SIGGRAPH News: Announcing the Next Generation

SIGGRAPH is promoted as the computer graphics social event of the year, and it really is. Many 3-D and digital effects software developers choose SIGGRAPH as the perfect time of year to release their latest products and announce new ones to the 30,000 or so computer graphics artists, technicians, engineers, designers, and students that attend the convention. Chances are that if you were at SIGGRAPH you missed a lot of the news, and if you weren't, you probably don't know much about what went on. SIGGRAPH is just so big it's impossible to keep up with everyone! Therefore, we've pulled together some of the more important and interesting news from the industry's key players to keep you up to date. Enjoy!

Alias|Wavefront

Alias|Wavefront were showcasing Maya, their latest and greatest character animation and effects tool. At over U.S. $10,000 you can imagine that only a fraction of the people looking were interested in buying. Still, we can dream, can't we? Alias also had on show some of their third-party plug-ins for Maya, but perhaps the most interesting thing was their announcement of Maya Cloth.

Maya Cloth is a fully integrated advanced module for Maya that creates realistic cloth. Maya Cloth can be used to dress a digital character, and by applying dynamic effects to both the character and the cloth you can create clothes which look and behave in a realistic manner. Alias specifically developed Maya Cloth to handle garments such as shirts, waisted jackets, loose T-shirts, raincoats and pants, which would otherwise be too complex to model and animate in a way which would look natural.

Artists using Maya can look forward to this incredible program later this year, with pricing details to be announced at time of release.

Kinetix

Speaking of character animation, Kinetix, the producers of the ever-popular 3-D tool 3D Studio MAX, were showing off their character animation plug-in for MAX: Character Studio 2. Character Studio 2 is designed to make the stressful parts of character animation--such as creating a realistic walk--child's play. The program makes extensive use of motion capture data, which can be imported, modified, exported and yielded at will.

In addition to this Kinetix was showing 3D Studio MAX 2.5 and 3D Studio VIZ 2. They also announced that Nickelodeon Studios Florida will partner with them to create and house a training and resource center. Kinetix will use the facility to expose their software to developers, educators, training course developers and authorized Kinetix dealers in the Southeast. The facility will also act as a beta testing site for new products, as Nickelodeon will use the facility for production purposes when training is not being conducted.

Softimage

Softimage, another key player in computer graphics and digital effects was also, of course, present at SIGGRAPH. They made several major announcements, most notably the announcement that Softimage|3D 3.8 is now shipping for Windows NT and SGI IRIX. The new release of Softimage's flagship product boasts enhanced tools for character animation data management and more efficient tools for game developers, such as interactive polygon reduction tools.

Also announced at SIGGRAPH was the shipping of Softimage|DS version 2.0, their comprehensive non-linear production system for creating, editing, and finishing video projects. Softimage|DS 2.0 provides video professionals with a tool that combines the functionality of a full post-production company in a seamlessly integrated and cost-effective environment (priced at around U.S. $115,000).

Softimage also announced a new product called Twister, the first module of a soon to be released 3-D animation system code-named Sumatra. Softimage claims that Sumatra will provide a revolutionary new approach to character animation, and introduce the concept of non-linear animation. Twister, which is currently undergoing beta testing, will fit neatly into the Softimage|3D 3.8 work flow which will complement and expand the existing set of tools available to the current generation software. According to Dan Kraus, product manager for Softimage, "Twister will revolutionize the way people handle production-level rendering. Not only does Twister provide the next generation of mental ray, but it also makes tuning and editing scene-rendering parameters a completely interactive process."

NewTek

NewTek, producers of LightWave, also had a few surprises up their sleeve. Among NewTek's growing professional product range, Aura stands out as the award-winning program designed for animation, video paint and video layering. At SIGGRAPH NewTek announced a new set of SpecialFX tools for Aura. The new tool set features digital transitions, wipes, a full particle system, fades and digital video effects such as page turns, explosion tools, smoke, lightning and texture painting. All of the effects can be applied to any animation element, still image or animated brush in Aura.

OpenGL for their Macintosh products was another of NewTek's announcements. NewTek has licensed OpenGL for the Mac from Coinx Enterprises Inc. As a result of this, users of NewTek's 3-D products for the Macintosh, such as LightWave 3D, will, for the first time, have OpenGL available to aid and speed up workflow. Brad Peebler, NewTek's vice-president commented that, "OpenGL is an important industry standard that allows developers to view models interactively in 3-D space, place textures in real-time, control color and lighting, and use 24-bit images as backdrops. Macintosh users have been at a disadvantage in the industry by not having access to OpenGL. By licensing OpenGL for the Mac from Coinx, NewTek is hoping to level the playing field for our customers who use Macs."

MetaCreations

Although their products aren't quite in the same league as those of NewTek and Softimage, MetaCreations proved to be reasonably popular with SIGGRAPH-goers. Their products' low prices and creative interfaces make attractive 'toys' for animators. Plus, instead of trying to get rid of their 'toy' image, MetaCreations is marketing it.

They were showing off a new product aimed at kids called Dance Studio. Dance Studio, like most MetaCreations' products, is built around a creative interface, most comparable to that of Poser 3. Users can, not surprisingly, create dances in the program by choosing a character and applying a string of pre-set dance movements that were created via motion capture. Dance Studio has a tool which will 'tune' the dances to the music, so if you aren't a very rhythmic person, the program will make it look like you are! Perhaps the most interesting thing about Dance Studio is that after you have created your dance you can export it as motion capture data for use in other programs. This is the only professional feature in what otherwise appears to be a kids' program. Dance Studio will hit the shelves this fall.

Template Graphics Software (TGS)

TGS, the producers of award-winning Amapi 3D, had a few announcements to make. Amapi 3D will soon benefit from a new rendering technology which combines Phong, photo-realistic and interactive artistic rendering to create stunning 3-D art, images and animations.

The new rendering engine is being called ActiveStyles, and is being offered on an OEM basis to software and hardware companies. The engine is compatible with OpenGL, Windows '95 and '98, and is integrated on the Apple Power Mac platform. Features include the ability to create "cel-style" effects, including cartoon, drafting, neon and chalk-drawing styles.

Sven Technologies

Although they are a relatively new company, Sven's products are proving to be quite popular with a lot of 3-D artists who use high-end software such as 3D Studio MAX.

At SIGGRAPH Sven was showcasing their new SurfaceSuite PRO, a plug-in and standalone-surfacing tool. The program allows users to take advantage of Adaptive Texture Mapping, a technique pioneered by Sven to facilitate efficient, photo-realistic texture mapping by treating texture maps as sheets of rubber that can be placed, warped and blended on a 3-D model in real-time. SurfaceSuite PRO is expected to be shipping by August 15, and available at U.S. $595 for the stand-alone version, U.S. $495 for the 3D Studio MAX plug-in. Judging by what Sven were showing off at SIGGRAPH, 3-D artists can look forward to a time-saving, hassle-free program that should greatly increase productivity at a low price. It looked excellent!

Caligari

TrueSpace is a popular tool amongst amateur and hobbyist 3-D artists, but judging by Caligari's unveiling of TrueSpace 4, we might just see the product fall into professional hands. With new features such as NURBS modeling, bones and a radiosity-based rendering engine, the only thing stopping TrueSpace from coming across as a professional and reasonably high-end product is the price. For a mere U.S. $595 you can have all the features of a program that would usually cost in excess of U.S. $2,000. So what's the catch?

Judging by Caligari's demo at SIGGRAPH there isn't really any catch at all. Of course, the features do not perform nearly as well as those of Softimage or 3D Studio MAX, but for a pretty price you can get a product which looks fine for learning the ropes of 3-D before moving on to something a little more advanced. The package is available now from Caligari and authorizedretailers.

Cambridge Animation Systems

Finally, we move away from the polygon-filled world of 3-D and into something a little flatter. Cambridge Animation introduced Animo 2.0 at SIGGRAPH, which features a port to Windows NT. Anyone familiar with 2-D animation needs not be introduced to Animo. With users like Warner Bros. and DreamWorks SKG, Animo is the 2-D-animation package with a gleaming reputation. Version 2.0 is set to take it even further.

The new version welcomes a new module specifically designed to integrate color model editing with ink-and-paint functions, and new capabilities within the Director module. Other features like a multi-plane camera, automated 'regging' from cel and cel to background, and automatic rendering in the drawing window look set to rocket Animo users' productivity and efficiency in the production environment.

Animo 2.0 works on both the Windows NT and Silicon Graphics workstations, and should be available this fall.

Discreet Logic

It seemed that Discreet Logic had been saving all of its news for SIGGRAPH. They made several announcements, but I will only talk about the most significant here.

Discreet Logic announced that version 4.0 of their award-winning Windows NT-based real-time, nonlinear editing software, Edit*, is now shipping. The new version boasts features like the key frame/channel editor, which introduces a graphic key-frame editor panel, similar to that of effect* and paint*. Plus, an improved user interface redefines the look and feel of edit* and synchronizes with the interfaces of effect* and paint*. Edit* is available now and is priced between U.S. $7,995 and U.S. $15,995 depending on which package you decide to buy.

Also at SIGGRAPH, Discreet were showing off inferno* 3.0 which features two industry firsts, a 3-D Keyer and Edge Detection Tracer; as well as 3-D deformations, bi-cubic warping in action, real-time color correction, a new text module, and project management. For those who are not familiar with inferno*, it offers an integrated suite of image enhancement, motion tracking and effects tools specifically tailored for the feature film industry. Like many other Discreet Logic products, inferno*, has been used in many a hit feature film, namely Titanic, and the more recent Armageddon.

But they weren't stopping there! Discreet Logic also began shipping unannounced new versions of paint* and effect*. For paint* users, new features such as 2-D-3-D integration with Kinetix 3D Studio MAX and a much more accurate paint system should be more than welcome. With enhanced integration of live video and CG backgrounds, the new version of effect* can offer far greater realism and more sophisticated tools for iterative tuning of real and CG, or virtual, environments. The new version also boasts the ability to composite 2-D live video elements with 3-D scenes using 3-D space, and cast shadows, lighting and reflections properly, using the 3D Studio MAX generated .rla file format. Effect* 2.0 is, once again, the next generation in compositing tools.

AutoMedia

AutoMedia introduced AutoMasker AE2.0 at SIGGRAPH. This Adobe After Effects plug-in is designed to make masking less time-consuming. The AutoMasker AE2.0 tools let you easily isolate, extract and insert video objects, making AutoMasker an ideal tool for digital effects artists and compositors. The key to AutoMasker's fast and efficient object isolation is IntelliSplines, an exclusive feature of AutoMasker products, which combines freehand drawing with splines for a smoother appearance. For further control, border offsets, smoothing and anti-aliasing can be specified.

"We are very excited about offering AutoMasker technology from within Adobe After Effects," Jacob Pedhatsur-Wiedhopf, Vice President of Sales and Marketing stated. "Combining the speed and features of AutoMasker with other special effects filters brings an amazing amount of powerand flexibility to the broad base of After Effects users."

Vicon

Motion-capture--it was everywhere at SIGGRAPH, but one of the main companies who really attracted the crowds was Vicon, the company who provides motion-capture tools to people like Digital Domain and House of Moves. They are one of the world's leaders in motion capture systems.

At SIGGRAPH Vicon announced the Vicon8 optical motion capture system. Vicon8 is a completely new platform based on the latest 32-bit NT workstation technology for fast and reliable motion capture. More cameras and dozens more features make it ideal for animation professionals working in visual effects, games and television.

"Because our customers are constantly pushing the envelope, we have always focused our design efforts on system flexibility," explained Brian Nilles, Marketing Manager for Vicon. "We can capture several actors simultaneously with no theoretical limit to the number of reflective markers placed on each actor. This allows for very high skeletal definition when extreme detail is required."

The new Vicon8 boasts 24 cameras, unlimited motion capture (that means there is no limit to how much data you can capture per capture session-unless, of course, your hard disk space runs out!), integrated movie capture and total portability.

But Wait! There's More...

There were many other announcements made at SIGGRAPH which are not mentioned here. My intention was to point out the major announcements made by key players in 3-D and 2-D animation, paint, compositing and motion capture. For a listing of other news announcements refer to the Press Box.

Many of the products mentioned above (such as Character Studio 2, Aura, TrueSpace 4, and SurfaceSuite PRO) will be reviewed in the coming months by Visual Magic Magazine.

Paul Younghusband is editor-in-chief of Visual Magic Magazine, a monthly publication focusing on the 3-D graphics and digital effects industries. You can reach Paul by e-mail at paul@visualmagic.awn.com.