VizWorld.com

A new tool from the Alexandra Institute and Rigshopitalet, University of Copenhagen creates a training simulator for medical professionals.  Using the ‘Visible Ear Data’, it’s a biomedical training/planning tool for simulating drilling procedures in the temporal bone.

The images have been used to generate a 3-d volumetric representation of the different parts of the ear. With a Phantom Omni haptic device and a standard pc, the user can enjoy an interactive view of the ear in real-time. The selected visualization technology in combination with high quality data provide a presentation in true colors and high detail. This is intended to allow the user to identify and interact with the different segments, such as mastoid bone, sigmoid sinus, dura and the facial nerve, and create a realistic experience that will be useful in the training for real life surgery.

Uses OpenGL and some nice Volume Rendering technology.

via The Visible Ear Simulator webpage.

Science biomed, opengl, simulation, simulator, training

An article at CNet from Peter Glaskowsky talks about some of the discussion at NVidia‘s recent “Analyst Day”.  Most of it is run of the mill stuff about projections and hardware we’ve been hearing about for the last year or two.  But two things stand out.  First off is an acknowledgement of the recent financial slump that NVidia suffered, and why:

Nvidia has had a rough couple of quarters in the market, which CEO Jen-Hsun Huang blamed in part on a bad strategic call in early 2008: to place orders for large quantities of new chips to be delivered later in the year. When the recession hit, these orders turned into about six months of inventory, much of which simply couldn’t be sold at the usual markup.

Second is a confession about NVidia’s chip manufacturing capabilities:

White also acknowledged something that I’ve long assumed to be true: Nvidia receives “preferential allocation” on advanced process technology at TSMC. It’s logical that Nvidia should get the red-carpet treatment, having been TSMC’s best customer for many years, but I don’t recall hearing Nvidia or TSMC put this fact on the record before.

Later in the article it talks about Intel‘s upcoming competition, the Larrabee, and discusses the possibility that Intel’s recent announcement of integrated GPU/CPU chipsets with lower-end GPU capabilities may just be a legal test to see if anyone contests it with monopolistic practices.

GPUs and the new ‘digital divide’ | Speeds and feeds – CNET News.

Hardware intel, larrabee, nvidia, tmsc

If you’re working in the field of Digital Artistry and need inspiration, or just love adoring fantastic examples of CG images, then CGtuts has the article for you.

After hours of tirelessly scouring the web, I have done it! Below is a compilation of 50 of the most stunning pieces of CG artwork in the world. Composed in an array of different applications and styles, there is artistic inspiration here for everyone!

Some of the work we’ve covered before, but every single image in the list is a fantastic example of digital graphics tools in the hands of masters.

via 50 Breathtaking CG Images – Cgtuts+.

Graphics art, examples, list

A set of custom software developed by Zum Kuckuck analyzed international data flow as well as network traffic of the Deutsche Telekom in real time, presenting it on a large plasma screen in the the Product Experience Center.  The visualization is 3D and real-time, showing the usage of their entire network infrastructure.

The software is based on Processing.  See more pictures and videos of the results at the website.

Realtime Information Graphics.

Graphics, Science art, network, processing, telecom

The recent “Rescue Me” opening scene was a hallway fire scene with some impressive VFX, and The Molecule is to thank for the fantastic work.

We at The Molecule, a visual effects company based out of NYC, have had the opportunity to take part in this increasing trend. In this week’s episode, we combined several passes of live action footage including plates of a hallway, the firefighters, and several explosions and flame effects, into one composite which looked as if the characters were running through a burning hotel. Several of the visual components had to be digitally retimed in order to sell the shot.

Everything looks better after The Molecule.

Graphics television, the molecule, vfx

I’m sure that clipping paths and opacity masks in various graphics tools are nothing new to many of you, but they are something I continually screw up.  Thankfully, VectorTuts+ has a tutorial demonstrating their use.

Opacity Masks and Clipping Paths are two of the most used tools in my workflow. They allow me to easily reveal or hide artwork without deleting any paths. As in all digital arts, it’s best to design your workflow to allow for maximum editability. It is inevitable that either myself or the client will change their mind through the process and this technique allows for easy revisions and edits, leading to less stress and happier clients.

The Basics of Clipping Paths and Opacity Masks – Vectortuts+.

Graphics illustrator, tutorial

Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) are looking at new applications for NVidia‘s CUDA libraries and GPU’s for improving performance of common military applications.

“As radar systems and other sensor systems get more complicated, the computational requirements are becoming a bottleneck,” said GTRI senior research engineer Daniel Campbell. “We are capitalizing on the ability of GPUs to process radar, infrared sensor and video data faster than a typical computer and at a much lower cost and power than a computing cluster.”

They’re primarily using the Vector, Signal and Image Processing Library (VSIPL) to run GPU’s, and seeing improvements of 20x to 350x after porting them to GPU.

via Video Game Tools Used For Defense Needs.

Hardware, Science cuda, gpgpu, gtri, nvidia, vsipl

ILM‘s network infrastructure operates on Gigabit Ethernet switches from Brocade, and Peter Hricak sits down for a short promotional piece talking about their network infrastructure.  As CG visual effects became a prominent piece of the company,the network became an increasingly critical part of the puzzle.  The video has a few details of their setup, and many shots of their massive rendering clusters and server rooms.

See the video after the break.

Read more…

Graphics, Hardware brocade, ilm, network, servers

MSNBC has an interview with Shawn Kelly of ILM about his work in Transformers 2.

msnbc.com:Behind Transformers visual effects.

Graphics ilm, interview, movie

A fun map is available online that shows the various social relationships between X-Men mutants.  Lines are color coded to show the various degrees of relationships (one-sided, kissed, married) and such comic-book strangeness as alternate realities.

relationshipmapv1.

Graphics comic, graph, infovis