Computer Graphics World articles from January 2009

Computer Graphics World archives from January 2009

Living a virtual existence.(MMORPG)(Editorial)
January 1, 2009... They come from all walks of life--teachers, police officers, accountants, lawyers, doctors, waitresses, students, retail clerks...the list is endless. And they have one purpose: to assume an alternate identity in the cyber worlds of massively...

Nvidia deals new cards.(PRODUCT: GRAPHICS CARDS)
January 1, 2009... Nvidia has made available its most powerful professional graphics card yet, the Quadro FX 5800. This new card is tuned for rapidly visualizing and interpreting massive datasets, which, until now, were unattainable on a workstation graphics...

SGI offers brand-new VUE.(PRODUCT: VISUALIZATION)(Silicon Graphics Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Silicon Graphics launched VUE, a suite of software visualization solutions that changes the way customers create, distribute, and use visual information. With VUE software, SGI brings the power of its Reality Center immersive environments...

Vicon unveils the T10 entry-level mocap camera.(PRODUCT: MOCAP)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Vicon introduced the T10 camera, which extends the benefits of the company's T-Series at a reduce price point. The newly designed T10 replaces the MX3+ as Vicon's entry-level camera, offering three times the resolution along with faster...

Xsens releases the successor to Moven.(PRODUCT: MOCAP)(Xsens Technologies)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Xsens Technologies has unveiled the next generation of its Moven inertial motion-capture system. The new release features higher-quality motion tracking, multi-actor recording, an optimized suit design, more intuitive interfaces, and an...

Organic Motion launches LitePod simulation platform.(PRODUCT: VR)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Organic Motion debuted LitePod, a next-generation 3D immersive simulation platform. Optimized for training and simulation education technology, LitePod allows trainees to interact directly with virtual environments, without the use of body...

AMD shows Shanghai.(PRODUCT: PROCESSING)(Advanced Micro Devices Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... AMD recently announced the widespread availability of its 45nm quad-core AMD Opteron processor, which is said to deliver up to 35 percent more performance with up to a 35 percent decrease in power consumption at idle. As a result of the...

What's old is new again: Digital Domain creates a state-of-the-art digital human for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.(CG Character)(Cover story)
January 1, 2009... In computer graphics, the Holy Grail has long been the creation of a digital human. In this quest, Digital Domain's artists discovered that both god and the devil are in the details as they delivered an emotional performance by a digital actor...

Bold camera, subtle animation, tactile world: framestore animation's CG fairy tale breaks new ground.(CGI)(computer graphics)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Universal Pictures' first animated feature, The Tale of Despereaux, is a fairy tale, not a 'toon. A real fairy tale, with action and emotion, sweetness and horror--not a fractured, gag-filled, pop-culture satire of a...

Dancing with the ghosts in the machine: virtual communities expand the concept of media and play.(Virtual Worlds)
January 1, 2009... Virtual worlds are coming of age, and they're getting real... more real than ever. During the past five years, there has been an explosion of sites that offer visitors to persistent worlds a wide range of activities, including playing...

Alter ego: in-game sequences add drama to Second Skin movie.(Film)
January 1, 2009... Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are just that, games. Yet, for the millions of people who play them, they are a means of escaping from everyday life, offering the ability, to become someone--or something--else. ...

Autodesk builds out and in: Autodesk University helps its CAD and manufacturing users expand their knowledge base.(CAD)(computer-aided design)(Company overview)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Along with Autodesk itself, Autodesk University (AU) has grown enormously in the 16 years of its existence. It has grown from a homey little conference with a few tracks to a large conference and trade show. And,...

The art of the game.(PORTFOLIO)(Art Institute of California)
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Most people would nut classify the 3D imagery found in a video game or a film as "art" Perhaps it's because they are looking at moving sequences rather than still frames. Yet, if folks had the chance to see the...

People persons: finding the best employees for the job.(Knowledge & Career)
January 1, 2009... It's been often stated in the pages of this magazine and elsewhere that the VFX, animation, and post industries are a "people business." That's why recruitment is so important--it's the recruiter's job to secure the human talent that is so key...

VIDEO/VFX: enhanced effects.(SOFTWARE)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Autodesk announced extensions for the Autodesk Smoke 2009 finishing effects system and the 2009 versions of Autodesk Inferno, Autodesk Flame, and Autodesk Flint visual effects systems. Now available to customers with a subscription, the new...

Texturing.(SOFTWARE)(Luxology ImageSynth 2)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Luxology has upgraded its ImageSynth image processing tool to Version 2. ImageSynth 2, infused with up to 10 times faster performance, enables artists to process images into seamless textures, synthetic images, and backgrounds, as well as...

Data translation.(SOFTWARE)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Okino Computer Graphics, a provider of 3D data translation solutions, is shipping its third-generation, solids-based Catia V4+V5 R19 and ACIS SAT CAD importers. Based on components from Dassault Systemes and Spatial, the importers provide...