Computer Graphics World articles from January 2006

Computer Graphics World archives from January 2006

New ways to get Nuked.
January 1, 2006... D2 Software, a division of Digital Domain, has enhanced its Nuke compositing system once again. Nuke V. 4.5, which is now shipping, supports Linux, Irix, Windows, and Mac platforms, and includes a lengthy list of upgrades such as an image-based...

Nice Shoes, Nice Spots.(video post production services)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Nice Shoes, a full-service postproduction and new media facility specializing in commercial work, has launched Nice Spots, a pay-as-you-go hosted Web-based application for media exchange. Nice Spots allows users to exchange media for review and...

Avid flows forward with liquid.(Avid Technology launches new image processing software 'Avid Liquid 7.0')(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Avid Technology's new Avid Liquid product line is a suite nonlinear editing software and hardware offerings for event videographers, government and corporate video producers, and high-end enthusiasts. Drawn from editing products formerly...

ATI's Radeon gets overclocked.(ATI Technologies Inc. developing graphics processor Radeon X1800 XT)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... In October, a group of overclockers in Pori, Finland, made history by pushing a graphics processor engine to clock levels over 1 GHZ on the recently-announced Radeon X1800 XT graphics processor from ATI Technologies. The total speed of the...

SpeedGrade OnSet goes pro.(Iridas launching new color processing software 'SpeedGrade OnSet Professional Edition')(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Iridas, a company delivering non-destructive color-grading technologies for the film industry, is offering a new edition of SpeedGrade OnSet. Along with a number of interface enhancements, SpeedGrade OnSet Professional Edition includes mask...

The bleeding edge.(viewpoint Tech)
January 1, 2006... Is there any term more accurate than "bleeding edge" when talking about workstations? It seems there is bleeding going on everywhere in the industry. Vendors, locked in fierce com petition, are pushing technology just to get a few benchmark...

Long live the king: Peter Jackson's retelling of the cinematic legend King Kong pushes Weta Digital to supreme heights ... and depths.(Film)(Cover Story)
January 1, 2006... People walked out of the world premiere of King Kong in 1933, horrified by a spectacular effects scene: The star, a monstrous gorilla, shook a group of sailors off a log and into a pit, where they were devoured by giant spiders. As a result,...

Let the games begin: Part 1: first to market with its new console, Microsoft puts gameplay on the fast track.(Microsoft Xbox 360)
January 1, 2006... The X Factor Microsoft's Xbox powers next-gen gaming On November 22, 2005, the look of computerized gaming in North America changed radically. That's when Microsoft released its Xbox 360, the first in a trio of expected new consoles to...

A draconian test: the muggles at ILM conjure up a digital dragon in the latest Harry Potter feature The Goblet of Fire.(Industrial Light & Magic)
January 1, 2006... In Warner Bros.' Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the young wizard's nemesis is a fire-breathing dragon with a spiky tail that can slap the teenager around, claws on its wings so it can walk, and the ability to fly as fast as Harry on his...

Starting a small studio: ready to grab destiny by the horns and start your own studio? Before you make the leap, know what you're getting into.(Business Trends)
January 1, 2006... [Part One of a Two-Part Series] Starting your own studio--it's an artist's dream. Throw in the prospect of creative control, add the potential of a hefty owner's draw on payday, and you've got a fantasy that is absolutely perfect for prime...

Human modeling.(Portfolio)
January 1, 2006... Creating digital humans is one of the most difficult tasks that a CG modeler can undertake. The complex web of facial muscles is difficult to comprehend, let alone mimic on the computer. And then there is the complicated task of skin shading,...

Modo 201: Luxology's modeling, painting, and rendering software amps creativity.(Luxology Modo 201)
January 1, 2006... Modo 201, which is scheduled for release this month, is a significant product upgrade for Luxology, bringing the software much closer to being a full-blown modeling and animation program. One of Modo's most notable features is its...

Digital pictures speak a thousand words.(Reallusion launches new animation software 'CrazyTalk Media Studio 4.0')(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... [Win] Creating animation from a single photo is the end result of using Reallusion's CrazyTalk 4.0 Media Studio. After importing a single digital photo, a wizard is used to fit photos, record or import audio, and turn the image into an animated...

Zygote engineers 3D female models.(Zygote Media Group, Female Anatomy 3D Model Collection 3.0)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... [Win * Mac * Linux * Irix] Zygote Media Group's new Female Anatomy 3D Model Collection 3.0 allows artists, animators, and bioengineering designers to generate medical animation, illustrations, and other 3D scientific visualizations. New...

Appro's XtremeServers Speed enterprise computing.
January 1, 2006... [Win * Linux] Appro International's new 3U XtremeServer for rendering and digital content creation features up to four single- or dual-core AMD Opteron processors and eight DIMM sockets per CPU for up to 128GB of memory per server, 2.4TB SATA...

Digital Voodoo sparks up the Mac.(SD Spark video card which is compatible Apple Power Mac G5 workstations)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... [Mac] Digital Voodoo's SD Spark video card, which is compatible with Panther OS X, Final Cut Pro HD, and the Apple Power Mac G5 series of workstations, is a multipurpose video card that features a number of SD-SDI, analog video, and audio I/O...

An Eden for rapid prototyping.
January 1, 2006... [Win] Stratasys' new Eden500V large-format PolyJet rapid prototyping system measures 19.7x5.7x7.9 inches (500x400x200 mm), allowing the construction of bigger models than did previous PolyJet systems. The large build envelope also allows...

Out of water: ILM melds water and cloth simulations for a breathtaking sequence in Harry Potter.(Industrial Light & Magic, Tim Alexander, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)(Interview)
January 1, 2006... Each of the four Harry Potter films has challenged the studios that created the magical illusions to push the state of the art in visual effects. ILM's Tim Alexander describes that studio's most challenging sequence in this year's effort. ...