Autodesk @ SIGGRAPH

Autodesk will be pumping at SIGGRAPH 2009 with several events such as Tech Talks and presentations on approaching film and game projects '9' and 'Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning'. They will also offer the first full Virtual SIGGRAPH. This is an online event that has free MasterClasses, live video streaming from the Autodesk booth presentations (#2201) and others attractions as well. Hewlett Packard and Intel are assisting, as well as NVIDIA, Fusion I/O and Wacom, so it's sure to be huge.

Below is a list of just some of the interesting presentations set to go:

Computer Animation Festival, Urban Planning Talks
When: Tuesday, August 4, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. CDT
Where: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, rooms 271-273
What: Chaired by Autodesk's Doug Eberhart, the Urban Planning Talks will feature four presentations from influential urban planning professionals, including Paul
Patnode from the Environmental Simulation Center, Kevin Gilson from Parsons Brinckerhoff, Gay Knipper from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, and Susan Piedmont-Palladino from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

'Fun with Maya' Tech Talk
When: Wednesday, August 5, 1 p.m. -2:30 p.m. CDT
Where: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Hall
What: Explore some of the more surprising behaviors of Autodesk Maya software dynamics with one of its creators, scientist, Duncan Brinsmead. Brinsmead will reveal inside tricks on using nParticles, nCloth and Paint Effects. Examples include crashing satellites, midway rides, plasma balls, pouring liquids, lava lamps, Martian moons, flying hordes of arrows, dynamic snakes and slimy worms. As a bonus, he will also teach a technique for creating reflection-based fractals in the mental ray renderer. This talk will have useful content for advanced Maya users, but it is also suitable for anyone with an interest in CG.

Project Showcase
When: August 4-6 during SIGGRAPH show hours
Where: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Autodesk booth #2201
What: Representatives from Sony Pictures Imageworks, Starz Animation, Psyop/Mass Market and Mythic Entertainment, an EA Studio, will offer daily presentations at the Autodesk booth. The talks will highlight how Autodesk's Digital Entertainment Creation solutions have to been used to create recently released and upcoming entertainment projects: 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,' '9', 'Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning' and various commercials, such as Absolut 'Dissection,' Sprint 'Speedway' and the Computer Animation Festival opening animation." One-time bonus tracks on "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and 'The Spine' will also be offered by representatives from Frantic Films and Chris Landreth, respectively.

Sponsorships and Local Outreach
Autodesk is supporting several SIGGRAPH events, including FJORG!, GameJam!, The Studio activities and the SIGGRAPH Student Volunteer session. Autodesk's Jennifer Goldfinch will participate in a panel discussion at the Student Volunteer session - along with representatives from Microsoft, Digital Domain, EA and ILM - offering students job-finding tips and industry insight.

Product Demonstrations, Client Presentations and the "Fun with Maya" Tech Talk
The product demonstrations and client presentations offered at Autodesk's SIGGRAPH booth will be streamed live to the Virtual SIGGRAPH event site. Visitors can view the content live or watch scheduled reruns. Duncan Brinsmead's "Fun with Maya" Tech Talk will also be recorded and posted on the Virtual SIGGRAPH site.