APRIL 2017

The CG Magic Behind "Smurfs: The Lost Village"

A throwback to the original Peyo designs, "Smurfs: The Lost Village" features richly detailed environments and beautifully animated characters. In a feature for Spark CG Society, Jessica Fernandes goes in-depth with VFX Supervisor Mike Ford about the technology and artistry behind the magic.

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Computer Graphics in China

Jessica Sommerville and Rick Xu explore the trends and climate surrounding China’s computer graphics industry in this SIGGRAPH blog post. Included in their overview are the insights of a man known to many as the "father of the Chinese CG industry” -- Raymond Dennis Neoh.

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Around the Web

• VIDEO: Hollywood's Greatest Trick. While Hollywood's profits grow, visual effects artists struggle for fair pay, representation and recognition. 
• Real-Time Tech: New Advancements Take Center Stage (Computer Graphics World). For the first time, a Royal Shakespeare Company stage production used real-time performance capture and CGI to create a completely digital character.
• Wanted: VFX Artists (VFX Voice). Virtual reality and augmented reality are in their embryonic stages, but are predicted to become a $150 billion business by 2020. This article in Visual Effects Society's new magazine VFX Voice features a panel of experts that include longtime ACM SIGGRAPH member Jacki Morie.
• Tipit iOS Greenscreen App Opens a Pandora’s Box of AR Possibilities (Graphic Speak). Augmented reality startup Tipit recently launched an automated photo editing app that separates an image from a background with precision, allowing for still images to feel augmented.

What Are You Working On?

Involved in a research or art project that you want to share with ACM SIGGRAPH members? Tell us about it. We might feature it on our website or include a blurb in our next newsletter.

Computer Graphics Events

• May 2-5: FMX 2017 (Stuttgart, Germany)
• May 15-17: SCCG 2017 (Mikulov, Czech Republic)
• May 16-19: Graphics Interface 2017 (Edmonton, Canada)
• May 22-24: CASA 2017 (Seoul, South Korea)
• May 29-June 2: WSCG 2017 (Plzen, Czech Republic)
• June 5-7: Web 3D 2017 (Brisbane, Australia)
• June 11-18: ISEA 2017 (Manizales, Colombia)
• June 12-13: SCF 2017 (Cambridge, MA, USA)
• June 19-21: EGSR 2017 (Helsinki, Finland)

Deadlines

• May 23: SIGGRAPH Asia Technical Papers
• May 30: SIGGRAPH Asia Emerging Technologies
• July 14: SIGGRAPH Birds of a Feather
• ACM-Women Scholarships for Research Conferences (Ongoing)