samedi, juillet 15, 2006 CG Overdrive 2006: Geeks Trippin' Out Did you like how organically General Grevious moved in Star Wars? Were you fascinated by how Jar Jar Binks' ears flapped gently in the Tattoine breeze? Were you enthralled by the incredibly accurate facial expressions of the vehicles in Cars? If computer graphics and animation turns your engine on, CG Overdrive 2006 would have been like high-octane rocket fuel. Featuring heavyweights like Pixar Animation Studios and LucasFilm Animation, the three-day conference at Singapore Expo was a major geek-out fest, with software clinics, technology showcases, digital film screenings, and a digital art gallery.I was initially surprised by the muted atmosphere when I first arrived at the conference - from the excellent response (99% of all places were snapped up weeks before the conference began), I was expecting a noisy and boisterous affair. The atmosphere was very relaxed, and very casual – perhaps because it was a rather niche industry event? But the low-level buzz belied its intensity – these were no amateur anime pundits, these were serious Padawans waiting to learn from the Masters of the craft, whom had been gathered for the conference. My first stop was the free public clinics, where 3dsense Media School was demonstrating all manner of software, such as Autodesk 3dsmax, Pixologic Zbrush, and Autodesk Maya. (If your eyes have started to glaze over, I strongly suggest you click something and go somewhere else!) Having never seen a wire-frame figure being built from scratch, the entire process was fascinating – drawing circles and squares was never more easy, or more fun! There are even pre-made figures (biped, quadruped etc figures) which you can adjust and tailor-make with a few adjustments (length of neck, number of vertebrae, skin texture and tone, etc). The conference hall for delegates was a whole different ball-game. I listened as Mr Shuzo John Shiuta (President of Polygon Pictures Japan) gave a great overview of the history of Japan Animation – this sort of detailed overview probably only exists in the minds of industry professionals, and not in the classroom: I checked NAFA, NYP, NP and NTU-SADM, but nope, no “history of Japanese animation” (or history of animation of any kind) could be found. After I was blown away by the movie clips that he showed (apparently Polygon Pictures did the opening sequence for Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, which rawks big socks), I nipped back out to the free public clinic area, where LucasArts was slated to give a recruitment talk. And guess what? I was treated to some completely new technology called “Euphoria” being demonstrated on the next Xbox/PS Indiana Jones game. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say that I was treated to some really brand-new technology which will really change the way you play games. If towelboy acquiesces, I’ll perform a public service and also put up their recruitment flyer here – they’re looking for a team of about 30 more people to develop and work on a new handheld game for the PS2. Before I finally dragged myself away from the conference, I took a final stroll down one of my favourite parts: the digital art gallery. There was a competition held prior to the conference, with winners having their works (both digital art and animation films) being exhibited. My favourite was “Promise” by Robert Chang, which features an angel praying. It’s an anime cliché, but one which struck a chord in me nonetheless. Other notable mentions are “Forbidden Area” and “Sky Castle” by Kuang Hong (China), and “It Comes A Time Of Death” by Radoslav Zilinsky. I’ll leave you with the pictures of their work – it’s all stunning.   Title: Forbidden Area Author: Kuang Hong (China) Synopsis: Personal work; emphasized on personal style and composition, subject touches space, time and death.  Title: Sky Castle Author: Kuang Hong (China) Synopsis: Personal environment concept, completed in computerfrom scratch; "longing for the reminiscent of my Elysian field..." Showing part of an ancient forgotten castle resembling feelings from the Middle Agesfloating and breaking away from the lands. Libellés : art, technology [CG Overdrive 2006: Geeks Trippin' Out] |
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