Computer Graphics World articles from June 2008

Computer Graphics World archives from June 2008

Movie memories.(editor's note)(Editorial)
June 1, 2008... Summer is officially here. The season means many things to many people: for children, ending the school year; for teens, starting a summer job; for adults, taking that long-awaited vacation. It is a time for picnics, family cookouts, and sports...

Eyeon looks at a new generation.(PRODUCTS: POSTPRODUCTION)(eyeon Software Inc.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... In a surprise announcement recently, Eyeon Software introduced Eyeon Generation, a full-featured collaborative conforming, versioning, and editing front-end system. Established with a clean-slate development, Generation includes an open...

HP enhances DCC machines.(PRODUCTS: WORKSTATIONS)(digital content creation)(Hewlett-Packard Co.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... HP introduced two performance-boosted versions of its high-end personal workstation computers for digital content creation professionals in the broadcast, film/video postproduction, animation, and graphic arts industries. HP's two updated...

Autodesk launches new tools.(PRODUCTS: VFX * FINISHING)
June 1, 2008... Autodesk announced the 2009 releases of its Inferno, Flame, and Flint software for visual effects systems, along with the Smoke finishing system, in addition to Extension 1 for its Toxik 2008 software, used for digital compositing. New...

Boxx sees red, rolls out RedBoxx.(PRODUCTS: POSTPRODUCTION)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Answering the industry's need for viewing Red One footage at 2K resolution, Boxx Technologies rolled out RedBoxx, a complete solution that allows film directors, colorists, and effects experts to view the 4K footage shot with Red Digital Cinema...

AJA's Kona to support Red.(PRODUCTS: VIDEO CARDS)(AJA Video)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... In an effort to optimize support for Red Digital Cinema workflows in postproduction, AJA has said that it is adding Red-specific video outputs for some of the unique frame sizes that the RedAlert and RedCine software applications produce. This...

Adobe focuses on dynamic content.(NEWS: DIGITAL CINEMA)(Adobe Systems Inc.)
June 1, 2008... Adobe recently showcased new technologies and initiatives that are helping to drive innovation across dynamic media content creation, delivery, and playback. Adobe is spearheading an effort to begin defining an industrywide open file format for...

HP delivers Blade Workstations to the MCAD market.(PRODUCTS: WORKSTATIONS)(Hewlett-Packard Co.)(mechanical computer-aided design)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... HP unveiled the HP Blade Workstation Solution for the mechanical computer-aided design (MCAD) market, providing secure, real-time, interactive access to 3D CAD applications and data from virtually anywhere. The HP blade workstation, which...

SGI debuts Virtu VN200.(PRODUCTS: VISUALIZATION)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... SGI launched the first entry in its Virtu solutions family, a new generation of SGI viz systems. The Virtu VN200 accelerates the adoption of visualization within environments that must process large datasets. The Virtu VN200, combined with SGI...

Stuffy fight: DreamWorks Animation spins soft, furry animals into martial arts masters for Kung Fu Panda.(CGI)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Imagine Jerry Lewis starring in a Kurosawa movie and you have the essence of DreamWorks' CG feature animation Kung Fu Panda. Directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson, the film puts comedian Jack Black in the title...

Keys to the Kingdom: once again, industrial light & magic whips up astonishing effects for an Indiana Jones film: this time, though, the effects are digital.(Environments)(Lucas Digital Limited L.L.C. Industrial Light & Magic Div.)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Visual effects were still "when Lucasfilm produced Paramount Pictures' first Indiana Jones film in 81. Filmmaking was an optical process, and the most radical application of computers ill Raiders of the Lost Ark was...

Second life: after a major makeover, today's PC-derived workstations are thriving.(Hardware)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The workstation market is flying under the radar no longer. Dismissed by some as an inconsequential remnant of technology past, today's workstation bears little resemblance to the machine that forged the concept of...

Digital holograms: cutting-edge digital processes are adding a new dimension to this novel imagery.(Holography)
June 1, 2008... For many, the concept of a hologram was indelibly captured by the scene in the first Star Wars movie, when Princess Leia is seen as a projected image from the endearing robot R2-D2. However, that projection from the mid-1970s was a fantasy for...

Reshaping CAD's future: attendees help move the state of the industry forward at the annual COFES conference.(Trends & Technology)(Conference news)
June 1, 2008... At COFES, the Congress on the. Future of Engineering Software, users have a voice. And the vendors in the CAD and engineering markets are listening. COFES is a yearly, invitation-only conference that brings professionals in the engineering...

Dressed for success: players don Iron Man's power suits and step into the interactive world of this superhero.(Gaming)
June 1, 2008... Superheroes seldom disappoint, whether on the paper pages of comic books or in action-packed scenes on the silver screen. And most of the time they do not come up short in the interactive world of computerized gaming. When Iron Man...

Andrew Jones.(Portfolio)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Art has been a part of Andrew Jones's life since he was a young child working with tempera wax crayons. His continued passion led him to Ringling School of Art and Design and the University of South Florida, where...

Studio quality: Collins College's 14th Street Studio gives students a taste of the real world.(Knowledge & Career)
June 1, 2008... Except for the classrooms, there are few differences between 14th Street Studio and a professional film studio. 14th Street Studio houses Collins College's School of Film, Video, and Visual Effects, and two professional soundstages--one 2400...

Beyond the tools: Wounded Marines learn filmmaking techniques.(Knowledge & Career)(Wounded Marine Careers Foundation)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For wounded servicemen and servicewomen returning to the San Diego area from war's battlefields, adjusting to normal life is often challenging, both physically and emotionally. Husband and wife Kevin ("Kev") Lombard...

Artist-friendly tools.(3D CONTENT CREATION)(Luxology)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [Win * Mac] Luxology recently debuted Modo 302, the newest version of its 3D content creation software. Modo 302 adds new natural lighting capabilities, additional layered Photoshop file support, an animation Track View, and new modeling tools....

New Boris Blue.(VFX)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [Win] Boris FX released Boris Blue Version 2.5, the latest version of its 3D motion graphics solution for video editors and compositors. Boris Blue can serve as a stand-alone 3D compositor for Windows XP or as a plug-in within Windows-based...

Dynamic media.(VIDEO WORKFLOW)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [Win * Mac] During NAB, Adobe Systems showcased new and upcoming technologies designed to improve dynamic media content creation, delivery, and playback. The company introduced the new Adobe Media Player 1.0, a customizable, cross-platform...

Blu-ray output.(VIDEO AUTHORING)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [Win] Sony Creative Software, following the industrywide adoption of the Sony Blu-ray high-definition DVD format, presented upgraded versions of its DVD Architect and Blu-print applications for authoring Blu-ray discs. DVD Architect 5 software...

Internal video I/O.(VIDEO)(NEC Display Solutions of America)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... NEC Display Solutions of America presented an internal HD-SDI video input/output card compatible with NEC's Multeos MultiFunction Series and select NEC MultiSync Information Display Series large-screen LCD displays. Targeted at the broadcast...

Digital mastering suite.(VIDEO)(Da Vinci Systems)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... A new edition of the Da Vinci Resolve digital mastering suite from Da Vinci Systems debuted at NAB. Resolve is based on Da Vinci's scalable CORE (CUDA Optimized Resolve Engine), developed in collaboration with Nvidia, developers of the CUDA...

Sweet SugarFX.(VFX)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [Mac] Noise Industries, developer of visual effects tools for the postproduction and broadcast markets, has partnered with SugarFX to release SugarFX Folding Cards LC. This new Noise Industries FxPack provides users of Apple's Final Cut Studio...

Now open: The Painter Factory.(VFX)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Corel has launched The Painter Factory, a new online community for Corel Painter artists and enthusiasts. This global community site is the newest in a series that Corel is launching to support its various user communities. Through The Painter...

dvGarage download.(VFX)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [Win * Mac] Conduit Suite, the latest update to dvGarage's line of Conduit nodal compositing tools, introduces the Conduit Live stand-alone nodal capture tool for Mac users. Conduit Live provides real-time video compositing and analysis of...

DX Studio with PhysX.(VFX)(Worldweaver Productions Ltd.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [Win] Worldweaver has upgraded its games and simulation platform, DX Studio, to Version 2.3. The latest edition features PhysX and DXT support, depth of field, scrolling listboxes, full tweening on all object properties, and a spherical map...

Use the GeForce.(GRAPHICS CARD)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... PNY Technologies is shipping the XLR8 GeForce 8800 GTS, a 512MB PCI Express 2.0 graphics card based on Nvidia GeForce 8 Series GPUs. PNY's XLR8 GeForce 8800 GTS is designed to deliver an immersive DirectX 10 gaming experience, as well as...