Courses Fact Sheet

SIGGRAPH 98
19-24 July 1998
Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, Florida

SIGGRAPH 98 courses covered: application of parallel computing to graphics, virtual reality, image-based modeling and rendering, the interface between art and computer graphics, and synthetic actors. A total of 24 full-day, 17 half-day, and five two-hour tutorials were scheduled.

"For 1998, more courses are targeted to leading-edge practitioners and, as a result, we have a program with a breadth and depth of offerings for beginners, the in-between levels, and even the most advanced professional, " said Harry F. Smith, University of North Carolina, SIGGRAPH 98 Courses chair. "Two-hour tutorials are a new format and provide focused discussion on a specific topic or detailed expositions based on Papers or Sketches from SIGGRAPH 97."

Highlights

3D Visualization in Medicine

Organizer
Terry Yoo, University of Mississippi

Lecturers
Henry Fuchs, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Ron Kikinis, Harvard Medical School
Bill Lorensen, General Electric Corporate R&D Center
Michael Vannier, University of Iowa
Terry Yoo, University of Mississippi

This course presented current techniques in 3D medical visualization as a pipeline from acquisition to display. It examined new data acquisition technologies, outlined algorithms and optimization strategies, and pointed out inherent problems along the way. Case studies were presented periodically thoughout the course, illuminating the motivations, benefits, and potential pitfalls of computer grapics research in medicine.

Art for Computer Graphicists

Organizer
Andrew Glassner, Microsoft Research

Lecturers
Jeff Callender, Q LTD
Andrew Glassner, Microsoft Research
Mat Gleason, Coagula Art Journal
Barbara Kerwin, College of the Canyons
Jim Mahoney, Microsoft Virtual World Research Group

Images are created to communicate. Artists have developed a body of techniques that help them create images that are clear and direct. These practical and useful ideas can also help anyone who creates computer graphics. This course distilled some of the essential basics of high-quality imagery. Attendees gained the intellectual tools to improve all of their visual work.

Artificial Life for Graphics, Animation, Multimedia, and Virtual Reality

Organizer
Demetri Terzopoulos, University of Toronto

Lecturers
Bruce Blumberg, MIT Media Laboratory
Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz, University of Calgary
Craig Reynolds, DreamWorks SKG
Karl Sims, Genetic Arts
Demetri Terzopoulos, University of Toronto
Daniel Thalmann, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

This course exposed attendees to the increasingly important role that concepts from the emerging field of artificial life are playing across the breadth of computer graphics. Topics included modeling and animation of plants, animals and humans, behavioral animation,communication and interaction with synthetic characters in virtual worlds, and artificial evolution for graphics and animation.

A Basic Guide to Global Illumination

Organizer
Holly Rushmeier, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

Lecturers
David Banks, Mississippi State University
Holly Rushmeier, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
Peter Shirley, University of Utah

This course presented the basic computational methods used to compute global illumination for image synthesis. The basics of ray tracing and radiosity were described, and a taxonomy of advanced methods was given. The results of various algorithms were compared to physical experiments set up at the course.

Compositing in the Digital Film Industry: Case Studies in Film Production

Organizer
Jacki Morie, Blue Sky | VIFX

Moderator
Richard Hollander, Blue Sky | VIFX

Lecturers
Pam Darley, Neil Okamoto, Todd Scopio
Walt Disney Feature Animation

Jonathan Egstad, Digital Domain

Pablo Helman, Industrial Light & Magic

Richard Hollander, Mary Leitz, Sean McPhearson
Blue Sky | VIFX

Aviv Yaron, Tom Wood
Cinesite, LTD.

Digital Compositing has become a mainstay of the feature film industry. A mature tool in today's production pipelines, compositing software covers a range of approaches dealing with the variety of problems to be solved in film making. This course demonstrated that range of approaches with specific examples that include both proprietary and off-the-shelf software as it is used in major feature films, presented by leading experts from the digital feature film industry.

Computer Graphics Beyond the Third Dimension

Organizer
Andrew Hanson, Indiana University

Lecturer
Andrew Hanson, Indiana University

This advanced tutorial bridged the gap between the familiar geometric methods of 3D computer graphics and their generalizations to higher dimensions. Participants learned techniques for describing, transforming, interacting with, and displaying geometric objects in dimensions greater than three. Examples with direct relevance to graphics included quaternion geometry and 3D scalar fields viewed as 4D elevation maps.

Introduction to VRML 97

Organizer
David Nadeau, San Diego Supercomputer Center

Lecturers
Michael Heck, Template Graphics Software
John Moreland, San Diego Supercomputer Center
David Nadeau, San Diego Supercomputer Center

Participants in this course learned how to use VRML (the Virtual Reality Modeling Language) to author their own 3D virtual worlds on the World Wide Web. Participants learned the syntax of technique and tricks for increasing performance and realism.

Developing High-Performance Graphics Applications for the PC Platform

Organizers
Michael Cox, MRJ Technology Solutions/NASA Ames Research Center
David Sprague, Intel Corporation

Lecturers
John Danskin, Dynamic Pictures
Rich Ehlers, Evans and Sutherland Computer Corporation
Brian Hook, id Software
Bill Lorensen, General Electric Computer Center R&D
Gary Tarolli, 3Dfx Interactive

This course explored the techniques for writing high-performance graphics applications for the PC platform. Issues explored included interaction between CPU, accelerator, API, software driver, cache, memory, and bus. Included were application case studies in consumer entertainment software and in scientific visualization.

How to Survive as a Computer Graphics Entrepreneur

Organizer
Mark Leon, Forward Edge Technologies

Lecturers
Nancy Collier, Odyssey Productions
David Hamby, The Lightspan Parttnership
Mark Leon, Forward Edge Technologies

This course was for individual computer graphic artists, developers, and enthusiasts who are considering the idea of starting their own computer graphics businesses, and asking themselves: "Can I survive as a computer graphics entrepreneur?" Presenters/survivors helped answer this question and offered practical advice for budding entrepreneurs.

Immersive Environments: Research, Applications, and Magic

Organizer
Maryjane Wraga, University of Virginia

Lecturers
Steve Bryson, NASA Ames Research Center
Mary Kaiser, NASA Ames Research Center
Jack Loomis, University of California at Santa Barbara
Mark Mine, Walt Disney Imagineering
Randy Pausch, Carnegie Mellon University
Dennis Proffitt, University of Virginia
Jesse Schell, Walt Disney Imagineering

This course presented a multidisciplinary approach to the problem of how to make immersive and semi-immersive display technologies useful. It covered a broad range of issues, from constraints associated with the human visual system to principles of interactive design.