Computer Graphics World articles from March 2008

Computer Graphics World archives from March 2008

European influence.(editor's note)
March 1, 2008... It's been some time since Computer Graphics World has attended the Imagina conference and exhibition in Monaco. Previously known as "the SIGGRAPH of Europe," the show had been the graphics community's first stop along the road to new products,...

Houdini 9.1 receives FBX support.(PRODUCTS: MODELING: ANIMATION)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Side Effects Software is shipping Houdini 9.1, which for the first time includes access to the new FBX importer, making it easier to leverage Houdini within an existing pipeline. Autodesk's FBX is a well-known, open-standard 3D file format...

Reallusion unveils CrazyTalk.(PRODUCTS: LIP ANIMATION)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Reallusion recently unveiled Version 5 of CrazyTalk, software for creating a talking character from a digital photo or image. With CrazyTalk, novices and experienced users can create lifelike digital puppet performances for films, Web videos,...

GPU market rises substantially.(NEWS: GPUS)
March 1, 2008... Jon Peddie Research (JPR) released estimated graphics figures for the fourth calendar quarter of 2007. Traditionally, the quarter is a period of growth for the computer industry as retailers and OEMs sell in the holiday season. This year, the...

Visual effects help The Kite Runner soar.(USER FOCUS: BACKDROPS)
March 1, 2008... There's an adage that says a picture's worth a thousand words, and for the feature film The Kite Runner, that certainly held true. The Paramount Classics film is an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Khaled Hosseini. However, the...

The workstation market remains on a roll.(NEWS: WORKSTATIONS)
March 1, 2008... Jon Peddie Research reports another exceptional quarter's results from the workstation and professional graphics markets. According to the company, the two closely tied markets both delivered record shipments, with surprising upside growth. ...

Polhemus rolls out Patriot Wireless system.(PRODUCTS: MOTION TRACKING)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Polhemus recently unveiled the Patriot Wireless system, a six degree-of-freedom (6DOF) solution with a small footprint (6.75x 6.25x1.75 inches) at a reasonable cost. The system is capable of tracking as many as four independent markers...

Making history: the Moving Picture Company and Double Negative use modern tools to create prehistoric CG animals and environments for 10,000 BC.(CG Animals)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Having shown in the film The Day After Tomorrow what the world might look like if global warming melted the icebergs, director Roland Emmerich and visual effects supervisor Karen Goulekas turned the clock back to the...

Poetic justice: Blue Sky Studios stretches CG technology into a Seuss-worthy style.(CGI)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] On the fifteenth of May, in the jungle of Nool, In the heat of the day, in the cool of the pool, He was splashing... enjoying the jungle's great joys... When Horton the elephant heard a small noise. So begins...

Commercial space: in-game advertising occupies more than a virtual existence.(Gaming)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The advertising world is in crisis. While it may be difficult to work up genuine feelings of concern for those wonderful people who brought us disaffected cavemen, snuggly toilet paper, and cartoon-inspired digestive...

Workstations unplugged: HP announces the end of the road for its original workstation line, while the successor xw line builds momentum in the market.(Trends & Technology)(Hewlett-Packard Co.)
March 1, 2008... HP workstations are dead. Long live HP workstations. HP recently made official what we have all long known was inevitable: It announced the end of its venerable PARISC workstations. But while HP is bidding farewell to one of its two...

What's in the cards? Vendors of workstation graphics cards are dealing customers strong hands, but customers need to know which cards will put them on a winning streak.(Graphics Cards)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Workstation graphics cards are always at the cutting edge of technology. Graphics professionals demand speed and speed and power for a simple reason--time is money, and faster graphics gets the job done faster. The...

Graphics cards that work as hard as you do.(SPONSORED EDITORIAL)
March 1, 2008... Innovation in the digital content creation realm is at an all-time high. Digital characters in animated films and shorts make us feet. Intense cinematic visual effects quicken our heart rate. Realistic characters and environments entrench us in...

VFX secrets: uncovering the movie magic behind National Treasure: Book of Secrets.(VFX/Fluid Simulation)
March 1, 2008... In National Treasure: Book of Secrets from Walt Disney Studios and Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage), who descends from a family of treasure hunters, is after the ultimate find: a collection of riches first amassed...

Unlikely relationships: the themes of their short films are atypical attachments, but the student filmmakers are hoping to use the projects to build professional bonds.(Knowledge & Career)
March 1, 2008... The following four student films from the SIGGRAPH 2007 Computer Animation Festival--"Burning Safari" from Gobelins l'ecole de l'image in Paris, "The Itch" out of Bournemouth University in the UK, and "Respire, Mon Ami: Breathe, My Friend" and...

Free for 30 days.(SOFTWARE: 3D ANIMATION)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Win * Linux Softimage has announced a 30-day trial version of XSI 6.5. Available in English and Japanese, the trial version provides access to the features and capabilities of XSI 6.5 Essentials, professional software used to create 3D content...

Starving artist solution.(SOFTWARE: 3D ANIMATION)(Side Effects Software Inc.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Win * Linux Side Effects Software has removed the watermark from its Houdini Apprentice HD, making CG more accessible to artists, students, and enthusiasts with a limited budget who want to develop personal CG projects and portfolios. A $99 and...

Enhanced ZBrush.(SOFTWARE: 3D ANIMATION)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Win * Mac Pixologic has introduced an upgraded version of ZBrush, its 3D sculpting, painting, and texturing program for filmmakers, game developers, and artists. Version 3.1 offers a new brush palette and such added brush features as Color Mask...

More painter essentials.(SOFTWARE: 3D ANIMATION)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Win * Mac Corel has released Corel Painter Essentials 4, which provides an array of paint brushes, pencils, paper textures, and built-in tutorials. Painter Essentials 4 provides new users with virtually everything they need to set up their own...

Monstrous effects: Tippett Studio's monster destroys digital Manhattan.(backdrop)(Interview)
March 1, 2008... Producer JJ Abrams and director Matt Reeves tried to keep the main focus of their recent film Cloverfield secret during months of pre-publicity. The strategy worked well, as moviegoers flocked to theaters to finally get a look at the monster...