Mark Bolas

Realtime Graphics at the Film Show

Getting into the Computer Animation Fesitival at Siggraph is a big deal. I have been involved with projects that made it in 3 times over the past 20 years - each time I held my breath while the clip played. I found it strange to be so nervous as the clips were pre-recorded and I must have watched them 50 times before.

Imagine the rush when the film show started with a special emphasis on realtime computer graphics, and the first example was. . .. Flower! Yeah! Way to go thatgamecompany! I have no idea how John Edwards managed to breathe while playing the game - live of course - on stage in front of thousands.

Siggraph 2009!

IMD has multiple papers and exhibits at this year's Siggraph. Here are a few I know about:

Tracy Fullerton, Nahil Sharkasi, and Jesse Vigil of the Interactive Media Division, and Laird Malamed of Activision Blizzard, Inc. are presenting:
Designing History: The Path to Participation Nation

Andrew Jones, Magnus Lang, Graham Fyffe, Xeuming Yu, Jay Busch and Paul Debevec of USC's ICT, and Mark Bolas of IMD, and Ian McDowall of Fakespace Labs, Inc. are presenting:
Achieving Eye Contact in a One-to-Many 3D Video Teleconferencing System

In addition, the 3D Video Teleconferencing System was packed in a rental truck on Wednesday, and is being set-up in New Orleans right now. There is a very rough/early video of it in operation here.

(Thanks Paul Debevec for the photo)