Side Effects Software and Sony Pictures Imageworks announced they will co-host the upcoming Los Angeles SIGGRAPH chapter meeting where Imageworks will talk about how Houdini software was used to generate the visual effects in SPIDER-MAN 2. The meeting will take place at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Oct.

Corel Corp. acquired Jasc Software Inc., the award-winning developer of the Paint Shop family of digital-photography and image-editing software. A critical milestone in Corel's ongoing growth strategy, this acquisition follows four consecutive quarters of profitability and a successfully completed turnaround since Corel was taken private in August 2003.

Rushes Postproduction Ltd. has appointed Danny Jones as senior producer. As well as fulfilling his day-to-day responsibilities as Senior Producer, Jones will help to ensure clients understand the full range of options available to them across Rushes HD, SD, inferno, flame, fire and 2K Spirit and C Reality suites.

George Lucas has been selected by the American Film Institute's (AFI) Board of Trustees to receive the 33rd AFI Life Achievement Award. The award will be presented to Lucas at a gala tribute in Los Angeles in June 2005.

"I've been very fortunate to have had a long career doing what I love to do, and being recognized by AFI for it is really an honor," Lucas said. "I'm proud to be counted among such an extraordinary group of people whose lives are dedicated to the art of making movies."

The Hollywood Film Festival's Board of Advisors has announced the nominees for the 2004 "Hollywood Film Awards" competition. The announcement was made today in Hollywood by Carlos de Abreu, founder/exec director of the Hollywood Film Festival.

"This year's Hollywood Film Festival continues its tradition of honoring the very best talent within our community. It is a celebration of all aspects of Hollywood filmmaking and the artists who help to create its lasting legacy on our culture," festival co-chair Paula Wagner said.

Sun Microsystems Inc. and NVIDIA Corp. have joined forces to deliver leading NVIDIA Quadro graphics solutions on Sun Java workstations running Solaris, Windows or Linux operating systems. Through this alliance, Sun has bundled NVIDIA technology with its recently announced Sun Java Workstations W1100z and W2100z, based on the AMD Opteron processor with Direct Connect Architecture.

iHollywood Forum is hosting its 3rd Annual Digital Studio Summit in association with the American Film Market (AFM). Animation World Network is sponsoring the event and VFXWorld’s editor Bill Desowitz will be moderating a panel on SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW.

Now through Dec. 31, 2004, BOXX Technologies is offering special pricing on 3ds max 7 software to customers in the United States who purchase a BOXX certified 3ds max 7 workstation. Call BOXX toll free at 877-877-BOXX or 512-835-0400 for more details.

Hot on the heels of cementing development deals with Ridley Scott and Frank Darabont, Sci Fi Channel partners with former head of development for New Line and DreamWorks Michael De Luca (MAGNOLIA, RUSH HOUR, BLADE) on his first-ever television project. An original miniseries event, DARWIN'S CHILDREN explores what happens when the next step of human evolution becomes a threat to our very existence. The project is based on the best-selling Greg Bear novels, DARWIN'S RADIO and DARWIN'S CHILDREN.

Ubisoft and Universal Studios Consumer Products Group announced plans to release an interactive game based on Universal Pictures’ upcoming KING KONG, directed by Peter Jackson. The game will be available worldwide on all platforms at the beginning of the holiday season in conjunction with the Dec. 14, 2005 theatrical release of the movie.