Hasta La Motion!

It’s not long now until SIGGRAPH Asia hits Tokyo. The computer graphics event begins December 4th, and runs at the Tokyo International Forum until December 7th.

SIGGRAPH Asia will have some fantastic talks, papers, displays and experiences for attendees. vfxblog will be there, and I highly recommend signing up now. You can find out more about how to do that right here.

Meanwhile, vfxblog has secured a special sneak preview of some of the VFX and animation-related talks that will be held at SIGGRAPH Asia. These feature some of the biggest studios around, including ILM, Pixar and Weta Digital. Check out the details below.

From Gollum to Thanos: Characters at Weta Digital

Of course, Weta Digital is another major player in the visual effects world, and they continue to stun audiences with photoreal and emotional performances. VFX supervisor Matt Aitken, who helped bring Thanos to life for Avengers: Infinity War, will run-down how Weta Digital continues to innovate on CG characters.

Production Session by Pixar

There’s more to CG animated film than just animation, and that’s something that will be explored by Pixar Director of Photography Erik Smitt, who recently worked on Incredibles 2. He’ll break down the lighting and camera work in the film and give an overview of how Pixar managed to make this incredible sequel to the original film.

The History of VFX at ILM from Jurassic Park to Ready Player One

ILM is a name synonymous with visual effects – the studio has been in existence for more than 40 years. Which is why this presentation from Nigel Sumner, Creative Director, ILM Singapore and Nico Delbecq, Effects Supervisor, ILM Singapore, is a must-see, because it will show all sorts of imagery and give all kinds of details from ILM projects over the years.

Behind the scenes of Solo: A Star Wars Story

Nigel Sumner, Creative Director, ILM Singapore and Atsushi Kojima, Lead Animator, ILM Singapore, will talk through ILM’s visual effects for the latest Star Wars film, including how a lot of the work included old-school fx techniques combined with the latest in computer graphics and compositing.

Beyond the Uncanny Valley: Creating Realistic Virtual Humans in the 21st Century

Digital humans are currently one of the holy grails of VFX, and they’re also a big part of VR/AR and gaming developments in recent times. Several experts will weigh-in on where we are at in relation to the crafting of virtual beings:
– Christophe Hery, Senior Scientist, Pixar Animation Studios
– Hiroshi Ishiguro, Professor, Director of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory, Department of Systems Innovation, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University
– Matt Aitken, Visual Effects Supervisor, Weta Digital Ltd
– Prasert “Sun” Prasertvithyakarn , Senior Game Designer, Luminous Production
– Erik Smitt, Director of Photography, Pixar Animation Studios

Hope to see you in Tokyo, and keep an eye out on vfxblog for more SIGGRAPH Asia previews!

Centered around light, refraction, and the visual spectrum Optics is a beautiful example of abstraction and animation’s innate ability to create an experience that can feel so foreign yet familiar at the same time.