Company Partners with Dell, Intel and Wacom to Provide Opportunity for 3D Artists Worldwide to Connect

Autodesk, Inc., will host its annual 3December event to celebrate 3D computer graphics, and the artists who create them. Running from December 1–10, the event will include live and virtual activities that connect thousands of 3D artists from around the world. Attendees will be able to share their work, learn from top digital entertainment professionals, and network with other artists. more

Contributes 175 Shots to Chris Weitz-Directed Follow-Up to Hugely Successful ‘Twilight’ Film

Prime Focus VFX, formerly Frantic Films VFX, has completed 175 visual effects shots for the Summit Entertainment release, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” directed by Chris Weitz. Prime Focus contributed a majority of the film’s most frequently featured visual effects, including CG water, atmospherics, CG matte painting and environment work, and the “Diamond Skin” effect on Edward and the other vampire characters. “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” is based on the popular series of novels by Stephenie Meyer. The film stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner and hits theaters Nov. 20th. more

Autodesk Consulting Provides Linux Pipeline Implementation for Mudbox Digital Sculpting and Texture Painting Software

Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) has announced that DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (NASDAQ: DWA) and Sony Pictures Imageworks are integrating Autodesk Mudbox software into their Linux-based production pipelines. Autodesk Consulting’s custom development team worked collaboratively with teams at Imageworks and DreamWorks to port the digital sculpting and texture painting software to the Linux platform. Mudbox for Linux is available through Autodesk Consulting services. more

Prime Focus, one of the world’s leading visual entertainment services groups, has named Mark Intravartolo Creative Director for North America.

Based in Hollywood and reporting to Prime Focus President of Worldwide Visual Effects, Michael Fink, Intravartolo will drive the company’s efforts to expand its services, team, and client base in television visual effects. Mark joins Prime Focus from Modern VideoFilm where notable projects included effects for “Grey Gardens,” “John Adams,” “Taking Chance,” “Max Payne,” “Tropic Thunder” and nine seasons of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”. more

One of Hollywood’s hottest producing duos turns to Troika to rock its theatrical debut

Troika Design Group, a strategic branding and design agency for media and entertainment companies, has been tapped by Polsky Films, an independent feature film production company, to produce its signature logo animation. The production tag debuted at the LA premiere of Werner Herzog’s “The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” starring Nicolas Cage. more

Digitally Enhanced Faces of Assassin’s Victims Haunt Viewers in Commercial for New Ubisoft Release

Digital Domain forces viewers to stare deep into the faces of the freshly deceased in “Eyes,” a television commercial for “Assassin’s Creed II,” the new third-person action-adventure video game from Ubisoft. Directed by Andrew Douglas of Anonymous Content via ad agency Cutwater, the spot demonstrates Digital Domain’s expertise in working with the contours of the human face. But instead of creating a fully computer-generated version à la The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Digital Domain applied digital production techniques to give the live-action actors a haunting, hyper-photorealistic quality. “Eyes” breaks Nov. 9, 2009. more

Blur Studio recently completed a ten-spot series of commercials for Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers via Young & Rubicam, NY. The campaign is entirely computer generated and was directed by Blur’s Leo Santos.

This work represents the campaign’s fourth season featuring the adventurous animated Goldfish characters, and is the first time the campaign presents a progressive story arc spanning 10 commercials. At the end of Season 3, “Gilbert” is separated from his friends when he gets sucked up by a vacuum cleaner. Season 4 is dominated by the search for Gilbert by his Goldfish pals. more

Preview Provides Glimpse of Future Technology: Autodesk Smoke Editorial Finishing System on the Mac OS X Platform

Autodesk, Inc., is participating in the International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition (Inter BEE) in Hall 7, Booth 7407, at the Makuhari Messe Convention Center in Chiba, Japan, November 18–20, 2009. At Inter BEE, Autodesk is showing a technology preview of its industry leading Autodesk Smoke editorial finishing software running on the Mac OS X platform. This will be the first time an Autodesk finishing product has been designed to run on the Mac platform. Autodesk is also showcasing its latest visual effects, finishing, color grading and animation solutions for television, film and commercial post-production. Autodesk Inter BEE 2009 theme is “Conceptualize. Create. Produce.” more

Boutique visual effects studio Ingenuity Engine has collaborated once again with director Joseph Kahn on a futuristic new music video for R&B singer Chris Brown’s track “I Can Transform Ya,” the first single off his forthcoming album Graffiti (due Dec. 8). Ingenuity Engine created a VFX-intensive and hyper-stylized world for the video, which premiered Oct. 27th and features Chris Brown, producer Swizz Beatz and rapper Lil Wayne as they deconstruct and shapeshift into sports cars, armored tanks, helicopters and other objects. more

SpeakeasyFX Delivers “Abby’s Flying Fairy School” Computer-Generated Series for TV and Web

For the first time, a 3D animated series is part of the “Sesame Street” television program. The program’s 40th anniversary season debuted today, including computer-generated (CG) segments delivered by SpeakeasyFX and made with Autodesk Softimage software from Autodesk, Inc. (ADSK: NASDAQ). The series features a digital version of the favorite Muppet fairy-in-training, Abby Cadabby. “Sesame Street” is the longest running children’s program on television. more