Computer Graphics World articles from September 2007

Computer Graphics World archives from September 2007

The quest for learning.(editor's note)(Editorial)
September 1, 2007... September is here, and with it comes the start of a new school year. Turning back the clock (for some, myself included, this requires a few extra revolutions), most of us can recall getting ready for our elementary years, shopping for school...

AMD unleashes ATI FireGL series accelerators.(PRODUCTS: GRAPHICS CARDS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... AMD unveiled five new high-performance ATI FireGL workstation graphics accelerators for CAD, DCC, and medical imaging professionals. The ATI FireGL V8650, FireGL V8600, FireGL V7600, FireGL V5600, and FireGL V3600 graphics hoards are based on...

Dassault shows new technologies.(PRODUCTS: 3D IMAGERY)(Dassault Systemes)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... 3D and product life-cycle management solutions vendor Dassault Systemes demonstrated its new technologies and strategies that further position 3D as a universal language of product development. First, the company showcased 3DVIA, introduced...

Softimage debuts XSI 6.5, Face Robot 1.8.(PRODUCTS: MODELING * ANIMATION)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... At SIGGRAPH, Softimage released the latest versions of its 3D animation software packages: XSI 6.5 and Face Robot 1.8. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The company also announced plans to repackage its Essentials and Advanced versions of XS1 6.5...

Allegorithmic unveils ProFX 2.6 middleware.(PRODUCTS: TEXTURING)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Allegorithmic announced ProFX 2.6, the newest version of its procedural texturing middleware. Featuring a newly optimized core that runs faster and on a wider range of machines, ProFX 2.6 allows game developers to author and render high-quality...

Toon Boom's Digital Pro simplifies animation.(PRODUCTS: ANIMATION)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Toon Boom Animation released Toon Boom Digital Pro, the company's latest professional animation software. Packaged in an easy-to-use interface, Teen Boom Digital Pro is complete animation software for advanced content creation, animation, and...

Autodesk rolls out its 2008 DCC line.(PRODUCTS: MODELING * ANIMATION)
September 1, 2007... Autodesk made quite a splash at S1GGRAPH, introducing its latest product versions, as well announcing its intention to purchase Skymatter, makers of the Mudbox 3D brush-based modeling software. The company anuounced Maya 2008 modeling,...

Boxx announces RenderBoxx Render Farm series.(PRODUCTS: RENDERING)(Boxx Technologies)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Boxx Technologies revealed its new RenderBoxx Render Farm, ideal for studios where space is at a premium. RenderBoxx 10100 modules are compact renderfarm building blocks that leverage the Quad Core Intel Xeon architecture to provide rendering...

Digital technology takes flight.(USER FOCUS: MODELING)(Honda Motorcycles ad by Brickyard VFX CG team)
September 1, 2007... In a recent spot for Honda Motorcycles, a frustrated driver punches through the roof of his car in bumper-to-bumper traffic, sprouts wings, and flies to open-road heaven with help from detailed 3D and effects work by the Brickyard VFX CG team....

3D precision in mocap: for filmakers, motion capture promises bigger, better, faster, and cheaper.(viewpoint Animation)
September 1, 2007... For years, suppliers and users of motion-capture hardware and software have been striving to make mocap a mainstream production tool. The technology certainly has reached broad market acceptance in the 3D entertainment world, simply because of...

Dreaming ... and dancing: the CG characters in all three SIGGRAPH award-winning films spend time in a digital dream.(CG Shorts)(Grzegorz Jonkajtys)(Interview)(Cover story)
September 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When Grzegorz Jonkajtys attended the premiere for the Polish film Quo Vadis? at Vatican City in August 2001, little did he know, a side trip deep into the catacombs beneath the Appian Way would be the start of a...

New-age entertainment.(Digital Sets)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Filmmakers--no matter if they are from small, independent studios or from the largest facilities, or somewhere in between--are discovering the advantages of using digital sets. Creating CG backgrounds are saving...

Creating sanctuary: a unique Webisode uses all-CG sets to create drama on the Internet.(Digital Sets)
September 1, 2007... A new science-fiction drama recently made its worldwide screen debut. The episodic series is called Sanctuary, and it is fast becoming a hit. The program touts a number of well-known stars, including Amanda Tapping (Stargate: SG-1, Stargate...

Something old, something new: remixing an old silent film: using today's actors on yesteryear's sets.(Digital Sets)
September 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Many movie enthusiasts love the look of the old silent movies--the subtitles, the grainy and jumpy black-and-white film, the locked-down camera, and the over-dramatization. These features account for the charm, they...

Tangible designs: engineering files hit a high note as they move beyond the factory floor.(CAD)(RKS Guitars)
September 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Suppose you're a guitar maker and your latest client is an uncompromising lefty. To convince him that your special left-handed edition suits him ergonomically, you can let him strum his favorite Beatles hit on a...

The express way: PCI Express 2.0 technology and multi-core processors accelerate complex applications.(Trends & Technology)
September 1, 2007... From VFX studios to geological imaging facilities, users place increasingly heavy demands on today's workstations. As applications for high-end graphics proliferate, vendors scramble to produce faster, more capable, and more power-efficient...

Global eyes.(Portfolio)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Not long ago, the seeds of digital art began to sprout in small communities. Today, the roots of this medium have spread across the globe. Yet, the way in which CG technology and art are united seems to vary from...

Stepping up: how recent students became pros--even before graduation.(Knowledge & Career)
September 1, 2007... The transition from student to professional can be a challenge, a potential debris-filled minefield of questions and problems. How many employment applications does one have to send before hitting pay dirt? Where are the jobs? And then,...

Toon Boom tools.(ANIMATION)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Win Toon Boom previewed Toon Boom Studio 4, designed to aid users in producing animations for video, Web sites, television, film, games, and mobile devices. Studio 4 offers support for Adobe Illustrator layers, a Vectorize Preview window,...

Vue 6 xStream on OS X.(ANIMATION)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Win * Mac E-on Software has announced the availability of its Vue 6 xStream for Macintosh OS X. Vue 6 xStream offers CG professionals a tool set to integrate Autodesk Maya, NewTek LightWave, or Maxon Cinema4D projects in realistic 3D...

Massive support.(ANIMATION)(Massive 3.0 and Massive Jet 3.0 from Massive Software)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Win * Linux Massive Software has updated its Massive AI-driven 3D animation system to Version 3.0 with improved dynamic hair and fur, interactive viewing of subdivision surfaces, and layer simulations. Version 3.0 also gains native support for...

Reallusion releases.(ANIMATION)(iClone and CrazyTalk from Reallusion)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Win Reallusion has upgraded its iClone and CrazyTalk software applications for students, directors, animators, and previsualization professionals, iClone 3.0 features an improved real-time engine and such character animation enhancements as...

Poser Pro 7.(3D FIGURE DESIGN)(E frontier America, Inc.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Win * Mac E frontier has released Poser Pro 7 software, which combines Poser 7 with professional-level application integration, a 64-bit render engine, and network rendering support. For digital content production, previsualization, gaming, and...

Emitter collection.(VISUAL EFFECTS)(new libraries for ParticleIllusion 3.0 from Wondertouch)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Win * Mac Wondertouch, a developer of particle-effects creation tools, has unveiled three new libraries in its Professional Emitters software line for use with the company's ParticleIllusion 3.0. Each library contains 30 ready-to-use,...

Two tools.(VISUAL EFFECTS)(ToonIt 1.0 and Primatte Chromakey 3.0 from Digital Anarchy)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Win * Mac Digital Anarchy has released ToonIt 1.0 for Film/Video, and Primatte Chromakey 3.0 for use with Adobe Photoshop. The ToonIt for Film/ Video cartooning effects package lets users to create cartoon shading and lines from video and film...

Atmospheric effects.(SIMULATION)(Ozone 3.0 from E-on software)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Win * Mac E-on software, makers of Vue software for producing natural-looking 3D environments, has announced the availability of Ozone 3.0 for use with Autodesk 3ds Max and Maya, Maxon Cinema4D, NewTek LightWave, and Softimage XSI. Ozone 3.0...

Next limit upgrades.(SIMULATION)(Next Limit Technologies)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Win * Mac * Linux Next Limit Technologies has released Maxwell Render 1.5, which sports new matte material, an enhanced material editor, drag-and-drop functionality, and new SimuLens and Shift Lens utilities. The company also launched new...

Deadline 3.0.(RENDERING)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Win * Mac * Linux Frantic Films Software, a division of visual effects studio Frantic Films, has launched Deadline 3.0, the latest version of the studio's renderfarm software. Deadline 3.0 assists users in and rendering on Microsoft Windows,...

Icarus Studios viewer.(MOTION CAPTURE)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Win * Mac Icarus Studios, a platform and tools provider for builders of 3D virtual worlds, MMOGs, and simulation projects, debuted a streaming motion-capture viewer. The new solution enables multiple actors, cameras, and virtual props...

Eyeon Fusion64.(COMPOSITING)(Eyeon Software)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Win Eyeon Software has introduced Fusion64, reportedly the first 64-bit desktop compositing application on the market and the first desktop compositor in the industry to break the accessibility limit of 4GB of both virtual and physical memory....

Go Pro.(CAD)(3D Systems Corporation)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... 3D Systems Corporation, as part of its new Go Pro campaign, presents its Sinterstation Pro SLS and ViperT Pro SLA systems for the production of accurate engineered parts. Taking advantage of new ProScanT imaging technology, the Sinterstation...

3Dconnexion and blender.(NAVIGATION DEVICES)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... 3Dconnexion announced that its line of 3D navigation devices is supported by Blender, a free, open source 3D content-creation software suite. Designers and animators can use 3Dconnexion's Space-Navigator 3D mouse with Blender for an improved...

InterSense solutions.(NAVIGATION DEVICES)(InterSense MicroTrax user-interface devices and InterSense IS-1200 VisTracker)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... InterSense, maker of motion-tracking technology, has released MicroTrax user-interface devices for its IS-900 inertial-ultrasonic motion-tracking system. The new MicroTrax devices offer a small head tracker that uses passive and active stereo...

SeeFile collaboration.(VIDEO)(Intelligent Gadgets' SyncVUEpro and SeeFile 3.0)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... SeeFile Software, a developer of Web server software for sharing media files, together with Intelligent Gadgets, demonstrated the benefits of a combined video-enabled collaborative review-and-approval system during SIGGRAPH 2007 in San Diego....

Immersion scanner.(3D SCANNER)(Immersion MicroScribe)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Immersion has introduced a laser scanning solution for six-degrees-of-freedom MicroScribe digitizing systems. The MicroScribe digitizer and RSI laser system quickly collects point-cloud data of 3D objects for applications such as rendering and...