Computer Graphics World articles from December 2003

Computer Graphics World archives from December 2003

Digital-age theater.(editor's note)
December 1, 2003... Ever since the ancient Greeks first took to the stage more than 2500 years ago, theatrical productions have spread to virtually every society and have evolved in virtually every way to reflect the culture of each place and time. Yet several...

Alienware premieres custom-built workstations.(workstations; Alienware MJ-12 and Alienware Roswel)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Maker of high-end desktop and mobile systems, Alienware introduced two new workstations custom-built for digital content creation and digital video professionals. For the digital content creation market, the Alienware MJ-12 is designed to...

Adobe unleashes atmosphere.(3D authoring)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Adobe Systems announced the availability of its latest professional software tool, Atmosphere. A professional authoring tool, Adobe Atmosphere is designed to aid users in the creation of graphically rich, interactive 3D environments for...

Sharp introduces first 3D notebook.(computer; Actius RD3D)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Sharp Systems of America amended its Actius line of notebook computers with a new model, the Actius RD3D. The Sharp Actius RD3D is reportedly the world's first notebook computer to take advantage of Sharp TFT 3D LCD technology, enabling...

ATI upgrades its catalyst.(acceleration; ATI Technologies' Catalyst 3.8)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... ATI Technologies describes Catalyst 3.8 as the most significant software update in the company's history. The latest update to this 3D acceleration software suite brings increased performance and stability to ATI's Radeon desktop graphics...

Sony launches displays for video production.(displays; Luma series of LCD monitors )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Sony Electronics introduced its first LCD monitors optimized for full-motion video in broadcast and production environments. The new Luma series comprises five models: two multi-format systems and three rack-mountable units. The 17-inch...

Tongue-wagging effects.(film; Rainmaker Studios' Good Boy)
December 1, 2003... For the recent live-action film Good Boy, the team at Rainmaker Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, taught some new dogs a variation of an old trick. While giving real animals the ability to speak typically entails proprietary tools and...

On-air sparkle.(digital video)
December 1, 2003... When visual effects and design company A52 and Fox Sports teamed up to create a unique on-air segment to promote the network's coverage of this year's college foot ball season, they wanted to create a spot that would "reflect" a collegiate...

Marking the first time a high-end editing package is available on Intel-based workstation platforms, Nvidia's (Santa Clara, CA) Quadro FX 3000G professional graphics accelerator has been selected to power Discreet's smoke 6 standard-definition online editing and finishing system.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Marking the first time a high-end editing package is available on Intel-based workstation platforms, Nvidia's (Santa Clara, CA) Quadro FX 3000G professional graphics accelerator has been selected to power Discreet's smoke 6 standard-definition...

Kaydara.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Kaydara (Montreal, Canada) has been named to Samson Belair Deloitte & Touche's Technology Fast 50 list, an annual award honoring the 50 fastest growing Canadian technology companies, for the second consecutive year.

Mental images.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Mental images (Berlin, Germany) has completed a $6 million investment round, enabling the privately held company to expand its US operation in San Francisco and amend its product offerings with RealityServer, a secure, server-based 3D...

Electronic Arts.(acquires Studio 33)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Electronic Arts (Redwood City, CA) has acquired Studio 33, a Liverpool, England-based developer of such console racing games as Formula One, Newman-Haas Racing, and Destruction Derby Arenas. The 30 former Studio 33 employees will join EA...

Ballistic Publishing.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Ballistic Publishing (Adelaide, Australia) is calling for artists to submit digital images for possible inclusion in Expose 2, the second annual edition in a series of award-winning digital art books. To be considered for inclusion in Expose 2,...

Alias Systems.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Alias Systems (Toronto, Canada) revealed that more than 100,000 copies of its Alias SketchBook Pro pen-based software program have been distributed via downloads, bundles, and online sales.

The science of expression.(facial recognition)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Researchers from the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are using 3D scanning technology to enable computers to recognize and respond to facial expressions. The furrowed...

Integrated graphics.(market outlook)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... It might have seemed unthinkable even a year ago, but according to the most recent Market Watch Report from Jon Peddie Research, Intel has overtaken traditional market leaders Nvidia and ATI as the leading provider of graphics devices (see...

Compositing comparison.(viewpoint)(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... In the past 12 months, vendors of low-cost, PC-based compositing and special effects software have introduced major new versions of their programs, all of which have brought impressive new capabilities to users working on a wide variety of...

The Matrix Resolution: part 1: making the Matrix: featuring high-res virtual humans, animated creatures, and a giant CG machine city, the high-tech Matrix trilogy ends with a bang.(film)(Cover Story)
December 1, 2003... The dark, complex science-fiction trilogy about revolutionaries who break free from a life ruled by machines that suck energy from humans booked to virtual reality hoses struck a worldwide chord: Tim first two films--The Matrix, released in...

Setting the stage act II: digital imagery revolutionizes theatrical productions for the digital age.(Computer Graphics)
December 1, 2003... Part II of a two-part series Computer-generated visual effects have long held leading roles in Hollywood films. Now they're taking center stage in theatrical productions, as leading-edge technologists and forward-thinking producers meld...

Alien resurrected: thanks to digital editing techniques, a classic film is reborn.(Digital Video)
December 1, 2003... Director Ridley Scott's 1978 breakthrough film Alien reinvented the science fiction/horror genre by establishing new standards in special effects, art direction, and set design. Yet, the key to Alien's success was not what people saw, but...

Computer Graphics World's 2003 Innovation Awards: editors and industry luminaries recognize the greatest releases of 2003.(Innovation Awards)
December 1, 2003... Each year, Computer Graphics World's editors compile a comprehensive list of new products released throughout the previous 12 months. 2003, in particular, brought with it a vast array of technological advancements in modeling, animation, motion...

Tony Schanuel.(Art Studio)
December 1, 2003... St. Louis artist Tony Schanuel has fused his background in photography with advanced digital technology to create fine art that transcends both mediums. As a self-employed photographer for the past 20 years, Schanuel has traveled the world, and...

Discreet 3ds max 6: a popular tool continues to impress.(Product/Service Evaluation)
December 1, 2003... Discreet's 3ds max is a very popular and robust 3D animation and rendering package. Over the years, it has found a solid home in the gaming community and become popular in film, broadcast, and visualization. Version 6 of the software provides a...

Macromedia flash MX 2004: the latest Flash upgrades add new sophistication.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Macromedia has released Flash MX 2004, the latest version of its popular Web development software, which has evolved from a simple vector animation tool to a worthy application development environment. The new program includes sophisticated...

It's all a Mirage.(Animation And Effects; Bauhaus Software's Mirage)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... [Win] Bauhaus Software is shipping Mirage 1.0, its integrated, real-time video paint, animation, and effects system. Mirage 1.0 provides users with a unified environment for the creation of animated graphics, 2D animation, and special effects....

By animators, for animators.(Animation and Effects; Character Animation Technologies' Character Animation Toolkit )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... [Win] Character Animation Technologies announced the availability of its first product offering, Character Animation Toolkit (CAT). A plug-in for Discreet's 3ds max, CAT Version 1.0 is a next-generation character animation system targeted at...

Mac optimization.(3D Benchmark; Maxon's Cinebench 2003 )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... [Mac] Cinebench, Maxon's solution for benchmarking 3D performance of CPUs and graphics cards, has been optimized for Apple's new G5 desktop computers. Based on Cinema 4D's render and display engine, Cinebench 2003 has been optimized for G5...

DV storm brews.(Digital Video; Canopus's DVStorm2 Pro+)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... CANOPUS UNveiled DVStorm2 Pro+ for the creation of professional video productions. DVStorm2 Pro+ boasts component video output and Canopus's MPEGCraft frame-accurate MPEG editing tool. The new release is bundled with the company's EDIUS LE...

Events.(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... DECEMBER 9-12 Digital Video Expo West, held in Los Angeles. Contact CMP Media LLC, www.dvexpo.com JANUARY 22-24 Entertainment Technology World--Miami 2004, held in Miami. Contact ShowBiz Expo, www.showbizexpo.com MARCH 22-26 Game...

Wacom with Alias.(LCD Tablet)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... [Win] Wacom Technology has entered into a partnership with Alias Systems to offer Alias 3D modeling software with the Wacom Cintiq 18SX Interactive Pen Display. Enabling users to draw and manipulate images directly on screen, the Cintiq 18SX...

Graphics mobility.(Graphics Processor; ATI Technologies' Mobility FireGL T2 )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... [Win] ATI Technologies recently introduced its Mobility FireGL T2 mobile workstation processor. To rival the graphics performance of desktop-class workstations, the new processor offers fast geometry processing, realistic rendering, and power...

Recording verbatim.(Media; Verbatim's DigitalMovie DVD+R and DVD-R discs )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Verbatim debuted digital media with the look of a traditional movie reel. DigitalMovie recordable DVD discs are designed to meet a multitude of applications, from recording original content via personal video recorders or backing up DVD titles...

Models and more.(Stock Options; Digimation's Model Bank Collection)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Digimation has started shipping Model Bank, a collection of more than 4600 fully textured 3D models. Each of Model Bank's 1160 individual models is provided in four different levels of detail. The models are accompanied by the associated...

New realities: The Matrix Revolutions completes a trilogy of films that introduced a new style of visual effects.(back drop)(Interview)
December 1, 2003... Q Why did you use an image-based method to create virtual characters in The Matrix films? A We didn't think it was possible to do a superhuman in any other way, because we wanted the performance you could only truly get with real actors,...