VizWorld.com

Harris Corp has created a new 3D Virtual map for the upcoming National Memorial Day Parade happening later this month, May 25, in Washington, DC.

“Up until now, the public’s view of the parade route online was limited to one-dimensional, static maps,” said Tim Holbert, program director of the American Veterans Center. “Now they can see the entire route ahead of time, as if they were just above the street, in stunning detail, right on their computer.”We expect many people to use the new map to stake out good viewing spots on the day of the parade.”

Harris earns billions each year in government contracts, so they actually volunteered to create this for the veteran’s group and created the video free.

Of course, it’s good PR and advertising for Harris’s growing GIS business.

Harris Corp. creates virtual parade map | floridatoday.com | FLORIDA TODAY.

Graphics, Science harris, virtual worlds

A new HD commercial done by Shooter’s Post & Transfer for Dick’s Sporting Goods, called “Be The Hero”, is alot more complicated that first appearances.

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Graphics commercial, shooters, vfx

Probably not too many of you care about the “Pool Design Software”, but they’ve just added a new feature that’s interesting called “Instant 3D”.  From their press release:

The unique “Instant 3D” presentation system allows professionals to draw pools, spas, houses, decks and more in flat 2D and instantly present in interactive 3D. The material of any interior and surface created can also be changed with just a “click of the mouse”. Pool Studio features a real time terrain system that allows negative edges, cliffs, rolling hills, and other elevated ground to be created in 3D.  Designers can immerse the homeowner in every detail of their swimming pool project. Prospective pool owners can examine their future backyard design from every angle and see every feature and upgrade in convincing, real-time 3D.

Architectural design and demonstration tools targeted towards making pretty scenes for hopeful consumers is a growing market.  As CG becomes more and more commonplace in TV & Movies, more customers expect to be able to “previsualize” construction projects before ground is broken.

See a video of the software in-use after the break.

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Graphics architecture

Hot on the heels of the Maxwell 2 previews, CGArena has a tutorial on rendering a beautifull neoclassic livingroom suite with Maxwell.

Neoclassic Livingroom Lighting and Rendering using Maxwell Renderer – CGArena.

Graphics maxwell, tutorial

JJ Abrams is well known for his “shakycam” footage that appears in every film.  It lends alot of suspense and “realism” to the footage, but in a film like Star Trek it’s difficult to recreate.  With completely CG-rendered scenes, the guys at ILM spent alot of time researching motion capture technology that could duplicate the effect but eventually pronounced it too expensive and time-consuming.

Still, the mo-cap folks had another technology that was both simple and cheap: an orientation sensor that could be plugged into a computer with a simple USB connection and used to record motion. So Kavanagh and his animation team figured out that if they tapped on a desk while filming scenes with CG cameras–on-screen camera viewers that incorporate realistic lenses–and layered the motion from the orientation sensors underneath, they could get the same effect as Abrams got with live-action.

via Animation tricks create modern ‘Star Trek’ Enterprise | Geek Gestalt – CNET News.

Graphics, Hardware ilm, movie, vfx

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a new OLED technology that’s stretchable and bendable like rubber.  Produced by spraying a layer of carbon nanotubes with a flouro-rubber compound, the resulting displays are thinner than LCD and plasma and consume very little power.

“In the future, displays that once had to be flat can be made spherical, or even moving,” says Takao Someya, professor of electronic engineering at the University of Tokyo. “A human-shaped display could be used to show medical diagnosis data, and there are various other applications.”

Their demonstration prototype is 100cm^2  (10 x 10), and contains 256 monochrome pixels (16×16 grid). Some sites reporting this, like Slashgear, are incorrectly claiming 10square centimeters (I guess they can’t multiply).  This means each pixel of display is slightly larger than a half-centimeter on a side (0.625cm), or roughly the size of a large stereo headset plug.  Of course, the researchers are working on making them smaller, which would be required for anything terribly useful.

Researchers develop EL display that can stretch like rubber – The Mainichi Daily News.

Hardware display, oled

In a recent experiment by scientists at ICREA in Barcelona and University College London, researchers placed people into a virtual reality scenario with virtual people.  They then simulated disasters, and watch how the real people reacted.

For one experiment they developed a virtual bar, which test subjects enter by donning a virtual reality (VR) headset or immersing themselves in a VR CAVE in which stereo images are projected onto the walls. As the virtual patrons socialise, drink and dance, a fire breaks out. Sometimes the virtual characters ignore it, sometimes they flee in panic. That in turn dictates how the real test subjects, immersed in the virtual environment, respond.

While the subjects obviously knew that the VR people were not real, and the models were not terribly realistic, they still suffered similar reaction as if they were.  They liken this to the Stanley Milgram experiment of the 1960′s, and suggest that one very important (and often overlooked) aspect of Virtual Reality is not it’s realism, but instead the behavior and “mob mentality” within.

via When Virtual Reality Feels Real.

Science psychology, virtual reality

Maxwell Render v2 is getting close to release, and the folks at Next Limit have put some examples comparing the current v1.7 to the new v2 on their website.  Focusing largely on speed and noise improvements, this first set of examples show the incredible improvements they’ve made.

Maxwell Render Version 2.

Graphics maxwell, software

The Federal Reserve completed the bank’s stress test a few weeks ago and announced the results last week.  The Wall Street Journal has compiled the results into a neat interactive chart allowing you to see how each bank ranks in terms of capital needed, Tarp funds and market cap, amongst others.

The Federal Reserve directed at least seven of the nation’s biggest banks to bolster their capital levels by $65 billion while effectively blessing the stability of six others, marking for the first time a bold line between some of the nation’s stronger and weaker banks.

As a result of the government’s two-and-a-half-month examination of the U.S.’s 19 largest financial institutions, at least half a dozen — J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., MetLife Inc., American Express Co., Bank of New York Mellon Corp. and Capital One Financial Corp. …

Banks Need at Least $65 Billion in Capital – WSJ.com.

Science financial, infographic

In a fresh press release from Rackable systems, they’ve announced completion of the acquisition of SGI, and stated that they will be adopting the SGI name.

FREMONT, Calif. – May 11, 2009 – Rackable Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: RACK), a leading provider of ecological servers and storage products for medium to large-scale data centers, today announced that it has completed its previously-announced acquisition of the operating assets of the former Silicon Graphics, Inc. With the completion of this acquisition, the company will adopt SGI® as its global name and brand. Rackable Systems president and CEO, Mark J. Barrenechea, will lead SGI in the same capacity. The Rackable Systems board of directors remains unchanged.

One other interesting note I hear from other sources is that SGI Federal, the group behind the questionable $40Million HPCMO purchase and many other government SGI contracts, will remain a wholly owned entity.  It will become a subsidiary of the new SGI, and that their existing GSA schedule 70 will remain in place.  Essentially, it’s business as usual in the SGI Federal division.

Update: Oh, almost forgot – SGI is Dead! Long live SGI!

Update #2: John Leidel at InsideHPC has more details, including details on what SGI resources are being shut down and the nuggets that Bob Pette, who we interviewed previously, will become the VP of Visualization.

via Rackable Systems.

Hardware, Science rackable, sgi