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Category: Visual Effects

Headline News

New NVIDIA Quadro Plex Systems Bring Visual Supercomputing To The Deskside

3D models and datasets have become too large for the standard desktop workstation to handle. To help combat the problem, NVIDIA Corporation announced today the D Series of NVIDIA Quadro Plex Visual Computing Systems (VCS) available in deskside or rackmount configurations.

Engineered to provide the most robust NVIDIA Quadro GPU visualization performance to date, the Quadro Plex systems are ideal for the styling and design, geosciences and scientific visualization industries, working with extremely large 3D models, datasets and power walls.

Headline News

NVIDIA Quadro FX Notebook Family Extends Professional Mobile Graphics

Demand for better graphics performance and programmability within the professional notebook market continues to increase as animators, designers and engineers work with larger 3D models, datasets and images.

Mobile Headline News

Dell Unveils The Next Generation Of Mobile Workstations

Dell announced a completely new line of ISV-certified Dell Precision mobile workstations today. The Dell Precision M4400 and M2400 are optimized for workstation class applications and offer one of the broadest ranges of mobile form factors for performance-demanding customers in areas such as media and entertainment, biosciences and engineering.

Effects Headline News

Sony Unveils New Hybrid Multi-Core Cell Platform

Sony Electronics is unveiling a new workflow solution for faster processing of high-resolution effects and computer graphics. This new technology platform, named ZEGO, is based on the Cell/B.E. (Cell Broadband Engine) and RSX technologies, and is designed to eliminate bottlenecks that can occur during post production, especially during the creation and rendering of visual effects.

The BCU-100 computing unit is the first product to utilize this new ZEGO hybrid multi-core cell platform.

Artists Headline News

Digital-Tutors Releases First Two Comprehensive Titles For SOFTIMAGE|XSI 7

Softimage training partner Digital-Tutors announced at SIGGRAPH the availability of INTRODUCTION TO XSI 7 and INTRODUCTION TO ICE IN XSI 7 -- the first two comprehensive training titles developed for XSI 7 and the latest additions to Digital-Tutors' growing library of interactive training for digital artists using SOFTIMAGE|XSI 7, the newest version of the complete 3D package for modeling, animating, rendering, and character development.

Headline News

Rock Paper Scissors And a52 Launch Elastic

The principals behind Los Angeles-based editorial company Rock Paper Scissors (RPS) (www.rockpaperscissors.com) and visual effects company a52 (www.a52.com) announced the launch of a new, full-service, design-driven company named Elastic.

To support their new venture, RPS and a52 co-founders Angus Wall and Linda Carlson have hired Alex Gorodetzki as Elastic's executive producer and Trevor Shepard as its creative director of design.

Headline News

Indiana Jones Makes DVD, Blu-ray Debut October 14

The highest-grossing installment of the phenomenally popular adventure franchise, with more than $770 million at the global box office, Paramount Pictures and Lucasfilm Ltd.'s INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL will make its highly anticipated debut on DVD and Blu-ray October 14.

Headline News

Shapeways Launches Next Generation DIY Online Product Customization

Shapeways, a new platform and global community for 3D-design and production, takes a major step towards the next generation of consumer co-creation with the announcement of the Shapeways Creator Engine. For the first time, consumers without 3D modeling skills can shape, mash, imprint and design their own 3D products in just a few mouse clicks at Shapeways.com.

From lamps with a personal message to fruit bowls linking back to memorable moments, the Shapeways Creator Engine has a beta library of predesigned product templates which is expected to grow rapidly over 2009.

Headline News

IRIDAS to Showcase DualStream and Real-Time RAW 2.0

IRIDAS will demonstrate the latest in playback color correction technologies, including RealTime RAW 2.0 and DualStream at this year's SIGGRAPH exhibition.

All current FrameCycler and SpeedGrade products include Real-Time RAW 2.0 which supports: ARRI D21, Cineform RAW, DALSA Origin, Phantom HD and 65, Silicon Imaging, Weisscam HS1 and HS2

IRIDAS is located in the PNY Booth #747.

Studio Headline News

DAZ 3D, NaturalPoint Unveil ARENA Real-Time Mocap Plug-in For DAZ Studio

3D software developer DAZ 3D and optical tracking technology developer NaturalPoint announced the ARENA plug-in for DAZ Studio, an easy-to-use and cost-effective complete motion capture solution. Being shown for the first time at the 2008 SIGGRAPH Conference in Los Angeles, the ARENA plug-in for DAZ Studio allows full body and facial capture, rendering, as well as a real-time workflow perfect for previsualization.

To obtain additional information during SIGGRAPH, visit DAZ 3D's Booth #910, or to view a live real-time demonstration, visit NaturalPoint at Booth #733.

Headline News

Microsoft Research Presenting 13 Technical Papers At SIGGRAPH

As part of SIGGRAPH's Technical Papers program, Microsoft Research is presenting 13 projects from researchers around the world:

"BSGP: Bulk-Synchronous GPU Programming"

Qiming Hou, Tsinghua University; Kun Zhou, Microsoft Research Asia; and Baining Guo, Microsoft Research Asia. See more at http://www.kunzhou.net/2008/BSGP.pdf.

"Edge-Preserving Decompositions for Multi-Scale Tone and Detail Manipulation"

Effects Headline News

Aaron Sims' Appearances During SIGGRAPH 2008

Creature designer Aaron Sims will be making several appearances in conjunction with the 2008 SIGGRAPH conference and exhibition. Sims will divulge his creative process to hundreds of SIGGRAPH attendees representing all facets of the industry as well as members of the media. In addition, one of his most compelling pieces of work to date will be revealed during a VIP event introducing the RabbitHoles hologram exhibition at 7:30 p.m. on August 12 at Hollywood's Gnomon Gallery, located at the Gnomon School of Visual Effects.

Work Headline News

Smoke & Mirrors Adds VFX Specialist Nicholas Seresin

Smoke & Mirrors New York has added award-winning VFX Supervisor/Flame Artist Nicholas Seresin to its growing roster of talented artists. Most recently, Seresin was a vfx supervisor/Flame and Inferno artist at London-based The Moving Picture Company. Prior to MPC, Seresin operated the flame for film, TV and commercials projects at The Mill.

Headline News

Detonate With RayFire

RayFire Tool 1.4 Plugin for 3ds Max 9, 2008 and 2009 has been released. Shoot, explode, destroy, demolish, ruin, break down, wreak havoc, blow up, burst, detonate in Max.

Feature list:--NVIDIA PhysX Rigid Body support via RayFire user interface.--NVIDIA PhysX Force Influence support for Wind, RFBomb, PBomb, Gravity, Drag.--Demolition. Fast and easy way for smashing and falling objects.--Reactor Rigid Body support via RayFire user interface.--Fragmentation. Allows you to fragment geometry objects.

Headline News

PipelineFX And IBM Enable Power Savings On Linux-based Render Farms

PipelineFX's has integrated IBM's Extreme Cluster Administration Toolkit (xCAT) server management framework into Qube! software to provide energy efficiencies in Linux-based render farms.

Headline News

The Syndicate Uses Krakatoa To Build House Of Cards For Radiohead

Frantic Films Software's high-volume point-based particle renderer Krakatoa was used by The Syndicate in director James Frost's groundbreaking HOUSE OF CARDS music video for the band Radiohead.

Krakatoa was used to render every frame of the video, which eschews cameras and lighting for two pioneering scanning technologies that capture digital 3D images: the Geometric Informatics scanning system, which uses structured light to obtain 3D images at close proximity, and the Velodyne Lidar system, in which multiple lasers capture large environments such as landscapes.

Channel Headline News

ATTO Demonstrates Fibre Channel Multipathing At SIGGRAPH

ATTO Technology, creator of storage connectivity and infrastructure solutions for data-intensive computing environments, is featuring a live Fibre Channel multi-pathing demonstration at this year's SIGGRAPH on August 11-14.

Located in booth #863, ATTO will demonstrate a proven, reliable high-performance storage connectivity solution targeted towards high-end digital editing where workflow productivity is critical and performance must be optimal.

Version Headline News

PipelineFX Releases Qube! 5.4

PipelineFX has released Qube! version 5.4, including more than 60 new features and feature enhancements.

"We've been listening closely to our customers and with version 5.4 we are continuing to deliver the feature-rich, easy to use GUI they've asked for," said Scot Brew, Director of Technology at PipelineFX. "With input from hundreds of visual effects studios, post production companies, game studios, design firms and manufacturers we've been able to provide the most powerful yet simple to use render farm management interface on the market."

Universal Headline News

Gorden Flashes Ahead With Writers In Tow

Sony has hired writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless to write the screenplay for FLASH GORDON, just months after winning the rights to the title, per THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

The outer space tale follows Flash Gordon, a young polo player who is kidnapped and taken to the distant planet of Mongo, where he and companions Dale Arden and Hans Zarkov get into adventures while fighting ruler Ming the Merciless.

Animation Headline News

In-Depth Look At Objet Geometries At SIGGRAPH

Objet Geometries, a pioneer in the field of 3-D printing, is helping to reshape the world of digital animation through its groundbreaking technologies. Many of the world's leading animation studios have already invested in Objet printers and are actively using the technology to produce today's most popular animation movies.

Objet's Tech Talk, an exclusive presentation on Objet's state-of-the-art PolyJet and PolyJet Matrix technology, will led by one of the company's lead application engineers.

See it at Hall G, Room 2 on Tuesday, August 12 from 9:45-11:30 a.m.

Headline News

Columbia Buys A Maximum Ride

Columbia Pictures has purchased the screen rights to MAXIMUM RIDE, and has hired Don Payne to write the script, per VARIETY.

RIDE is a young adult novel series from James Patterson, featuring six children who have been genetically altered to be 98 percent human, 2 percent bird. The kids, bred to fly, escape their lab-rat existence and are pursued by their scientist creators, who send a pack of part-human, part-wolf creatures called Erasers to track them down.

The fifth installment of the book series will be published in 2009.

Headline News

Softimage Ships XSI 7 With New ICE Technology

Softimage has begun shipping SOFTIMAGE|XSI 7, the latest version of its professional 3D animation software for games, film and television. Along with many substantial new features, SOFTIMAGE|XSI 7 is shipping with ICE, a transformative open platform designed to capture the infinitely creative vision of content producers. With a visual interface and an easy-to-use node-based programming model, users will be able to quickly create complex visual effects.

Visual Headline News

PNY Unveils Latest Visual Computing Solutions At SIGGRAPH

At SIGGRAPH 2008, (Booth # 747) PNY and NVIDIA will showcase the most complete range of Visual Computing Solutions specifically designed for professional markets.

From advanced visualization solutions for earth scientists to 2K uncompressed DI solutions for Hollywood productions and real-time playback DCC solutions for animators, PNY will demonstrate how its industry-leading partners maximize their performance using the latest NVIDIA Quadro FX by PNY graphics boards and specialty products.

Version Headline News

SynthEyes 2008 Masters 8-Core Makes Tracks For SIGGRAPH

SynthEyes 2008's latest release tackles 8's and comes up a winner. This release concentrates on a sweeping set of optimizations for current 8-core machines such as Apple's Mac Pro. The newly optimized SynthEyes eliminates program and operating system bottlenecks for outstanding performance, some three to five times faster than the previous multithreaded version on the same 8-core hardware.

Headline News

Furious FX Takes Ride On Midnight Meat Train

Furious FX slashed their way through 60 visual effects for director Ryuhei Kitamura's stateside debut MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN. Based on Clive Barker's BOOKS OF BLOOD short story, the film follows an up-and-coming photographer searching for edgy urban subjects, who unexpectedly captures images far more dark and disturbing while the city sleeps.

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