Computer Graphics World articles from August 2007

Computer Graphics World archives from August 2007

Face tomorrow.(editor's note)(Editorial)
August 1, 2007... SIGGRAPH 2007, held early this month in San Diego, marked the 34th year for this international conference and expo on computer graphics and interactive techniques. Much has changed since the early days of the show, but one thing that remains...

FogScreen launches new projection screen.(PRODUCTS: DISPLAY)(FogScreen One)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... FogScreen, creators of the first walk-through projection screen, released the FogScreen One projection screen. The 1-meter-wide (3-foot, 3-inch) screen seamlessly links to an unlimited number of FogScreen One projection units. The result is a...

ARTVPS renders new solution.(PRODUCTS: RENDERING)(ARTVPS RenderPipe AV6)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Faster rendering times and 64-bit support are just two of the new features available in the RenderPipe AV6 software release, unveiled recently by ARTVPS. In addition to enhancing existing elements of its RenderPipe software, ARTVPS has...

SGI unveils ultra-dense Altix Ice blade.(PRODUCTS: PROCESSING)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... SGI has made available its new Altix Ice, a next-generation platform for high-performance computing. Designed to close the gap between performance and user productivity, the Altix Ice 8200 is the first in a line of cool-running bladed servers...

N-Sided rolls out Quidam version 1.5.(PRODUCTS: MODELING)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The young French company N-Sided released a new version of Quidam, its professional character modeling software. With an intuitive interface, Quidam is unique in the way it merges various anatomical elements into one seamless model. A...

Autodesk goes light with Autodesk Inventor.(PRODUCTS: CAD)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Autodesk announced a technology preview release of Autodesk Inventor LT, a new member of its Inventor family Of software products for 3D Mechanical design. Inventor LT, a streamlined version of Inventor, will help customers enhance their...

FormZ gets in the Zone.(PRODUCTS: RENDERING)(AutoDesSys FormZ RenderZone Plus Version 6.5)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... AutoDesSys recently introduced FormZ RenderZone Plus Version 6.5, software that represents an evolutionary step toward global illumination, which is now supported by different techniques, including final gather, ambient occlusion, and improved...

Digital animals serve as extras in Evan Almighty.(USER FOCUS: CG MODELING)
August 1, 2007... Rhythm & Hues, calling on its previous experience with creating realistic CG animals, generated a cast of thousands of CG birds, mammals, and other members of the animal kingdom, for the modern-day Noah's Ark tale, Evan Almighty. Meanwhile,...

Best-in-class production.(view point: Digital Prototyping)(The Digital Product Development Benchmark Report)
August 1, 2007... Just as a top-end calculator doesn't make a top-notch engineer, 3D solid-modeling software does not guarantee best-in-class manufacturing. However, industry research firm Aberdeen Group debunked that equation in "The Digital Product Development...

Dark magic: ILM creates two digital creatures and other shots for an edgier Harry Potter film.(Creature Modeling)(Cover story)
August 1, 2007... Many of the wizards creating Harry Potter's magic have been doing so since Warner Bros. released Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in 2001. But, among all the studios that have created visual effects for Harry and his friends at Hogwarts,...

Digging for details: painstaking research results in a brilliant 3D re-creation of Mayan ruins.(Architecture)(Clement Valla)
August 1, 2007... Was the layout of ancient Maya cities meticulously planned, or did it occur haphazardly? Did religious beliefs influence the design? Helping to shed light oil these and other questions is Clement Valla, an architectural designer by profession...

Doggie doubles: VFX tricks help create a photorealistic stand-in for Underdog. The crime-fighting canine.(Scanning)
August 1, 2007... Showing at the local multiplex: a new method in the creation of digital animal doubles that not only makes the characters indistinguishable from their real-life counterparts, but saves the studio considerable time and money. [ILLUSTRATION...

SIGGRAPH Animation Theaters, part 2.(Portfolio)
August 1, 2007... There is often a misconception that the SIGGRAPH Animation Theaters are looked upon as a second-place prize for those not selected for the Electronic Theater, but that is far from the truth, says Computer Animation Festival chair Paul Debevec...

Digital-Tutors demystifies Maya Quadrupeds.(Knowledge & Career)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Digital-Tutors (www.digitaltutors.com), a provider of video-based training solutions, has released two new titles for those looking to expand their knowledge of Autodesk Maya. Rigging Quadrupeds in Maya provides six hours of project-based...

WIF & GM sponsoring Latina Filmmakers grant.(Knowledge & Career)(Women in Film Foundation and the General Motors Corporation)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Women In Film (WIF) and the General Motors Corporation (GM) are teaming up to sponsor the second-annual WIF/GM 2007 Opening Doors/Abriendo Puertas: The Acceleration Grant for Emerging Latina Filmmakers. The grant is a project of the WIF/GM...

Telestream bundles class on demand title.(Knowledge & Career)(Macintosh encoding Episode Pro with Complete Training for Episode and Episode Pro)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Telestream is now bundling Class on Demand's (www. classondemand.net) self-paced training title, Complete Training for Episode and Episode Pro with its Macintosh encoding Episode Pro product. The video is hosted by Class on Demand instructor...

Luxology intros new site license for schools.(Knowledge & Career)(Luxology LLC)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Luxology LLC (wvvw.luxology.com), maker of 3D content creation software has introduced a new educational site license program that allows schools and training institutions to implement the company's Modo modeling, painting, and rendering...

Streamlining solution.(CAD)(Autodsys AcceliCAD2CAM)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... [Win] Autodsys has released AcceliCAD2CAM, a CAD platform that combines with Solustans' LinkMotion to provide direct-to-CAM output. Using the new solution, professionals no longer need to import CAD designs into CAM software before they are...

Solid system.(CAD)(AutoSolids Express 2007 and AutoSolids 2007)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... [Win] AutoSolids has unveiled AutoSolids 2007 and AutoSolids Express 2007, designed to add parametric 3D solid modeling, advanced visualization, and 3D-to-2D automation capabilities to AutoCAD 2007 from Autodesk. AutoSolids features a...

SmartPlant update.(PLM)(Intergraph SmartPlant 3D 2007 and SmartPlant Enterprise 2007)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... [Win] Intergraph, having rebranded its Marian materials management solutions for the plant design industry to SmartPlant Materials, has released SmartPlant 3D 2007 and SmartPlant Enterprise 2007. SmartPlant 3D provides tools for 3D plant...

DirectX drivers.(SOFTWARE DRIVERS)(Nvidia GeForce 8-series GPU for Microsoft DirectX 10)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... [Win] Nvidia has released WHQL-certified drivers for Microsoft DirectX 10, making the Nvidia GeForce 8-series the first DirectX 10-capable GPUs available. The ForceWare 100.65 drivers, now available for download, support the company's GeForce...