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Infographics Summary for 2010-09-03

Randall Hand — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:30:02 +0000

Transparency: The Health of U.S. Teeth

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33 Books To Reference On Your VFX Journey

Randall Hand — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:00:35 +0000

AEtuts has compiled a nice list of 33 books to begin (or continue) your VFX education, several of which have already been the subject of a Resource of the Week post here at VizWorld.

How many books are in your library? I have some of the top rated books for our industry for you guys to pick and choose from depending on your interests! Whether you are into motion graphics or matchmoving… there is something here for everyone!

via 33 Books To Reference On Your VFX and Mograph Journey | Aetuts+.

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AMD Developer Central’s OpenCL Samples

Randall Hand — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:00:38 +0000

AMD has opened a new area of their website focused on hosting OpenCL code samples. While right now the offers are a bit spartan (a single Volume Rendering demo), their heart is in the right place. They claim that the demos require the ATI Stream SDK, but the Zipfile offered is source-code and a Visual Studio project so presumably it would work on NVidia systems as well (though you may need to alter a path or two).

OpenCL™ Samples | AMD Developer Central.

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Opposing Views on Canon’s 4K Camera

Randall Hand — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:00:19 +0000

Today Canon showed off an ‘engineering prototype’ of a possible 4K Camera under development, and while they are careful to state that this will probably never see the light of day without extensive rework, the various opinions around the device are heavily polarized. This was just too interesting to pass up.

First, Gizmodo loves it, which is no surprise since they love just about any gadget.

I really hope Canon makes this concept compact 4k camera one day, even if it says it’ll never come out just like this. It’s like the looming future of cameras sculpted in black plastic, a photon blaster-cum-camera.
A mere 5.5 pounds, this working concept model shoots 4K video at 60 frames a second using a single 2/3-inch CMOS sensor.

Then, ProLost takes one look at it and struggles to hold back the vomit.

There’s so much wrong with this “concept camera” that I hardly know where to begin. It’s an atrocity of aesthetics and ergonomics. It has a fixed, not-very-special 20x zoom lens. The sensor is only 2/3”. It shoots 60fps. Nothing about this camera reflects any awareness of what digital cinematographers want. It’s as if Canon brass lifted the internet ban on the engineer’s dungeon just long enough for them to visit to RED’s web site, and then shut it down again after they’d read as far as “4K.”

Finally, Philip Bloom takes a look and gives us a more balanced response.

It was actually working and was crisp as hell…This concept camera had a fixed 2/3″ 20x Zoom lens as the chip itself is 2/3″. I am not sure what the idea of it is, they mentioned something about medical something or other. It’s obviously not a cinema concept camera due to the fixed lens. The image out of it was actually really really nice. As I have said and I and am sure you all want to, is to see an APS-C chip in camera like this and use all the current Canon glass or PL lenses…but Canon have a different marketing strategy to someone like RED. RED announce their road map and make it very public. Canon keep things close to their chest. If there is a cinema camera coming out or a new improved DSLR for video there is no way they would show a concept camera of it and show the competition what they have up their sleeve.

So all three of them are speaking of the same camera, but so many different views. Those who love technology, those who use cameras on a daily basis, and those who cover the companies. So, what do you think?

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Google releases SketchUp v8

Randall Hand — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:40:12 +0000

It seems Google has quietly released a new major upgrade for SketchUp that includes model geolocation, color imagery, and a new tool called ‘Building Maker’. They’ve added improved tools for photo matching, and all around seem to have done a good job of adapting SketchUp to be a great tool for architectural modeling.

The pro version adds support for basic constructive solid geometry operations like union, intersection, and subtraction, as well as some CAD-like features such as angular dimensions and volume calculation.

Google SketchUp.

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LGs under-3mm thick 31 inch 3D-OLED-Television

Randall Hand — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:00:24 +0000

At IFA2010, LG is demonstrating a new 31″ OLED-TV that is an astonishing 2.9mm thick, and capable of full HD at 600Hz. It’s only a prototype, but LG is targeting a 2011 release.

Blends in harmoniously with any home interior, whether on a stand, or mounted on walls or even ceilings
31 inch OLED-Tv
World slimmest depth with 2.9 mm
3D Crosstalk Free
Infinite Contrast ratio
Viewing Angle Fee

I mean look at that photo, there’s practically nothing there!

via Pictures from LGs 31 inch 3D-OLED-Television at IFA-2010.

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MAIET and WeMade Choose Autodesk Kynapse

Randall Hand — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:00:46 +0000

MAIET Entertainment is working on ‘GunZ2: The Second Duel”, and WeMade Entertainment is working on a new MMORPG codenamed “LF”, and both have settled on Autodesk’s Kynapse AI middleware to drive the games. It’s a no-brainer of a choice so that now they can dedicate engineering resources to more important systems, and leave the AI and pathfinding to a proven solution.

“We needed a middleware solution for the Unreal Engine that provided efficient data generation processing for path finding, solid AI for nonplayer characters and light run-time search costs,” said Joseph Ryu, managing director at WeMade Entertainment. “Autodesk Kynapse AI middleware was the obvious choice.”
Developers at MAIET Entertainment also adopted Kynapse middleware to help improve efficiency in their engineering efforts. “In the past, there have been many cases when we had to rewrite the AI code for new game titles,” explained Youngho Kim, vice president at MAIET Entertainment. “By eliminating that redundancy, Kynapse middleware will help reduce development time. The middleware offers the performance and flexibility we were looking for.”

Read the full release after the break.

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Read the rest of MAIET and WeMade Choose Autodesk Kynapse (421 words)

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AMD CPUs and GPUs Used to Make ‘Machete’

Randall Hand — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:00:38 +0000

VFX artists from Troublemaker Studios used high-powered 6-core AMD Opterons and FirePro V8800′s to bring all the post-processing work for Robert Rodriguez’s ‘Machete’, over 500 shots work, in a mere 6 months with 10 artists.

Shots from three different digital camera models, one film camera, camera tracking work using PFTrack, 3D special effects work using Softimage, and compositing work using Nuke, all came together through AMD hardware.
Such added effects include extensive set damage, a huge number of bullet holes, and wide-ranging set extensions. AMD hardware also played a part in sophisticated particle simulations helped more accurately render realistic blood spatters that interact with each other, the actors and objects in the environment.

via AMD CPUs and GPUs Used to Make ‘Machete’.

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YumYum London’s Animated Short no.1 on Vimeo

Randall Hand — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:00:54 +0000

Animated Short no.1 from Yum Yum London on Vimeo.

There’s not much to say about this, other than it’s a cute animated short from Yum Yum London. 40 seconds of entertainment, and then be glad your day is going better than his.

Animated Short no.1 from Yum Yum London on Vimeo.

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Nine GeForce GTX 460 1 GB Boards Benchmarked

Randall Hand — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:23:34 +0000

The NVidia GeForce GTX460 has really become popular for it’s low price and stunning performance, but with so many out there how do you choose between them? Toms Hardware takes 9 different cards and gets down to the gritty details for you.

Awarded for its position as the best bang-for the buck graphics solution in both single-card and SLI configurations, the only question in the minds of hopeful buyers of Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 460 1 GB card is: which particular board to buy? Over a dozen manufacturers offer a vast array of clock speeds, accessory packages, and support. So, we asked that question for you.

In the end, it looks like the tradeoff is performance vs warranty. The cost is nearly identical on all the cards, but the highest-performing ones seem to have the worse warranties. They try out :

Asus ENGTX460 DirectCU TOP/2DI/1GD5
ECS Black Series GTX 460 NBGTX460-1GPI-F
EVGA GeForce GTX 460 SuperClocked 1024 MB EE (External Exhaust)
Gigabyte GTX 460 GV-N460OC-1GI
Jetway’s Exibition Card
MSI N460GTX Cyclone 1GD5/OC
Palit GTX 460 Sonic Platinum Overclocking Edition
Sparkle GeForce GTX 460 1024 MB GDDR5
Zotac GeForce GTX 460 1 GB

Personally, I’m a fan of EVGA but any of them looks like great choices.

via Roundup: Nine GeForce GTX 460 1 GB Boards Benchmarked : Shuffling Through The Cards.

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Philips Cinema 21:9 9000 series goes 3D

Randall Hand — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:30:53 +0000

We’ve talked about Philip’s impressive 21:9 Cinema television before (here and here), but today they’ve taken it to the next level and added full HD 3D support.

Another world first from Philips: a cinema proportion 3D TV that lets you enjoy movies the way they’re meant to be seen in the ultra-wide 21:9 movie format, plus glorious Full HD 3D. The end result? A whole new dimension to your movie, sport and gaming experiences – the likes of which has never been seen before.

I’m not really sure how you’re supposed to watch movies in 21:9, unless you just watch your regular bluRay’s in widescreen format and the top-and-bottom black bar are gone. Either way, the TV is impressive and now right on par with everything else going out these days.

via Philips – Cinema 21:9 – 9000 series – 8000 series – 7000 series – 5000 series – Small LED Series – Televisions – Sound and vision.

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plugin3D – 3D real-time plug-in for 3ds Max

Randall Hand — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:26:11 +0000

plugin3D, formerly RTRE, claims to bring real-time high-end visualization to the 3dsMax viewports, and do it for free.

Our powerful 3D realtime rendering engine works inside any 32-bit (64-bit soon) Autodesk 3ds Max 2009, 2010 or 2011 viewport. See and interact with your fully rendered scene in realtime, even with hundreds of thousands or millions of polygons. Move around, make changes, improve look and feel, add animations and see changes instantly. Meet “impossible” deadlines. Make last minute changes. Make an image or movie instantly.

The 64-bit support is still in beta, but the 32-bit version is available for free. If you want to take your scene and create a standalone interactive visualization to share with others, that’ll only cost $99.

via What’s New | plugin3D – 3D real-time plug-in for 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design.

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Call for Contributions to the SC10 Video

Randall Hand — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:00:43 +0000

If you looked at the SC09 Visualizations and said to yourself, “Man, I could do soo much better than that” then here’s your chance to prove it. The SC10 committee has just published the call and requirements for contributions to this years SC10 Video.

This is your platform to showcase your current projects in videos and pictures. We would especially like to encourage submissions related to the thrust areas for SC10 — Climate Simulation, Heterogeneous Computing and Data-Intensive Computing — but other themes are welcome as well. With capacity seating in the hall reaching into the thousands, this is a great opportunity to share your work with your peers and leaders in the community.

But you better move fast, the deadline for submissions (in 1080p format) is October 15th!

via SC10 – Contribute to the SC10 Video.

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Daily Viz from Visual Loop – 02/09/2010

Tiago Veloso — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:00:52 +0000

Yesterday, Steve Jobs unveiled a bunch of new goodies from Apple, and among them, the new iPod Nano. The guys at Dvice made an infographic on how the gadget has changed over the years. Also celebrating with a graphic is Joomla, completing 5 years of existence, and then we move on to other topics: Money Choices looks down to who’s got all the Gold – and who’s mining it -, School Grants Blog breaks down the state of School Grants in America, and GOOD shows the most dangerous cities for walking.

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Read the rest of Daily Viz from Visual Loop – 02/09/2010 (61 words)

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Infographics Summary for 2010-09-02

Randall Hand — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:30:02 +0000

Transparency: The Most Dangerous Cities for Walking

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Resource Of The Week 9/1/10: CUDA By Example

Randall Hand — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:00:59 +0000

This week’s recommended resource is for anyone gearing up for NVidia’s GPU Technology Conference at the end of this month, and comes straight from two senior developers in the CUDA software platform team, the recently released CUDA By Example.

CUDA by Example, written by two senior members of the CUDA software platform team, shows programmers how to employ this new technology. The authors introduce each area of CUDA development through working examples. After a concise introduction to the CUDA platform and architecture, as well as a quick-start guide to CUDA C, the book details the techniques and trade-offs associated with each key CUDA feature. You’ll discover when to use each CUDA C extension and how to write CUDA software that delivers truly outstanding performance.
Major topics covered include
Parallel programming
Thread cooperation
Constant memory and events
Texture memory
Graphics interoperability
Atomics
Streams
CUDA C on multiple GPUs
Advanced atomics
Additional CUDA resources
All the CUDA software tools you’ll need are freely available for download from NVIDIA.
http://developer.nvidia.com/object/cuda-by-example.html

This book is actually the foundation (I’m told) of a recent Webinar series on CUDA, sponsored by Nvidia. This book, and many others, is available in the VizWorld store.

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The Web 2.0 Summit Points of Control Map

Randall Hand — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:30:10 +0000

To generate some buzz for the Web2.0 summit they created a fun map of the major web properties and social networks on an interactive website so that you can pan and zoom, and then watch how the various “countries” have begun to encroach on each other.

More than any time in the history of the Web, incumbents in the network economy are consolidating their power and staking new claims to key points of control.
Meanwhile, insurgents both large and small are hoping to gain footholds or take ground in new territories.
Welcome to the first iteration of the Web 2.0 Summit’s theme, Points of Control!

via The Web 2.0 Summit Points of Control Map.

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Vision of Humanity Global Peace Index 2010

Randall Hand — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:00:10 +0000

The Vision of Humanity Project has published their interactive map of the Global Peace Index for 2010. The interactive site lets you browse the globe seeing the rankings of individual countries in relation to their neighbors, and their ranking worldwide.

The Institute for Economics and Peace, in conjunction with the Economist Intelligence Unit and with the guidance of an international team of academics and peace experts, has compiled the Global Peace Index (GPI). The Index is composed of 23 indicators, ranging from a nation’s level of military expenditure to its relations with neighbouring countries and the level of respect for human rights. The index has been tested against a range of potential “drivers” or determinants of peace—including levels of democracy and transparency, education and national wellbeing. The team has used the latest available figures from a wide range of respected sources, including the International Institute of Strategic Studies, The World Bank, various UN offices and Peace Institutes and the Economist Intelligence Unit. The Global Peace Index is intended to contribute significantly to the public debate on peace.

Sadly, the US ranks #85.

Rankings & Results « Vision of Humanity.

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Virtual Worlds Scientific Research at British Science Festival

Randall Hand — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:30:29 +0000

Daden Limited is creating an interactive map, both on the web and in Second Life, of virtual world based scientific research and educational activities in the UK as part of the upcoming British Science Festival at Aston University.

Daden Managing Director, David Burden, said; “We know that there is a lot of UK science and Higher Education activity within virtual worlds but is hard to visualise the scale and scope of activity without seeing it on a map. We hope that this map will inform people about projects they didn’t know about – and encourage them to visit. We want it to become a lasting resource for UK Science which can live on beyond this year’s British Science Festival.”

So fire up your SL viewer and go check it out, or go to their website and see it there.

Full release after the break.

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Read the rest of Virtual Worlds Scientific Research at British Science Festival (465 words)

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The Seedy Underbelly of the Web Infographics Business

Randall Hand — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:00:58 +0000

Over at Reddit, a user has posted some of the sordid details behind the gaming of Digg with infographics. To many, this is no surprise, but the frankness of the whole thing has made it popular.

Roughly, my work flow would go like this.
Come up with an idea for Digg-bait that was somewhat related to the site we wanted to plug.
Research the hell out of that topic to find the most interesting stuff for an infographic.
Write the infographic.
Pass it to an artist to produce.
Schedule a time for it to go live. This was actually carefully coordinated. The time slots were valuable and the network of people was finely tuned. This was the most surprising part of it for me.
Submit at the scheduled time.
Tell everyone I could find to vote it up. Get them to tell people too.
Watch it hit the front page.
Add an embed code at the bottom with proper, SEO-friendly HTML. This code would have the domain we wanted to boost in it as a link.
Spam other sites with it too for bonus points. Email large blogs, etc. to try to get them to run with it too.
I should add that this took well more than a day. It would take several days to get a concept, research it, write it, produce it, and then wait for the time-slot.

If you’re not quite sure what he’s talking about, you can look at a site like OnlineSchools.org . While I’m not saying they are part of this business, they have many Infographics on their site and each one is just as he describes.

via maasedge comments on My job was to game Digg using infographics, voting networks, and bait-and-switch. It was the company’s core business, and it was sleazy as hell. AMA..

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