Contents Zoom In Zoom Out For navigation instructions please click here Search Issue Next Page THE MAGAZINE FOR DIGITAL CONTENT CREATION AND PRODUCTION Bear Necessities Imageworks creates new tools for the strong, graphic style and detailed characters in Open Season $4.95 USA $6.50 Canada Contents Zoom In Zoom Out For navigation instructions please click here Search Issue Next Page A CW Previous Page Contents Zoom In Zoom Out Front Cover Search Issue Next Page BEF MaGS Visit http://emgz.blogspot.com for more DIGITAL CONTENT CREATION • CAD • MEDICAL IMAGING • VISUALIZATION IT WORKS FOR US Introducing the ATI FireGL™ V7350 — the workstation industry’s first one gigabyte ultra high-end graphics accelerator and the highest performing professional graphics product available, bar none.* ATI’s next generation workstation accelerators feature a highly parallel rendering architecture, innovative ring bus memory system and vibrant 10-bit graphics pipeline capable of displaying over a billion colors. It’s no wonder that animators, designers and engineers are relying on FireGL to deliver better performance, higher image quality and superior value. From entry-level to ultra high-end, the entire ATI FireGL workstation graphics family is optimized and certified for all major CAD and DCC applications based on DirectX 9 and OpenGL 2.0. Find out how ATI’s FireGL™ graphics can work for you at: ati.com/FireGL 1GB FRAMEBUFFER ©Copyright 2006, ATI Technologies Inc. All rights reserved. ATI, FireGL and Avivo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ATI Technologies Inc. Architectural image produced by Visualisation One. Automotive image designed and visualized with ICEM software. *ATI FireGL v7350 delivers the highest benchmark scores based on SPECapc application based tests for available products as of ati.com publication date of 3/1/06. A CW Previous Page Contents Zoom In Zoom Out Front Cover Search Issue Next Page BEF MaGS A CW Previous Page Contents Zoom In Zoom Out Front Cover Search Issue Next Page BEF MaGS Visit http://emgz.blogspot.com for more Karen Moltenbrey Chief Editor note KAREN MOLTENBREY: Chief Editor [email protected]______ An Industry Flashback 36 East Nashua Road Windham, NH 03087 (603) 432-7568 This past summer I visited Walt Disney World, and was amused by my nine- CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: year-old’s reaction to the Carousel of Progress in the Magic Kingdom. Created Courtney Howard, Jenny Donelan, Audrey Doyle, Evan Marc Hirsch, for the 1964—1965 New York World’s Fair, the attraction highlights the jour- George Maestri, Martin McEachern, Stephen Porter, Barbara Robertson editor’s ney of an American family, in 20-year increments, as it experiences technologi- cal transformations throughout the 20th century. My son was shocked to learn KATH CUNNINGHAM: Production Director [email protected] there was a time when the family was entertained by listening to a show on a radio, rath- (818) 291-1113 er than watching it on a high-def TV. He was even more surprised to discover that video CHRIS SALCIDO: Account Representative games, DVD players, and PCs are relatively new staples of the American home. [email protected]_________ We only have to step back in time a mere 10 years to notice how computer graphics (818) 291-1144 technology has evolved into a relative standard in our lives. A decade ago, Toy Story intro- COMPUTER GRAPHICS WORLD Editorial Offi ce: duced us to the fi rst full-length animated feature fi lm created entirely by artists using 620 West Elk Avenue proprietary computer tools and technology, while the merger of Wavefront Technologies, Glendale, CA 91204 (800) 280-6446, x1105 Alias Research, and Silicon Graphics led to the development of Maya, a commercially available advanced tool set for the creation of digital content. Also, Quake and other 3D SALES games began to emerge, and PCs were beginning to fl ex their power within the pro- TIM MATTESON: Publisher/West Coast Sales fessional graphics community. Meanwhile, the Internet was expanding by leaps and [email protected]________ (310) 836-4064 bounds, and with that came the early growth of graphics on the Web. This month Adobe is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Flash, which has evolved JEFF VICTOR: Midwest/East Coast Sales [email protected]_______ from a simple Web animation tool to a broad and robust platform for delivering rich (847) 367-4073 media content and applications. Introduced as FutureSplash Animator in 1996, the LA Sales Offi ce: product was swiftly purchased by Macromedia and re-branded with its current name. 620 West Elk Avenue Originally designed for vector illustration and animation, Flash continued to evolve, and Glendale, CA 91204 (800) 280-6446 in 1999, Flash 4 included a scripting model for development of dynamic, interactive con- tent—one of the most vital aspects of the technology today. No doubt many of us can recall when animation on the Web was limited for the creator and the end user. Flash helped change that. As Flash grew, so did broadband connections, fast computers, and the Internet, which drove the demand for higher quality, interactive content as well as more robust video and audio. When Macromedia integrated a scripting engine into its Flash Player Run-Time, it sparked a revolution in interactive Flash content WILLIAM R. RITTWAGE on the Web. Soon after, Macromedia incorporated video and audio into the Flash Player. President and Chief Executive Offi cer So where has this technology taken us of late? Flash-forward to 2004, when JibJab’s Computer Graphics World Magazine is published by Computer Graphics World, a popular Flash-created “This Land” animation consumed the Web at the height of the COP Communications company. presidential campaign. Today, the Flash authoring tool has an installed base of more Computer Graphics World does not verify any claims or other information appearing in any of the advertisements than 1.5 million developers and designers, and the Player is installed on more than contained in the publication, and cannot take any responsibility for any losses or other damages incurred 600 million desktops (98 percent of all PCs), making it the most widely distributed cli- by readers in reliance on such content. ent on the Internet. Now with Adobe at the helm after its acquisition of Macromedia Computer Graphics World cannot be held responsible for the safekeeping or return of unsolicited articles, several months ago, what can we expect from Flash in the near future? The company manuscripts, photographs, illustrations or other materials. is working on a product code-named Apollo—a new, cross-browser, cross-platform, Address all subscription correspondence to: Computer Graphics World, P.O., Box 3296 Northbrook, IL 60065-3296. cross-device client that uses Flash and other Adobe technologies for “an identical expe- Subscriptions are available free to qualifi ed individuals within the United States. Non-qualifi ed 1 year rates: USA rience across browsers, desktops, and devices online or offl ine, in or out of the brows- $4.95. Canada & Mexico $6.50. All Airmail Delivery is available for an additional $75.00 annually. Subscribers can er.” (A look at Flash’s past, present, and future can be found on the Computer Graphics also contact customer service by calling 847-559-7310 or sending an email to [email protected]._______ Changes of World Web site at www.cgw.com.) address can be made online at http://www.omeda.com/cgw/ Often, technology becomes such an integral part of our lives that we sometimes click on customer service assistance. need a “fl ashback” to appreciate where we have been in order to provide a perspective Postmaster: Send Address Changes to Computer Graphics World, P.O. Box 3296, on where we are going—even when “long ago” is only a decade in the past. Northbrook, IL 60065-3296 ww___________w.cgw.comSEPTEMBER 2006 Computer Graphics World |1 A CW Previous Page Contents Zoom In Zoom Out Front Cover Search Issue Next Page BEF MaGS A CW Previous Page Contents Zoom In Zoom Out Front Cover Search Issue Next Page BEF MaGS Visit http://emgz.blogspot.com for more September 2006 • Volume 29 • Number 9 THE MAGAZINE FOR DIGITAL CONTENT CREATION AND PRODUCTION Also see www.cgw.com for computer graphics news, Computer special surveys and reports, and the online gallery. WORLD Features Cover story Bearing Up 8 ‘TOON STYLE | The animals, objects, and scenery in Open Season may Departments appear simplistic, but they are Editor’s Note 1 indeed state of the art. An Industry Flashback By Barbara Robertson Computer graphics technology can change signifi cantly in a decade, Corps Values 16 as Adobe illustrates during its 10th GAME SIMULATION | The Army uses 8 anniversary celebration of the rich its intelligence, technology, and media content tool Flash. experience to create a realistic military-style game experience. Spotlight 4 By Karen Moltenbrey Products Nvidia’s Quadro Plex Faces in the Crowd 24 Dell’s Precision 390 Workstation | CROWD ANIMATION An independent Boxx Technologies’ 3DBoxx 8300 studio embraces the latest CG tools to HP’s xw9400 Workstation create a fi lm with a cast of thousands. Services By Jenny Donelan Mova’s Contour 16 GPUs Unplugged 28 Portfolio 44 GRAPHICS PROCESSORS | Vendors SIGGRAPH Art Gallery, Part 2 prove why the future of CG is in the cards. Products 46 A look at a range of product offerings By Courtney E. Howard making their debut at SIGGRAPH 2006. SPECIAL SECTION Storage in the Studio 31 A look at advanced storage technologies and how they are enabling DCC studios to be more creative. By Barbara Robertson, Mark Brownstein, 24 and Dave Simpson On the cover: Sony Pictures Animation survives its fi rst adventure in the wild world of 3D animated fi lms with the 2D graphic- styled movie Open Season.