LOS ANGELES — Registration is now open for SIGGRAPH 2017, the annual interdisciplinary educational experience showcasing the latest in computer graphics and interactive techniques. The show will be held July 30th through August 3rd in Los Angeles (http://s2017.siggraph.org/registration).
SIGGRAPH 2017 will be “bigger and better than ever,” says Jerome Solomon, this year’s conference chair. SIGGRAPH 2017 marks the 44th International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques.
“We are very excited about returning to Los Angeles for this year’s conference,” Solomon says. “We have plans for over a dozen awesome experiences that we’ve never done before. For example, we will be holding our grand opening day reception at the California Science Center, which will offer attendees the chance to get up close to the actual Space Shuttle Endeavor. We will also be debuting a brand-new VR Theater—a venue in which attendees can experience VR storytelling from different filmmakers using state of the art technology and VR headsets.”
ACM SIGGRAPH announced the selection of Jerome Solomon, Dean of the College at Cogswell College, as conference chair in 2015. In his role at Cogswell, Solomon is responsible for all of the school’s academics, classes, faculty, and programs, ensuring that the school delivers “the best, world class education we possibly can for our students. We teach both sides of the brain—art and science—and, as a result, Cosgwell has a lot of synergy with SIGGRAPH.”
Solomon has nearly 20 years of industry experience in Hollywood, having held positions with Industrial Light and Magic, DreamWorks Animation, Electronic Arts, and Rhythm & Hues Studios. During his career, he received film credits on "Avatar," "Madagascar," "Shrek 2," "Babe," "Ace Ventura II," and "Batman & Robin." In addition, he has shipped three AAA game titles: "Star Wars: Force Unleashed," "Tiger Woods 07," and "The Godfather Game.”
On this year’s conference, Solomon continued, “Not only is Los Angeles one of the world’s major hubs for the entertainment industry and all the major movie and TV studios, but it’s also dramatically evolved in recent years and has finally ‘arrived’ as a player within the digital space. LA has numerous top digital companies located in Silicon Beach, and the city has also become a key player and the home of countless new VR content development and production companies.”
Regarding his outlook on the digital graphics industry, Solomon adds, “Interactive technologies, realtime graphics, virtual reality, and augmented reality are all key growth areas today. In fact, the computer graphics industry is going through a bit of a renaissance right now—CG plays a critical role in more everyday digital tools and technologies than ever before. It’s bleeding over everywhere, and into so many industries.”