Computer Graphics World articles from August 2008

Computer Graphics World archives from August 2008

CG: an evolving medium.(Editor's Note)(computer graphics )(Editorial)
August 1, 2008... Many people select summer as their favorite season--a perfect time to kick back and relax. For those of us in the computer graphics and interactive technologies community, summer means SIGGRAPH, where we can meet up with old friends and...

HP shines light on color-critical display.(PRODUCT: DISPLAYS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... HP began shipping its new color-critical professional computer display, available for under $3500, less than a quarter of the cost of competing offerings. The HP DreamColor 30-bit, LED-backlit display features a new LCD that provides a range of...

Cinnafilm unveils film-look system.(PRODUCT: POSTPRODUCTION)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... After four years of research, Cinnafilm has announced the fruits of its labor: the Cinnafilm HD1 real-time film simulator system, which harnesses graphics card parallel processing to transform HD digital video to cinematic film quality in real...

Allegorithmic shows substance.(PRODUCT: MIDDLEWARE)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Allegorithmic has rolled out Substance, its new texturing middleware for authoring, generating, and streaming dynamic textures in real time. The company says Substance is positioned to redefine the development and distribution of rich content...

AMD delivers world's first teraFLOPS graphics chip.(PRODUCT: GRAPHICS CARD)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... AMD recently launched two firsts: a teraFLOPS graphics card (the ATI Radeon HD 4850) and a graphics card featuring ultra-high bandwidth GDDR5 memory (the ATI Radeon HD 4870). "The ATI Radeon 4800 series represents a 2X performance jump...

Blackmagic unveils a range of new products.(PRODUCT: VIDEO CARD)
August 1, 2008... Blackmagic Design released a new DeckLink HD Extreme card with all the features of the original model, which it replaces, with the addition of HDMI capture and playback, 3Gb/sec SDI technology, and 3D lookup tables. The offering features SDI,...

Vicon MX T-Series offers 4X camera resolution.(PRODUCT: MOTION CAPTURE)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Vicon has rolled out the MX T-Series, sporting a new camera design and Giganet device with cameras available in a variety of resolution options, including the T160 (16 megapixel), T40 (4 megapixel), and T20 (2 megapixel). The T160 camera...

Softimage XSI 7 with ICE.(PRODUCT: MODELING-ANIMATION)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Softimage, part of Avid Technology, is thawing XSI 7, the latest version of its professional 3D animation software that introduces a transformative open platform called ICE (Interactive Creative Environment), designed to capture the creative...

SAP inks agreement with right hemisphere.(NEWS: PLM)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... SAP AG has licensed and will be integrating Right Hemisphere's 2D and 3D visualization technology into the SAP Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Solution. Right Hemisphere's visualization technology will serve as the standard for viewing,...

Stereo 3D field guide.(Viewpoint: STEREOSCOPY)
August 1, 2008... Stereoscopic 3D moviemaking is finally coming into its own, and I couldn't be more excited. I've been a fan of the medium since back in the days when it wasn't necessarily comfortable to watch--giant meteors and spear-throwing aside, a headache...

Mummy's the word: Digital Domain and Rhythm & Hues work together to create an animated terra-cotta emperor and other creatures for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.(Character Simulation)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Who knew there were mummies in China? Thousands of mummies. Uncounted armies of mummies, in fact, as dashing archaeologist Alex O'Connell (Luke Ford) discovers in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Leave it to...

Labor of love: Meats Meier's holographic Animation Mother commissioned as the 'face' of SIGGRAPH 2008.(Holography)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This year's SIGGRAPH conference is acknowledging the dynamic shift toward 3D in the entertainment industry, not only by he two days of programming on the subject, but also by commissioning veteran animation artist...

Extreme effects.
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The comic-book superheroes Hellboy and Batman both fight evildoers, but the similarities end there. Hellboy is a supernatural being who couldn't exist in our real world. Batman is a (fictional) real man, a...

Hellishly great effects: Double Negative creates and animates fantastical characters for Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy II: The Golden Army.(Creatures)
August 1, 2008... Imagine Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro's version of hell on earth and you have an inkling of the visual feast in his latest film, Universal Pictures' sci-fi action thriller Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Written by del Toro and Mike...

Dark inspiration: VFX studios Double Negative, Cinesite, Framestore CFC, and BUF honor director Chris Nolan's vision for The Dark Knight.(ExTREME effects)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The clue Warner Bros.' sixth film in the Batman franchise and director Chris Nolan's second is in the title: The Dark Knight. The Knight is Marvel Comic's Barman (Christian Bale), a crime-fighting superhero who...

Colours you've only imagined: the new HP DreamColor LP2480zx Display economically masters the power of accurate color.(Sponsored editorial)(Product/service evaluation)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] While DreamWorks animators were busy turning out one animated feature after another--including blockbusters like "Bee Movie" and the "Shrek" series--their Animation Technology Team was busy trying to head-off a...

Unleashing the artificial horde: al-driven simulation finds a new home in architecture.(Simulation/Architecture)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] About 12 months from now, in the heart of the Big Apple, an estimated 52,000 fans will stream into a new baseball stadium to watch the inaugural pitch. On game day, they'll race across the steps of the courtyard,...

Virtual Iraq: a VR solution helps combat post-traumatic stress disorder.(VR/Medical)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Humvee bumps along the dirt road, its rough ride vibrating through my body. The scent of body odor competes with the smell of exotic spices and garbage; I scan for insurgents and suspicious activity, and hear the...

Compositing for the high-definition age: the tools of the trade, from hardware to software, must keep pace with the move to higher resolution.(Compositing)
August 1, 2008... Yet again, the world is changing. The world of video is in the process of a major transition. The 50-year-old standard-definition TV format is slowly going away in favor of high definition. LCD and plasma televisions have dropped in price...

All hail the renaissance: artists are reaping the best of both worlds by combining 3D imagery and photography.(Trends & Technology)
August 1, 2008... Computer graphics or photography? It's been a tough choice for print advertising creatives because the two media have different strengths. Photography excels at straightforward product depictions, while CG can produce renditions limited only by...

Portfolio.(SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For the first time in decades, the structure of the annual SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival has been revamped, but show-goers will not be disappointed. Like always, they will be treated to juried clips of...

GO, in the US.(ANIMATION)(Gonzoft introduces real-time animation system)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... RickerLab and Gonzoft have launched Gonzoft's GO real-time animation system. Available in the US exclusively from RickerLab, the software enables users to produce and broadcast shows in real time with characters animated in 2D, 3D, and...

Free Daz Studio 2.1.(ANIMATION)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Daz 3D has announced Daz Studio 2.1, the latest version of the company's 3D art and animation software for creating high-quality digital images and characters for use in games, virtual worlds, multimedia, and illustration projects. Daz Studio...

Sustainable Materials Assistant.(3D DIGITAL PROTOTYPING)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Autodesk has announced the Sustainable Materials Assistant, a software add-on for use with Autodesk Inventor 2009. The new tool helps manufacturers incorporate environmental design considerations early in the design process and select materials...

Deep Exploration.(CAD/CAM)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Right Hemisphere has announced the availability of its new Deep Exploration 5.5 client software and Deep View 5.5, a free, standalone 2D and 3D graphics viewing application. Deep View also enables users to embed product data directly into...

ArchiCAD 12.(CAD/CAM)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Graphisoft is now shipping ArchiCAD 12. the latest version of its Virtual Building modeling solution. Designed to enhance creativity and productivity, the upgraded Building Information Modeling (BIM) software offers improvements in speed,...

AcceliCAD 2009.(CAD/CAM)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Autodsys has released AcceliCAD 2009 with extended support for third-party plug-ins. In fact, its new Custom Entity Display enables plug-ins to override display properties and control how entities are displayed on screen and printed....

Maxwell Render 1.7.(RENDERING)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Next Limit Technologies has upgraded its Maxwell Render rendering and light-simulating software to Version 1.7 This latest update, now available, boasts a new Physical Sky system and a re-written Sub-Surface Scattering component. The enhanced...

HyperShot Trio.(RENDERING)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Bunkspeed has debuted HyperShot Version 1.5, an upgraded version of its photographic 3D rending solution designed to deliver faster performance. HyperShot offers improved interaction with major 3D solid- and surface-modeling solutions, the...

Widescreen imagery.(PROJECTOR)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... NEC Display Solutions of America has released the NP3151 W, a 4000-lumen, high-brightness LCD projector. It delivers 1280x800 WXGA resolution and supports widescreen notebook computers and wireless networks. Designed to deliver home-theater...

Serving up Quad-Core.(SERVERS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Sun Microsystems has launched eight new servers designed to take advantage of the power management and virtualization capabilities of Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors and the efficiency and scalability of AM D's Direct Connect Architecture. Sun...

Widescreen NEC.(DISPLAYS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... NEC Display Solutions of America has launched the 26-inch EA261WM desktop LCD monitor, the first in its new MultiSync Enterprise Advanced (EA) Series. The enterprise display features a widescreen design, enabling gaming, CAD/CAM, and other...

From school to studio: industry and academia experts offer advice to students heading into the CG job market.
August 1, 2008... Just a few years ago, simply knowing how to use 3D tools could help an entry-level applicant get a foot in the door at a studio. Nowadays, most graduates with degrees in computer graphics are not only familiar with software such as Autodesk's...

Alternative ways to learn: working professionals opt for advanced training at home, to switch career gears or just brush up on the latest techniques.
August 1, 2008... Mike Stern is a DreamWorks animator who was busy on Bee Movie and the new hit Kung Fu Panda, and is now toiling on Monsters vs. Aliens. DreamWorks Animation, where he started in November 2006, represents Stern's first job in character...

Study Digital Communications and Media, and Digital Imaging and Design at NYU: stay ahead of the competition with a B.S. in Digital Communications and Media or an M.S. in Digital Imaging and Design at NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies.(SPONSORED EDITORIAL)
August 1, 2008... NYU's McGhee Division offers B.S. in Digital Communications and Media The Bachelor of Science in Digital Communications and Media, offered through New York University's Paul McGhee Division, addresses the need for professionals who...

Changing careers midstream.
August 1, 2008... It's never too late to re-think and re-train. Just ask DreamWorks Animation's Mike Stern, who, after a successful career in computer graphics, went back to "school" to learn the art of character animation via Animation Mentor's training site....

Just add your imagination: student harnesses ATI FireGL graphics with award-winning results.(SPONSORED EDITORIAL)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the award-winning animated film Mirage by Youngwoong Jang, a biomechanical character is consumed with finding water with which to fill his glass chest in order to survive. Whereas his character is on an endless...

Brick and mortar board: today's college and grad-school grads are dynamic and multi-talented at work--something they learned at their alma maters.
August 1, 2008... The "finish school, then start your career" paradigm has gotten old. Today, talented artists and filmmakers are finding their dream job via circuitous routes that include internships, networking, returning to school, entering grad school, or...

Build a career in 3D and VFX: Vancouver Film School delivers a lasting education in a studio environment.(SPONSORED EDITORIAL)
August 1, 2008... The film industry is booming in Vancouver, increasingly referred to as Hollywood North. It is the third largest film-production center in North America, employs roughly 50,000 people, and contributes more than $1 billion a year to British...