Casualties of the Recession

Posted By Martin McEachern

The econopocalypse has blazed a path of destruction through every sector of the economy—leaving Chrysler and now GM in bankruptcy. Now, it looks like the wave of destruction is bearing down on the effects industry, too, refuting the theory that this ... Continue reading "Casualties of the Recession" »

June 23, 2009 | Permalink | Comments(0)

Believable CG Spaceships

Posted By Martin McEachern

Star Trek had a stellar opening this spring, raking in over $222 million in just 31 days. While the crew is new, and the franchise has been stripped of its usually weighty themes, in favor of an action-packed thrill ride replete with shaky ... Continue reading "Believable CG Spaceships" »

June 23, 2009 | Permalink

A Film by the Great Hugh Jeego

Posted By Martin McEachern

Not long ago, I found myself in a large visual effects studio watching an animator pouring his heart into the performance of a cute, stick-like alien with big saucer-shaped eyes. The animator’s name is Dave. He stands up, bleary-eyed from exhaustion, ... Continue reading "A Film by the Great Hugh Jeego " »

June 23, 2009 | Permalink | Comments(0)

Real-time optical flow tracking

Posted By Barbara Robertson

Real-time optical flow tracking – a video that NVIDIA posted is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D93RmW_eN4. Amazing. I just wrote about optical flow in my Night at the Museum 2 story for the June issue, which –will be online soon-ish. The crew ... Continue reading "Real-time optical flow tracking" »

June 17, 2009 | Permalink | Comments(0)

I’m fascinated with Google’s new Wave

Posted By Barbara Robertson

I’m fascinated with Google’s new Wave, a communication tool (to say the least) developed by the guys who created Google Maps. I suspect that it might be useful in studios… worth checking out, anyway. Here’s a link to the amazingly tech-savvy Tim ... Continue reading "I’m fascinated with Google’s new Wave" »

June 3, 2009 | Permalink | Comments(0)

Just wanted to say ...

Posted By Barbara Robertson

Just wanted to say I saw Up in stereo 3D last night after seeing it in 2D at a press junket a couple months ago and I loved it all over again. Did I love it more than in 2D? It was definitely magical seeing the images I’d seen before open up and push ... Continue reading "Just wanted to say ..." »

June 2, 2009 | Permalink | Comments(1)

Digital VFX combined with practical effects

Posted By Debra Kaufman

New Deal Studios, in Marina Del Rey, CA, has completed visual effects for two summer movies: Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian and Terminator Salvation. For Night at the Museum, New Deal VFX supervisor Ian Hunter developed the film's ... Continue reading "Digital VFX combined with practical effects" »

May 29, 2009 | Permalink | Comments(1)

Up, Up and Away

Posted By Kelly Dove

Ready for flight with Disney’s latest animated blast “Up,” which opened May 29, Regal Cinemas has committed to show the movie in 222 locations across the country utilizing the RealD cinema system. If you’re unfamiliar with the “Up” story line, it ... Continue reading "Up, Up and Away" »

May 29, 2009 | Permalink | Comments(0)

Storefront Displays Get Geeky

Posted By Kelly Dove

The latest craze to fill storefronts, emptied by the spiraling economy, is surprisingly, advertising. A once vacant storefront at Seventh Avenue and 50th Street in New York City, for example, is now a digital 3D branding campaign for Snickers. The ... Continue reading "Storefront Displays Get Geeky" »

May 29, 2009 | Permalink | Comments(0)

The Internet sure seemed like a good idea at the time

Posted By Kathleen Maher

Here’s the set up – the writer at her desk. Tappity tap tap tap, writity, write, write write. Then, a pause, a thought, she turns to the Internet to check an assumption. Time passes. The tapitty tap tap tap, has slowed to the occasional tap, tap. ... Continue reading "The Internet sure seemed like a good idea at the time" »

May 20, 2009 | Permalink | Comments(0)

C U Real Soon

Posted By Barbara Robertson

I woke up in a traveler’s nightmare. The blue numbers on my bedside clock blinked five-thirty. The letters OMG flashed in my head. I was screwed. I had to catch a five-forty airporter shuttle to make a seven o’clock flight. I had ten minutes. For a ... Continue reading "C U Real Soon" »

May 20, 2009 | Permalink | Comments(0)

What Makes a Game?

Posted By Karen Moltenbrey

It’s very easy to identify what is a video game and what is not. The Sims. Grand Theft Auto. MLB 09. World of Warcraft. Resistance 2. Yup, they are all video games. Whether an MMORPG, a first-person shooter, or a life-simulation game, they all have ... Continue reading "What Makes a Game?" »

May 20, 2009 | Permalink | Comments(0)

Apple’s Big Bite

Posted By Karen Moltenbrey

In the May issue of Computer Graphics World, contributing editor George Maestri discussed how cutting-edge graphics technologies are finding their way to a host of mobile devices, particularly cell phones. One company leading the charge is Apple, ... Continue reading "Apple’s Big Bite" »

May 20, 2009 | Permalink | Comments(0)

What’s Old is New Again

Posted By Karen Moltenbrey

It seems like just yesterday (though it was in late 2006) when Sony released the PlayStation 3. Crowds were lined up outside of stores, with eager fans—teens, parents, 30-something-year-olds—camped out in parking lots in the bitter cold, hoping to ... Continue reading "What’s Old is New Again" »

May 20, 2009 | Permalink | Comments(0)

Going in Circles Can Take You Somewhere

Posted By Barbara Robertson

Last November, I traveled to two computer graphics conferences in Europe on back-to-back trips. The View conference in Turin, Italy, which I wrote about here ( ... Continue reading "Going in Circles Can Take You Somewhere" »

May 20, 2009 | Permalink | Comments(0)

Andy Wahol, the father of social networking

Posted By Kathleen Maher

The Andy Warhol exhibit just closed at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco with a party and performance by SF punk vets the Mutants. The DeYoung show brought back memories and recreated a little corner of the Warhol's Factory where everyone was a ... Continue reading "Andy Wahol, the father of social networking" »

May 19, 2009 | Permalink | Comments(0)