[Gfx-cafe] GFX Cafe Seminar Friday Oct 31, 2008

GFX Café Seminar Friday October 31, 2008
12noon - 1:15pm, Centennial Engineering Center Auditorium
**note change of venue**

TITLE:
Case Studies In Producing Computer Generated Elements For Animated Films
by Tad Gielow, Sony Pictures Imageworks

ABSTRACT:
Creating and integrating computer generated elements into animation
films takes a lot of planning, communication, collaboration, and
sometimes luck. Join Tad Gielow, a 25 year Animation Industry veteran of
13 feature films and 4 short subjects, as he shares some of the processes
and techniques used in the making of the animated films: "The Great Mouse
Detective", "Oliver And Company", "Aladdin", "Mulan", "The Iron
Giant", "Osmosis Jones", and "Monster House".

BIO:
Tad Gielow has been in the Animation industry for the past 25 years
providing technical expertise and leadership on such feature films as
"The Great Mouse Detective", "Oliver And Company", "Aladdin",
"Pocahontas", "Mulan", "The Iron Giant", "Osmosis Jones", "Monster
House", and "Beowulf". Whether integrating 3D elements with 2D drawings,
supervising animators and technical directors, or architecting software
solutions, his knowledge of the artistic and technical aspects of
producing animated films keeps growing. He is currently a Lead Engineer
in the Pipeline/Software Group at Sony Pictures Imageworks.

Along with his day job, Tad is also an avid nature photographer and has
just come from exploring the fall colors of Canyon De Chelly, Arizona.

LOCATION:
For this special presentation, we are moving the GFX Café to the
auditorium (room 1041) of the new Centennial Engineering Center (CEC).
This is the brand new building located near building #117 in block H-2
of the standard campus map. Other diagrams of this part of campus
that include the new building can be found here:

http://www.soe.unm.edu/PDFs/UNM_Map_2008.pdf

and here:
http://www.soe.unm.edu/PDFs/2008_UNM_Engineering_Map.pdf

Note that the CEC is not the same as the Centennial Engineering Library.

--
Pradeep Sen
Assistant Professor
Advanced Graphics Lab
Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
University of New Mexico

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[Gfx-cafe] GFX Cafe Seminar Friday Oct 24, 2008

GFX Café Seminar Friday October 24, 2008
12noon - 1:15pm, ECE 118

Food will be served

TITLE:
SIGGRAPH @ UNM
Intel's Larrabee and the Future of GPU's
by Larry Seiler and Tom Forsyth, Intel
Kayvon Fatahalian, Stanford University

ABSTRACT:
The rapidly-changing world of graphics processors (GPU's) was shaken
earlier this year with Intel's announcement of the Larrabee processor,
a custom, parallel multi-core processor built from Pentium x86 cores
designed specifically for graphics applications. In this talk, we
will introduce the fundamentals of graphics hardware and explain how
things are rapidly evolving in this industry. Developments like Intel's
Larrabee propose to increase the flexibility of graphics architectures
and could significantly impact other parallel applications such as
scientific simulation and financial analysis. The talks presented
during this special session of SIGGRAPH @ UNM were first given at
SIGGRAPH 2008. We will replay both Larry Seiler's Larrabee paper talk
as well as a series of presentations from the Beyond Programmable Shading
course at SIGGRAPH.

LOCATION:
The ECE building is located on the campus of the University of
New Mexico (building 46 on the campus map). Directions can be found
here: http://www.ece.unm.edu/visitors/parking.htm

--
Pradeep Sen
Assistant Professor
Advanced Graphics Lab
Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
University of New Mexico

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Alvin Curran @ ARTS Lab Monday (and on KUNM Tonight!)

The ARTS Lab and UNM are glad to help welcome renowned composer Alvin Curran back to New Mexico. He'll be talking with Christopher Shultis' students tomorrow in our space (details below) and talking with Chris and artist in residence Jack Ox tonight on KUNM (during "Other Voices, Other Sounds" from 9-11:00 PM, 89.9 FM).

More info on Alvin and his visit below...

American composer Alvin Curran co-founded the group Musica Elettronica Viva and has been active with solo performances, international radio concerts and large-scale sound installations since the 1960s. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Curran studied composition under Ron Nelson at Brown University, and afterward with Elliott Carter at Yale. After completing his studies -- which also included piano and trombone -- in 1963, Curran went with Carter to Berlin, where he remained for a year before moving to Rome. In 1966, Curran co-founded the free music collective Musica Elettronica Viva with Richard Teitelbaum and Frederic Rzewski. In the '70s, Curran focused on solo performances that utilized keyboards, taped sounds, voice and more; over the years, he has also performed on sampler and electronics. The '80s found Curran creating large-scale environmental works in quarries, ports, caverns, on lakes, etc. During this time, he also staged radio concerts of three and six ensembles performing simultaneously from various parts of Europe. From 1990 on, Curran has occasionally collaborated on sound installations with artist Melissa Gould. He has also worked with dance companies and composed for avant-garde theater in Rome. Curran's instrumental works have been commissioned by Kronos Quartet, Aki Takahashi, Rova, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and more. Some of his awards include those from Ars Acoustica International, NPR and the NEA. He taught briefly at the Academia Nazionale d'Arts, and starting in the mid-90s served as guest professor at California's Mills College. Recordings of Curran's works appear on several labels, including CRI, New Albion and Tzadik.

Alvin Curran Residency at UNM
October 19-21

October 19: Guest on Other Voices, Other Sounds, Christopher Shultis, host
KUNM 89.9 FM 9:00-11:00 PM
October 20: Lecture, Artslab Lecture Hall, 6:00 PM
Dinner following at Kelly's
October 21: Masterclass with UNM Composition Students
11:00-12:30 FAC 1108

Breaking Bad at the Kimo 10/25

Image via Wikipedia

Exciting news...

I'm glad to share info about the return of the SAG Conversations Series with several cast members from the Emmy Award-Winning "Breaking Bad" in Albuquerque's historic Kimo Theater. It's sure ot be a big crowd, so RSVP soon!

The SAG Foundation and Screen Actors Guild invite you to attend:

CONVERSATIONS WITH BREAKING BAD

This event is open to the public. RSVP required.

(323) 549-6668 or via email to Conversations@sag.org

SAG members may RSVP directly on the Foundation website, www.sagfoundation.org
Saturday, October 25th

1pm

KiMo Theatre
423 Central Ave NW
Albuquerque, NM 87102

Join us for an afternoon with the amazing cast of AMC's Breaking Bad as they share their experiences in the industry and talk about filming in New Mexico.

Panel includes:
Bryan Cranston
Anna Gunn
Aaron Paul
Dean Norris
Betsy Brandt
RJ Mitte
Steven Quezada

Mix and mingle with the cast immediately following the event at
(the) One Up (Club), 301 Central Ave NE (upstairs)

Event sponsored by the City of Albuquerque. “We are thrilled to be the host city for
Breaking Bad”, said Mayor Martin J. Chavez. “Congratulations to Bryan Cranston for
his recent Emmy win, and thanks for bringing this event to Albuquerque.”

DomeFest 2008 here in Albuquerque this Tuesday

DomeFest 2008
Taking a quick break from Motion 08 (which currently has healthy crowds here at ARTS Lab for Green Screen Production with Alex Lindsay  and Fulldome Production with our own Hue Walker) to mention that DomeFest returns to Albuquerque tomorrow night. The international juried show for fulldome work premiered to capacity crowds at Chicago's famed Adler Planetarium -- and has since been seen in cities around the world.

We're proud to share DomeFest with our friends at home, with the support of the City of Albuquerque and in association with Motion08. 
Public showings run at 6:30 PM and 8:30 PM; $10 suggested donation.
More info at: http://domefest.org/

What: DomeFest 2008
When: Tuesday, October 14th at 6:30 and 8:30 PM
Cost: $10 Suggested Donation
Where: NM Museum of Natural History and Science
1801 Mountain Road, NW
See Map Here

NM Media Tonight on KNME
Also in town this week, the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer is doing an overview on economic development, politics, and the issues affecting the state in this election year, in the Anglo, Hispanic, and Native American communities, including visits with the team at Albuquerque Studios and the Emmy-award winning production of Breaking Bad which shoots there.

In New Mexico The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer airs on KNME-TV, Channel 5 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Outside New Mexico please check local listings for air times in your area.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/

[Gfx-cafe] GFX Cafe Seminar Friday Oct 10, 2008

GFX Café Seminar Friday October 10, 2008
12noon - 1:15pm, ECE 237 **note change of room**

Food will be served

TITLE:
Improved Force-directed Graph Drawing in 3D for Large Graphs
by Takeshi Hakamata, UNM HPC

ABSTRACT:
Graph drawing is a way to layout a graph nicely in two or three
dimensions. Among many kinds of graph drawing techniques,
force-directed algorithms have drawn huge attention for research because
of its simplicity and quality of final layouts. The most popular model
of the force-directed algorithm is a spring-mass system supplemented by
global repulsive forces. However, the inherent O(n^2) pairwise
calculation to obtain global repulsive forces is the bottleneck and the
weakness of the algorithm, therefore many improvements have been
proposed.

This talk will present an improved force-directed drawing for large
undirected graphs in 3D using a potential-field-based approximation
algorithm to calculate global repulsive forces in linear time. Given a
graph G=(V,E) with a vertex set V and an edge set E, the repulsive force
calculation can be done in sub-linear time for |V|>10^4. This allows us
to develop a practical 3D force-directed drawing algorithm for large
graphs. Empirical results show that our implementation is faster than
other known 2D-based force-directed algorithms.

BIO:
Takeshi Hakamata is a PhD candidate in Visualization Laboratory at the
UNM Center for High Performance Computing. He received a B.S. in
Information Science from Tokyo Denki University and a M.S. in Computer
Science from the University of New Mexico. He also worked at SGI Japan
for four years.

LOCATION:
The ECE building is located on the campus of the University of
New Mexico (building 46 on the campus map). Directions can be found
here: http://www.ece.unm.edu/visitors/parking.htm

--
Pradeep Sen
Assistant Professor
Advanced Graphics Lab
Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
University of New Mexico

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Faculty position open in UNM Electronic Arts

One of the more interesting and exciting areas of study and work here at UNM is our Electronic Arts program in the College of Fine Arts.  The faculty and staff there are already really cool -- and now they're expanding.  If you're interested -- or know of another cool person who might be -- please get in touch.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF AVAILABLE POSITION

 

The University of New Mexico

College of Fine Arts

Department of Art and Art History

Assistant Professor of Electronic Arts 

 

POSITION:  Assistant Professor of Electronic Arts.  Full time, probationary appointment leading to a tenure decision.  Service and committee work expected. 

SALARY:  $46,000

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  M.F.A. degree.  University-level teaching experience beyond the terminal degree.  Significant digital/electronic time-based media art background.  Active professional creative practice.  Exhibition record beyond the local level.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:  Experience in one or more the following areas: programming for internet-based art, animation, motion capture, computational media, interactive performance, locative and wearable computing, or immersive media.  Fluency in conceptual and historical frameworks within contemporary new media practice.  Commitment to teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses and creating a critical and experimental teaching environment.  Experience in curricular development, mentoring students, and service on graduate committees.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:  All application materials must be received by December 5, 2008.

APPOINTMENT DATE:  August 17, 2009

APPLICATION:  Signed letter of application; artist statement; statement of teaching philosophy; CV.  Documentation of artwork; 3 sample syllabi for undergraduate/
graduate courses.  Names and complete addresses (mailing, telephone, fax, and e-mail) of three recommenders. SASE if you want materials returned.

Format for submitting artwork: Digital portfolio only to include either CDs/DVDs/URLs or a combination thereof. For CDs/DVDs, samples should total approximately 10 minutes.

Send to:  Chair, Electronic Arts Search Committee, Department of Art and Art History, MSC04 2560, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico  87131-0001.  Phone 505.277.5861.  Fax 505.277.5955.

For further information please visit:
http://finearts.unm.edu, 
http://www.unm.edu/~artdept2
http://electronicarts.unm.edu
http://artslab.unm.edu

The Department of Art and Art History is one of four departments in the College of Fine Arts, which also includes the Departments of Music, Theater and Dance, and Cinematic Arts.  Areas of concentration in the department include Arts and Ecology, Electronic Arts, Sculpture, Photography, Painting and Drawing, Printmaking, Ceramics, and Art History. The department offers the B.A.F.A., B.F.A., M.A., M.F.A., and Ph.D. degrees.

Electronic Arts is dedicated to the education of students, training them as electronic/digital media artists that employ new and emerging technologies and encourages experimentation with new ideas, forms, and models for realizing and presenting innovative artwork.  The curriculum combines history, theory, and practice in electronic arts/digital media and nurtures interdisciplinary investigation and learning.  Electronic Arts faculty and students are actively involved with the Arts, Research, Technology and Science Laboratory [ARTS Lab], a dynamic university-wide center for interdisciplinary research and education.

The University of New Mexico is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a city of 600,000 on the Rio Grande at an altitude of 5,200 feet.  Albuquerque's many cultures give the city a fascinating mix of history, arts, cuisine, languages, and values.  The University of New Mexico is a large, diverse state university with a faculty of over 3,000 serving approximately 32,700 students.

UNM's confidentiality policy ("Recruitment and Hiring," Policy #3210), which includes information about public disclosure of documents submitted by applicants, is located at http://www.unm.edu/~ubppm.

 

THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER AND EDUCATOR.

--
NMITSA is now accepting nominations for the fourth annual Tech Excellence Awards.  More info at http://www.nmitsa.org/

Eric Renz-Whitmore, Program Coordinator
ARTS Lab
MSC04 2570
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131
505-277-2253
http://artslab.unm.edu

YDI Mi Voz Auditions for Fall 2008 Session

YDI Mi Voz Auditions for Fall 2008 Session

After-school program for Middle School kids teaches documentary filmmaking

On Wednesday, October 8th and Thursday, October 9th Youth Development Inc.'s (YDI) Mi Voz program, which teaches above-the-line filmmaking skills to middle school age kids, will hold auditions for its Fall 2008 session.  The auditions will be held in the YDI Mi Voz office at 100 Roma NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico from 3:30-5:30 each day.

This will be the 4th 16-week session for YDI Mi Voz.  Each session has a theme: previous themes were "Through Their Eyes," about the life of the middle schooler from their perspective, "interGenerations," where students documented stories of senior citizens, and "All-Stars," which was an advanced skills session that taught experimental filmmaking.  The Fall 2008 session's theme is "The Zia's Heart" and is about New Mexican art and artists.

"The Zia's Heart" is a series of short documentaries that will be produced, directed, shot, edited and delivered by a group of middle school age students in Albuquerque.  Each short documentary will spotlight a different art form produced by a local artist.  Students will shadow chosen artists in different fields and document their creativity, their craft, and how it ties in to identifying Albuquerque and New Mexico as unique in the arts scene.

New Mexico has the highest share of fine artists in the Nation - with it
s rich and diverse population, New Mexico is home to over 40,000 artists making over 11 different kinds of art, including cultural art.  In 2005, the number of minority (Hispanic, Native American, and Asian American) artists grew to 15%, according to the National Endowment of the Arts' Artists in the Workforce Study: 1990 – 2005. 

According to the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs report On Fertile Ground: New Mexico Counts on Culture, The Arts industry generates at least $2.5 billion per year, making 20% of total state tourism money per year.

New Mexico has a unique history of traditional arts and crafts, such as Native American jewelry & pottery, and "santeros" (who make wooden carvings of Catholic saints), "New arts" produced by New Mexico's youth, such as digital art, graffiti art, guerilla art, and music in newer genres, have gone largely unnoticed.  Albuquerque's deep artistic legacy has been overshadowed by arts movements in Santa Fe and Taos.

"The Zia's Heart" will be produced by a new selection of students under the YDI Mi Voz banner.  YDI Mi Voz is a safe and free after school program for middle school age young people where they learn all aspects of visual storytelling using digital video.  The purposes of the program are:

1.       It contributes to building a "native workforce" for New Mexico's blossoming film industry, givi
ng young people a head start in using industry standard tools and techniques. 

2.       The finished products will expose New Mexico's art and artists to a broader audience, letting its audience know the value of what has become such a large part of our city and state identities. 

3.       By providing Mi Voz classes under the YDI banner, students and their families have access to the wide range of social services YDI provides.

We are actively seeking out participants for this session.  During the 16-week after school course, students will be taught producing, directing, shooting, and editing using top of the line digital video equipment.  The course is free to participants, but interested students must audition first to gauge their interest and dedication.   14 students will be selected.  Classes are taught by Marcos Baca and Brian Beeler, working professionals in the area of digital art and filmmaking.  4 youth instructors who have participated previously will be at every class to mentor new students, as well as guest lectures by UNM Cinematic Arts Professors and other independent producers.

For more information contact YDI Media Relations Manager Marcos Baca at (505)212-7442 or mbaca@ydinm.org

[Gfx-cafe] GFX Cafe Seminar Friday Oct 3, 2008

GFX Café Seminar Friday October 3, 2008
12noon - 1:15pm, ECE 118

Food will be served

TITLE:
Restoration of Images Captured With Combined Conventional
and Plenoptic Camera
by Viktor Chekh, UNM Advanced Graphics Lab

ABSTRACT:
Plenoptic cameras can capture the 4-D light field in a
single image, but the spatial resolution of any 2-D
projection is much smaller comparing to ordinary
conventional cameras. The "ideal" camera should have all
features of plenoptic camera including digital refocusing,
and moving the observer, as well as high spatial resolution
in a wide range of focal depth. In addition, the camera
should be as light and handle as any standard camera. We
describe a conception of the novel combined camera, which
has features of both conventional and plenoptic cameras.
We formulate the restoration problem as the ill-posed
problem with matrix perturbation. We also provide
algorithms of the data processing and estimate the
resolution of synthetic photographs.

BIO:
Viktor Chekh is a graduate student in the Advanced
Graphics Lab with interests in new plenoptic camera
technologies and segmentation and registration algorithms.
He has a Masters Degree from the National Technical
University of Ukraine.

LOCATION:
The ECE building is located on the campus of the University of
New Mexico (building 46 on the campus map). Directions can be found
here: http://www.ece.unm.edu/visitors/parking.htm

--
Pradeep Sen
Assistant Professor
Advanced Graphics Lab
Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
University of New Mexico

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DomeFest 2008 Comes Home: October 14th

The ARTS Lab produced juried show for fulldome work premiered to capacity crowds at Chicago's famed Adler Planetarium -- and has since been seen in cities around the world.

We're proud to share DomeFest with our friends at home, with the support of the City of Albuquerque and in association with Motion08 with public showings at 6:30 PM and 8:30 PM; $10 suggested donation.
More info at: http://domefest.org/

What: DomeFest 2008
When: Tuesday, October 14th at 6:30 and 8:30 PM
Cost: $10 Suggested Donation
Where: NM Museum of Natural History and Science
1801 Mountain Road, NW
See Map Here

NMITSA 10/7: The ROI of Leadership

NMITSA Membership October Luncheon Features Author Michael Shenkman
"The ROI of Leadership" Subject Of Talk

[Albuquerque, NM, SEP 30, 2008] ­ The New Mexico Information Technology anand Software Association (NMITSA), the state¹s largest advocacy group for IT &
software related business, announced today that author and mentorship
evangelist Michael Shenkman will be the featured speaker at the October
membership luncheon on Thursday October 9th, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm at the
Flying Star Café downtown on 723 Silver SW.


What are the qualities that distinguish a great company from a good one;
that lead to continued success, year after year?  Michael Shenkman, author
of "Leader Mentoring" and "The Arch and the Path: The Life of Leading
Greatly" encourages business to consider returns from the "immediate,
day-to-day, across-the-board impacts" of leadership when looking at their
bottom line:


"Every company today competes increasingly on its value proposition and the
ways it is able to differentiate from the competition and away from
commoditization. Value gets created in the development of products and
services, in the right hiring and development of talent, in strategic market
positioning to name a few of the big ones," Shenkman said.

"But the real value that feeds into all of these is what leaders bring to
the enterprise with their compelling visions, and their ability to integrate
disparate ideas and solutions into competitive advantages, and their energy
in driving cross-functional innovation," he said.

The event is free to NMITSA Members, $25.00 to other guests.

# # #

About Michael Shenkman:

Michael Shenkman, Ph.D., is founder and president of the Arch of Leadership,
a leader mentoring company. This article was adapted from his new book, The
Arch and The Path, the Life of Leading Greatly (Sandia Heights Media, 2004)
For more information, visit the Arch of Leadership Website.

About NMITSA:

The New Mexico Information Technology and Software Association (NMITSA) is
poised to become a nationally-recognized information technology and software
industry advocacy organization by providing focused, value-added services
and initiatives to both industry and associate members. While programming is
targeted to commercial enterprises that operate in the software, computer
hardware, internet-related and telecommunications sectors, New Mexico's
entire business community stands to significantly benefit from NMITSA's
organizational presence.

Through the delivery of focused programming to the business communities
operating within its purview, NMITSA is strengthening corporate
competitiveness and linkages, enhancing New Mexico's high-tech workforce,
and assisting in the development of core competencies among its members.

NMITSA firmly believes that only a full-time regional information technology
association (RITA) can raise the competitiveness and presence of New
Mexico's IT sector relative to other competitor regions throughout the
United States and the world.

New Mexico possesses unique information technology resources, and there is
an urgent need to leverage these assets for commercial success. As the
state's only regional information technology association, NMITSA is now
positioned to lead and unify the information technology sectors, and to
advance the agendas of private sector-oriented IT enterprises. In
collaboration with other generalist business organizations, NMITSA will
serve the IT business community and promote business-friendly public
policies for its members.

To achieve these goals, it is imperative that the association attracts
investment from both its industry and associate members. In so using these
funds to broaden its professional services and formalize its role in the
state, the association will enhance the national competitiveness of New
Mexico and stimulate sectors of our economy that are increasingly important.

NMITSA is the regional member in the Council of Regional Information
Technology Associations <http://www.crita.org/> . CRITA is the world's
largest IT and Tech-oriented association with more than 20,000 member
companies in more than 50 member associations.

NMITSA is also affiliated with the Information Technology Association of
America <http://www.itaa.org/> .

SCAD @ Motion08: Free Workshops for Students!

Motion 08/motionfest has some really exciting programming coming our way -- now including the folks from Savannah College of Art and Design. Here are a few details...

CHECK US OUT! 

Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) at motionfest 08 

We’re teaching 4 ‘real world’ classes so you can experience what it’s like to study at our college.

it’s free* 

Sunday: October 12 

Albuquerque Convention Center (Lower Level) 

12:00 PM until 6:00 PM 

motionfest is a full day of animation sessions and events for everyone - from the pros to elementary school kids and is free to the public. 

We are teaching 4 classes in animation, motion graphics, or a related digital media content area. Each class uses actual lessons from our curriculum. Sessions start at noon in our classroom in the lower level of the Albuquerque Convention Center. Make sure to arrive early to get the best seat. Seating is limited and you must have your ticket* to be admitted.

Be sure to catch one of the special screenings of the animated feature: Romeo and Juliet: Sealed With A Kiss. Director and animator, Phil Nibbelink will be on hand to answer questions, sign autographs and draw for the audience.

Bring your friends and family and make it a day.

*Tickets are required for all sessions and events. Get yours online at:
http://motionfest.eventbrite.com

[Gfx-cafe] GFX Cafe Seminar Friday Sept 26, 2008

GFX Café Seminar Friday September 26, 2008
12noon - 1:15pm, ECE 118

Food will be served

TITLE:
Forty Years of Graphics APIs
by Ed Angel, UNM ARTS Lab, Professor Emeritus of CS, ECE, and MA

ABSTRACT:
For the last fifteen years, OpenGL has been the standard application
programmer's interface (API) to access the capabilities of graphics
systems for students and researchers. The recent release of OpenGL 3.0
promises to lead to major changes in how we write graphics applications,
how we teach computer graphics, and in what we expect in future APIs.

In this talk, I will review how the standard APIs (OpenGL, DirectX,
Renderman) have evolved and examine many of the underlying issues
including:

- What makes a good API?
- Does the hardware drive the API or visa versa?
- What is the influence of the CS community on the API?
- Why is OpenGL 3.0 such a radical change?

BIO:
Edward Angel is Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at the University
of New Mexico and Director of the Art, Research, Technology and Science
Laboratory (ARTS Lab). Until July 2007, he was Professor of Computer
Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Media Arts at UNM and
Director of both the ARTS Lab and the Arts Technology Center in the
College of Fine Arts. Professor Angel is the first UNM Presidential
Teaching Fellow. He received B.S. from the California Institute of
Technology in 1964 and a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California
in 1968. He has held academic positions at the University of California at
Berkeley, the University of Southern California, and the University of
Rochester. Professor Angel came to UNM in 1978. He was Associate Chair
of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (1982-85) and
Chair of the Computer Science Department (1985-88). He has held visiting
positions at the Lund Institute of Technology (Sweden), the Indian
Institute of Science Bangalore India (Senior Fulbright Lecturer),
University College London and Imperial College (London). He has also held
a variety of joint appointments ranging from Biomathematics (USC) to
Obstetrics and Gynecology (Rochester) to Electrical and Computer
Engineering and Media Arts (UNM).

His present research interests are in computer graphics and scientific
visualization. He has supported graduate students working in volume
visualization, virtual reality, and masssively parallel computing.
His main teaching interests have been in Computer Graphics. The fifth
edition of his textbook Interactive Computer Graphics was published in
Spring, 2008. The third edition of his book, the OpenGL Primer, was
published in 2006.

Professor Angel was the Principal Investigator of the NSF funded Digital
Pueblo Project which combined Arts and Technology to promote economic
development among the communities in New Mexico through collaborative
graphics and animation projects. Recently, Professor Angel led a group
of UNM faculty who were awarded $3M from the State of New Mexico to build
the Art, Research, Technology, and Science Laboratory (ARTS Lab) at UNM.
The ARTS Lab is a unique interdiscplinary center with educational,
research, and economic development activities that span the range of
digital media. He also serves on the Governor's Council on Film and Media
Industries.

--
Pradeep Sen
Assistant Professor
Advanced Graphics Lab
Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
University of New Mexico

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Ecotone Physical Theatre: Quarantine @ Q-Staff

From Kevin Paul at Ecotone...

Greetings.  This is just a reminder that Ecotone Physical Theatre will
perform "Quarantine" this Thursday and Friday, September 25-26 at
7:30pm at Q-Staff Theatre.  The theatre is located at 4819 Central Ave
SE.  Tickets are $10 general admission and $5 for students.  Seating
is limited, reservations are recommended, and can be made by calling
255-2182.

Quarantine is a work of fully improvised dance theatre and music.  All
performances are unique.  It's a work in Ecotone's signature style,
that is to say, full of slapstick dramedy, impish physicality, angular
sonority and no small bit of absurdity.

The company is comprised of dancers, musicans and actors, specifically
Donna Jewell, Kevin Paul, Rufus Cohen, Mary Margaret Moore, Lisa
Nevada, Jessica Searer, Susan Skeele and Bill Clark, as well as
costume designer Stacia Smith.  Lighting design is by Gabriel Paul.

Hope you can make it.  Thanks for your consideration.

--
Kevin

Poofy's Den of Lust (and stuff): Sept 27 @ Orpheum

The inimitable Poofy du Vey returns to the local stage with some of her closest friends.

WHEN: Saturday, September 27th @ 9:00 PM
WHERE: Orpheum Art Space, 500 2nd Street, SW
$$$: $8 Students; $10 Adults
INFO: write poofy@courtneycunningham.com for tix and more information

Pajama Men are back at STOVE: 10/4 - 11/22

Pajama Men set a blazing fire of jokes at Stove.

Albuquerque’s beloved comedy duo Mark Chavez and Shenoah Allen will hit the stage every Saturday night, raising the roof with an improvised tornado of ha-ha. Featuring different local bands each week and an army of visual artists, Improvviso is sure to be a hot ticket. Based on audience suggestions, the amazing Pajama Men will create and destroy strange worlds populated by even stranger characters and bring free association to electric Kool-Aid levels, all in the comfort of a beer-serving urban art gallery.

What: Pajama Men and Friend(s) in IMPROVVISO
Live Improv Comedy and Tunes

When: Every Saturday night – October 4 thru November 22
Doors open at 8:30, Shows start at 9:00

Where: STOVE
114 Morningside NE
1 blk north of Central, west of Washington
(505) 232-0640 for reservations

$$$ $15 general $12 Stu/Sen

“One of the most dazzling displays of comedy theatre I’ve ever seen. It’s weird. And it’s wonderful.” Five Stars
London Times

“Allen and Chavez’s comic high energy recalls the edgy, manic talent of Robin Williams, but with more heart and whimsy.”
Chicago Sun-Times

“Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez virtually paralyze the audience with laughter. Folks could be dying out there, unable to breathe between sobs of hilarity, and they would just keep going.”
Globe and Mail

“Whip-smart and able to turn on the thinnest of dimes, Allen and Chavez are improvisers’ improvisers. Actors’ actors. Comedians’ comedians.”
Chicago Tribune

Local Indie Premieres Sunday 9/21 at the Kimo

"Hide" to screen at "Legal Hawks" premiere this Sunday, Sept. 21

The latest Trifecta+ short film, Hide, written and directed by Scott Milder and starring Sequoia Adams Price and Ross Kelly, will hit the screen this Sunday, Sept. 21, at the KiMo Theater in downtown Albuquerque as part of the premiere of Legal Hawks, a new comedy pilot produced by A+1 Productions. Trifecta+ cinematographer Corey Weintraub was behind the camera for both projects, which were produced with help and crews from the Central New Mexico Community College Film Technician Training Program.

The event, which is being sponsored by the city of Albuquerque, will begin at 7 p.m. and is free of charge. Donations will go to help a local firefighter.

Original press release from A+#1 Productions:Local Filmmakers to Preview Independent Television Pilot

On September 21st, local Production Company A+#1 Productions will be previewing their independent television pilot "LEGAL HAWKS" at the historic KIMO theatre in downtown Albuquerque at 7pm.

The year is 1986 and a new television network called Fox is desperate for content. They approach the biggest hair band of the era, Von Holland, to do a weekly concert show. Von Holland decides instead to do a legal drama, and "Legal Hawks" the series is born.

"Legal Hawks" was written and directed by Josh Klein, and stars local actors Isaac Kappy and Ross Kelly. Also appearing in the show are Bill Sterchi, newcomer April Fox, Reuben Finkelstein, Shenoah Allen, Mark Chavez, David Kappy, and Victor Izay. The pilot was shot by local cinematographer Corey Weintraub. "Legal Hawks" was produced by Isaac Kappy.

Students from CNM's film training program worked alongside industry professionals during the making of the pilot. Much of the talent in front of and behind the camera are responsible for the 2007 National Film Challenge winning short film "Time Cougars".

The screening will be held on September 21st at 7pm at the KIMO theatre is free of charge and open to the public. However, the filmmakers will be using the event as a fundraiser for a Farmington fireman whose family is grappling with financial duress after medical complications that led to the loss of their unborn child.

Also showing at the screening will be the premiere of "Hide," the latest short film from Trifecta+ Entertainment, directed by Scott Milder, and "Time Assassins," a short film directed by Reuben Finkelstein.

[Gfx-cafe] GFX Cafe Seminar Friday Sept 19, 2008

GFX Café Seminar Friday September 19, 2008
12noon, ECE 118

Food will be served

TITLE:
Computer Vision in Archaeology: Recent Case Studies
by Kevin Cain
Director, Institute for Study and Integration of Graphical
Heritage Techniques

ABSTRACT:

Computing for archaeology is a study in contrasts: graphics and vision
techniques are still somewhat exotic, but interesting (and difficult)
problems abound! In this talk, we'll present a snapshot of current
needs in archaeology, framing the discussion with results from the past
seven seasons of field work at the memorial temple of Ramses II in
Egypt. Topics include: 3d representations of ancient sites, large
scale orthomosaics of inscribed wall surfaces, lighting capture,
relighting, and site reconstructions. We'll also take a look at efforts
to present archaeological results in novel environments, including a new
NSF 'full dome' film project /Maya Skies/ and a large digital projection
installation in Egypt's Valley of the Kings.

BIO:
Aiming to cross-pollinate computer vision with traditional
archaeological techniques, Kevin Cain heads INSIGHT. Mr. Cain has
organized digital cultural heritage projects in collaboration with a
diverse group of organizations, including: the Louvre Museum (Paris),
the American Research Center in Egypt (Cairo), the Institute for
Nautical Archaeology (Alexandria), the Egyptian Antiquities Dept. of the
British Museum (London), the Metropolitan Museum's Egyptian Art Dept.
(New York), the American Museum of Natural History (New York), the
Egyptian Antiquities Information Service (Cairo), and the US National
Parks Service.

Kevin's current interests include computational imaging, stereo vision and
applications of computer graphics & computer vision in archaeology. As
director of INSIGHT, Kevin has initiated a strong partnership with the
non-profit CyArk digital cultural heritage network. Kevin has also
maintained affiliate status with the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative
(ECAI) at the University of California at Berkeley. When possible, Kevin
has worked on outside projects such as laser scanning for Star Wars
Episode II, realtime graphics programming for the startup Photon Factory,
and architectural visualization for unsprawl.net. Kevin served as
Director of Computer Arts at the Academy of Art University in San
Francisco in the late 1900s when the program grew into the largest visual
computing program in the United States, with more than 1500 students.
Mr. Cain was responsible for developing the curriculum for both
undergraduate and graduate students. Mr. Cain has also served as Chair
for yearly New Media Colloquia (1995 -- 2005) where lecturers have
included: Brenda Laurel, Joseph Lambert, Nick Philip, Chris Landreth,
Charles Ostman, Jon Tojek, and Paul Debevec.

--
Pradeep Sen
Assistant Professor
Advanced Graphics Lab
Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
University of New Mexico

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gfx-cafe@lists.eece.unm.edu
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Double Vision @ ARTS Lab & CCA

Where: ARTS Lab, University of New Mexico 131 Pine St. NE, Albuquerque, NM
When: 09.18.08 - 09.19.08 [Thurs - Fri]
Cost: $8 students / $12 general
Info: http://artslab.unm.edu/

DOUBLE VISION, a San Francisco based intermedia performance group, will be performing at ARTS Lab at the University of New Mexico. The group will be showcasing a hybrid of contemporary dance, live video, and electronic music. Among the pieces to be shown is Big Timber, CHOP! CHOP! a performance that integrates live sound and animation to tell the tale of two characters, Conuton Valve and Coon Dog, who journey from New York to California in the quest for gold and the Plasma Cloud. The night will also include the dance work Thicket which features six dancers shifting through sonic electroacoustic landscapes, inspired by the perturbations of cockroaches traversing rough terrains. The total event will embrace the cutting edge in art, technology, and performance.

DOUBLE VISION's 4x60 Tour involves 10 performers, 5000 miles and 5 weeks of experimental and contemporary events that blend dance, video, sound, and installation. Nearly five years old, the company has performed in Bay Area venues such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, ODC Theater and the notorious Autonomous Mutant Festival.

ARTS Lab at the University of New Mexico is an interdisciplinary center for developing creative relationships connection Art, Science, and Technology in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

DOUBLE VISION Artists: Blaine Bookey, Sean Clute, Amanda Crawford, David Holton, Pauline Jennings, Wendy Marinaccio, Jennifer Mellor, Cecelia Peterson, Rebecca Wilson.

Following their shows here, Double Vision can also be seen in Santa Fe the next evening:

What: Oscillate/Osculate
Where: CCA, 1050 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, NM
When: 09.20.08 [Saturday ongoing] 5PM
Cost: $7 [Members], $10 [Non-Members]
Info: http://www.ccasantafe.org/

DOUBLE VISION, a San Francisco based intermedia performance group, will be performing at Oscillate/Osculate, a monthly experimental art series at the Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe. The group will be producing a night of ongoing performances including interactive dance, multiple live video projections, installations, and electronic music. Attendees can freely roam amongst the performers whose actions are at times subject to the rules of Conway’s cellular automata algorithm known as the “Game of Life.” The result is a high-energy, chaotic, and immersive multimedia happening. DOUBLE VISION will also be collaborating with local Santa Fe artists in a guerrilla media installation fun house.

DOUBLE VISION's 4x60 Tour involves 10 performers, 5000 miles and 5 weeks of experimental events that blend dance, video, sound, and installation. Nearly five years old, the company has performed in Bay Area venues such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, ODC Theater and the notorious Autonomous Mutant Festival.

Oscillate/Osculate is CCA’s monthly performance series committed to presenting thought provoking performances of music, performance art, new media, sound and video art, poetry, and categories of art which are yet to be described, by emerging and established artists living and working in the Southwest.

DOUBLE VISION Artists: Blaine Bookey, Sean Clute, Amanda Crawford, Jessica Gomula, David Holton, Pauline Jennings, Chris Kruzic, Wendy Marinaccio, Jennifer Mellor, Cecelia Peterson, Rebecca Wilson

Sound & Animation, tonight @ ARTS Lab

Tonight we're especially please to welcome our friend Michael Shorr to the ARTS Lab for this month's AniMotion NM talk. Hope to see you there!

Sound Design

Where: ARTS Lab
When: Sep 9, 2008 07:00 PM –08:30 PM

Great film makers like Spielberg and Lucas say that at least half the impact of their films comes from the sound and music. Many in Hollywood point out that music is so important because it tells (or tries to tell) the audience how they are supposed to feel about what's happening on screen.

Join sound designer Michael Shorr as he discusses sound design for animation and motion graphics. Explore the process of collaboration between the animator and the composer to get the music that serves your vision and enhance the emotional content. Discover other functions music plays in moving images.

Michael Shorr is the founder and Creative Director of Chocolate Strawberry Studios , a company which creates innovative music for new paradigm marketing. Michael's music has been used in feature films, commercials, documentaries, advertising jingles, web media and multimedia. He is Adjunct Professor of Music at UNM Taos, appears weekly on the nationally-syndicated radio program Art of the Song and is a Summa Cum Laude degree from Berklee College of Music..

See you on there!

ARTS Lab
131 Pine St NE
near central and university

[Gfx-cafe] GFX Cafe Seminar Friday Sept 12, 2008

The GFX Café is back to kickoff another exiting semester!

GFX Cafe Seminar Friday September 12, 2008
12noon - 1:15pm, ECE 118

Food will be served

TITLE:
Best of SIGGRAPH 2008
by Pradeep Sen, UNM Advanced Graphics Lab

ABSTRACT:
In this presentation, I will review some of the papers that stood out
from this year's SIGGRAPH conference in Los Angeles. It's a good way
to catch up on the latest in graphics research!

BIO:
Pradeep Sen is a faculty member in the Dept. of Electrical & Computer
Engineering at UNM, with a joint appointment in Computer Science. He is
member of the UNM Advanced Graphics Lab, and his research interests
include computer graphics, computer vision, imaging and visualization.

--
Pradeep Sen
Assistant Professor
Advanced Graphics Lab
Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
University of New Mexico

_______________________________________________
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gfx-cafe@lists.eece.unm.edu
http://lists.eece.unm.edu/mailman/listinfo/gfx-cafe

BarCamp Albuquerque is a week away -- and almost full

Hey everyone...

It's been great to see something of a revitalization of local software and web development; without a strong group of people doing cool things with programming, growing our local game development and media technology communities will be pretty difficult. 

So, please check out the BarCamp Albuquerque wiki page, and see if you can participate.  I think it'll be really fun.

From Reid Givens at the Refresh Albuquerque group...

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: reidgivens <reid@reidgivens.com>
Date: Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 12:44 PM
Subject: BarCamp Albuquerue is a week awayand almost full
To: Refresh Albuquerque <refresh-albuquerque@googlegroups.com>

Well, the day is closing in on us. BarCamp Albuquerque is on Saturday
September 13th and Sunday  the 14th. All of the presentation slots are
almost full (or they already are if every who "might" present does),
but there is still room for a few more non-presenting people.

In addition to the presentations there will also be some roundtable
discussions and other activities, so there will always be something to
learn. The power of our community and this event will grow
by everyone just making an effort, so If you know anyone who is on the
fence about coming, please give them a little push :).

This is shaping up to be a great even, so polish off you presentations
if your making one and lets all get together and have fun.

Please check the BarCamp wiki at http://www.barcamp.org/BarCampAlbuquerque
to make sure you are signed up, see any changes or to give feedback to
those who have asked for it.

See You In a Week !!!

Regie Cabico in Local IQ

Coming up next week at ARTS Lab (Friday, 9/12 at 10 PM), we're really excited about featured performer Regie Cabico.

The Local IQ has more:
Arthur Miller, Stephen King, Amy Tan and…Regie Cabico?
BY HAKIM BELLAMY

Who is Regie Cabico other than a featured performer at STIR, the poetry festival that is descending upon the Duke City on September 12-14? Well, in the span of a half-hour interview with Local iQ, Cabico touched on items as serious as the award he received for conducting poetry workshops at Bellevue Hospital to items as humorous as his sketch comedy productions with creative partner, Aileen Cho. (See The Gene Pool, Queer Shoulder to the Wheel, U-Hauls, Bridesmaids & Backwards Mountain and Crouching Cabico, Hidden Cho.)

The three-time National Poetry Slam finalist has also received the New York Innovative Theater Award for Best Performance Art Production (2006) and will be staging his one man show in Albuquerque on September 12 at 10p in the UNM Arts Technology Lab, as part of STIR: A Festival of Words. As the interview began, I was curious as to when an aristocratic literary publication like Poets & Writers began recognizing great achievements in performance art?

"I was shocked because I don’t have a book and, like, Arthur Miller, Stephen King and Amy Tan got this award," Cabico said. "The award is about serving writers and it’s for writers who have helped other writers. So my work ... working at Bellevue Hospital is what they were honoring, and I feel that a lot of spoken word poets (and) slam poets are community-oriented. I mean you have to be community oriented if you’re doing slam because you love the word. I’m sure not everyone feels this way but to me it is a democratic community, the art of slam.

"So for me, I like to teach it because there are very few poets who could teach performance as well as writing," Cabico continued. "I can do both and I understand both. Giving that gift — to teach ... at Bellevue — was historical and groundbreaking because psychiatrists don’t know about slam, they know painting. But painting is not as dangerous … It was just nice to be this slam poet, among other things, but also just being very young and not being Amy Tan, probably the opposite of Amy Tan, so it was great."
...
For more information, visit Harwood Art Center online. See the entire STIR schedule, get a festival pass and see some of the other poets from across the United States and Canada, including New Mexico’s own Joy Harjo.

More at Arthur Miller, Stephen King, Amy Tan and…Regie Cabico?

Special Showing's of Mary Lance' "Agnes Martin: With My Back to the World"

From the New York Times: 

"I'm very careful not to have ideas, because they're inaccurate," the artist Agnes Martin says in Mary Lance's touching documentary about her, but it's a lie. Ms. Martin was full of ideas, and she dispenses them engagingly in the course of the film, "Agnes Martin: With My Back to the World," made from 1998 to 2002.

Local documentarian Mary Lance' film has received great acclaim around the world -- don't miss this chance to see it here!

AGNES MARTIN: WITH MY BACK TO THE WORLD 
Produced and directed by Mary Lance 
Music by Steve Peters 

Special 2:00 PM Showings September 6th and 7th at Albuquerque's Guild Cinema

A groundbreaking documentary on the internationally renowned painter Agnes Martin.  Shot over a period of four years, from 1998 through 2002, Agnes Martin's ninetieth year, interviews with Martin are inter-cut with shots at work in her studio in Taos, New Mexico, with photographs and archival footage, and with images of her work from over five decades. In it Martin speaks about her work, her working methods, her life as an artist, and her views about the creative process. She also discusses her film, "Gabriel" and reads from her poetry and lectures. In keeping with Martin's chosen life of solitude, she alone appears in the documentary. 

Education & Serious Games @ IGDA 9/10

There are several exciting things going on in New Mexico's game development community. Please take a look:

First, this month's Rio Grande IGDA chapter meeting will take close a look at educational games ("serious games" for adults as well as video games for school-aged kids). These kinds of games are one of the fastest growing arenas in interactive media, offering exciting opportunities for game developers. They are not only an important tool for classroom teaching and adult training, but they are also used in the health field, in advertising and a variety of other endeavors. Using real case studies, we'll be discussing lessons learned -- successful techniques that earn A's as well as badly-thought out approaches that garner F's. Special guest will be Carolyn Handler Miller, author of Digital Storytelling: A Creator's Guide to Interactive Entertainment and writer of numerous educational games. Also Janeen Anderson from Game Production Services will speak.

When: Wednesday September 10 2008
Time: 6:30 -- 8:30 PM
Where: The Art Center Design College
5000 Marble Ave. NE, Albuquerque NM 87110 (view map) (505) 254-7575
Room TBD, ask reception for directions
Cost: Free!

October's Rio Grande IGDA meeting will focus on teams developing games for the Microsoft Dream|Build|Play competition.

I'm also pleased to introduce our chapter's new program co-chairs, Jonathan Whetzel
(jhwhetz@sandia.gov) and Luke Nihlen (lnihlen@gmail.com) of Tenth Artist. Their energy and enthusiasm is already helping build our local game development community, and I think we'll be seeing even more exciting activities to come.

More info at: http://www.igda.org/albuquerque/events.html

Address 5000 Marble Ave. NE, Albuquerque NM 87110

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BarCamp Albuquerque 3: Sept 13 & 14th

Albuquerque BarCamp 3 is coming up on Saturday September 13th and 14th, 2008. As the name implies, this is the 3rd BarCamp we've seen here in Albuquerque -- and they continue to get better, reflecting the growth in talented web, software and technology professionals we've been seeing lately (it's pretty exciting).

What it BarCamp? Want to sign up? Read on below (from Reid Givens at the Refresh Albuquerque Group Site)...

What is BarCamp?

BarCamp is a conference unlike most all other conferences for two
reasons:
1. No one owns it or makes any money off of it
2. The attendees are the presenters

BarCamp is based on the simple idea that we are all experts. Why pay a
few so called experts to come in and talk when we have a wealth of
information right here? Besides, when we don't pay for speakers, we
don't have to charge for the conference.

Attending BarCamp doesn't mean that you HAVE to present (although you
probably know something some of us don't), but it does mean that for
at least a day you can learn something new that can affect your
career, and you get to see who else in the community is out there,
what they're doing and just plain have fun. Going to BarCamp was the
best thing I ever did for my career, and it created friendships that
have lasted years.

BarCamp is free and doesn't take a lot of time out of your life. Come
and meet designers, developers, marketers, usability experts and
anyone else that stops by. This year, lunch will be provided so you
don't even have to pay for food! You can't lose!

For more information about BarCamp in general, visit:
http://www.barcamp.org

For more information about BarCampAlbuquerque, visit:
http://www.barcamp.org/BarCampAlbuquerque

motion08 discounts announced

Our good friends at motion 08 have announced discounts to make this year's conference more affordable for NM residents and students. They have a great line-up this year (and we're also excited to have the NM premiere of Domefest 2008 in association with the conference on October 14th). Check it out!

motion08 :: Special Offer for New Mexico Residents

NM residents are invited to attend motion08 for the student rate of $499*! (regular rate is $1099/$899 early bird)

Don’t worry students, we haven’t forgotten about you. Students can attend for $299** (regularly $499).

Use the following promo codes when registering online:

regular ticket moNMReg08

student ticket moNMStu08

motion is a unique event, focusing on the art of animation, broadcast design, title design, VFX and motion graphics. The event includes one full day of motion{u} extreme training plus two days of keynotes, panels, and sessions by some of the biggest talents in the industry.

Mark your calendar for motion08

October 12-15, 2008

Hyatt Regency Downtown ABQ

www.motionconference.com

*must show proof on NM residency

**must submit proof of current full-time status

BUBONICON 40 this weekend!

Perhaps because it's been around so long -- this is really its 40th year! -- Bubonicon has been something newcomers like me (15+ years) don't really get. What is Bubonicon?

From Wikipedia:

Bubonicon is an annual multigenre convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, typically held during the last weekend of August. It is the largest general-interest science fiction convention in New Mexico and among the oldest in the Southwest.

It's so popular, their site might actually be down at the moment... but it features an amazing mix of Sci-Fi, fantasy and speculative fiction writers, many of whom live right here in New Mexico. This year also features local folks like Steven Gould (Jumper) talking about the journey from book to screen, Laura Mixon talking about Storytron, and Hugo-nominated toastmaster Daniel Abraham. (And a lot more fun and craziness too.)

The event is relatively inexpensive too, so check it out (visit the website for more details).

Sony IPAX Online Mentorship Program

Image via CrunchBase, source unknown
Lots of good and interesting reports coming back from SIGGRAPH, including this news from the 3d4all forum:

Online Education Program by Sony's IPAX, with Animation Mentor

Sony Pictures Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation's IPAX education program announced today the launch of its new online mentor program, which will begin in the winter of 2009, and will leverage Animation Mentor's unique learning model and state-of-the-art online technology.

The three-month program will pair top students from 18 IPAX member schools from around the world with top Sony Pictures Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation artists who will provide individual online mentoring, training, and guidance.

Animation Mentor's innovative mentor/apprentice teaching model and online learning platform will enable Sony mentors to work with students to help them develop their skills and grow their craft. Tools include live video conference Q&A sessions with mentors, video guest lectures with industry experts, and eCritiques where mentors can provide video commentary while drawing directly on the student's work to illustrate their concepts.

IPAX, Sony Pictures Imageworks' and Sony Pictures Animation's professional education development program was created in 2004 to connect faculty from leading academic institutions with industry professionals.

Bobby Beck, chief executive officer and cofounder of Animation Mentor said, "There is nothing more valuable than the guidance a professional can give a budding animator who is honing their craft. This partnership really validates the unique teaching model Animation Mentor embodies and the powerful technology we've created to support an incredible learning experience -- no matter where you are on the planet."

This is an opportunity for IPAX member schools to engage future visual effects and animation professionals with the mentor/apprenticeship learning model perfected by Animation Mentor's online teaching program. Top students from the 18 IPAX member schools will be selected through an application process where student work is reviewed by Sony artists and matched with an appropriate Sony artist/mentor. The program is designed specifically for advanced students who are working on a range of special projects including short films, animation or visual effects. Sony mentors will give students individual input and feedback to help guide their work and perfect their skills over the course of the program.

The program is limited to students from IPAX member schools. Their respective faculty will initially recommend candidates who will ultimately be selected based on the quality of their work.

For more information:http://www.sonypictures.com/imageworks/ipax/

AniMotion NM: Particles this Coming Tuesday

From Teri Farley at The Art Center Design College:

AniMotion NM: Particles in 3D Animation and Motion Graphics

Where: ARTS Lab
When: Aug 19, 2008 7:00 PM –8:30 PM

Join the Art Center's own 3D animator and Digital Prestidigitator, Aaron Barreras for an evening of everything particle emitters!

This session will start with the basics of particle emitters presenting a variety of examples. Then we will take a look at particle emitters for animation and motion graphics using Maya and After Effects – including forces, collisions, rendering, instancing, track mattes, and Particle Playground in After Effects. We will also touch on Particular - a third party plugin for After Effects. There will be Q&A at the end of the session.

Also, lots of news from Siggraph, too!

This session takes place, Tuesday, August 19, from 7:00pm-8:30pm at the ARTS Lab

See you on there!

ARTS Lab
131 Pine St NE (Google map)
near central and university

NMITSA Lunch: Wendy Ederer on Successful Marketing

NMITSA's monthly membership lunch series continues this Thursday with Wendy Ederer, a well known sales and marketing guru, presenting her "Top 10 Tips for Successful Marketing." The August NMITSA luncheon will take place on August 14th at the Flying Star downtown from 11:30 am - 1:00 pm.

Wendy Ederer has been referred to as "eternally optimistic and contagiously enthusiastic." Wendy draws upon her 28 years of sales and marketing experience to enable her clients' organizations to grow. Utilizing her proven method of Connection Based Selling, and infusing her personal motto of, "Make a Positive Difference," in all of her sales and marketing training and consulting, she has assisted many companies including Panasonic, Bausch & Lomb, Principal Financial Group, and Fidelity National Title to achieve greater revenues and client retention.

Registration for this event is $25 for members and $40 for non-members. To register, please click here.

Character Animators for Imageworks?

Saw an interesting post on a job board a few minutes ago...

Sony Pictures Imageworks, Inc. is an Academy Award winning, state-of-the-art digital production studio dedicated to the art of visual effects production and character animation.

The company's achievements have been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with Oscars for its work on SPIDER-MAN 2 and the CG animated short film The ChubbChubbs! Other Oscar nominated projects include Surf's Up! The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Spider-Man, Hollow Man, Stuart Little and Starship Troopers. Movies currently in production include body of lies, valkyrie, Open Season 2, G Force, Watchmen and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Sony Pictures Imageworks is currently looking for qualified Character Animators for our new digital production studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Character Animator:

Utilizes traditional methods and computer graphics systems to create desired performance of computer graphics characters within a shot. Emphasis should be placed on conveying emotion along with motion. The ideal candidate will have strong skills in Maya, while additional experience with other software packages is highly desirable. 2 -5+ years production animation experience is required with feature film experience highly desirable. Ability to follow creative direction is a must. Character design and acting experience a plus.


If you fit the job requirements for Character Animator and are interested in living and working in Albuquerque, please email a copy of your resume to ABQrecruit@imageworks.com

For job descriptions and more Sony Pictures Imageworks/SIGGRAPH details, please visit us at www.imageworks.com

Sony Pictures Imageworks is an EO/AA employer.

--
NMITSA is now accepting nominations for the fourth annual Tech Excellence Awards.  More info at http://www.nmitsa.org/

Eric Renz-Whitmore, Program Coordinator
ARTS Lab
MSC04 2570
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131
505-277-2253
http://artslab.unm.edu