Blog entries from CGW.com

SIGGRAPH 2011: From a Student's Eyes

Karla Monterrosa — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:12:00 GMT

I'm a junior at Emily Carr University of Art + Design, where I'm an animation major with a minor in illustration. I love animation and appreciate all its forms; my biggest passion is pre-production work, especially storyboards. Meeting people who share the same passion for their work and knowing that everyone puts so much of themselves into the final product only made my love for all things animation stronger.

It's been a couple of days since SIGGRAPH 2011 ended, and I'm still taking it all in. As a first-time attendee and first-time Student Volunteer, I must say it was an astonishing experience. The jaw-dropping technology at ETech, the fascinating work in the Art Gallery, the amazing variety of speakers giving presentations on the most engaging topics-everything was absolutely perfect.

What went beyond the talks, screenings, and presentations was the incredible variety of people who showed up. I am now honored to say I attended the same conference that some of today's (and tomorrow's!) brightest minds did.

On volunteer orientation day, SIGGRAPH and CGW, through the Student Volunteer Committee, welcomed Volunteers with a presentation by Greg Butler (The Moving Picture Company), Troy Brooks (Digital Domain), Jason Dowdeswell (Image Engine) & Matt Ward (Rainmaker), some of the biggest names in today's digital content creation industry. The panelists went over various topics, including their lives and their work in computer graphics. Their insight was very informative and inspiring for all of us. They were very open and honest when answering our questions and presenting their work. It was amazing to hear how these talented and hard-working people got to where they are now.

The Autodesk Student Experience was a fantastic event hosted by Autodesk. They had speakers such as Kenny Roy (co-author of "How to Cheat in Maya 2012"), Sandeep Kulkarni (Training Specialist at Digital Domain), Adam Sale (Softimage Certified Instructor), Duncan Brinsmead (principal scientist with Autodesk), Mathieu Mazerolle (Lead Engineer on Assassin's Creed), and Carlos Baena (animator at Pixar Animation Studios, and co-founder of Animation Mentor) teach classes about their areas of expertise. They also shared a reception during which students got to talk to some of the speakers, and had the opportunity to meet other students with the same interest in the computer graphics industry.

The talk discussing the production process of Pixar's "La Luna", given by no other than director Enrico Casarosa himself, was absolutely remarkable. He presented the short film at the beginning of his talk, and I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one in the room with watery eyes, wondering how something could be so beautiful. Casarosa is one of the most articulate directors ever, and the film is a whole lot more enjoyable after listening to him explain the various stages of production and inspiration. Like other speakers, he went over every detail of inspiration for the film: his childhood in Italy, cartoons he loves, and by-hand techniques. It was amazing to see how he and his team came up with solutions for every issue the film dealt with, and how much of themselves they put into it. The result is a beautiful piece of art that touches the human heart like only Pixar can do it. "La Luna" was also presented at the Computer Animation Festival. It looks even more beautiful (how is that even possible?) in 3D.

The Computer Animation Festival was eye candy at its best. From astonishing student films such as Gina Moffit's "Sweater Dog," to Digital Domain's demo reel, the CAF was continuously showcasing the very best in computer animation. Pixar's "La Luna", Moonbot Studios' "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore," and Disney's "The Lion King" in 3D were some of the audience's favorites.

What struck me the most about SIGGRAPH was the great variety of people from all fields. I met the most amazing people, some of them industry professionals, and some of them high school students, some locals from Vancouver, and some who had traveled all across the globe. It was fantastic to meet people who are as excited about this industry as I am, and it's even more exciting to know that these people are now part of my everyday life. I cannot wait to meet these people again-whether it's at a coffee shop next Tuesday, or next year in Los Angeles. I can't wait for SIGGRAPH 2012!

Flash Platform, Molehill, and Gaming Updates

Puneet Goel, Adobe — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 18:53:00 GMT

The beginning of March was a big week for game developers. Thousands of game developers converged on San Francisco for the gaming industry's largest conference - Game Developers Conference (GDC). The Flash community kicked it off early with the Flash Gaming Summit (FGS), a daylong conference focused exclusive on Flash-based games.

I wanted to share some more thoughts on how important the Flash Platform is to gaming and what Adobe is doing to push the envelope.

Innovation

At FGS (Flash Gaming Summit) this year, Adobe made the Molehill 3D GPU-accelerated APIs available to developers through the Adobe AIR and Flash Player Incubator program. First demonstrated at Adobe MAX last October, "Molehill" is the code name for a new set of low-level, GPU-accelerated 3D APIs that will make it possible to deliver sophisticated 3D experiences across almost every computer and device connected to the Internet. Today, Adobe Flash Player 10.2 renders thousands of non z-buffered triangles at approximately 30 Hz. With the new 3D APIs, developers can expect hundreds of thousands of z-buffered triangles to be rendered at HD resolution in full screen at around 60 Hz.

Reach

The Flash Platform is the de-facto standard for online games today and the only platform that can deliver the rich interactivity, rapid innovation and consistency across browsers and devices. While the dominance of Flash for gaming on desktops is well known, game developers have also been using Flash Platform technologies to target smartphones, tablets and other devices. The m.flash.com site, for example, showcases great games that run inside the browser on devices supporting Flash Player and - with over 130M smartphones expected to have the runtime installed this year - game developers have a great platform to bring all of their casual games to a large number of users.

With AIR, a superset of Flash Player, developers can bring their games as standalone apps to iOS, Android and soon BlackBerry Tablet OS. AppBrain for example lists the most popular mobile gaming apps on Android in several categories including Arcade, Puzzle, and Cards. With more than 84M devices able to run AIR apps today, developers can already reach users across devices while leveraging existing work and tools they know.

Community and Ecosystem

The Flash Platform would not be successful without the ecosystem of partners and a passionate community. In a video interview from "Down Under" on the Adobe Web site (http://blogs.adobe.com/flashplatform/2011/03/flash-platform-molehill-and-gaming-updates.html) indie game developer Terry Paton talks about why he uses Flash. As a long-time game developer who has created 100+ games, Terry produces the games and content he likes with Flash and publishes them to the Android Market and Adobe InMarket and other sites. Terry says that without Flash, he'd struggle to develop games, share them with others and make money from his development efforts.

We at Adobe are thrilled with the overwhelming response from the community to the announcement of Molehill. As always, we will continue to add innovation to the Flash Platform and provide our developers with the widest possible reach across screens.

This blog was reposted with permission from Adobe.

Make it a very interactive holiday

IGN — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 20:17:00 GMT

Make it a very interactive holiday
From IGN Entertainment

IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation, and the global leader in game technology, released their annual Holiday Buyers Guide, which includes hot ticket items to look for this holiday season from consoles to games to Blu-ray releases. For the first time in 2010, the guide is showing that games go across the board—from the very young, to professionals, and even baby boomers—the majority of households are equipped in some way for gaming.

With the increased popularity of devices like the iPad, iPod, Android devices, and new motion detecting add-ons for the PS3 and XBOX 360, games are more ubiquitous and accessible than ever before, and IGN’s Holiday Buyers Guide shares predictions for this season’s hottest picks for each and every gamer on your list.

Below are specific game/product ideas for different consoles and interests:

The XBOX 360 Kinect <http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/143/14357198.html> – Microsoft’s $150 entry into the motion controlled gaming revolution of 2010, The Kinect is a camera system that senses player motion and requires no handheld controllers. This is the XBOX’s move towards the mainstream, and with a great titles that are very family friendly, we think it just might work. Sony has also introduced a hand-held motion system called Playstation Move <http://ps3.ign.com/objects/143/14318622.html> , but we think the titles are a bit lacking.

Dance Hero – The last few holiday seasons have been dominated by instrument-focused games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Now with Kinect, we see a new hot trend emerging around dance games. Dance Central <http://www.ign.com/videos/2010/10/14/dance-central-poison-trailer?objectid=77445> for the XBOX 360 Kinect is sure to be one of the season’s top sellers, and PlayStation Move’s Dance Dance Revolution <http://ps3.ign.com/objects/143/14355659.html> will also do quite well.

Games on the subway – By now you’re probably playing Angry Birds <http://wireless.ign.com/objects/061/061654.html> in the morning as you head to work, or you’ve noticed someone Cutting the Rope <http://wireless.ign.com/objects/088/088482.html> next to you on the elevator. Mobile games will only get bigger this season as more developers work on games for the iPad and other tablet computers on the way. While you can’t exactly purchase applications for someone else, IGN suggests buying an iTunes Gift card for gamers on your list who are also owners of the iPod Touch, iPhone 4, or iPad.

Also, below are additional games and products that we believe are good picks for a variety of people on your holiday shopping list:

The Frugal Fitness Buff:
XBOX 360 Kinect – Your Shape Fitness Evolved
The first “exer-game” that might actually succeed in keeping you fit, Your Shape Fitness Evolved uses the Kinect’s camera technology to actively give players guidance and corrections on various fitness programs that include yoga, Pilates, martial arts and boxing. It also makes it a lot harder to cheat.

For those who still believe in Santa:
Wii, PC, DS- Sesame Street: Cookie's Counting Carnival and Sesame Street: Elmo's A-to-Zoo Adventure
Both are targeted at the preschool set, with simplified controls that are easy for young players to master, and gameplay that helps reinforce basic numeral and alphabet learning.

Wii, PS3- Disney Sing It: Family Hits
Karaoke game featuring songs from hit Disney animated films.

The Social Butterfly :
Wii - Wii Party
If you own a Wii, chances are you’re looking for social games to play with friends and family. On the off chance that you’re absolutely sick of bowling or archery, it might be time to try out Wii Party. Just like Mario Party minus, well, Mario, Wii Party dons a similar presentation to former Mii-centric games like Wii Sports and includes a plethora of mini-games to partake in. From Bingo to a Wheel-of-Fortune copycat, this title supports up to four players, so if you need something to engage the in-laws this holiday, look no further

The Master Chef :
Nintendo DS: America’s Test Kitchen: Let’s Get Cooking
Face it: cookbooks are a thing of the past. America’s Test Kitchen: Let’s Get Cooking eliminates the need for such archaic cooking methods as it provides something even better: an interactive cookbook. It features step-by-step instructions for over 300 recipes that aren’t found in the other popular DS cooking title, Personal Trainer: Cooking, and you can also search for recipes based on ingredients, calories or categories. If you know someone that likes to cook, or want a way to impress your friends, America’s Test Kitchen will help you at least make something edible.

For the Serious Gamer:
Xbox 360- Call of Duty: Black Ops
Another year, another Call of Duty game. This one is, once again, lining up to be a monster. The classic Call of Duty formula is intact, but Treyarch isn’t just pumping out another cookie cutter game. For starters, the action has moved to the Vietnam and Cold War era -- putting you in the shoes of special ops forces. Looking for new gameplay options? Full 3D support, a revamped online unlock system, new gameplay modes, and a theater mode to record and share your exploits are just a few of the additions.

Xbox 360- Halo: Reach
Bungie went back to where it all began for the famed studio’s final Halo outing. This game tells the story of the Noble Team, a group of never-say-die Spartans, and the destruction of Planet Reach. It’s a prequel tale that sets the stage for the main Halo trilogy, and one that no fan of the franchise can miss. And then when you’re done with that epic adventure, the fight continues online in true Halo fashion. New modes, armor abilities, and a whole lot more await you. This is one of the most complete games around – it has something for everybody.

Xbox 360, PS3, PC- Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
The critically acclaimed single-player experience of Assassin's Creed is back and better than ever as Ezio returns in an epic struggle against the powerful Templar Order.

The Nostalgia Lover :
PS3 - 3D Dot Game Heroes
If you’ve been longing for the days of old-school Triforces and hidden dungeons, 3D Dot Game Heroes has your number. A loving throwback to the original Legend of Zelda, 3D Dot takes the 2D game you know and love, reassembles it in three-dimensional blocks, and tosses in a heaping dose of in-jokes, powered-up weapons and charm. Grab your shield and sword – a blade that you can make wider and longer – and get out there so that you can mow down skeletons, bushes and any evil force that gets in your way, hero.

iPhone - Oregon Trail
Anyone older than the age of 20 doesn't need to be told how significant a release Oregon Trail is for the iPhone. It manages to pack all of the classic gameplay perfectly onto the handheld and even includes new interactions with nomadic travelers and more towns to visit. Not only that, but the release also packs updated graphics and mini-games for classic tasks such as hunting and fishing. If you're looking for a great update to Oregon Trail or want to show the game to someone for the first time, this is the download for you.

Blu-ray - Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy
Sit back, relax and relive some truly wonderful movie magic – '80s style – with the Back to the Future Trilogy on Blu-ray. This terrific special edition box set comes complete with fully remastered high-res audio and high-def video, in addition to hours of brand-new extras including picture-in-picture tracks, documentaries and more. Fans can even check out a quick glimpse of Eric Stolz in the role of Marty McFly – a role he held for five weeks before being let go and replaced with Michael J. Fox. And if you haven't watched any of the older features from the previous DVD releases, fear not – they're here, too. This is one set any Back to the Future fan should definitely consider purchasing, and if you do, buy the Blu-ray – the exclusives make it totally worth it.

Tennis Pro :
PS1- Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip
For years, the Hot Shots cast has kept its portable focus firmly on the golf course, but that changed this year with the debut of Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip. Here, you could unlock the dozens of shirts, hairstyles, characters and items you'd expect from a cutesy Hot Shots game, but now you were doing it on the court instead of the course. Still, Hot Shots Tennis changed up the "collect everything" formula by tossing in some free roaming stuff. For the first time on the PSP, you could move your character around environments to meet folks, collect items and accept challenges.

Sudoku Lovers:
DS- Picross 3D
The original Picross is one of the very best games on the DS, and after three years Nintendo has finally delivered a sequel. This isn't just more Picross, though, as the number puzzles we know and love have now been brought into the third dimension, requiring us to tap into a completely different area of our brain. The experiment was a success and Picross 3D is another addictive collection of challengingmind games. It's very satisfying to reveal each stage's hidden object and you'll find yourself returning to many puzzles in order to get a perfect rating.

Android- Drop7
Drop7 is a brilliant puzzle game that you can figure out in about three minutes, but mastering it? Good luck on that front, friend. You drop colorful, numbered tokens into a game field. When one of the tokens matches the total number of tokens in its column or row, it vanishes. This sets up some pretty slick chain reactions. The game's zen-like, minimalist approach lets you concentrate solely on the task at hand. Some have called it the iPhone's Tetris. It's not. But does it ever come close.

Sports Buffs:
PS3- MLB 10: The Show
Every year, The Show comes out and every year we declare it all sorts of awesome. This year is no different. MLB 10: The Show continues the franchise tradition of packing in the tiny details to make the most realistic baseball game on the market. From the bench players to recording your own taunts to the solid pitch and swing gameplay, MLB 10 is great. Toss in online leagues, a career, and animations up the wazoo (like giving up a homerun and watching your catcher hurl his mask), and you can curl up with MLB 10: The Show for your next nine innings.

PS3- NBA 2K11
Haven’t watched the NBA since His Airness left? It’s OK, a lot of people haven’t, and that’s why NBA 2K11 has brought Michael Jordan back. From the moment you start the game, you’re reliving Jordan’s greatest games -- I mean, there’s not even a start screen; turn the game on and you’re in Chicago Stadium for Game 1 of the 1991 NBA Championship. From there, you keep chasing those NBA championships. If you’re down for the current NBA, that’s here, too – the mechanics are great, the teams are here, and the stars you love shine. Grab your cheap Air Jordans and hit the court.

Book Lovers:
Xbox 360- Alan Wake
When the famous author Alan Wake hits a serious case of writer’s block, he heads to Bright Falls for a bit of R&R. And that’s when things start getting weird. A strange darkness falls over the city, Wake’s wife disappears, and possessed people and objects begin to attack. To make matters worse, it appears that a book Alan Wake doesn’t remember writing is coming to life before his very eyes. And it is not a happy book. This psychological thriller from the makers of Max Payne is one of the moodiest games around.

Comic-Con 2010

Karen Moltenbrey — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:39:00 GMT

Did Halloween come early this year? No, I had to remind myself. Instead, I was enjoying (read: tolerating) the crowd at my first visit to Comic-Con, the trade show/convention that straddles the line between consumer indulgence and pop culture as it relates to all forms of entertainment.

Once upon a time, Comic-Con was an outlet for comic book, sci-fi/fantasy, and film/TV topics. Over the more recent years, it has expanded into the genres of pop culture, horror, anime, manga, animation, toys, collectible card games, video games, Web comics, and fantasy novels. (Read: If it attracts geeks, it will be there-and, they will come.)

I was a newbie at the convention this year, thinking I would take in the sights since the stars (pun intended) aligned so that as Comic-Con ended in San Diego, SIGGRAPH began in Los Angeles, just a short drive away. It was a plan that was hardly spur of the moment: You have to register for the show months in advance in hopes of being one of the lucky few who are granted a pass, since the show sells out.

So, Lisa Black, CGW associate publisher/national sales manager, and I headed down the California coast for the day to sunny San Diego to check out this much-discussed show. Okay, under full disclosure, we rented a convertible Mustang for the trip, but the sun was hidden under cloudy skies (read: smog) for most of the drive. Yet, that did not put a damper on our fun.

We were in high spirits when we arrived, and after finally finding a parking spot not that far away, we headed into the convention hall, only to be greeted by throngs of attendees-some in really high spirits (read: unnaturally induced). The crowds were everywhere, in and around the convention center. After all, the convention is one of the largest in the world (Wikipedia contends it is the second largest in the world.).

We were handed our show materials and show bag. I have attended many trade shows and conferences during my many years as a writer, and I have never, ever seen a show bag as large as the one I was given. I could have lugged a body out the door in it!

The show was divided into two distinctive sections: the upstairs, where all the events were being staged, and the downstairs, where all the fans (and fanatics) roamed and perused comic books and items relating to comic books, games, and movies: objects large and small, cheap and expensive. (I have never seen so many folks dressed in costume outside of a Halloween party, and I was also impressed by their efforts; many of their outfits were spot on.) Upstairs was hard-core business. Movie studios and others held press conferences and panels there, touting their latest offerings and/or discussing behind-the-scenes challenges of their latest project. The especially interesting panels drew especially long lines of people hoping to get in. Most did not.

In addition to the panels and seminars, there were film previews for features about to hit theaters and for those with a more independent bent (read: looking for distribution deals). There was also a masquerade contest for all those who showed up in costume (and there were many). And, there were even autograph sessions, uniting fan and fiction.

While I may make the show sound frivolous, it was not. There were many excellent discussions and panels. Make sure you read about them in our In Focus section of our Web site and in an upcoming printed feature in CGW.

Siggraph 2010 Blog #2

Elizabeth Owens — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 23:17:00 GMT

Somehow I got the opportunity to volunteer in the Posters section near the beginning of the conference, when the submitters were first checking in their work. This was a great experience for me just for the fact that so many brilliant minds from around the world checked in during my shift. It gave me an opportunity to talk to them and welcome them to the convention. The great part was that everyone I checked in was polite and easy to talk to. At first I was nervous that such great minds might be distant or unwilling to talk to a student, but it was the complete opposite! From Mexico to Japan, I was able to meet really friendly people who turned out to be geniuses.

My next shift the day was the famous Sandbox. The only place where playing video games is the work, well, maybe not for people who work for video game companies. This was awesome because I got to play Blur (a new racing game) for the first time. At one point an eight year old was beating me, but I’m okay with that. (I can always say that I let him win to be nice.) But Project Gustav was by far my favorite. It’s a new painting program Microsoft is releasing. It’s pretty awesome because the application of “paint” in the program actually resembles the way real paint looks. (This amazed me as an oil painter.) The program also interacts with the way you hold the tablet pen, for example if you were using the pastel tool and turned the pen sideways, it would make a mark much like it would with a real pastel. So if you want two great places to go, check out the Posters and the Mudbox before you leave Siggraph.

Elizabeth Owens
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
BFA Digital Media

Siggraph 2010 - Blog #1

Elizabeth Owens — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 23:14:00 GMT

Even though it was still a bit early, it made more sense to wake up near that time since I had a SV shift at 8:30AM, (unlike the day before when I didn't have to work until 12PM.)

My roommate Melissa asked me if I wanted to walk to the Los Angeles convention center early and catch some breakfast at a nearby bakery on the way. I jumped at the opportunity. Soon we left the hotel, and fifteen minutes later we were leaving the bakery carrying bags full of bagels, chocolate croissants and for me, a hand made peanut butter sandwich.

The best part? I only spent around $8 on all of the sweets. Of course we then had to rush to the convention center but it was worth it. Want to know one great thing about attending Siggraph? You get to explore local shops and eateries along the way to an awesome conference.

Elizabeth Owens
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
BFA Digital Media

GDC Roundup

Karen Moltenbrey — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 22:07:00 GMT

18,250. That is the number of attendees at this year’s Game Developers Conference (GDC). A record. Not bad considering the drop in numbers at the other related trade shows during the past 12 months, including SIGGRAPH.

Like always, GDC featured many software and hardware vendors showing off their products. I won’t list them here, but you can find the releases in the special News area dedicated to the show. (Click on News at the far left of the page.) Instead, I will focus on what I found particularly interested there.
Sony on the Move

The most impressive announcement, in my opinion, was Sony’s Move controller. In a PR event befitting this device, Sony made the announcement to a room of journalists during a special off-site event the day before the trade floor opened. And it certainly got the attention of the press.

Sony made it official. It is moving into the motion-controlled video game arena with its Move system, which includes the Move controller (a wand-like device with a sphere on the end) and a PlayStation Eye camera. Sony will offer the Move kit—which includes the controller, camera, and a Move game title—for the introductory price of less than $100 this fall. The system will work with a player’s current PS3, or players can purchase the whole system (which includes the console).

The announcement of the device definitely throws down the gauntlet in terms of Nintendo’s Wii. The Wii and PS3 were introduced about the same time: holiday-season 2006. While many predicted that the PS3, with its powerhouse graphics and Blu-ray player, easily would be the console of choice for most and far outsell Nintendo’s cheaper and less advanced graphics console, they were wrong. The Wii became the frontrunner, and was a must-have on most holiday wish lists the following year. While it did not sport the bells and whistles of its competitor, the Wii did offer something that was an obvious gem: motion control.

So what’s so different about Move? In one word, accuracy/precision. Unlike the Wii, the Move reflects exact movements and incorporates those into the gameplay. With the Move games, a player’s accuracy is reflected in his or her success. This is done with the Eye camera, which detects the exact location and movement of the controllers.
As part of the unveiling, Sony had a large room set up for journalists, enabling us to test out the Move on a number of titles. In addition to the adult titles, there were others geared to kids.

Sid Meier
Another highlight of the conference was Sid Meier, who gave the keynote address on Friday. Meier, known as the father of gaming, discussed the psychological experience of the genre. He broke down the psychology of gaming into four categories: egomania, paranoia, delusion, self-destructive behavior. Successful games should empower the player—to a limit. As he pointed out, the player should not always win. But there should be a clear path to achieve success.

Conference Floor
This year, most of the activity was under one roof—and it was certainly appreciated. No more running back and forth between buildings.

Indeed, the exhibit hall was busy, but the majority of activity seemed to be in the Job Fair area, at the far end of the show floor. Every time I was near that vicinity, the aisles were packed. Given the economy, it is not surprising that so many were looking for employment opportunities. However, it was a two-way street, with game studios interviewing long lines of hopefuls.

I also noticed that a great deal of space in the exhibit hall was taken up by studios, including giants such as Sony Computer Entertainment and Nintendo, as well as smaller facilities such as 38 Studios ad Blue Castle Games, along many others. In addition, there were a number of international pavilions, where a group of game-related companies from specific countries provided a glimpse of their interactive entertainment offerings under one roof, so to speak: Germany, Bavaria, France, Canada, Scotland.

All in all, the show was successful, though it appears that GDC is becoming a mini E3 as opposed to the hard-core game development show it once was. Traditional game development tool vendors were placed here and there among studios and other types of companies. Is that a good thing or not?

SIGGRAPH, Coming Soon

Terrence Masson — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:47:00 GMT

SIGGRAPH returns to LA this year - what will be new at the conference?

There will be much excitement and great content as we return to Los Angeles.

Dynamic changes in 2010 include the new SIGGRAPH Dailies! program celebrating excellence in computer graphics by showcasing behind the scenes work and the artists stories that enhance their extraordinary power and beauty. Contributors submitted short (5-15 second) animations of recent work [from the past 18 months] whether professional, personal, academic, or student work.

Also, a major shift this year is in timing. In past years, contributors to the Computer Animation Festival adhered to two deadlines for submission - one for partially completed works, and a later deadline for when that work was completed. In essence, this early deadline had a major impact on submissions. This year’s later deadline for the Computer Animation Festival now provides contributors with far more time to prepare their works for the final submission deadline on 19 April 2010. In the end, this should make for a much deeper and stronger program.

Each year the technical content presented at SIGGRAPH gets more and more impressive. So it’s always the goal to improve upon the content offered in previous years – a challenging but rewarding task. This year, expanding submission categories and extending deadlines opens the pool of contributions to much wider spectrums of the whole industry ensuring the presence of more great content than ever before.

We are also reinstituting our youth program “SIG kids” with a goal of engaging, educating, and fascinating pre-teens and teens through science, CG, technology, art and so much more.

What is your vision in "the people behind the pixels"?

To reach out and stress the personalities, the stories, the history behind the most unique and excellent content in CG and interactive techniques ... stressing community and personal interaction during the conference; using social media more than ever to engage our international community before, during, and after the conference.

Previously you served as Computer Animation Festival chair (which is a daunting task in itself), what motivated you to take on the role of overall conference chair?

To make a difference to the Community that has been part of my life since first attending SIGGRAPH in 1988; to take on the ultimate challenge of building a world-class team and leading them to make a conference filled with "Wonder" – a feeling we're hoping to instill in all the 2010 attendees and contributors.

How is the SIGGRAPH conference trying to remain relevant?

By constantly evolving and refining based on all our collective experiences; we listen to our attendees and our volunteers very closely and are constantly re-evaluating the best way to present our unique content. Quality vs. quantity is definitely something we're focusing on in 2010 and beyond.

What are some of the things that you are most excited about for the 2010 conference?

I'm looking forward to experiencing it myself! So much fantastic content that you cannot experience anywhere else - from the Technical Papers Fast Forward, to the Computer Animation Festival, Art Gallery, Studio, networking events … just to name a few.

What changes (if any) should attendees expect this year?

Clarity ... from the redesigned web-site to on-site programming layout - attendees will know what they want to see before and during the show like never before. Also, it is important to note that we are returning to the Sunday through Thursday format based on attendee feedback. So, once again the Papers Fast Forward will kick-off on Sunday.

The Case for a 'Mass Effect' Movie

Hollywood.com — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:50:00 GMT

For the uninitiated, Mass Effect is a sci-fi RPG video game series from developer BioWare that finds the player taking on the role of a human soldier, Commander Shepard, who is tasked with investigating an ancient race of aliens believed to be a threat to not only mankind but the known universe. With the recent release of the second game in the series (to as equally rave reviews as the first entry), it was revealed that BioWare has seen tremendous amounts of interest in a Mass Effect movie adaptation, but that they've essentially yet to be swayed by any studios. The way I see it, this means only one thing: Hollywood wants the property without BioWare getting creative control. And what that tells me is, Hollywood may just miss out on a gold mine.

There's a studio out there that needs Mass Effect. This is the single most robust, easily adaptable game property to come along in years; that it happens to be sci-fi is merely a bonus for us. Avatar has given Fox unprecedented grosses at the box office around the planet, proving that there is not only a desire but a need for new, big-budget, high-concept sci-fi movies with big splashes of action and side-dashes of sensuality. Sure, a few studios now have their own properties in development that have the potential to rope in a revitalized sci-fi fan base, but none of them is original to the big screen. The most prominent of the lot is arguably Pierre Morel's adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune, yet as excited as I am to see someone take a new crack at that dense material, I'd much rather see those efforts go toward forging a new cinematic sci-fi property.

Avatar, for better or worse, proved a lot of things. Perhaps most relevant to this article is the fact that people are eager to see non-humans on the big screen. Audiences may still need an Earthly proxy for the story, but there is an appetite for alien species that aren't people-eating monsters that a smart studio should capitalize on. And it doesn't get any more multi-species-friendly than Mass Effect, whose universe is populated with a variety of non-human races, all integral to the story. Not only that, but they're humanoid enough that they won't look too goofy whether they're live-action prosthetics or CGI creations, yet they're unique enough to be as iconic as any of the denizens found in Star Wars or Star Trek.

The relationships Shepard (and in turn, us) forms with his crew take on the audience-friendly tone that defines the best men-on-a-mission movies. As Shepard and his ship explore the galaxy, ME morphs into an almost Dirty Dozen story that's practically begging for an ensemble cast of equal caliber. There are clear villains, but their motives are a bit more complex (and ominous) than what passed muster in Cameron's blockbuster.

That leaves us with an effects-heavy action film set in space with a complex plot and the potential to bring together the kind of actors whose careers have been defined by group work like this. But before this starts to sound too much like a flick tailor made for guys who love spaceships and explosions, it is worth pointing out that the only complaints ever raised against the game were from conservative groups (who never actually played it) bothered by the fact that your human player could form an intimate relationship with, if so chosen, an alien. So, if a studio is looking to lure in the vast crowds that ate up the Jake/Neytiri angle, ME already has one built in.

Now the only major obstacle in adapting ME into a movie is the fact that the game can take over 20 hours to complete, and even then there are easily another 20 hours of side stories waiting to be told should you take the time to discover them. That said, it's easy to imagine the core story getting boiled down to a two-hour film. Just stick with Shepard, his main crew and their quest to take down the mysterious Protheans before they corrupt everything. Not an impossible task by any means.

Having said all of the above, however, I'm not campaigning for some studio to court BioWare into handing over the rights so they can make a cash grab at them Avatar monies. I don't want anyone to even attempt making a Mass Effect film unless they're going to give it the love and care it deserves (I could spend another thousand words doing a fantasy draft of cast and crew). But, given the post-Avatar climate in which the industry now finds itself and the fact that Disney is probably going to have the first genuine blockbuster based on a video game this summer with Prince of Persia, now is the right time for a studio to pick up a multi-film franchise that practically delivers itself on a silver platter.

I guarantee that if Prince of Persia is a hit, Hollywood will scour the game world for its own properties; whoever gets Mass Effect is going to have a big advantage over the competition. If they buy it now they may even look like geniuses.

12-21-12

Karen Moltenbrey — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:56:00 GMT

Will the world really end on December 21, 2012? Some doomsday followers believe it will. Others chuckle at the thought. But one thing is for sure, the end of days occurs with unbelievable death and destruction in the film 2012, released to theaters now.

So, what’s the big deal about this date?

On a vacation in the Yucatan Peninsula this past summer, we took a trip to Tulum, to see the ancient Mayan ruins. Our guide, an archaeologist of Mayan decent, discussed all things Mayan, and gave us an in-depth lesson about the unusual structure of the Mayan calendar, with its concentric circles and glyphs.

The calendar is really a combination of two others: the Tzolk’in and the Haab.

In a nutshell, the Tzolk’in calendar, which consists of 260 days per year, is dubbed “The Great Circle,” and marks the distance in time between two significant astronomical events. Remember, to the Mayan, astronomical events dictated the best time to plant and the best time to harvest. (They did not have their days planned to the precise minute, as we seem to do today.)

Numbers were significant in Mayan culture--in particular, the numbers 20 and 13. (There are 10 fingers and 10 toes, equaling 20; there are 13 major joints in the body where it is believed that illness can attack, and 13 levels of heaven.) Seemingly not coincidental, there are 20 day names and 13 numbers in the Mayan calendar.

The calendar starts with the first day name and the number 1. The days continue in sequence until all 13 numbers are used. At this point, the numbers begin again at 1, but the day name continues sequentially to the 14th day name. After the 20th day name, the numbers continue on in their increments of 13 (at this point, it would be number 8) and the day names rest to the beginning.

At the end, you will have 260 unique days. One 260-day cycle is needed to prepare the land for planting crops, such as corn, and another 260-day cycle is needed to grow and harvest it—in effect, the distance between the two significant astronomical events.

The Maya liked to keep things simple. But some complexity came into play when the 360-day Haab calendar was integrated with the Tzolk’in. The end result was the Calendar Round, whereby the 260 days of the Tzolk’in were matched up with the 360 days of the Haab. Now, the calendar had 18,890 unique days, or 52 years. But, the calendar itself only measured a single year. And the Mayans wanted to record history that spanned hundred, even thousands, of years.

This was done with the so-called Long Count Calendar. Enter more complexity. The span of the Long Count Calendar is called the Great Cycle, and lasts approximately 5,125.36 years. Historians believe, based on documents and interpretations, that the current Great Cycle began August 13, 3114 BC. Dates in present-day time are depicted as a set of five numbered sets, separated by periods. Reading from left to right, the first place signifies the number of baktuns since the beginning of the Great Cycle, followed by the number of katuns, tuns, uinals, and kins. (Each has a value, such as one day is a kin, and 20 days, or kins, is a uinal.)

On December 21, 2012, the Mayan representation of the Great Circle number will be represented as 13.0.0.0.0.

Some say that is the day the earth will end, as predicted by the Mayans. So, what did our guide think? He explained that when that day happens, the calendar will simply reset and begin anew. After all, it is just a numbering system, a way for the ancient Mayans to track time, particularly for plantings and harvestings.

Nevertheless, the concept is intriguing and sparked the doomsday film, 2012, which opens this weekend in theaters. (Read about how all the effects for the film were created in the November issue of Computer Graphics World.)

What will happen, if anything special, on December 21, 2012? We will all know on December 22, 2012. But for now, go see the film for what it is, entertainment.

A Christmas Carol

Karen Moltenbrey — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:17:00 GMT

Today, Disney is releasing the highly anticipated Disney’s A Christmas Carol, a stereoscopic 3D presentation of the Charles Dickens novella. In the past, the book prompted a stage presentation and even a 2D animated movie. But it is highly unlikely that any form of media will awe audiences like this one.

The person behind the curtain on this project is director Robert Zemeckis and his ImageMovers studio, which incorporated the performance capture techniques and motion capture to enable actor Jim Carrey to assume the role of Scrooge, as well as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come.

Performance capture is a process that digitally captures the performances of the actors with computerized cameras in a full 360 degrees; the film will be presented in Disney Digital 3D. The technologies allowed the filmmakers to present a true Dickensian world with no artistic restrictions, transporting the audience to a time and place previously unavailable.

“The technology is liberating for me as a filmmaker,” says Zemeckis. “It allows me to separate the cinema aspect of making a movie, which is something all filmmakers try to control, and realize the magic of the performances from my cast. It’s the perfect blend of welcoming those wonderful accidents that happen when an actor is performing, and then being able to put the cinema language into the film.”

This new holiday classic may remind folks about another holiday book-turned-film from recent years: The Polar Express. Zemeckis was director on that movie, as well, a release that helped get the stereo 3D train rolling down the tracks once again. For Express, just like he did for Monster House, Zemeckis (along with Sony Pictures Imageworks) captured the performances of the actors playing human characters in the film, and applied that data to CG characters. More recently, he advanced the technology on Beowulf.

No doubt the movie is groundbreaking, just as the others were. However, there is something missing from the picture. In the months leading up to the release of Express, motion-capture technology—once the domain of the CG industry—became a popular topic among the non-technical crowds. It was demonstrated a number of times on prime-time morning and news shows. It was everywhere. Soon the technology was the star of the show, not the show itself.

It appears that Zemeckis and Disney do not want that to happen yet again. Interviews involving the technology were politely turned down. I am disappointed, and no doubt you, our readers, are, as well. I am confident that the movie will be groundbreaking, thanks to the technology, and will be a visual feast for the eyes. And the story, as it has for many decades, will take us through an emotional gauntlet of ups, downs, and everything in between.

While we cannot offer a heaping plateful of the behind-the-scenes reveal, we can offer a basic serving of information about the film, which can be seen on our Web site, under the Web Exclusives area.

Enjoy both the mini story and the movie.

Borderlands

By Karen Moltenbrey — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:14:00 GMT

Independent game developer Gearbox recently released its latest title, Borderlands, published by 2K Games. The offering is a blend of RPG and FPS. What does this mean? Action wrapped up in a nice story, and guns, plenty of guns. What is different about this title, and what attracted me to it, is the aesthetic. It is actually beautiful. Artistic.

I have to congratulate the crew at Gearbox for coming up with the new look. I also have to congratulate the management there, and at publisher 2K Games, for being brave enough to change the look of the game after nearly three years of development. Obviously that was not an easy decision to make, but a good one, in my opinion. Can you imagine, spending three years creating imagery with a photoreal look, only to wake up one day and take the imagery in a totally different direction, one that is more artistic, handcrafted?

The game assets, created basically in Autodesk’s 3ds Max, Luxology’s Modo, Pixologic’s ZBrush, and Adobe CS4, look like concept art, and that was the intention. The characters and objects have a thick black outline, and inside the lines, a rich, detailed, handpainted texture. According to Brian Martel, art director, this new look matches more closely with the exaggerated, over-the-top action in the game. And indeed, the action is very much over the top. But then again, that reflects the game’s first-person shooter action.

According to Randy Pitchford, executive producer and president of Gearbox, the concept for Borderlands started from a game design angle. The Gearbox folks, he says, had discussed doing blended game genres. The FPS genre the studio was familiar with: Brothers in Arms, CounterStrike, 007 Nightfire, Half-Life, and more. RPGs, on the other hand, are different. Whereas shooters are more moment-to-moment, with input and feedback, moving, dogging, and shooting, role-playing titles are more experience-oriented, with goals, options, and character development.

“Borderlands started from a game design angle to take the FPS game fun in the moment to moment and layer it into these RPGs that are compelling in the absence of skill,” says Pitchford.

The realistic game was well under way, and the world even got a peek at it. Then, Martel had an idea that literally changed the game. He and a group of artists worked secretly in that they had Pitchford’s blessing but would not show their progress or work until they had something to show. At the end, he was pleased, as was 2K Games.

The rest is history.

(See the full story about the content creation of the game in the November issue of CGW.)

Ray Tracing Developers, Start Your (Acceleration) Engines: OptiX API Now Available

Mark Priscaro — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:31:00 GMT

NVIDIA now has the high-octane fuel ready at the pump that software developers need to transform their applications. The NVIDIA OptiX ray tracing engine is now available for fueling, er, downloading <http://developer.nvidia.com/page/home.html>

As the world’s first interactive ray tracing engine, OptiX leverages the massively parallel power of NVIDIA GPUs for maximum performance and scalability. In providing a programmable ray tracing pipeline, the OptiX engine gives developers great flexibility to accelerate their ray tracing applications, bringing previously unseen levels of interactivity to a wide range of uses. These include auto styling, design visualization and visual effects. It’s also ideal for non-rendering disciplines, such as optical design, acoustical design and collision analysis.

Jeff Brown, NVIDIA’s GM for Professional Solutions, explains why OptiX is invaluable: “This opens the door to a new level of interactive realism. Ray tracing’s inherent parallelism makes it a perfect fit for GPU computing. The OptiX engine makes it easy for developers to exploit that power to create an exciting new class of applications. It enables critical design tasks -- such as examining reflections, refractions and shadow – to be performed now in real-time.”

The OptiX engine, which has been beta tested for the past six months, drastically shortens the development time required to create ray tracing apps by supplying state-of-the-art acceleration approaches that allow developers to concentrate on compelling features – not just performance.

OptiX apps will realize substantial performance gains as NVIDIA GPUs continue to advance. How? Well, NVIDIA’s current GPU architecture nearly doubled OptiX performance over its previous generation. And tests on our upcoming Fermi GPU architecture show performance will greatly increase again.

Also, while today’s release requires NVIDIA’s professional solutions of Quadro FX and NVIDIA Tesla, the OptiX engine will soon expand its support to include NVIDIA GeForce GPUs with Fermi, as forthcoming performance will make ray tracing possible in consumer applications.

The best part? The OptiX ray tracing engine is available free of charge and can be downloaded from the NVIDIA Developer Zone <http://developer.nvidia.com/page/home.html> .

Want to see interactive ray tracing in action? Interactive ray tracing examples can also be downloaded and run using NVIDIA Quadro FX professional graphics solutions or NVIDIA Tesla computing solutions.

Best regards,

Mark Priscaro
Senior Public Relations Manager

Lucky Number 7

Karen Moltenbrey — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:48:00 GMT

Lucky Number 7

Looks like for many Microsoft users, today is a day for celebration. Windows 7 is now available.

I have to admit, the cute commercials that have been airing lately to herald the arrival have caught my attention. You know, the ones with the children doing cool things on the computer. Would it really be that simple?

Microsoft says, “Yes, it is.” I say, “I hope so.”

I am a Mac person. Have been for a very long time. Things just seem simpler on a Mac. My husband is a PC guy. So is my son (though, I think he would prefer a Mac). Maybe it is the left-brain/right-brain thing: Macs for the more creative types, and PCs for the linear thinkers. But then again, I do not think our mixed household is that much different from many others. As was pointed out recently by a tech writer, a recent NPD survey found Macs and PCs “living together harmoniously in America's homes.” In particular, 12 percent of US computer-owning households now own a Mac, up from 9 percent in 2008. (No doubt this is attributed to the shooting stars of Apple’s line, such as the iPod and iPhone.) Furthermore, nearly 85 percent of Mac households also own a Windows-based PC, and two-thirds of Apple households own three or more computers.

If you are a PC-only person, forgive me for not being so excited about Windows 7. But then again, I would be happy for an alternative to Vista. When I have to use our PC, and when I have to use it, I feel as if Vista creates a mountain out of a mole hill at times. I scan a file. Where is it? It takes a half hour to locate it. Nothing seems to be as intuitive as it is on my Mac. The PC makes me think too much.

Bill Gates, in an interview in Newsweek some time ago, hinted that this version of Windows would be “more user centric” than previous iterations. Hey, that’s a very good thing.

Don’t get me wrong, where would any computer user—PC, Mac, or otherwise—be without Windows? We need Windows. It opens many doors.

The graphics industry seems to be excited. Today alone I received a number of press releases from companies proclaiming support for #7. And, it seems that Microsoft has made some magic of its own, besting Harry Potter at Amazon.

Are you celebrating this Microsoft moment?

Alien Action

Karen Moltenbrey — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:43:00 GMT

For those who missed the chance to see the amazing alien action played out in Monsters vs. Aliens, now’s your chance. Recently, the film hit the DVD market.

While there has been a ton of talk about just when and how stereo 3D will arrive at the home, this revolution is happening, albeit slowly. But DreamWorks is helping its progression, as is BOB, the lovable character from Monsters vs. Aliens. The “Ginormous Double DVD Pack” gives us the laughs from the feature film. It also gives us “BOB’s Big Break” both in 2D and in “Monster 3D.” The latter option can be experienced using the 3D glasses included in the DVD set.

If you didn’t see the movie in theaters, do it now. If you did see it once, then see it again.

It’s the Law

Karen Moltenbrey — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:42:00 GMT

“Put down that game controller and step away from that console.” In essence, those could be the words—or at least the English translation—that some gamers in Venezuela could hear very soon.

The issue facing law officials in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, is street violence. In the many crime-ridden slums around the city, youngsters are transitioning from virtual weapons to real ones, way to easily. To curb this trend, Venezuela’s National Assembly is moving forward to prohibit violent video games and toys. A final vote is expected soon.

But not everyone is happy about this proposal. Granted, the teens playing these games at Internet cafes are not happy. While parents seems to favor the ban, many say it is a small band-aid on the gushing wound of violence plaguing the country. Last year, the Ministry released figures that put the weekly homicide rate at 152, or 7900 yearly. Put into perspective, that is five times the murder rate of Texas, which has roughly the same population as Venezuela.

Will the ban result in lower murder rates? Time will tell. But it could have a negative effect, as well. Without the entertainment and distraction of video games, the teens who once occupied their time in a virtual reality may turn their attention to the streets.

The big question here is this: Because teens play violent video games, does that make them more prone to real violence? Some groups believe it does. Others, particularly those in the gaming industry, obviously do not. It’s akin to the porn issue: Does watching porn make a person go out and commit a sexual crime?

Violence in video games is an ongoing topic, as it is in film and television. I am sure more research and studies are likely to follow.

Industry survey reveals the determination of the games sector to avoid the mistakes of the music industry

Karen Moltenbrey — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:34:00 GMT

Can the games industry avoid the pitfalls of the music industry? Many are sure hoping not to repeat those mistakes.

A survey of selected delegates and speakers at the forthcoming London Games Conference has revealed a determination within the games industry to not repeat the mistakes made by the music industry with regards to digital distribution.

Stuart Dinsey, managing director of Intent Media, an organizer of the conference, commented: “Our survey has shown that the games sector is determined to learn from the mistakes made by the music industry by embracing digital distribution earlier and more efficiently. Whilst the claims of parity in three years with retail sales may be wide of the mark, it’s very clear that digital distribution is gaining a momentum that would have been unthinkable even a year ago.”

The London Games Conference, due to be held at BAFTA on Tuesday 27th October, is set to explore the various aspects of digital distribution as well as examine successful businesses that have closed the gap between creators and customers. Delegates will also hear two researched based presentations examining the growth of the digital sector across all genres.

“Digital distribution is the defining issue within the games industry over the next three years. The long-term success of every player within games will be judged on how they develop their digital strategies. The London Games Conference is set to be just the beginning of an industry wide debate that will continue long after the 27th,” Dinsey continued.

Companies participating at the conference include Microsoft, Sony, Playfish, Jagex, Direct2Drive, Sega and Chart Track.

Amsterdam Design Guide

Jennifer Wolfe — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:27:00 GMT

Each year, thousands of people converge on the city of Amsterdam for the International Broadcasting Convention, or IBC, one of the industry's largest trade shows. Most attendees are already pretty familiar with what the RAI Convention Center has to offer: strong coffee, stale broodjies, confusing floor plans, and row after row after row of brightly lit exhibits showcasing all the latest and greatest technologies. Oh, and don't forget the beach!

What some convention-goers may forget is that Amsterdam, home of the internationally renowned Gerrit Rietveld Art Academy, is celebrated for its cutting-edge design, including art, fashion, architecture, furniture, and home accessories. And when I'm not geeking out over VFX or 3D workflows, I am obsessed with design. Each year after IBC, I try to stay on in the city for at least one extra day to explore and soak up some of that Dutch design goodness.

Friends and colleagues hit me up regularly for recommendations in Amsterdam, which over time has led to the compilation of an informal design guide. Thanks to leading design blog Design*Sponge, which provides design guides for cities around the world, among other design-related awesomeness, the guide has finally been formalized - complete with interactive Google map - and is now available to everyone on the Web.

The Amsterdam design guide covers the entire city, broken up by neighborhood, with recommendations for shopping, strolling and sightseeing, as well as restaurants, and even a few must-see hotels in each area. Check out the full guide HERE [http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/10/amsterdam-guide.html], and get a head start on some extra-curricular planning for IBC 2010!

Jeff Kleiser Interview

Barbara Robertson — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Interviewed Jeff Kleiser about Synthespians' work on Surrogates, and
learned that he inadvertently provided a prop for the film. "I have a
1977 GMC motor home that I use for location work," he says. "It's my
office, car and hotel room. So, I had it on location in Boston. There's
a scene in the movie where the character The Prophet is supposed to have
a Winnebago. The director saw my motor home and said, 'I want that one.
Can we rent it?" I said, 'Sure, if you give me an office, a hotel room,
a car, and a rental fee." And, they did. So look for Kleiser's motor
home in the film and maybe someday, Kleiser laughs, on eBay.

Look for the feature story about the digital work on Surrogates in the
October issue of CGW.

The Greatest Comic Book Game of All Time?

Martin McEachern — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:27:00 GMT

In 2008, the Dark Knight delivered arguably cinema’s finest hour, and now, the caped crusader could represent the shining moment for gaming in 2009, as well. I just finished playing Batman: Arkham Asylum, which has been lavished in rapturous prose and superlatives since its release—even going down in the Guinness Book of World Records as the Most Highly Acclaimed Comic Book Game of All Time—and all I can do is add my voice to the choir: This is easily the best comic-book game ever created, and a front-runner for best game of the year. CGW will have an in-depth look into the making of the game in an upcoming issue, including an exclusive interview with art director David Hego from Rocksteady Studios.

While the game is faithfully rooted in the famed graphic novel Arkham Asylum, by writer Grant Morrison and David McKean, it plays out like a love letter to the entire 70-year mythos of the franchise. The story begins with Batman escorting the Joker to Arkham Asylum, an island prison for the criminally insane, where he eventually escapes and sets the inmates free, including Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy (in her painted-on panties), Killer Croc, and the Hulk-like Bane.

From there, the game immerses the player in a Gothic hellhole that’s as unique and as fully realized a biosphere as Bioshock was in 2007, from the crumbling, gargoyle-adorned asylum, with its 1920s retrofitted look, to the murky waters lapping at the island shore, to the ghostly depths of the forest where Batman’s cave lurks. It’s a common setting for suspense and horror stories (reminding me a lot of Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island), and indeed the game veers, by turns, from action to suspense, to outright Silence of the Lambs-style horror. The audio logs containing dialogs between Arkham medical staff and the inmates show you just how disturbed they all are, fleshing out their backgrounds, and showing you how villains like the Riddler, Croc, and Harley Quinn went sideways.

The high-poly characters, modeled and animated using Zbrush and 3ds Max, are exquisite, and the pitch-perfect vocal performances by Mark Hamill as the Joker and Kevin Conroy as Batman (both reprising their roles from the animated series) really bring them to life. The detailed normal mapping on the faces is so stunning that I can hardly wait to see what the textures will look like on the PC version, which Hego says will be uniquely authored in 2048x2048 for high-end machines.

It’s hard to imagine that this game could actually get better. But it will.

Watch Video - Batman Arkham Asylum Trailer

Watch Video - Batman - Arkham Asylum Behind the Scenes

Watch Video - Batman Arkham Asylum - Making the Game

SIGGRAPH High Points

Barbara Robertson — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:47:00 GMT

The good thing about SIGGRAPH in N. O. is that the people who went were the hard core - some of the most brilliant people in CG.

Loved that SIGGRAPH gave back to the community, integrated music & sound into the conference, and brought back scientific & data-driven art.

Realtime, it’s all about realtime this year. And Evan Hirsch, as always, was at the hub.

Lots of stuff simmering around previs including efforts to subdivide and classify the process. Pay attention. Make sure artists benefit.

At SIGGRAPH: Belly laughed as Richard Chuang, Turner Witted, and Rodney Stock shared stories from wayback. You know who they are, don’t you?

In NO: Listened to Grandpa Elliott with Kevin G. Clark (check his facebook), with CGW crew, and again with David Salesin, Ken Turkowski, and Rodney Stock.

At SIGGRAPH: Bumped into Chris Landreth while he was on the phone with Donna Cox and introduced him to the View’s Maria Elena Gutierrez :-)

Favorite T-shirt: UP dogs. Hat: Pixar Teapot. Press reception: Luxology. Party: ILM at Tipitina. Reception: Disney R&D. Lunch: Jon Peddie.

Loving this digital input device discovered in one of those little booths in the back of the room: http://www.3dmotion4u.com/

Student Volunteer Blog #6

Ashley Marie Samour — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:51:00 GMT

I am a rising sophomore at the Miami International University of Art and Design. My focus is VFX and Motion Graphics along with 3D Animation. My passion for these artistic disciplines seems to grow each day as I enter a classroom or begin a new project. Imagining the countless opportunities and amazing career possibilities of doing what I enjoy most is a unique perception that, I know, very few should only be so lucky to experience.

Digital Domain’s work on “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” was absolutely amazing! SIGGRAPH and CGW, through the Student Volunteer’s Committee, were kind enough to provide us a sort of preliminary panel discussion with information on some recent CG animated films and how one can break into the industry. Others on the panel were Jason Smith, a digital production supervisor at ILM, Evan Hirsch, Creative Director at Microsoft Live Labs, Frank Vitz, a CG Supervisor at EA, and Steve Preeg (substitute for Paul Lambert), the Academy Award winning Character Supervisor at Digital Domain.

The talk explaining “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and how the talented people of Digital Domain replaced a body double’s head in 325 shots was impressive, to say the least. It is a crazy, yet, incredible achievement. That means a whole 52 minutes of the film was a completely CG animated head replicated as an elderly Brad Pitt. They actually used an 80-year-old man for a body double! (He was in pretty good shape for an 80-year-old, if you ask me.) Rick Baker and Kazu Tsuji had to create three life maquette casts of Brad. They used photographic references of Brad’s teeth, eyelashes, and other detailed facial features including every line and wrinkle around his eyes. Preeg also joked about the consistent and straining track-checks they had for the process of this film, or “tequila-checks” as he so happily described.

The CG Brad head had to be locked to the motion and resemble Brad Pitt in a fast, cheap way. However, after considering a few options, they decided to use a volumetric capture system called Mova's Contour. Steve Preeg also was good enough to provide us with information on the new up-coming sequel, “TRON Legacy”. Before working in the film industry, Steve announced he used to work as an engineer for nuclear weapons. Wow! Now THAT is intimidating.

Jason Smith, from ILM, also explained the modeling factors of the “Devastator” monster robot from the movie “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”. Those who have seen the film and/or trailor can be informed that “Devastator” was the monster-of-a-robot that sucked up anything in its path at the end of the film. Jason pointed out that he and his team had to use 80,000 parts for this one Decepticon while “Optimus Prime” only had 10,000. Jason explained that they used grid mesh for the dust/sand-sucking scene. This allows for an easier and believable scene to be accomplished. I just want to say THANKS FOR THE EPIC VFX!

Student Volunteer Blog #7

Amanda Young — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:36:00 GMT

Wednesday/Thursday/Friday

Tuesday evening marked the end of the Fjorg adventure, and from then on the room next to the Geek Bar Voodoo Lounge was transformed into Gamejam. Gamejam, being an entirely different beast than Fjorg, required different mascots. Since Gamejam is a sort of sneaky contest all in its own, for obvious reasons Vikings don’t quite fit the whole ‘sneakiness’ option. So what sort of creatures did SIGGRAPH get? Why, the allusive ninja of course.

It’s hard to say whether there was one or a hundred ninja’s promoting Gamejam this year. Mostly you wouldn’t know they were there until their ‘GAME JAM!’ sign almost smacked you in the face. Just as your mind had time to register the bold sharpie on the white poster they carried with them, it disappeared. Seeing a Gamejam ninja was, I imagine, something as amazing as getting a special edition black Pixar teapot—although since you never actually knew if you truly saw a ninja or not, that comparison is up for discussion.

I spent my Wednesday morning sitting in the SIGGRAPH Asia booth trying to spot the allusive ninja, and not having much luck. The booth was a nice relaxing shift, since all it required was sitting behind a counter and handing out cool posters and pins to excited SIGGRAPHians and, of course, answering the occasional question.

Little did I realize just how awesome the day would be. At around 12pm, a man came up to the booth to help represent the SIGGRAPH Asia spirit. Being a good little SV, I looked at his badge to see just who I was sitting with. For a good ten seconds I think my heart stopped when I read the name ‘Pixar’ on the badge—I couldn’t be bothered to read anything else on it for a minute like, say, a name.

Once I had recovered from my temporary shock, I learned that sitting next to me was Tony Apodaca who is the Supervising Technical Director for Pixar. He also happens to be the Courses Chair for SIGGRAPH Asia and the author of the book, Advanced RenderMan. And really, he just looked like he worked at Pixar—handsome in a charmingly geeky way, bubbling personality expected from someone in the animation field, and accompanied by the general wave of awesomeness that seems to follow all of the Pixar crew.

I knew I had to play it cool, and in twenty seconds I had played about sixty conversations in my head which ranged from giggly fan-girl to slightly stalkerish Pixar wannabe, to professional just looking to hold an intellectual conversation. Unfortunately, as my mind settled on the ‘professional’ option, my mouth once again proved it doesn’t wait for my brain to tell it what to do. To my dismay, “SoISeeYouWorkAtPixarOhMyGoshSoTotallyAwesome,” left my mouth before I could blink. My heart sank down to my knees and I wanted to curl in a hole and die, but I responded by making the situation even more awkward by immediately closing my mouth and flashing Tony what will probably go down in history as the most creepy stare ever.

He probably gets it all the time, though, because he responded with a joke and easily lightened the situation up. Once I stopped being all awkward and horrible, I actually had a really awesome time. We talked about a variety of things, and exchanged business cards. For a good hour and a half we sat in the booth chatting about everything from the new Disneyland California Adventure attractions to the convention in general.
Tony was a magnet for VIP’s in the industry, too. Through him, I met some of the higher-up’s at ILM, Technicolor and Intel. It really put into perspective just how small this industry really is. I got a lot of questions answered, and it totally validated my Student Volunteer experience. When he left, I’m pretty sure I sat in my chair for half an hour just smiling at nothing. If I happened to jump off a building in that moment, I’m pretty sure I would have floated.

My next shift was not so awesome, but not terrible either. I worked in the back of a warehouse type area unpacking boxes and folding t-shirts for SIGGRAPH 2010. It was the first type of behind the scenes work I had to do since all of my other shifts involved talking and interacting with the people, so it was a change of pace if nothing else. The interesting part was taking stuff to the dumpsters, because you got to walk behind the exhibits which was kind of neat. The area was by the Autodesk booth too, so I danced to the music they were bumpin’ and it made the shift breeze by.

Over Thrusday and Friday I worked in Emerging Technologies, or E-Tech, twice. My first shift was helping to promote the ‘Sound Scope Headphones’ which were really cool. When you put them on, the direction you turned your head determined what instruments would play louder and, if you covered the headphones, you could isolate a single instrument. The second shift I worked was for a 3D Teleconferencing device which scanned my face from behind a curtain and allowed me to converse with the crowds that would come up through a 3D scan of my face involving mirror projections. From behind the curtain, I had a camera that allowed me to see the crowd, but the cool thing was when I made eye contact with whatever was on screen, so would the projection of my head. The mouth moved when mine did, and it really looked just like my head was floating in space.

Later on, I worked the Computer Animation Festival during a screening and talk about an animation project that was animated on the internet by people around the world. I also had two door guarding shifts during a medical animation talk and screaning, and a 3D screaning of Pixar’s short: Tokyo Mater and a few clips from Sony’s new movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs—which was also shown in 3D.

I spent my free time in the Geek Bar which Disney had transformed into the Voodoo Lounge. The decorations were from their new movie, The Princess and the Frog scheduled for release in December. The lighting consisted of sinister greens and purples complete with signs for Dr. Facilier’s Voodoo Emporium. Dr. Facilier, who I can only assume is the villain in this masterpiece, made several appearances throughout the lounge in expressive cut outs that left everyone intrigued and enchanted. Around the walls were pictures of dancing voodoo dolls that were complemented nicely by a jazz band playing lively in the corner when talks were not in session.

On Friday evening everyone checked out and lined up for a huge raffle. Among the prizes were all three of the Autodesk titles (3Ds Max, Maya, and Softimage), an Eve doll from Pixar’s Wall.E, and a Wacom Bamboo Tablet. I happened to win a Gnomon DVD and a copy of Autodesk Maya, so I was super excited! Besides all the prizes, though, it was awesome to see all of the SV’s together. Everyone had become such good friends and I think I speak for everyone when I say it was truly an amazing experience.

If anyone is reading this blog and wondering weather they should volunteer next year in LA, the answer is YES! There are plenty of job’s for SV’s to do besides the ones I got to experience, and once you become an SV you can apply for a Team Lead position and from there…the sky is the limit! Not only that, but the SIGGRAPH conference is an amazing networking experience in general. I met two guys from Microsoft while out and about exploring New Orleans, so it just goes to show you never know who you might be standing next to. This conference really brings all of us together and I hope that plenty of youngsters get to experience what I did. It was an amazing opportunity, and something I will never ever forget.

Student Volunteer Blog #8

Ashley Marie Samour — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:32:00 GMT

SIGGRAPH IS A WORLD OF IT’S OWN

I am a rising sophomore at the Miami International University of Art and Design. My focus is VFX and Motion Graphics along with 3D Animation. My passion for these artistic disciplines seems to grow each day as I enter a classroom or begin a new project. Imagining the countless opportunities and amazing career possibilities of doing what I enjoy most is a unique perception that, I know, very few should only be so lucky to experience.

SIGGRAPH IS A WORLD OF IT’S OWN! I loved being a Student Volunteer!
I applied to volunteer during the SIGGRAPH Convention as a SV (Student Volunteer) to help set up and help manage each day of the convention. I did not know exactly what to expect, but I could not believe how amazed I already was just by the initial set-up of the place on that Sunday afternoon. This was my first time attending SIGGRAPH and after all I’ve seen and experienced, I know for a fact it won’t be my last. I worked at the Chapters Booth that first day, watching the Blue Sky, Autodesk, and Digital Domain logos being hung above their booths in the SIGGRAPH show floor. This already heightened my already eager sensations of bliss.

The Student Volunteer program at SIGGRAPH is a great way to get your foot in the CG Industry door and come out with great rewards (like the free licensed 2010 Autodesk 3ds Max I won for being a excelling SV). The friends and connections you make will last you a lifetime, and the talks and events of the convention are beneficial in an infinite amount of ways. SIGGRAPH opened my eyes to what I want to work hard for in my future. It re-charged my imagination to the grand scheme of things in this industry. It’s very scary knowing and seeing what these professionals have already accomplished!

I have to admit; I was extremely intimidated by the fellow attendees and volunteers that I met throughout my week. Demo-reels, portfolios, and resumes flew left and right of me. I am still a 2nd year in college just learning the ropes. However, I also realized that everyone has his or her own pace. At the CGW session following the SV Orientation, one of the speakers, named Frank Fritz, commented on the fact that he dropped out of college at one point and finally found himself working on the visual effects for 1982s “TRON” and the recent “X-Men” movies. Another one of the speakers, Evan Hirsch, left me with a memorable quote. “A hero is someone who never asks questions; don’t be a hero.” In this industry, working as a team and sharing your ideas is a key necessity. This is why SIGGRAPH exists. It’s a way of learning from each other and improving for the future.

It is incredible to see how all these industry professionals started out. In New Orleans’ Bourbon Street one night, I met an animator for NASA who started out as an engineer. Now his job is to simulate black holes and probable space endeavors. I merely met him at a bar. It’s amazing how many interesting people you run into at SIGGRAPH. I definitely will attend again in next years in Los Angeles and Vancouver!

Will Wright, Partly Cloud, Robots, Cyborgs, and the Final Frontier

Josh Corken — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:30:00 GMT

Tuesday, the Exhibition opened. The line started to form at least 30 minutes before the floor actually opened, but we were able to watch Autodesk's demo reel from where we were standing. Autodesk always has one of the best spots at the exhibition. Probably because they dominate the 3D software world. No big deal.

What was the first thing we did when they let us in? What do you think?! We rushed to the Pixar booth to get in the already enormous line to get a poster. They give posters and teapots out every year and you will NOT understand how crazy people are for them until you stand in a line that weaves through the entire exhibition floor to get one. This is no joke. I bet if you search Pixar teapot line in YouTube, you will find some footage. Here's the line (we are literally at the front of it too):

The exhibition is always awesome. Free stuff and plenty of big company recruiters to talk to. But, that didn't keep me away from the keynote speaker of the day, Will Wright. Some of you may know him as the creator of The Sims and Spore. An extremely talented man and one funny speaker. This was the best keynote of the whole conference, in my opinion. I think everyone can agree. He spoke about perception and how we react to certain things in the visual world.

Many of you have seen the latest film from Pixar and very popular Box Office sensation, "UP." If you saw that, you must have seen the beautiful short animation featured before called "Partly Cloudy," by Peter Sohn. He spoke about the struggles he went through while directing this film and how he managed to convince the big boys at Pixar to let him do it.

Really an amazing success story by one of the nicest, most modest speakers at this convention. Probably one of the best I've ever been to in my time at SIGGRAPH. Congratulations to him and the team at Pixar for such a beautiful film.

That last part of this title will make sense in a second. Some of the coolest stuff you get to see at SIGGRAPH comes from the production sessions, where they invite artists who work on features such as Terminator, Transformers, and Star Trek. They show behind the scenes footage and breakdowns of exactly how they put certain shots together.

It's brilliant and quite depressing when you see how talented the teams at the major studios are. I wasn't able to stay for the entire session because the Pixar presentation was halfway through this, but I got to see so much about the making of the new Terminator Salvation! It was funny to hear how much work went into making a CG Arnold Schwarzenegger and getting his permission to use him in the movie. You know he's the governor of California now, right? How weird!