SIGGRAPH 2010: What’s Coming Down The Pipeline

Posted July 23rd, 2010 / By John Kostrzewski in Events, Festivals, News

Starting this Sunday, July 25th, SIGGRAPH will be upon us once again giving us an inside look at what the top creatives in the industry have been cooking up for us behind closed doors and what we can expect to see in our software and hardware in the coming future. The previews have been released and things are slowly trickling out as to what we can expect from these geniuses, and it’s nothing short of breathtaking.

SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group on GRAPHics and Interactive Techniques), for those who aren’t in the loop, is an annual conference and exhibition for all things creative. Basically, it’s where everyone in the industry goes to show what software and hardware they’ve been working on, talk about how they created certain effects and animation, and, of course, network.

Here’s a look at what to expect at this years SIGGRAPH:

Technical Papers

There are a ton of advancements and improvements in the software field that will be on display at SIGGRAPH. There’s something for everyone here whether your interest is in fluids, cloth animation, modeling, mesh, photography, editing and more. They have created a nice video preview of some of these on their page.

Of course, these are only a few of the amazing things that can be expected. For a full list check out the Technical Papers section of the SIGGRPAPH website.

There’s a big announcement coming from The Pixel Farm centering around a new form of tracking software they have developed. Straight from a recently released press release, it will be based on a new node-based flowgraph architecture and an industry-first in camera tracking and match moving software.

The tracking market is long overdue for an overhaul, and this is a game-changing advance from The Pixel Farm. I think they’ve just re-invented 3D tracking,” said Victor Wolansky, VFX Artist, E3post, and 3D Tracking Professor at fxphd. “New products emanating from these developments will be a ‘must-have’ for anyone involved in the visual effects business.

Parametric Reshaping of the Human Body in Images

There’s also an interesting piece of software from a group of individuals that promises to make reshaping the human body in photos as easy as adjusting their height, weight and girth. I’m sure there will be a few minute adjustments that will need to be made afterward (much like the Adobe CS5 Roto Brush), but it’s a huge leap forward, none-the-less.

Emerging Technologies

SIGGRAPH isn’t all about the software. There are many new hardware advancements that will be on display for everyone to try and/or see from 3d multitouch and other touch displays to advanced smart lasers. Check out the preview video on the and view the complete listing here.

Computer Animation, Talks and So Much More

There is so much more to see and do at SIGGRAPH, you really need to be there in order to take it all in. Even then, you won’t be able to see it all, but the experience alone would be a great thing to behold. Everything from seeing the latest animation techniques and hearing the artists who created them discus the process behind their films to the newest designs and experiences being used in video games. Check out the SIGGRAPH website for full listings of what they have in store for you.

iPhone App

This conference is huge and finding your way around is a difficult task, but if you have an iPhone, you can download the new SIGGRAPH 2010 iPhone app that gives you the listings of all the events happening day-by-day, create your own schedule, get maps of the convention center, exhibition area and L.A. (for parties and hotels), and more. This is a must have download for anyone going to SIGGRAPH, and it’s FREE! Oh, and don’t worry about losing reception and not being able to access parts of the app; it’s all stored locally on your phone. Worry free.

If you haven’t been to SIGGRAPH yet, there’s still time to attend this years event. This late in the game the prices will be higher, but even a day pass would be worth it to see what is displayed and to network with some of the greatest minds in the field. Conferences like this are the perfect place to stay ahead of the industry, meet like-minded individuals and have a great time.

SIGGRAPH 2010 is being held in the Los Angeles Convention Center. Conference times are July 25-29; Exhibition times are July 27-29. Click here for a full schedule (or download the iPhone app). Visit Siggraph.org/s2010/ for more info.

John Kostrzewski is the Editor of Fuel Your Motionography and a freelance motion graphics and visual effects artist, videographer and writer living in Minnesota. He is awesome. Follow him on Twitter at and .