Computer Graphics World articles from December 2008

Computer Graphics World archives from December 2008

Independent minded.(Editor's Note)(Delgo from Fathom Studios)
December 1, 2008... This month, an animation studio in Atlanta is celebrating the nationwide release of its first CG film, Delgo (see "Efficiency Experts," pg. 40), a true indie production from start to finish. In fact, this animated feature is atypical on a...

Quadro Plex brings visual supercomputing deskside:.(PRODUCT: COMPUTING)(Nvidia Quadro Plex)
December 1, 2008... 3D models and datasets have become too large for the standard desktop workstation to handle. To help combat the problem, Nvidia announced the D Series of Quadro Plex Visual Computing Systems (VCS) available in deskside or rackmount...

Dell reveals next-gen mobile line.(PRODUCT: MOBILE WORKSTATION)(Dell Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... At SIGGRAPH, Dell unveiled a new line of Precision mobile workstations, and then previewed the M6400 and M6400 Covet, with twice the cores and triple the storage capacity of similar products, for professionals in the engineering, media,...

HP brings DreamColor to mobile users.(PRODUCT: MOBILE WORKSTATION)(Hewlett-Packard Co.)
December 1, 2008... Hewlett-Packard expanded its DreamColor technology portfolio with the introduction of the HP EliteBook 8730w mobile workstation with DreamColor display, which offers professionals exceptional color accuracy. In addition, HP introduced the HP...

Adobe ships creative suite 4.(PRODUCT: GRAPHIC DESIGN)(Adobe Systems Inc.)
December 1, 2008... Adobe rolled out its latest design and development software, the Creative Suite 4 (CS4) product family, featuring new workflow efficiencies and unique timesaving features for advancing the creative process across print, Web, interactive, film,...

Lenovo unleashes ThinkPad W700.(PRODUCT: MOBILE WORKSTATION)(Lenovo Group Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Lenovo rolled out the ThinkPad W700, a 17-inch widescreen mobile workstation engineered to meet the demands of data- and graphics-intensive users. Lenovo brings the industry's first built-in digitizer and color calibrator to a mobile...

Intel offers details on Larrabee.(NEWS: GPU)(Intel Corp. to launch graphics processing units)
December 1, 2008... Intel presented a paper at SIGGRAPH 2008 that described the features and capabilities of its first-ever forthcoming "manycore" blueprint/architecture codenamed Larrabee. Details unveiled in the paper include a new approach to the software...

Waterproof: fluid simulations propel Speedo onto winner's platform.(USER FOCUS: SIMULATION)
December 1, 2008... Ansys had a strong presence at the Beijing Olympics in the swimming competition. That's because the majority of medals won and world records broken in this sport during the games were achieved by competitors wearing swimsuits designed in part...

Textures and maps.(Viewpoint: SURFACING)(digital mapping)
December 1, 2008... Texture mapping is an essential technique in computer graphics for adding fine, detailed material properties to 3D models. In order to wrap a 2D image around an object, artists need to find a way to flatten, or "unwrap" the surfaces, and map...

History in the making: scholars and modelers accurately re-create ancient Rome and make it accessible via the internet.(Virtual Architecture)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Rome -- one of the great cities of Western Civilization and the capital of the Roman Empire--was not built in a day; it expanded and evolved over centuries. Even when an international group of archaeologists,...

Production style: VFX supervisor and Orphanage co-founder Stu Maschwitz mixes final DI into the effects process to help create the stylized look of The Spirit.(VFX/Post)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The radical innovation for Lionsgate's The Spirit is not the stylized look director Frank Miller chose for his film adaptation of Will Eisner's comic book series, although it's likely that style will capture the most...

Angling for the Oscar: VFX supervisors and animators pick their faves.(VFX/Animation)
December 1, 2008... No question, it's been a great year for visual effects in films. Cutting-edge effects provided a number of superheroes, with extraordinary powers. It brought unusual creatures to life. It transported us back in time to prehistoric days. It took...

Efficiency experts: an independent studio uses conservative yet effective methods to create an animated feature of epic proportions.(CGI)
December 1, 2008... Many a producer, director, or artist dreams of one day creating his or her own feature film, yet few--if any--ever attempt such an ambitious feat, let alone accomplish it. But this month, a group of determined digital artists from Atlanta-based...

Classroom 2.0 era: easy-to-use 3D animation programs can help students previsualize their vision.(Knowledge & Career)
December 1, 2008... Textbooks have long dominated the classroom, but with the current trend of integrating computers, multimedia software, and other digital tools into school curricula, the conventional education setting is transforming. Professors are...

Boris Blue 2.5.(MOTION GRAPHICS)(Boris FX)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Boris FX has released Boris Blue 2.5.1 with support for Windows Vista and new Nvidia and ATI drivers, which are qualified by Avid and Adobe. Boris Blue 2.5 delivers: advanced 3D lighting, advanced materials for 3D surfaces, true 3D shape...

HyperMove debut.(ANIMATION)(Bunkspeed)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Bunkspeed, developer of 3D rendering technology, has launched its HyperMove animation tool. HyperMove features CGI technology, automation, and a physics engine with Bunkspeed's visualization technology, enabling users with little or no 3D...

SU Podium for the Mac.(RENDERING)(Cadalog Inc. launched SU Podium 1.5)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Cadalog has introduced a Macintosh version of SU Podium 1.5, the company's photorealistic rendering plug-in for Google SketchUp. The Mac version, which is nearly identical to the Windows version in features and performance, aids users in...

Pixel-level detail.(FACIAL ANIMATION)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Image Metrics is delivering its facial animation technology to visual effects and film studios with the release of a new performance transfer solution. Image Metrics' solution uses neither markers nor makeup, but captures performances on video...

Digitizing Dome.(IMAGE CAPTURE)(Aguru Images to upgrade Aguru Dome 3D capture solution)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Aguru Images, maker of image-capture devices, has upgraded its Aguru Dome 3D capture solution for visual effects, game development, and motion-capture facilities. The Dome is a spherical imaging device that combines XYZ-RGB's high-resolution...

Portable 3D scanning.(IMAGE CAPTURE)(Creaform to debut VIUscan)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Creaform has debuted VIUscan, a self-positioning handheld, portable 3D color scanner. The VIUscan color laser scanner offers simultaneous texture and geometry acquisition, adjustable uniform texture resolution, real-time rendering, true color...