We announced back in May that the Chaos Group in association with CG Society, NVidia, MAXON and BOXX would be running the “Decisive Moment” competition. The challenge was to create a single image, using any application and V-Ray to render, that tells a decisive moment in time.
Assimilate BBQ Date Change...
We are sad to have to tell you that due to our demand for such a massive amount of beef for our BBQ, Argentina has told us that they don’t have enough cows.
Out of this World: Mars Panorama
Check out this awesome Mars panorama, released by NASA this summer. This full-circle scene combines 817 images taken by the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. It shows the terrain that surrounded the rover while it was stationary for four months of work during its most recent Martian winter.
SIGGRAPH Round Up...
Another year another SIGGRAPH and what a packed in week it was. This year, LA didn't just give us earthquakes, heat waves and the biggest burritos known to man but also a full week of presentations from some of the biggest and newest studios plus an exhibition hall packed with the latest technology from around the world.
Here is a quick summary and a few favourites from last week. These are just some of the things to check out:
GPFS user group
The sixth General Parallel File System (GPFS) User Group is set to take place on September 20th at The Bishopswood Golf Club, Bishopswood, Bishopswood Lane, Tadley in Hampshire.
14 Days and Counting...
There are just 14 days before the Assimilate and Escape Studios BBQ Round Two…not that we are counting!
That gives you only 14 days to nab yourself a spot at our exclusive BBQ event and after the success of the first event, places are limited. This second round BBQ will be taking place at The Shepherd’s Bar, Shepherd’s Bush on Thursday the 23rd of August and that is a date for your diary if I ever did see one!
Who Says Size Matters?
The rumours are true - Apple is launching its iPad Mini alongside the iPhone 5 in early Autumn, providing all the same fun gadgetry of a regular iPad but in a neat and compact 7.85 inch tablet. The competition is rife with Amazon and Google spewing out rival devices, including the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7, in preparation for this year's Tablet rush. Apple hopes to squash this competition with the release of the iPad Mini, lending weight to the idea of a ‘budget iPad’ in order to compete with the lower priced android slates creeping into the market.
Finish Line: Henry Stuart's gigapixel image of Usain Bolt
I wanted to share this fantastic image, which shows the men’s 100m Olympic Final in stunning detail.
NVIDIA: Live From SIGGRAPH
Super-Hi Vision for the Olympics
Just before the Olympics started I had heard of rumour that the BBC would be screening some of the sporting events, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies, at its Broadcasting House using some very special technology. As it's a screening you’d be right in assuming that it’s going to be some sort of screen and broadcasting technology. What's so special about this is that the BBC are showing off Super-Hi Vision TV, which is basically a branded way of saying UHDTV. UHDTV in simple terms is 8K television accompanied by 22.2 3D surround sound on a 300 inch screen. There are only 3 cameras functional in the world and are developed by NHK (the Japanese national broadcaster) and they are all in London. NHK have been developing this technology since the 1990's with the aim of creating a camera with a higher level of fidelity than the human eye and a screen that encompasses your entire field of view, and as a result create the ultimate visual experience.
Introducing the BOXX renderPRO
BOXX Technologies present the BOXX renderPRO, the first personal, dedicated, rendering solution for animation, VFX, engineering and architectural visualisation. The renderPRO is designed for desk-side rendering with easy configuring and a compact design for professional performance in minimal space.
Bring on the BBQ...Round Two!
Ladies and Gentlemen, prepare yourselves and dust off your knives and forks as we are happy to announce round two of the Assimilate and Escape Studios Technology BBQ!
On Thursday the 23rd of August at the Shepherd’s Bar we are hosting a second BBQ with Assimilate and HP, but this time we have also partnered up with NVidia and Red Digital Cinema Professional to showcase a SCRATCH turnkey package exclusive to Escape Studios Technology.
Prometheus - Inside and Out
Framestore has partnered with Secret Cinema to create enhanced viewing's of Scott's Prometheus. Secret Cinema has always been known to think outside the box when it comes to how films can be screened, with this box office smash being no different.
Teaming Up For Restoration
Last week FilmLight and our friends at The Pixel Farm announced the collaboration of PFClean and Baselight in a strategic partnership to create an end-to-end restoration, colour grading and remastering solution.
Burton Talks Actresses, Stopmotion And Frankenweenie
Following our previous blog post about Tim Burton’s new project ‘Frankenweenie’, we bring you a further update via the IGN website.
A Summer Success
Last night we fought off the threat of rain, heated up the barbies and started cooking for our Assimilate, HP and Escape Studios BBQ in the Shepherd’s Bar and we are so proud that it was a huge success! A big thank you to everyone who made the journey down to Shepherd’s Bush for this very special event.
New Type Of Education
I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but, as I have said before my favourite developer is Valve. They consistently produce work which is innovative on so many levels and always has engaging narrative and characterisation.
Last Chance Saloon...
This is your last chance to get your name down for the Assimilate, Escape Studios and HP BBQ tomorrow!! It looks like the weather is going to hold out so expect steak, sunshine and cervezas.
We are pretty excited to have HP as the event’s sponsor as we now have the HP Z Family available on the Escape Studios Tech Store. The Z1 is a pretty spectacular all-in-one model with all the HP technology built into a 27 inch, LED monitor, all of the power minus the tower.
Full of E.Motion
On Tuesday, a lucky few of us got to go on a trip that ventured outside of the confines of the Shepherds West building. Drinking more coffee than one body ever needs, we went to do some film and games grade motion capture at the impressive facility at E.Motion.
Supermicro Launches Fat Twin
Our friends at Boston are delighted to finally announce the launch of Supermicro’s highly anticipated Fat Twin server platforms.