Computer Graphics World articles from June 2006

Computer Graphics World archives from June 2006

The ticket to summer fun.(trends in summer movies)(Editorial)
June 1, 2006... According to the calendar, summer doesn't actually begin until June 21, but for children and adults, the Memorial Day weekend is the "real" start of the season. That is when many open their swimming pools, uncover their grills, and head to the...

Luxology delivers Modo 201.(PRODUCTS: 3D MODELING)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Luxology rolled out Modo 201, its unique 3D modeling, painting, and rendering software built on the Modo code base. Modo 201 combines significant modeling advancements with cutting-edge 3D painting and rendering technologies in a work flow...

AMD unfolds energy-efficient roadmap.(PRODUCTS: PROCESSORS)
June 1, 2006... AMD unveiled a top-to-bottom energy-efficient desktop processor roadmap that will satisfy the requests by consumers and businesses for smaller, more elegant PCs that aesthetically complement office and home environments, yet deliver the same...

NewTek unveils new video editor, 3D offering.(PRODUCTS: VIDEO * 3D)(SpeedEdit)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... NewTek, manufacturer of video and 3D animation products, announced SpeedEdit, a resolution-independent video editor that works quickly and efficiently on any video project, from Web streams to HD. The company also beefed up its 3D product line...

Design companies on buying spree.(NEWS: ACQUISITION)
June 1, 2006... Following the close of first-quarter financials, a number of CAD/CAM/CAE companies announced mergers and acquisitions of various companies in an attempt to create economies of scale and to reach a broader audience with their tools and...

Investment group purchases Digital Domain.(NEWS: ACQUISITION)
June 1, 2006... Digital Domain, the Academy Awardwinning digital studio and production company responsible for visual sequences in such films as Titanic, The Day After Tomorrow, and I, Robot, has been acquired by South Florida-based Wyndcrest Holdings, LLC, a...

Student engineers Aim High in Robotics Competition.(USER FOCUS: CAD DESIGN * VIZ)(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)(computer aided design)
June 1, 2006... High school students from across the globe spent six weeks designing and then building a robot that had to perform a set of designated tasks as part of a national engineering contest. In the end, a team from Rolling Meadows High School and...

Effects of global warming.(USER FOCUS: ATMOSPHERIC EFFECTS)("Too Hot Not to Handle", documentary television program of Home Box Office Inc.)
June 1, 2006... When executive producer and environmental activist Laurie David teamed with HBO and Lovett Productions on a documentary showing the devastating effects of global warming, they needed to illustrate their point with CGI that blended seamlessly...

Car talk: Pixar's seventh feature animation sends a stock car racing down Route 66.(Character Animation)(Cover story)
June 1, 2006... From day one, Pixar has put CG animation on Hollywood's fast-track. Now, the multiple-Oscar-winning studio puts pedal to the metal with Cars, a Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios feature film that stars an ensemble cast of hot rods,...

On virtual location: episodic television opens a new frontier for effects artists setting a scene.(Digital Sets)(Editorial)
June 1, 2006... A revolution is under way, and it is being televised. Only, no one has noticed--even as it unfolds before millions of eyes each week on such hit shows as Crossing Jordan, CSI, and Las Vegas. And, it's happening, quite literally, in the...

Face off: artists turn back the clock for actors Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen.(Modeling Techniques)(X-Men: The Last Stand)
June 1, 2006... X-Men: The Last Stand opens with a flash back, an event that took place around 25 years in the past: The mutants Xavier (actor Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (actor Ian McKellen) meet fellow mutant Jean Gray as a child. Typically, such flashback...

CSI in 3D: animators solve the technical mysteries behind CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder.(Interactivity)(computer game created by Ubisoft/Telltale Games )
June 1, 2006... In the top-rated television drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, the crime-solving team of John Grissom and his group of criminalists use the latest tools and methodologies to solve some of Las Vegas's most perplexing crimes. Similarly, for...

SIGGRAPH electronic theater.(Portfolio)(Computer Animation Festival)
June 1, 2006... Considered one of the premiere animation events, the annual SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival showcases the best CG works from students and professionals around the globe. And judging from the caliber of the works accepted into this year's...

The Power of n.(SOFTWARE: DESIGN)
June 1, 2006... Win nPower rolled out Power Translators Pro, an extension to its Power Translators plugin for Autodesk's 3ds Max, for importing large CAD models and assemblies into 3ds Max and Autodesk's Viz software. The product offers improved productivity...

Jahshaka VFX.(SOFTWARE: VISUAL EFFECTS)
June 1, 2006... Win * Mac * Linux The Jahshaka Project has released the Jahshaka 2.0 RC3, an open source, real-time editing and visual effects application. The tool is distributed under the GNU General Public License, and the software and its source code are...

Knoll Spark Pack lights up.(SOFTWARE: VISUAL EFFECTS)
June 1, 2006... SGI*Linux Digital Anarchy announced Version 3.0 of its Knoll Spark Pack, offering increased control over the look of hundreds of lighting effects and furthering the creative abilities of broadcast designers and visual effects artists to deliver...

Edius enhances its NLE software.(SOFTWARE: VIDEO)
June 1, 2006... The Grass Valley business within Thomson announced Edius Pro Version 4.0, the latest in the company's real-time, multi-format video editing solution. New features such as multi-cam support, nested sequence editing, improved trimming tools, and...

Maestro VRX plays to the crowd.(SOFTWARE: PROJECTION)
June 1, 2006... Orad Hi Tec Systems demonstrated for the first time its new Maestro VRX system designed to provide a high-resolution, multi-channel, scalable real-time graphics solution for backdrop rear-projection systems. Backdrop rear-projection systems are...

64-bit on the go.(HARDWARE: MOBILE)
June 1, 2006... AMD introduced AMD Turion 64 X2 mobile technology, a family of 64-bit dual-core processors for thin and light notebook PCs that offers long battery life and outstanding performance, even when using multiple applications simultaneously,...

SLI-powered mobile systems.(HARDWARE: MOBILE)
June 1, 2006... Alienware has introduced two new ultra-powerful mobile systems loaded with dual Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GPUs: the 17-inch Aurora m9700 and the 19-inch Aurora mALX. As Alienware's most powerful desktop replacements to date, the Aurora m9700 and...

RT.X2 gets premiere.(HARDWARE: EDITING SYSTEM)(Matrox Video Products Group introduced Matrox RT.X2 and Matrox Axio LE)(Matrox MXO)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Win*Mac Matrox Video Products Group announced Matrox RT.X2, a high-performance, real-time native HDV and DV editing platform bundled with Adobe's Premiere Pro software. Matrox RT.X2 provides high-quality MPEG-2 4:2:2 I-frame codec so users can...

Living a nightmare: digital compositors bring the frightening digital world of Silent Hill to life in the film adaptation of the game series.(back drop)(Alain Lachance of Mokko Studio )(Interview)
June 1, 2006... Silent Hill began in 1999 as a survival horror video game from Konami that has since grown into a lucrative franchise; currently, there are five Silent Hill video games. Each unfolds like a movie, with several possible endings, as a person's...