http://www.scarablabs.com/star-filter-after-effects
I also welcome feedback!
~ New high-end graphics card improves performance for GPU-reliant applications like Maya, 3ds Max, NX and SolidWorks ~
~ GPU supports simultaneous displays, ideal for multi-application workflows, collaborative design and stereo 3D in broadcast and post production ~
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, August 18, 2011 AMD today unveiled its line-up of technology and customer demonstrations scheduled to take place at the companys booth (hall 7, H35) at IBC 2011. The show will provide attendees with a first look at the AMD FirePro V7900 and V5900, the new flagship models of its workstation-class professional graphics cards which deliver strong application performance in broadcast workflows. The cards reduce the cost and complexity of immersive visualization applications such as stereo 3D.
AMDs newest offering will expand on the professional graphics family which uses AMD Eyefinity technology to support multiple simultaneous displays from a single card, and accelerate complex 3D models at resolutions of up to 2560 x 1600 pixels.
AMD will also be announcing new products in its graphics pipeline developed for the broadcast industry in collaboration with leading broadcast and production experts.
Partner demonstrations on the stand will include Vizrt, Eyeon and Ventuz.
About AMD
AMD (NYSE: AMD) is a semiconductor design innovator leading the next era of vivid digital experiences with its groundbreaking AMD Fusion Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) that power a wide range of computing devices. AMDs server computing products are focused on driving industry-leading cloud computing and virtualization environments. AMDs superior graphics technologies are found in a variety of solutions ranging from game consoles, PCs to supercomputers.
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About Dover Studios
Dover Studios, Inc. was founded in 2000 by brothers, Andrew Hazelden and Russell Hazelden, to provide professional training for visual effects artists working in the film and television industry. Visual effects artists have relied on Dover Studios Maya training videos for years to help them meet the challenges of learning new skills. Satisfied customers around the world include students, freelancers, visual effects studios, universities and businesses.
Dover Studios visual effects training videos are specifically designed to help artists advance their skills in a way that is flexible, convenient, and affordable. The VFX training videos are available as direct downloads from the Dover Studios website enabling artists to learn new techniques right away and at their own pace.
Or you can go old school and follow this link. Any requests, please let me know.. If anyone wants to crosspost to CGTalk, feel free. 😉 Expect an official press release describing this tomorrow.
CORVALLIS, Ore., Aug. 2, 2011, Bringing innovative and affordable motion capture technology to the desktop, NaturalPoint® today announced the immediate availability of the OptiTrack V120 Duo and V120 Trio tracking bars. Offering an out-of-the-box motion capture solution, the new OptiTrack tracking bars incorporate optical tracking technology that is accurate, flexible and very simple to use.
Our new tracking bars are a distillation of our full-scale tracking architecture, offering users our most affordable and convenient motion capture system to date, said Jim Richardson, NaturalPoint president and OptiTracks lead engineer. The Duo and Trio were designed with accessibility in mind and require almost no setup to get up and running.
Offering the power of multiple-camera, 6DoF object tracking in a single, plug-and-play package, the OptiTrack V120 Duo and V120 Trio tracking bars offer a turn-key approach to motion capture. Each tracking bar is self-contained and factory calibrated, providing the ideal solution for desktop capture applications, head tracking, image-guided surgery, computer automated virtual environments (CAVE), OEM integrations, and any other application that requires quick setup, a low profile form factor, or high portability.
"We utilize motion tracking as a tool for interacting with complex 3D objects in our immersive visualization systems, said Julien Berta, vice president of Technology and Innovation at Mechdyne Corporation®, and an early adopter of OptiTracks tracking bar technology. The OptiTrack tracking bars are ideal for our needs as we integrate head, joystick and glove tracking into our systems, all of which require precise, low-latency data to ensure a natural experience.
Optical tracking systems provide an accurate and non-invasive tracking platform, but for some installations their cost and complexity of setup can be problematic, continues Berta. OptiTrack’s V120 Trio gives us clean tracking data, out of the box, with no need for calibration or camera setup. Plus, the price is affordable, which enables us to roll the technology into a variety of systems without driving production costs too high."
Mechdyne Corporation develops turnkey advanced Audio Visual (AV), immersive 3D, networked, and collaborative visualization solutions.
The V120 Duo is equipped with two cameras, for efficient marker-based object tracking. The V120 Trio includes an additional middle camera, useful for increased tracking accuracy or for creating augmented reality applications by combining simultaneous motion tracking and live video.
Additional Features:
Free license of Tracking Tools 6DoF object tracking software (regularly $799)
Simple I/O, with a single cable for power and data transmission
Portable, desktop friendly form factor
On-board image processing, including both marker tracking and full frame scene video modes
Stream (VRPN, trackd, NatNet) or save (.C3D, .CSV) motion tracking data
External synchronization I/O, for compatibility with shutter glasses and other hardware devices
Compatibility with OptiTracks Insight VCS virtual camera plugins
Support for OEM integration via the Tracking Tools API
For additional product specifications, please download the spec sheet.
NaturalPoint will be demonstrating the OptiTrack V120:Trio Aug. 9th 11th at SIGGRAPH 2011, booth #763.
Pricing and Availability
The V120 Duo and V120 Trio are both available for immediate purchase, priced at $1,899 and $2,499 USD. For more information, please contact the company’s headquarters in Corvallis, Ore. 1-888-865-5535, or visit http://www.naturalpoint.com/optitrac…cts/v120-trio/.
About OptiTrack
OptiTrack is the leading brand of affordable high-performance motion capture technology. The OptiTrack product line includes motion capture software and high-speed tracking cameras, as well as contract engineering services. Used by facilities worldwide in a variety of markets ranging from film and games to sports training and biomechanics, OptiTrack customers include Under Armour, NASA, Mechdyne, Lockheed Martin, John Deere, EON Reality, Laser Shot, Ubisoft, Sony, Halon Entertainment, Nvizage, Electronic Arts, Microsoft Game Studios, and other top contractors and studios around the world. For more information, visit www.optitrack.com.
About NaturalPoint
Based in Corvallis, Ore., NaturalPoint® is the creator and manufacturer of the OptiTrack, TrackIR and SmartNAV family of brands. NaturalPoint specializes in providing innovative control solutions through optical tracking technology, and has developed tracking systems for computers, video games, military simulators and unique display systems.
London, UK, August 1, 2011 Cinesite, one of the worlds leading film visual effects houses, has contributed complex visual effects for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Cinesite has worked on every Potter film in the series bringing the total shot count to nearly 2000 during the course of this epic eight-part franchise.
Directed by David Yates, the eighth installment sees the final chapter begin as Harry, Ron and Hermione continue their quest to find and destroy Lord Voldemorts three remaining Horcruxes, the magical items responsible for his immortality. But as the mystical Deathly Hallows are uncovered, and Voldemort finds out about their mission, the biggest battle begins and life as they know it will never be the same again.
Cinesites 2D supervisor Andy Robinson and 3D supervisor Holger Voss built on the companys experience working on all seven previous films to create Cinesites most complex and stunning effects for the franchise.
One of their biggest challenges was creating an intricate digital marble staircase environment, which had to appear in various stages of destruction throughout the film, in varying lighting conditions, all seamlessly integrated into the practical set piece, which was shot at Pinewood studios. Cinesite worked with the production team to determine the different layouts and levels of the staircase and the amount of destruction and rubble as the story develops.
As they did for Part 1, Cinesite again replaced Ralph Fiennes nose area with Lord Voldemorts snake-like snout. Voldemort features prominently in the film so Cinesite had to generate a large number of shots. As his performance is key to the film, it was even more important to retain the subtleties of Fiennes performance by ensuring a highly accurate matchmove.
New wand effects were created some of which required advanced CG techniques – for various scenes as the characters go all out in the final battle. They included fiery whips and explosive shields for MacGonagalls confrontation with Snape, iron chains that Harry fires at a Deatheater, an inky spell fired by Ron that envelopes a Deatheater, and a wand bolt deflection that destroys part of the CG set.
Cinesite has a long history of creating the animated canvas oil paintings in the Harry Potter movies, led by the aptly named Karen Wand. A key moment involves 15 portraits on a wall in the marble staircase environment, with characters fleeing from one portrait to the next.
Cinesite again created a Patronus doe as they did for Part 1, this time from a swirl of ribbons from Snapes wand in a very poignant moment in the film. They again used a fully-furred CG doe, but the trails were completely redesigned to give a different feel with more energetic movement.
Were very grateful and proud that weve had the opportunity to work on every film in the Harry Potter franchise, said Antony Hunt, managing director, Cinesite. With each installment weve created increasingly complex effects, culminating in our work on this film. The franchise has had a tremendous effect on the UK visual effects industry and it has certainly helped us evolve into the diverse, creative company we are today.
About Cinesite
With one of the largest and most comprehensive facilities in Europe, Cinesite’s visual effects team has the capacity and creativity to produce all manner of effects, both digital and physical, for feature films and broadcast projects of all scales. Their award-winning team of highly talented visual effects artists take filmmakers’ ideas and turn them into spectacular cinematic reality.
Cinesite is currently working on John Carter of Mars (Disney/Pixar) and World War Z (Paramount Pictures). Theyve recently completed work on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Disney/Bruckheimer) and X-Men: First Class (Twentieth Century Fox).
For more information please visit www.cinesite.com.
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510-542-4424
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
100% Cloud VFX Company Launched
Albany, CA. July 29, 2011
100% Cloud Based
The Paint Collective VFX, LLC was launched in June as the first 100% secure-cloud based VFX company. Specializing only in VFX Paint, The Paint Collective brings together artists from all over California, a collaborative effort to offer top-level 2D and stereo paint to vendors looking to outsource without sending work overseas. Secure-cloud technology allows all client files to be stored in a central location while the artists have access to only a monitor and mouse from the location of their choice. This infrastructure allows artists to choose what location to work from, but doesn’t have the risks generally associated with sending work to a group of freelancers. The files are impossible for the artists to download; they can only view and work on the files remotely.
100% Top Talent
Allowing artists to choose their working location caters to the experienced, longtime VFX artist who, for one reason or another, cannot work the standard 10 hour day at a VFX studio. Many in the industry find that once they start families they are forced to leave the VFX world altogether due to the immense amount of time they are expected to put in in a studio environment. Artists working with The Paint Collective are paid on a bid-per-shot basis, allowing them to take as much or as little work as they want without jeopardizing clients budgets. There are no rules regarding putting in a minimum amount of time; speed and quality carry a logical reward. Compared with studio pay, in an environment where the number of hours spent sitting at a desk has more to do with a paycheck than the speed and quality with which work is produced, the level of skill which these painters bring to the table ensures that the work is completed with such speed that artists are generously compensated for their talent. The combination of artist compensation, flexibility in artist location and hours results in the very best painters in the industry offering their services through The Paint Collective.
Outsourcing
VFX companies of all sizes are beginning to experience the realities of outsourcing overseas; the prices may be good, but the work is often subpar and in need of revision after delivery. The lack of experienced talent overseas doesn’t change the fact that studios are being further and further squeezed budgetarily. The need for outsourcing may be real, but sending paint work to The Paint Collective allows studios to reduce their costs without sacrificing quality. All work is bid at a modest day rate. Studios can expect the costs to be similar to average artist pay without having to cover facility, insurance, IT, hardware or software costs. All work is kept in the USA, and all contacts are on west coast time, further facilitating client/vendor interactions.
Quality of Life
Artist quality of life is a real issue in the VFX world. A feast or famine industry, the studio VFX artist must go with the tide, often resulting in weeks or months of night and weekend work. With a good size, and growing, pool of available artists, The Paint Collective has the ability to expand and contract quickly to meet the needs of the client without compromising the chosen lifestyle of the artist. Moving forward, the infrastructure that The Paint Collective utilizes is seen by many as the future of the VFX industry; security, talent, fair compensation and reduced costs for studios while keeping work in the USA.
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