Computer Graphics World articles from February 2007

Computer Graphics World archives from February 2007

The French connection.(chambers is helping to enhance graphics study)(Editorial)
February 1, 2007... Recently I experienced "the French way" of doing things when I, along with two other journalists covering the digital content creation industry, visited Valenciennes, France, near the Belgium border. The French prefer a wonderfully aged wine...

Anark updates its Anark studio to version 4.0.(PRODUCTS: 3D AUTHORING)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Anark recently unveiled the latest version of its flagship interactive 3D authoring application, Anark Studio 4.0. The new release of the development platform focuses on increased speed and memory management, improved workflow, and optimized...

Cinital delivers Previzion HD Studio.(PRODUCTS: VISUAL EFFECTS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Cinital, an emerging developer of next-generation visual effects tools, released its Previzion HD Studio, an end-to-end virtual studio solution that offers affordable, advanced camera motion-tracking, and scene integration technology for rapid...

Maya 8.5 offers more creative control.(PRODUCTS: 3D MODELING/ANIMATION)(from Autodesk Inc.)
February 1, 2007... Autodesk recently announced Maya 8.5, the latest version of the 3D animation, modeling, and rendering software the company acquired little more than a year ago from Alias. This latest version gives artists enhanced creative control, enabling...

Graphic device shipments surge in mobile market.(NEWS: GRAPHICS DEVICES)(study by Jon Peddie Research)
February 1, 2007... Jon Peddie Research (JPR) shows that approximately 83.5 million PC graphics devices shipped from major suppliers in Q4 2006, a small 0.9% increase from the prior quarter and a 5.1% increase over the same period last year. "Overall, we didn't...

Core of the solution.(view point: Animation)(Maya nCloth, Maya Nucleus)(Maya 8.5 from Autodesk Inc.)
February 1, 2007... As electronic boxes began piling up both over and under our television sets, product designers saw a need that wasn't being filled, and they developed the universal remote control. At first it seemed a little ambitious that one remote could...

Game films.(movies using video games )(Cover story)
February 1, 2007... There's a new phenomenon emerging in the high-stakes world of big-budget filmmaking, if you could sneak your way onto the closely guarded set of Spider-Man 3 or the upcoming big-screen version of Iron Man, you'd be surprised to find the film...

Acorns & aliens: despite their focus on feature films, Pixar and Blue Sky Studios once again create Oscar-worthy short animations.(Pixar Animation Studios)
February 1, 2007... Short animations, the first films produced at Pixar Animation Studios and Blue Sky Studios, were the first movies to win Oscars for these facilities, which are two of the oldest CG animation studios. Pixar's "Tin Toy" won in 1989, "Geri's...

Blazing effects: Sony Pictures Imageworks plugs Houdini and Maya together to create controllable fire.(Ghost Rider)
February 1, 2007... In Sony Pictures' film Ghost Rider, the star, Ghost Rider himself, is an alter ego for stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage), who sold his soul to Mephisto (Peter Fonda). Because of the devilish deal, when the sun goes down, Blaze...

Fact finder: investigators use digital methods to determine exactly what happened at a car accident.(Packer Engineering Co. used PhotoModeler )
February 1, 2007... Like a detective, Tom Bundorf of Packer Engineering is after just the facts. Insurance companies hire the engineering consultancy to reconstruct what happened in auto accidents using 3D scientific methodology. So, the Packer analysis often...

Supinfocom.
February 1, 2007... Clockwise from top left: 8848 This project, by Gregory Jennings, Maelys Faget, and Kevin Franczuk, tells the story of Jennings' father, who died during a mountain climbing expedition. Ah Simon Moreau, Bastien Dubois, and Joris Bacquet...