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SIGGRAPH2007 Preview
Posted on Jul 16, 2007 by johnmont
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Conference Chair Joe Marks talks on our fxguide podcast about Siggraph 2007  The PapersThe highlight of any Siggraph is the Papers. Marc Levoy (the 2007 Papers Chair) and his jury did a fantastic job at not only reviewing and selecting all of this year's papers but also seeking out the very best computer graphics research from around the world. For an overview of the papers, check out this QuickTime overview of the papers. 
Paul Debevec father of HDR, from the Institute for Creative Technology Most of the papers are available on the web for this years conference - if you want to get a head start at This web site but we thought we'd get some expert advice from a friend to point us in the right direction. Paul's Pick of the Papers All the papers are great, the standard is exceptionally high but we asked Paul Debevec for a personal opinion on some of the papers he is personally really looking forward to seeing: In no particular order, here are Paul's top five personal picks to watch out for in this year's Conference: (in fact there are so many good papers - Paul picked 6) Here are some of my favorite papers picks 1) Scene Completion Using Millions of Photographs 
) James Hays Alexei A. Efros Carnegie Mellon University 2) Image Deblurring With Blurred/Noisy Image Pairs A novel method to deblur an image, with the help of another noisy image of the same scene. The paper also proposes new methods of de-ringing the deconvoluted image. 
) Lu Yuan The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Jian Sun Microsoft Research Asia Long Quan The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Heung-Yeung Shum Microsoft Research Asia 3) The Lightspeed Automatic Interactive Lighting Preview System A system for automatic interactive preview of RenderMan scenes during lighting design. Lightspeed automatically creates previews from unmodified input, supports final-quality motion-blur/transparency, and guarantees interactivity performance through progressive refinement. 
) Jonathan Ragan-Kelley Massachusetts Institute of Technology Charlie Kilpatrick Brian Smith Industrial Light & Magic Doug Epps Tippett Studio Paul Green Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Christophe Hery Industrial Light & Magic Frédo Durand Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory 4) Frequency Domain Normal Map Filtering A method of filtering normal maps that convolves the BRDF with the normal distribution function (NDF). The NDF can be represented in spherical harmonics or by using a new spherical vMF representation. 
) Charles Han Bo Sun Ravi Ramamoorthi Eitan Grinspun Columbia University 5) Dappled Photography: Mask-Enhanced Cameras for Heterodyned Light Fields and Coded Aperture Refocusing This method exploits Fourier-domain remapping of 4D ray-space to capture 4D light fields on a 2D sensor in a conventional camera using a transmissive mask. No lens array is used. 
) Ashok Veeraraghavan Ramesh Raskar Amit Agrawal Ankit Mohan Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories (MERL) Jack Tumblin Northwestern University 6)Image and Depth From a Conventional Camera With a Coded Aperture A simple modification to a conventional camera that allows for simultaneous recovery of both high-resolution image information and depth information from a single image. 
) Anat Levin Rob Fergus Frédo Durand William T. Freeman Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Computer Animation FestivalThere was a record number of submissions for this year's Computer Animation Festival The Computer Animation Festival jury selected from a record 905 submissions for exemplary use of computer-generated imagery and animation, and compelling storytelling. With show categories ranging from animation to research, this year's submissions originate from countries across the globe including France, Germany, Japan, Poland, South Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. Also, for the first time in the history of SIGGRAPH, two of the award-winning films are student entries. A total of 134 submissions were accepted. "I'm thrilled with the jury's selections. With the record number of submissions, our material truly represents the best of the best in all of the show categories," stated Paul Debevec, SIGGRAPH 2007 Computer Animation Festival Chair from the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies. "This year's show weaves together amazing visuals from numerous disciplines into a single mind-altering experience." 2007 is a notable year for studio-produced shorts with Pixar's "Lifted," Blue Sky's "No Time for Nuts," and Blur Studio's "A Gentlemen's Duel" lending heavy-hitting strength to the Electronic Theater show. "The Electronic Theater also presents a watershed year for fluid simulation in feature films. Scanline's '300's Liquid Battlefield,' Sony Pictures Animation's 'Surf's Up,' and Digital Domain and Industrial Light and Magic's 'Pirates of the Caribbean' all feature uniquely executed but beautifully believable digital oceans and waves," added Debevec. SIGGRAPH 2007 Computer Animation Festival highlights include: 
) Ark (Best of Show) Grzegorz Jonkajtys and Marcin Kobylecki, www.thearkfilm.com, Poland An unknown virus has destroyed almost the entire human population. Oblivious to the true nature of the disease, the only remaining survivors escape to the sea. In great ships, they set off in search of uninhabited land untouched by the deadly virus. So begins the exodus, led by one man ... 
Dreammaker (Jury Honors) Leszek Plichta, Institute of Animation, Visual Effects, and Digital Post Production, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Germany In the past, this talented dreammaker created the most beautiful dreams for people. Now, he lives in solitude focused on only one purpose - the creation of a special dream - his dream ... En Tus Brazos (Award of Excellence) François-Xavier Goby, Edouard Jouret, Matthieu Landour, Supinfocom Valenciennes, France A remarkable tale of the greatest tango dancer of the 1920's who finds himself confined to a wheelchair after an unfortunate accident. Thanks to his loving wife, he recovers the use of his legs just in time for the most magical dance of his life. Lifted Gary Rydstrom, Director, Pixar Animation Studios, California, USA A bumbling young alien student from a distant world tests the patience of an increasingly weary instructor as he attempts a first-time abduction of an innocently slumbering farmer in "Lifted," the comical latest short film from Pixar Animation Studios. A Gentlemen's Duel Francisco Ruiz & Sean McNally, Directors, Blur Studio, California, USA In "A Gentlemen's Duel," a new short film presented by Oscar-nominated Blur Studio, this time-honored tradition is re-imagined with a fantastic blend of boisterous characters and over-the-top comedic action. A seemingly innocent tea party takes a turn for the dramatic when two imperious aristocrats suddenly find themselves competing for the affections of the same fair lady. Travelers: Snowball Dan Lemmon, Weta Digital Ltd, New Zealand "Travelers: Snowball" begins with a man walking down a steep street in San Francisco. He crashes through a yard sale, before tumbling head-over-heels down the hill. As the man continues to roll he creates a "snowball effect," accumulating objects from the street to create an enormous ball of urban debris. A VFX Journey Through Pan's Labyrinth with CafeFX CafeFX, California, USA When the harsh world of the Spanish Civil War becomes too horrific to bear in director Guillermo del Toro's visually rich and complex "Pan's Labyrinth," young Ofelia escapes inward, finding in her imagination the power to heal her real-world wounds. Challenged to create the mythical creatures and landscapes of Ofelia's fantasy, CafeFX embarked on an artistic and technical journey spanning four months of location shooting and five months of post production. New This YearIP Marketplace This is a new service for a nominal fee, inventors and owners of patents, software libraries, circuit cores, etc. can list them for sale or license. Potential buyers can peruse the listings and then contact sellers in person at the conference to discuss purchase or licensing. The details of each deal will be decided solely by the buyer and seller. FJORG!: FJORG! is a contest of skill, creativity, and endurance. Teams of iron animators will be challenged for 32 hours straight to create an animated sequence of at least 15 seconds in length. "Every year SIGGRAPH brings the brightest minds together from throughout the world," says Patricia Beckmann-Wells, FJORG! Chair. "FJORG! is a unique opportunity to watch talented people put together incredible work in a limited timeframe under significant pressure. This is expected to be the most challenging animation contest in the world." In the first international FJORG! - an iron-animator event - competing three-person teams of CG animators have 32 hours to create a 15-second or longer animation based on a theme presented at the event, using the tools and assets provided by FJORG! Their goal is to resist the distractions and meet the deadline for creating the best character-driven animation the world has ever seen. In return for their efforts, these teams of artists will earn the attention of recruiters and talent from the top studios in computer graphics, feature films, animation, and game production Provided Software Autodesk Maya and 3ds Max Softimage Adobe Photoshop, Flash, and After Effects TMZ Modo Judges Simon Allen: Animator Pixar Animation Studios Scott Benza, Animation Director, "Transformers" Industrial Light & Magic Spencer Cook Animation Director, "Spider-Man 3" Sony Pictures Imageworks Raman Hui Co-Director, "Shrek the Third" DreamWorks Animation SKG Gregorz Jonkajtys, Directing Artist Marcin Kobylecki, Executive Producer "The Ark" (SIGGRAPH 2007 Computer Animation Festival Best of Show) David Smith DreamWorks Animation SKG FJORG! Teams Commandos : Joseph Daniels, David Suroviec, Crystal Dynamics, Jedidiah Mitchell, PSYOP Hellanimation: Gil Gavish, Amit Chachek, Tomer Tvizer The Pillage People: Jeff Gill, Will White, Robin Holstein :Savannah College of Art and Design Animação Barros Melo : Leonardo Domingues da Silva, Antonio Farias Neto, Pedro Augusto Seed: Jacob Patrick, Wade Hampton, Hock Wong Impulse: Joe Garhan, Ryan Drag, Denny Jovic , Illinois Institute of Art - Schaumburg The Henchmen: Ryan Chen, Arjun Rihan, John Helton, University of Southern California The Grumpy Dumplin: Harry Porudominsky, Snoot Entertainment, Dane Stogner, Snoot Entertainment, Mike Safianoff, Tippett Studio Team Mocap : Jim Levasseur, Tomas Jech, W. Jacob Gardner: Bowling Green State University Arconyx Kenny Roy, Jake Bergman, Dan Barker: Arconyx Animation Studios Ricochet: Minoru Okamoto, Yoko Otani, Daisuke Miyagawa: Polygon Pictures Picture This Juan Pablo Sans Matthew Doble Julio Galan : Miami International University of Art and Design Trible-Beat: William Moran , Blake Penido, Nick Bane: Woodbury University TEKKAI Keiko Arase, Yusuke Miyazawa, Masataka Ajima Prosthetic Foreheads: Kristin Callahan, 3D Energy, Erick Rohn, Rochester Institute of Technology, Ferris Webby, Rochester Institute of Technology * fxguidetv will be there to record the ... ahhh... effort ;-) Job FairEmployers and creative professionals will once again be able to connect before, during, and after the conference! Based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback received from last year's attendees, all of the same features and benefits will be provided again, PLUS a few new enhancements! Siggraph is one of the best places in the world to go for a job in computer graphics, companies spend vast amounts to recruit at the show, if your thinking of changing jobs, Siggraph is a once a year chance to talk to the recruiters and drop off your reel. Tuesday, 7 August 10 am - 4 pm Wednesday, 8 August 10 am - 4 pm Thursday, 9 August 10 am - 4 pm Participating Companies * SPECIAL OFFER For members of fxphd there is a free service to review and help prepare your showreel for Siggraph. Members can get expert advise on how to better present their reel - before Siggraph. Featured SpeakersEach year there are featured speakers and two are of particular interest to fxguide 
Recent Accomplishments and Upcoming Challenges for Interactive Graphics in Videogames Glenn Entis is responsible for setting EA's overall graphics and technical strategy, and for leading the community of over 3,000 talented artists and engineers at EA's studios worldwide. He is also a member of the WW Studios executive team that oversees all aspects of the development of EA games. Before EA, Entis was a co-founder of PDI (now PDI/DreamWorks) and CEO of DreamWorks Interactive. In addition to his professional achievements, Entis serves on the Board of Governors for the Emily Carr College of Art and on the Advisory Board for the Masters of Digital Media, a new graduate program at Great Northern Way in Vancouver. Monday, 6 August Room 6 AB & CF 1:30 - 3 pm 
Comics: A Medium in Transition American comics are changing fast. Bolstered by the literary ambitions of the "graphic novel" movement, a flood of international influences and the growing importance of new technologies, the comics landscape shifts regularly in surprising and increasingly unpredictable directions. Author and comics artist Scott McCloud puts all these trends into perspective in a fast-moving visual presentation. Scott McCloud has been writing and drawing comics since 1984. His book Understanding Comics was a New York Times Notable book for 1994 and is available in 16 languages. "Sin City" and "300" creator Frank Miller called him "just about the smartest guy in comics." His new book, Making Comics, explores the art and craft of telling stories visually. Tuesday, 7 August Room 6 AB 1:45 - 3:30 pm Attendee Registration Deadline ApproachingEarly-Bird Registration Ends 29 June - Attendees can save up to $275 Registering for SIGGRAPH 2007 is easy. Early-bird registration ends 29 June. Registration is simple and only takes a few minutes. Go to Siggraph registration 
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