Leading visual effects software developer, The Foundry, (www.thefoundry.co.uk) has appointed Richard Shackleton as the new product manager for Nuke, its leading-edge VFX compositing system. Shackleton has over 15 years experience of product development in the visual effects/editing markets, having previously worked in similar roles with well-known manufacturers, including The Foundry. He takes over from Matt Plec who has become Nuke product designer. more

LOS ANGELES (SIGGRAPH Booth #521) – Several of Sony’s highest-profile technologies were highlighted across the SIGGRAPH 2008 Conference last week.

The Sony technologies on display ranged from 4K SXR® ultra-high resolution projection systems to the Cell/B.E. (Cell Broadband Engine™) for multimedia computing applications such as computer graphics and scientific visualization that require massive data quantities to be processed.

“The production community is relying more on high-powered processing and interactive technologies for visualization, motion picture animation, simulation, CAD/CAM work and post-production,” said Andre Floyd, marketing manager for SXRD systems at Sony Electronics. “The Cell technology is driving a range of diverse applications, from our Playstation3 system to now production for motion pictures and visual effects end-to-end workflows. Sony’s 4K SXRD projector is the ideal device to display the full power of the Cell processor.” more

CBS Affiliate in Roanoke, VA Streamlines HD and SDI Broadcasts

AJA Video Systems, a leading manufacturer of professional video interface and conversion solutions, announced today that it has completed a sale of 23 FS1 converters to CBS affiliate WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, VA, via AJA reseller Digital Video Group, Inc. The FS1 is a universal HD and SD, audio and video frame synchronizer and converter supporting virtually any input or output format. more

LoiLo, Inc. today introduced LoiLoScope, their breakthrough video editing software that redefines the video editing experience with speed, sophistication and playfulness never before seen in video editing software. LoiLoScope introduces an entirely new user interface based on an unconstrained, infinitely zoom-able workspace. Their pioneering direct interface with the graphic processing unit (GPU) lets users create and manipulate HD videos freely with one-touch operation and without time-consuming rendering. more

SPEC’s Graphics and Workstation Performance Group (SPEC/GWPG) announced a wide range of upcoming benchmarks at the SIGGRAPH 2008 conference in Los Angeles.

The new offerings will include a power-performance benchmark for workstations, a new version of SPECviewperf, and new and updated application benchmarks. All are slated for release before spring of next year.

“Under our expanded charter announced last year, we are branching out in new directions such as power consumption, while continuing to move ahead with our graphics and workstation application benchmarks,” says George Chaltas, SPEC/GWPG chair. “The overriding objective is to apply SPEC’s expertise and proven methodologies in areas that provide the most value to users, vendors and testing labs worldwide.” more

SPHERON-VR AG has attracted one of the UK’s VFX industry leaders, The Mill London, an Oscar and multi-award winning company with offices in L.A and New York. The Mill selected the innovative SpheroCam HDR.

Jordi Bares, Joint Head of 3D at The Mill, said “The Mill has invested in the SpheroCam HDR to further improve the output of our work by bringing the latest photographic technology to our projects, which will benefit on all aspects of lighting.” more

Winners of FJORG!, the second annual “iron-animator” style competition were announced during SIGGRAPH 2008, the premier conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques taking place this week in Los Angeles. Team Grojf was chosen as the FJORG! winner for their animated reel, “The Red Truck”, comprised of Jacob Patrick, John Nguyen, and Kevin Rucker, were chosen from a field of 16, three-member teams that competed for 32 straight hours to create character-driven animations under extreme pressure and multiple staged distractions.

As overall winners, Team Grojf will receive an exclusive chauffeured tour through Walt Disney Animation Studiosand DreamWorks Animation Studios, as well as other recognition and prizes. Adhering to this year’s required theme (The Saddest Story Ever Told), The Mexicutioners and The Fjantastic Fjorgers tied for second place, with Honorable Mentions awarded to teams Mouthful of Cookies and Trikings. These teams will also receive trophies and prizes. more

ZEGO Platform Combines Cell Technology and RSX GPU for New Production Solutions

LOS ANGELES (SIGGRAPH Booth # 521) Aug. 12, 2008 – Sony Electronics is unveiling a new workflow solution for faster processing of high-resolution effects and computer graphics. This new technology platform, named ZEGO™, is based on the Cell/B.E. (Cell Broadband Engine™) and RSX® technologies, and is designed to eliminate bottlenecks that can occur during post production, especially during the creation and rendering of visual effects.

The BCU-100 computing unit is the first product to utilize this new ZEGO hybrid multi-core cell platform. more

SIGGRAPH 2008 - LOS ANGELES, CA; Aug. 11, 2008: mental images, a global leader in rendering software and visualization tools, today unveiled RealityServer® 2.2, the server-based, highly-scalable 3D web application and services platform available to developers and system integrators. The new version is particularly geared towards providers of 3D web application services, including Software-as-a-Service solutions. more

Render-Quality Playback of RAW Footage in FrameCycler and SpeedGrade

Los Angeles: August 13, 2008 … IRIDAS, the world leader in RAW playback technologies, is drawing crowds to the PNY booth (#747) at SIGGRAPH 2008. Visitors are experiencing first-hand the image fidelity of IRIDAS’ RealTime RAW 2.0 in SpeedGrade and FrameCycler. By leveraging the power of the new graphics cards from NVIDIA by PNY, IRIDAS provides real-time de-Bayering of RAW content allowing filmmakers to review and color correct content at up to 4K resolution straight from the digital cinema camera. more