Photo by Cintia Matte Ruschel. © Animation World Network.

For those of you who didn't have a chance to absorb the who, what and how of the 24th International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, interactive was definitely the key word in the acronym this year. Virtual Reality, VRML, and Motion Capture were everywhere. . . . More than 48,000 people attended, SIGGRAPH, creating an unending sea of bodies in the showroom, navigating the jungle of Hardware, 3D Software, and 2D Software. on display from 300 exhibiting companies . . .Recruiting was on the agenda of many studios. . . . And we got a sneak peak at some of the coolest Content around, as well as a look at what's In Production.

Content

Everyone was showing off the portion of this summer's effects-driven feature that was created using their hardware, software or services. Films such as Jurassic Park: Lost World, Spawn, Contact, Air Force One, Species, Men In Black and Titanic were played in heavy rotation on video monitors all over the place!

Odyssey Productions produced two new computer animation videos: Cyberscape: A Computer Animation Vision by Beny Tchaicovsky, and Computer Animation Showcase, a 45 minute compilation reel. Both titles, distributed through Sony Music Video and in stores on September 23, will be reviewed in the upcoming issue of Animation World Magazine. Odyssey is also producing a video of the works of abstract computer artist Yoichiro Kawaguchi.

Floops, a VRML cartoon on the Web created by Protozoa.

3D Software
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Kinetix released the latest version of 3D Studio Max, with more than 1,000 new features, according to their literature. 3D StudioMax R2 for PCs is $3,495 for a new single-user license with prices for upgrades starting at $795. Several 3D StudioMax-compatible programs and plug-ins were also unveiled. . . . Digimation alone released 15 new plug-ins including the self descriptive ClayStudio Pro, Shag: Fur and The Incredible Comicshop. . . . .Sven Technologies released SurfaceSuiteMAX, a new plug-in for mapping photo realistic textures. . . . .LambSoft showcased Smirk, a plug-in for facial animation which uses pre-set expressions which can be altered to fit any face. It also works with motion capture devices. . . . .Kinetix previewed CharacterStudio 2.0, which, used with 3D StudioMax, creates movements and behaviors which can be applied to characters. This technology was used in the creation of CG sequences for Hanna-Barbera's Jonny Quest series.

Alias/Wavefront demonstrated their highly anticipated Maya software, which has been pushed back for an early 1998 release. Called "the next generation of 3D animation software," Maya will present Alias' first new software architecture in years. . . . .Maya is currently going through beta testing at 50 locations, including, most of the major computer animation houses. Meanwhile, inside Alias/Wavefront's lab, Chris Landreth, creator of the Academy Award nominated short, The End, is creating a new short animation with the Maya program. Maya will be priced similarly to Alias PowerAnimator 8.5 , which was released back in April. . . . .Alias also announced an exclusive alliance with Physical Effects Inc., developers of a technology for animating cloth, which will be incorporated into Maya.

Softimage is developing Sumatra, another software package built with new architecture. Like Alias has with Maya, Softimage has pushed their new product's release back to early 1998. Everyone is curious which will come out first. This should be an interesting time for the industry, and a good time to buy, with two competing high-end 3D animation packages being released around the same time. . . . Now in beta testing, Sumatra is called "the world's first collaborative nonlinear animation system." Only trying out the real McCoy's will determine which software package will best meet the needs of the demanding professional 3D industry.

NewTek's Lightwave 3D is available to Sun computer users for the first time, with a $2,995 package which runs on Sun's Ultra Creator 3D workstations. Version 5.5 of Lightwave 3D for Windows 95/NT was released in July. Also released at SIGGRAPH, is the new Motion Plug-in Pack for Lightwave 3D, offering five complex animation tools for $200.

Questar released a version 3 upgrade of World Construction Set, their software package for modeling and rendering photo realistic landscapes and natural settings such as clouds, water, terrain, planets and vegetation. Compatible with Lightwave 3D and 3D StudioMax. The cost is $835.