.(PRODUCTS: 3D MODELING)
April 1, 2007... Luxology has released Modo 203, with enhancements to the UV editing tools, faster rendering, and a new DXF translator plug-in that offers performance and workflow improvements--all of which provides a faster path to creating high-quality 5D...

Pushing light.(view point: Rendering)(Rhythm and Hues Inc.)
April 1, 2007... Two thousand processors in a renderfarm. Think about how many computers that really is, how much memory they need (an average of 2.2GB each), and the infrastructure it takes to get them to work together to render all the digital images needed...

Merry tales: PDI/DreamWorks discovers new CG challenges on their third visit to Shrek's fractured fairy-tale world.(Character Creation)(computer graphics in Shrek the Third)(Editorial)(Cover story)
April 1, 2007... Three is a charm, or so Far Far Away's Prince Charming would like to believe, and he seizes his opportunity in DreamWorks' Shrek the Third. The film begins with the king's death and Shrek's sudden ascension to the throne. Becoming king is not...

Grindhouse graphics: Troublemaker Digital and The Orphanage update the classic grind house experience and bring it to the masses.(Visual Effects)(Editorial)
April 1, 2007... Supervixens Cannibal Holocaust. The Savage Seven. These are a few of the hundreds of exploitation films that played in all-night marathons in the suburban drive-ins and inner-city grind houses of the 70s and early '80s. With their unbridled...

Fast forward: the crew at Disney Feature Animation created tools and techniques to develop Meet the Robinsons in little more than a year.(CG Animation)(computer graphics)(Editorial)
April 1, 2007... The theme of Walt Disney Pictures' second 3D animated film, Meet the Robinsons, is "keep moving forward." You could as easily apply that theme to the production of the film. In the movie, Lewis, an orphaned boy and brilliant inventor, wants...

Scratching the surface: a novice designer draws on his imagination to craft a special vehicle.(CAD)(North American International Auto Show)(Uros Pavasovic designed Fiat Scratch using Autodesk's AliasStudio software )(Editorial)
April 1, 2007... For new industrial designers, the road to success usually contains many bumps and unexpected twists and turns. However, one young person found a way to avoid many of those unwanted obstacles and, in the process, put himself on the fast road to...

A dragon tale: the film-based property Eragon takes flight in the interactive realm.(Gaming)(Stormfront Studios Inc.)(Editorial)
April 1, 2007... While first-person shooters still dominate the computer gaming landscape, interactive titles based on feature films are gaining in popularity. And game developers are not waiting for box-office figures before investing their own dollars into...

Portfolio.(E-magiciens Awards)(organised by Chamber of Commerce for students graphical innovations)
April 1, 2007... After studying digital art and animation for a number of years, many students on the cusp of graduation often wonder whether they are truly ready to begin their careers. Do they have the necessary skills, talent, and confidence? If the...

Extended Design Review.(ENGINEERING)
April 1, 2007... Win Autodesk has expanded its Design Review DWF-based review and collaboration software for engineers, service technicians, and others in product design and project teams. Autodesk Design Review provides on-demand access to ThomasNet's...

Endorphin enhanced.(CHARACTER ANIMATION)
April 1, 2007... Win NaturalMotion has unveiled Version 2.7 of its Endorphin and Endorphin Learning Edition 3D character animation software. Version 2.7 includes a new library of standard simulation and prop characters, support for the Acclaim 2 file format,...

Integrated innovation.(BROADCAST)
April 1, 2007... Vizrt has integrated its Viz/Curious World Maps software with its Viz/Artist graphics design tool, Viz/Trio real-time CG software, Viz/Content Pilot content management and control utility, and Viz/Weather real-time broadcast system. Vizrt's Map...

Graffiti gains .(VIDEO)
April 1, 2007... Win * Mac Boris FX has upgraded its Boris Graffiti 2D and 3D vector title animation plug-in to Version 5.0. Based on Boris Red 4.0, the latest Boris Graffiti boasts a new ergonomic user interface, enhanced compositing and effects creation...

Extending 3ds Max.(3D MODELING)
April 1, 2007... Win Autodesk has introduced 3ds Max 9 Extension: Productivity Booster, software that provides Autodesk subscription customers with more than 30 productivity enhancements in animation, rendering, and overall usability. Design visualization...

Archipelis addition.(3D MODELING)
April 1, 2007... Win Archipelis Company has upgraded its Archipelis Designer to Version 1.1. Geared for 3D professionals and beginners alike, Archipelis Designer enables users to quickly create 3D models by sketching shapes and then enhancing them with textures...

Sculpt in Mudbox.(3D MODELING)
April 1, 2007... Win Skymatter has announced a free trial of Mudbox 1.0.4, advanced 3D sculpting software for professional digital sculptors. Mudbox is a brush-based 3D sculpting solution offering 3D layering, a 3D camera for perspective and orthographic views,...

Acrobatic content.(3D NAVIGATION)
April 1, 2007... Win * Mac 3Dconnexion's 3D navigation devices now offer support for Adobe Acrobat 3D software through Version 3.1 of the company's 3DxSoftware. Users of 3Dconnexion SpacePilot, SpaceExplorer, SpaceTraveler, and SpaceNavigator can pan, zoom, and...

Managed media distribution.(ASSET MANAGEMENT)
April 1, 2007... Win A developer of digital media distribution and management solutions for the media and entertainment industry, Signiant has upgraded its Digital Media Distribution Management Suite. The software suite is designed to aid creators and producers...

Art in a snap.(PLUG-IN)
April 1, 2007... Win * Mac Snap Art, an image-editing plug-in from Alien Skin Software, provides a variety of effects to artists, photographers, and designers. The new product aids in the production of pen and pencil line drawings with shading and...