Kaydara Inc. has announced FiLMBOX matchmove, a new camera tracking system designed to automatically extract and track 3D camera information from pre-recorded video sequences. A part of the FiLMBOX v2.0 suite of products, FiLMBOX matchmove offers a host of new features - such as automatic track point selection, multiple-camera support, and real-time playback - which will greatly simplify the process of integrating 3D and video footage.
Sony Pictures Imageworks will be highlighting its major forthcoming project Stuart Little, a live action film whose star is a fully digital photo-realistic character. Imageworks isalso engaged in production on Hollow Man, Cast Away, What Lies Beneath and WhatPlanet Are You From, working with such directors as Rob Minkoff, Paul Verhoeven,Robert Zemeckis and Mike Nichols.Imageworks is home to some of the industry'stop talent, including visual effects supervisors Scott E. Anderson, Rob Legato,
BOXX, manufacturer of high-performance, high-bandwidth Windows NT-based systems for 3D, animation, film, and HD broadcast markets, has introduced the first NT-basedcompositing/editing system for HD as well as RenderBOXX, a completely scaleable NT rendering solution. The BOXX suite of solutions, which are designed to increase productivity and performance, include workstations and complete systems for 3D,rendering, film, and HDTV.
Kaydara Inc. has announced the launch of FiLMBOX version 2.0, its real-time production system. Incorporating an advanced suite of interactive character animation, motion capture and audio/video tools FiLMBOX v2.0 hosts a variety of new on-line production tools, such as camera tracking, real-time video input/output, and improved character mapping. FiLMBOX v2.0 provides live integration of 3D elements for game, film and TV production into a unified digital environment,
CGSD has debuted the E-Town Building Library, the first in a series of libraries of buildings and other structures ready to use in visual simulation, virtual reality, games, urban planning and visualization, flight simulation, and other interactive simulations. E-Town Building Library is a set of 100 three-dimensional computer models of residential, industrial, and public buildings, water towers, electrical transmission towers, and landscaping elements.
Animators in the TV, Film, and Video Game industries are achieving realistic 3D character animation economically and quickly using the suite of motion capture tools available from Motion Analysis Corporation of Santa Rosa, California. At SIGGRAPH 99, the company demonstrated the latest versions of its products.
"We have customers using our ExpertVision system to capture 1,000 moves aweek to produce a 22-minute TV show in only 10 days using just a dozenanimators. The economy and efficiency of producing digital entertainment
Computer graphics industry leader PDI (Pacific Data Images) will participate in a variety of presentations at SIGGRAPH 99. They include the following:
- PDI Co-founder and Chairman Carl Rosendahl is featured in the newACM SIGGRAPH produced feature-length documentary, THE STORY OF COMPUTER GRAPHICS. The documentary "chronicles the history of the industry, its impact on society, and the excitement of future possibilities."
- Electronic Theatre: For the fourth consecutive year, PDI is proud to
Nothing Real, a leading Los Angeles-based software provider ofhigh performance tools designed for the digital image creation market,is showcasing its flagship compositing software product Shake at this year's SIGGRAPH.
Shake is a next-generation compositing system that offers a broad rangeof 2D features for film, broadcast, interactive games and multimediaeffects applications. Shake offers dramatic speed and efficiencyadvances over traditional compositing packages, without the need forspecialized hardware.
Gnomon School of Visual Effects has announced the members of their newly established Advisory Board. The panel of respected and experienced industry professionals have agreed to commit their time and expertise to guiding the future development of Gnomon's curriculum and program direction.
The Board will include:
Point Richmond, California-based Pixar Animation Studios has announced thatit is releasing version 3.9 of PhotoRealistic RenderMan, its AcademyAward-winning visual effects software, and version 4.0 of the completeRenderMan Artist Tools suite. The new software version, scheduled forshipment in September, makes RenderMan easier and more powerful forcreative artists, and for the first time provides support for rendering onrender farms running the Windows NT operating system. Some other advanced
An Evening with the Professionals: TV Animation. Takes place at Walt DisneyTV Animation Studio, Frank Wells Building. The speakers will include CindyMarcus who (with her husband Flip Kobler) wrote POCAHONTAS II: JOURNEY TO ANEW WORLD and THE LION KING II: SIMBA'S PRIDE. Cost per monthly event is$10 for Women In Animation members, $20 for non-members. RSVP required toKellie-Bea Cooper at e-mail: kellie-bea@kellie-bea.com; or Tel:818-623-0020. The events takes place Thursday, August 19, 7-9 pm inBurbank, California.
Women In Animation's Computer Animation Group meets at the Rhythm & HuesStudio. For more information contact Pauline T'so at Tel. (310) 448-7500.This month's meeting takes place Saturday, August 21, 7-9 pm in LosAngeles, California.
Commotion, the award-winning visual effects application, is now available for Windows NT. Commotion version 2.1 marks Puffin Designs' first release for Macintosh and Windows NT. This highly anticipated release is a direct result of requests from thousands of NT-based effects artists who wanted to use Commotion on their platform of choice. Both versions are functionally and visually identical, enabling users to work in either environment without having to find work-arounds for interface or workflow differences.
Vicon has announced the latest in motion capture technology - Vicon 8Rt. The final reduction in the production pipeline has been achieved with the Vicon 8 system, producing accurate optical motion capture in real-time. This marks a significant breakthrough in motion capture technology as Vicon 8Rt is not a previewer, but actually produces full body motion capture data without the wait.
San Jose, California-based Silicon Graphics Inc. has announced that it willcut up to 3,000 jobs and spin off its Cray supercomputer division.According to SGI, the cuts and reorganization will help it focus on sellingsoftware and computers related to the Internet. SGI bought Cray ResearchInc. in 1996 for $740 million. Since its acquisition by SGI, Cray'ssupercomputers have competed with SGI's own powerful systems in a smallmarket. Earlier this year SGI reorganized and divided Cray off into a
One of the fastest growing areas of the booming entertainment technology industry is special effects, and with standards being raised daily by innovative uses in TV, film, and computer games the need for qualified effects artists increases. The Center for Digital Imaging and Sound (CDIS), a private technical arts college celebrating 20 years in operation in British Columbia, has jumped on the opportunity.
Dr. William Moritz, noted authority on experimental animation and visualmusic, will introduce a selection of 16mm and 35mm films from TheiotaCenter's collection of experimental and abstract films. The programincludes: a hand-painted film record from 1903 of a dance by visual musicartist, Loïe Fuller, the darling of Paris' Folies Bergère, a film record ofCharles Dockum performing live on the visual music instrument he inventedin 1939, the Dockum Mobilcolor Projector, HIGH VOLTAGE by James Whitney and
Pratt Institute's Department of Computer Graphics & Interactive Media (CGIM) has begun the development of a Research Lab to explore the development of virtual worlds, stereoscopic 3D imaging, and other outside-the-box possibilities.
CGIM is also pleased to announce that Professor Claudia Herbst joined our fulltime faculty. Prof. Herbst's previous position was at the Walt Disney Company, where she trained the company's computer graphics artists.
The US premiere of PERFECT BLUE, a 1997 Japanese film directed by SatoshiKon takes place at the Cinema Village theater. PERFECT BLUE is the story ofa soap opera actress who finds it difficult to distinguish between her TVpersona and real life. The film won the public prize for best Asian film atMontreal's Fant-Asia festival. The trailer can be viewed online atwww.sputnik7.com. The premiere takes place Friday, August 20 in New YorkCity.
Key members of Pratt Institute's Department of Computer Graphics & Interactive Media (CGIM) faculty and student body will be participating at SIGGRAPH 99 as follows:
Prof. Michael O'Rourke has been invited to conduct a full-day 3d computer animation workshop at SIGGRAPH 99.
Two of Prof. Don Ritter's interactive installations have been accepted into the Millennium Motel program at SIGGRAPH 99. The installations are "Intersection" and "TV Guides," described at:
The Rotterdam International Film Festival includes a shorts and animatedfilm section. The categories are Fiction, Documentary, and Experimental.The entry deadline is October 1, 1999. The festival takes place inRotterdam, The Netherlands from January 26 to February 6, 2000. For moreinfo contact Rotterdam International Film Festival, P.O. Box 21696, 3001 ARRotterdam, The Netherlands; Tel: + 31 10-8909090; Fax: + 31 10-8909091;E-mail: tiger@iffrotterdam.nl; or visit www.iffrotterdam.nl.
The six month Bristol Animation Course is now available at the University of the West of England, Bristol. It is supported by several animation studios in the region, including Aardman Animations. The course aims to train animators in the craft skills of character and performance animation, enabling them to work in a professional animation studio. The course delivers a Post Graduate Certificate in Extension Studies. According to UWE, 85% of past students have been employed in the industry. There are five places for 2D and five for model animation.
Gary Albright, vice president of creative services and off air promotionsfor Atlanta, Georgia-based Cartoon Network, has awarded The ClassicalAnimation Society of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) a $500grant on behalf of Cartoon Network. The society will use the money to helpfund its activitites such as last February's MULAN Event which included ascreening of Disney's MULAN, clips of various stages of animated scenes,and a workshop in layout design by Disney artist Bill Hodman. The Classical
The Visual Communication Design department of Austin Community College offers a work intensive program in the areas of Graphic Design and Multimedia production. The two year Associate of Applied Science degree includes classes in Computer Production Art, Typographic Design, Illustrative Techniques, Graphic Design and Basic Drawing. The Applied Multimedia Technology certificate offers extensive training in 2D and 3D Computer Animation, Motion Graphics, World Wide Web Design, Multimedia Authoring, Interface Design and Photoshop Techniques.
The Computer Arts Institute in San Francisco is unveiling it's revised 3d animation curiculum for this fall. Courses offered will include 3D Studio Max, Character Studio, Photoshop for Animators, Animation Design & Storyboarding, VRML And Real Time Animation, 3-D Special Effects, Character Animation Workshop, 3d Texture Workshop, and PhotoShop for Artists & Illustrators.
Complete contact information for CAI can be found in AWN's Animation School Database.
