(This post, written yesterday, was taken off my AM workspace to make room for the stories...)
So much to do!!!
I've been looking at SIGGRAPH courses today. To me, the only real reason to go full-conference is for the courses. You can see some really awesome stuff. I've been waiting to register because while this will be my fifth consecutive conference, and I know how awesome they are, I want to definitely select the best ticket option for me this year. See, I've gone full-conference twice, conference select once, and volunteered another time, and each experience was interesting. This year I was thinking about just doing the exhibits plus pass which would get me into the exhibition hall as well as the job fair, but it would mean I would miss out on pretty much everything else.
So I looked at courses today. Here were some that I would like to see:
6. Anyone Can Cook: Inside Ratatouille's Kitchen
Sunday Half-Day, 8:30 am - 12:15 pm
Level: Intermediate
The passion for cooking and food are the central theme of Pixar's recent film, "Ratatouille". This complex and multi-faceted problem posed many challenges that were solved using diverse computer graphics and production techniques. This course comprehensively covers all aspects related to food, including modeling, dressing, shading, lighting, and effects.
Prerequisites
Intermediate knowledge of 3D workflow, procedures, and terminology is helpful but not required. Topics range from intermediate to advanced.
Intended Audience
Anyone with an interest in feature animation, including students looking for an overview of how large productions run and seasoned professionals looking for ideas to incorporate into their work.
Organizer
Apurva Shah
Pixar Animation Studios
apurva (at) pixar.com
Lecturers
Jun Han Cho
Athena Xenakis
Stefan Gronsky
Pixar Animation Studios
9. From "Shrek" to "Shrek the Third": Evolution of CG Characters in the "Shrek" Films
Sunday Half-Day, 1:45 - 5:30 pm
Level: Intermediate
Unique insights into how "Shrek" characters evolved over three films. The speakers, who have held key positions on all "Shrek" productions, will discuss the choices that helped keep the "Shrek" franchise unique, as well as the challenges of constantly adapting to new technical and creative demands.
Prerequisites
A basic understanding of the principles of computer graphics and 3D animation. Recommended: attendees should have seen the animated features "Shrek," "Shrek2," and "Shrek the Third."
Intended Audience
Attendees who have an interest in the technical aspects of production of 3D animated feature films and who have a basic understanding of computer-generated animation.
Organizer
Philippe Gluckman
PDI/DreamWorks
philippe (at) anim.dreamworks.com
Lecturers David Doepp
Scott Peterson
Jason Waltman
Lucia Modesto
Larry Cutler
Bill Seneshen
PDI/DreamWorks
12. "Surf's Up": The Making of an Animated Documentary
Monday Half-Day, 8:30 am - 12:15 pm
Level: Beginning
A detailed look at the making of the animated documentary "Surf's Up": the live-action camera implementation, character animation, wave effects, and rendering techniques that contributed to the film's unique look and style.
Prerequisites
None. Familiarity with basic 3D techniques will help attendees understand some of the detailed portions of the presentation.
Intended Audience
Animation professionals, students, and anyone interested in 3D animated films. Those interested in the artistic and aesthetic choices made during production will particularly benefit from the first section of the course, while those with more technical and pipeline-related interests will appreciate the wave information presented in the second section.
Organizer
Rob Bredow
Sony Pictures Imageworks
rob (at) 185vfx.com
Lecturers
David Schaub
Daniel Kramer
Danny Dimian
Matt Hausman
Sony Pictures Imageworks
22. LucasArts and ILM: A Case Study in Film and Game Convergence
Monday Tutorial, 3:15 - 5:30 pm
Level: Beginning
Everyone is talking about film-game convergence. Lucasfilm is actually doing it. Working literally side by side, on the same codebase, LucasArts and ILM are leveraging each others' expertise to create a unified set of tools and techniques serving both companies. This course reviews their progress and challenges in unifying game and film technologies.
Prerequisites
None
Intended Audience
Anyone involved with designing, creating, or using tools for visual effects or next-generation game development.
Co-Organizers
Steve Sullivan
Industrial Light + Magic
sullivan (at) ilm.com
Chris Williams
LucasArts
williams (at) lucasarts.com
Lecturers
Nick Porcino
LucasArts
David Bullock
Industrial Light + Magic
27. Anyone Can Make Quality Animated Films! The Eight Basic Steps to Success
Tuesday Half-Day, 8:30 am - 12:15 pm
Level: Intermediate
How anyone with a little talent can apply industry-standard techniques to create professional animated films. Topics include: developing the client "pitch," writing a winning script, creating a dynamite storyboard, character design, recording and/or gathering quality audio, animation production, 2D ink and paint process, and professional editing.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of 2D and 3D animation techniques, Photoshop, Flash, and Premiere or Final Cut Pro. Basic to advanced drawing skills.
Intended Audience
Anyone who is required or desires to produce an entire animation project, including: teachers and students; professionals who are producing demo reels; freelance artists who want to produce television commercials, cell phone games, or web presentations; and entrepreneurs who want to establish a small animation company.
Organizer
Eric vanHamersveld
Art Institute of California-San Diego
evanhamersveld (at) sbcglobal.net
Lecturers
Bob Hanon
Debra Miller
Art Institute of California-San Diego
29. Crossing The Line: Moving From Film to Games (and Possibly Back)
Wednesday Half-Day, 8:30 am - 12:15 pm
Level: Beginning
As games have matured into the HDTV era, the need for rich, polished graphics is greater than ever. This course explores the impact that film artists can have upon video games and what game artists and studios can expect as game teams grow and more film people move into games.
Prerequisites
Very basic understanding of film-production principles and an interest in video games. Recent experience with playing on current game consoles (Xbox, Xbox360, or Nintendo Game Cube) is also helpful.
Intended Audience
People in the film segments of the computer graphics industry who are considering a change to the games industry and artists, producers, and game developers who are working on their first next-generation game title.
Organizer
Evan Hirsch
Microsoft Corporation
evhirsch (at) microsoft.com
Lecturers
Rick Stringfellow
Electronic Arts Canada
Sal Melluso
Paul Amer
Cliff Brett
Brien Goodrich
Jamie Marshall
Microsoft Game Studios
30. Digital Art Techniques
Wednesday Half-Day, 8:30 am - 12:15 pm
Level: Intermediate
A partial survey of techniques for creation of digital art works. The course combines experiences of practicing artists with state-of-the-art research. Topics include: aesthetic concepts, novel interaction paradigms, and mixed-media processing issues. Example works range from partially generative still imagery to VJ performances and interactive installations.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of computer graphics principles, audio and video signal processing, and human-computer interaction models.
Intended Audience
Interdisciplinary working artists and computer graphics scientists, especially those who are involved or interested in the development and use of software tools and digital techniques for the visual arts.
Co-Organizers
Pascal Müller
ETH Zurich
pmueller (at) vision.ee.ethz.ch
Stefan Müller
Arisona ETH Zurich
Sma (at) corebounce.org
Lecturers
Kenneth A. Huff
Independent Artist
Bernd Lintermann
Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe
33. Strands and Hair: Modeling, Animation, and Rendering
Thursday Full-Day, 8:30 am - 5:30 pm
Level: Intermediate
Over the past six years, there has seen a Renaissance in hair modeling, rendering, and animation. This course covers the gamut of hair simulation problems and presents working solutions. Topics include recent and novel research ideas, and time-tested industrial practices that created spectacular imagery.
Prerequisites
Familiarity with fundamentals of computer graphics, physical simulation, and physically based rendering is strongly recommended but not mandatory. Also recommended: understanding of numerical linear algebra, differential equations, numerical methods, rigid-body dynamics, collision detection and response, physics-based illumination models, and fluid dynamics.
Intended Audience
Special effects developers, technical directors, game developers, researchers, and anyone interested in physically based modeling for computer graphics.
Organizer
Sunil Hadap
Adobe Systems Incorporated,
formerly at PDI/DreamWorks
sunilhadap (at) acm.org
Lecturers
Marie-Paule Cani
University of Grenoble & INRIA
Florence Bertails
University of British Columbia
Ming Lin
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Kelly Ward
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Steve Marschner
Cornell University
Tae-Yong Kim
Rhythm & Hues Studios
Zoran Kacic-Alesic
Industrial Light + Magic
So those are just my favorites. Time to make dinner, and I'm going to look over the educators program and animation theater, etc.
(posted yesterday evening on AM)
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