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City Engine - learning videos

The CityEngine Learning Videos are the starting point to experience the features of the CityEngine. These videos are captured on-screen CityEngine sessions with a narrator. The learning videos consist of:

→ A collection of one-minute videos explaining the essential CityEngine skills (below).

→ Detailed video tutorials accompanying the corresponding written tutorials.

CityEngine is the unique 3D city creation system for generating large urban environments

CityEngine is the unique 3D city creation system for generating large urban environments for all city modeling industries. Regardless if you are situated in game creation, modeling of stand-in models for film & tv, content services for virtual worlds, or if you are into urban planning. CityEngine will suit your needs.
Considered the largest virtual reconstruction, cultural heritage, and digital archaeology project to date, Rome Reborn is an international collaboration designed to create an interactive 3D digital model illustrating the urban development of ancient Rome. Rome Reborn 2.0 (alpha) made its debut on August 11 at Siggraph 2008 in Los Angeles.
In the scope of this project, the CityEngine has been applied to create thousands of Roman buildings and dozens of Ionic and Corinthian temples.

http://www.procedural.com/cityengine.html

Virtual Reality, HDR, Photogrammetry at ICT

Leah D'Emilio learns about a whole new approach to visual effects in film. Dr. Paul Debevec, innovator of HDR photography and creator of Photogrammetry used in "The Matrix," takes us through USC's Institute for Creative Technologies

CG Emily, Image Metrics, and the Uncanny Valley

Leah D'Emilio drops by Santa Monica-based Image Metrics, a motion-capture company on the cutting edge of rendering realistic faces, used on feature films ("Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix") and video games ("Grand Theft Auto 4"). Leah dons on the headcam used in performance based facial animation and discusses the Uncanny Valley.

The Promise of Digital Doubles

Just to prove that I’m not always uncovering rough spots in our industry, I want to share something very exciting to me. As a virtual human designer, I’ve had a long standing interest in various kinds of digital doubles (D2s). Before getting into this discussion, I’d like to clarify what a D2 is. It is a reasonably exact duplicate of an actor, either in a role or as him/her self. A believable D2 is one that fools us into thinking the actor is the real live deal.
Since Plato’s time there has been a word for such human duplicates: simulacra. It’s still used, but simulacra don’t have to be exactly faithful reproductions, so I think “Digital Double” or “D2” is the more accurate term for what I’m discussing. Taking this a step further, I envision that in the not-too-distant future, virtual human brain technology will be combined with D2 technology to create life-like interactive virtual humans with intelligence and personality.
Note, characters like the amazingly realistic digital baby in Lemony Snicket, and the believable Davy Jones, in Pirates of the Caribbean are more accurately classified as virtual actors and are also simulacra, but are not D2s. Believable virtual actors are relatively new on the scene and are extremely difficult to achieve. It requires both a technical tour de force and great artistry.
There are a few examples of reasonably good D2s used in film. I first got seriously interested in D2s back in 1997, when Eileen Moran and her team at Digital Domain created the virtual Andre commercial where a reasonably good Andre Agassi D2 starred. It was an impressive feat. I was told that they actually degraded some of the mo-cap on the real Andre so people would realize that it wasn’t really him. I’m not sure I believe that.
My hat is off to all the teams who have been working to solve this complex problem at many companies and universities. It involves so many 3D techniques from performance capture to geometry perfection, to texture capture, to super realistic skin rendering and more, with many places to not get it quite right. This brings us to a term called the “Uncanny Valley,” the creepy feeling we get when we see an almost right D2. Viewers will accept characters that intentionally are not supposed to look realistic, as we are able to suspend disbelief. But once characters cross the threshold where they are supposed to look like a real person our subconscious minds are sensitive to the slightest imperfection in them and warn us, keeping us from suspending disbelief. The term Uncanny Valley itself refers to a graph chart where viewers reactions are charted on how much they accept a representation of a character. The graph plots along with positive results for obvious animation, even as characters get more and more realistic, but once they cross a certain point where the characters are supposed to look like real life, yet due to imperfections does not fully achieve this, the graph plummets, thus the Uncanny Valley. Getting past that hidden protective mechanism is very difficult indeed…requiring near absolute perfection.

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights from Seth Brau on Vimeo.
Created by Seth Brau
Produced by Amy Poncher
Music by Rumspringa courtesy Cantora Records
humanrightsactioncenter.org

RabbitHoles 3D Motion Holograms: Gnomon Gallery, SIGGRAPH, and Pixologic / Gnomon Party

RabbitHoles 3D Motion Holograms: Gnomon Gallery, SIGGRAPH, and Pixologic / Gnomon Party from douglas johnson on Vimeo.
This video presents real footage of the twelve limited edition RabbitHole 3D Motion Holograms by ten renowned entertainment industry artists that RabbitHoles Media launched for the Grand Opening of Gnomon Gallery in Hollywood; the RabbitHoles 3D prints were displayed at SIGGRAPH and remain on display at Gnomon Gallery. The pieces are printed in the amazing form of RabbitHoles state-of-the-art digital motion holograms, which display 1280 frames of full-color, 3D imagery with up to ten seconds of fluid and seamless animation on a completely flat surface. The video also includes interviews with the people pioneering the use of RabbitHoles as a new print medium for art, including artists Alex Alvarez, Fred Bastide, Pascal Blanche, Kris Costa, Jeremy Engleman, Meats Meier, Laurent Pierlot, Aaron Sims, Scott Spencer, and Timur "Taron" Baysal.

http://www.rabbitholes.com/index.html

Giornalista ologramma -Yahoo Video

Giornalista ologramma su Yahoo! Video

Obama Chicago full speech

CNN Holograms Debut With Jessica Yellin Figure

Huffington Post | November 4, 2008 07:27 PM
CNN debuted its holographic correspondents Tuesday night shortly after 7PM Eastern. The first hologram was one of reporter Jessica Yellin, who was reporting from Chicago.
Wolf Blitzer welcomed the holographic Yellin saying, "Jessica, you're a terrific hologram, thank you so much."
Watch:

Transcript:
BLITZER: You saw Jessica Yellin over at Grant Park just a little while ago when we were talking to her. We're going to do something that's never been done on television before. We're going to bring her in from Chicago into "The Situation Room" -- into the "CNN Election Center" -- excuse me -- right now. I want you to watch what we're about to do, because you've never seen anything like this on television.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Big round of applause. We did it. There she is, Jessica Yellin.

I know you're in Chicago, but we've done something, a hologram, we've beamed you in. We beamed you in here into the "CNN Election Center."

I want to talk to you as I would normally be talking to you if you were really face to face with me. I know you're at least 1,000 miles away, but it looks like you're right here. Tell us what's going on in Chicago right now.

YELLIN: Well, there are massive crowds gathered outside here, as you just saw. 65,000 ticketed people are going to be let in, but as many as a million are expected to be outside, surrounding this Grant Park location.

And walking on the streets outside, Wolf, you can feel the intensity, the excitement, the anticipation for what they hope will be a truly historic night. He's their hometown boy here in Chicago, Barack Obama is, and so there's real passion for him in this town, Wolf.

BLITZER: And where is he and his family? Where are they now? Where are they watching all of this? They might be watching us right now on their own monitors, wherever they are.

YELLIN: Barack Obama is at the Hyatt Hotel nearby, where he is going to eventually be watching election returns as well. He played basketball earlier in the day, which has become, you know, an Election Day tradition for him. And we're expecting him to go home at some point, change, and then watch his election returns, and you know, turn up here eventually to make the much anticipated speech.

BLITZER: You know what I like about this hologram -- and you're a hologram now, Jessica -- instead of having thousands of people behind you screaming and shouting, you know what, we can have a little bit more of an intimate conversation, and our viewers can enjoy that as well.

How excited are you, Jessica, that this is -- you're the first one that we've beamed into the "CNN Election Center?"

YELLIN: I know. It's like I follow in the tradition of Princess Leia.

It's something else. It's the first time it's been live on television, and it's a remarkable setup, if I could tell you about it for a moment.

I'm inside a tent in Chicago that's been built -- engineers spent about three weeks doing it. There are 35 high-definition cameras ringing me, in a ring around me. I'm in the center. And they shoot my body at different angles, and I'm told that transmits what looks like an entire body image back there to New York. These cameras, I'm told, talk to the cameras in New York, so they move and they know when to move when the cameras in New York move. And it looks a little different from real person there, but it's pretty remarkable.

BLITZER: It's still Jessica Yellin and you look like Jessica Yellin and we know you are Jessica Yellin.

Let's get back to the important politics of this night. What are they looking for right now, the Obama campaign? What are they most interested in seeing in this, the early -- the early part of this evening?

YELLIN: Well, what they're going to be looking for, first of all, are those red states that we've been talking about -- Virginia, Indiana -- to see what the results look like. You started talking about it. And especially how those late deciders broke. They have a very clear sense of how many people were already on board with them going into today. The big unknown is the people who made up their mind yesterday, today. If there's a high number of late deciders breaking for them in these red states, they feel that will be a very, very good night.

And so, they are feeling nervous. Everyone I'm talking to very, very nervous right now, Wolf.

BLITZER: I think a lot of people are nervous out there. All right, Jessica. You were a terrific hologram. Thanks very much. Jessica Yellin is in Chicago. She's not here in New York with us at the "CNN Election Center," but you know what, it looked like she was right here. It's pretty amazing technology.

Lynch (One) - dvd

ynch is a rare glimpse into the fascinating mind of one of cinema's greatest directors. Footage was gathered over a two year period and documents David Lynch's many creative interests as well as his passion for filmmaking. We ride along with David as he makes his latest film, Inland Empire, witnessing his struggles and triumphs. His courage to delve into the unknown becomes an inspiration to us all.

Lynch (ONE) - stills

LYNCH-2 teaser

LYNCH-2 teaser

david lynch documentary 2007 teaser

david lynch documentary 2007 teaser

david lynch

david lynch/ WHAT'S MYSPACE

LYNCH Behind the curtain A film that gives us a rare glimpse into the fascinating mind of the man who created classic films such as Eraserhead, Mulholland Dr., Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me, Wild At Heart, The Elephant Man and more...
Compiled from over two years of footage, the film is an intimate portrait of Lynch's creative process as he completes his latest film, INLAND EMPIRE. We follow Lynch as he discovers beauty in ideas, leading us on a journey through the abstract which ultimately unveils his cinematic vision. The director of the documentary immersed himself in David Lynch's world; living and working at Lynch's home. His unobtrusive style has captured a personal side of David Lynch not seen before. The film reveals Lynch not only as one of the most original and compelling directors of contemporary film but also as an artist who continues to explore and experiment in countless mediums. We witness his "hands on" approach to painting, sculpting, music and screenwriting. His enthusiasm is infectious; inspiring us to tap into the well of creativity that Lynch believes we all have.

TEATRO: ROMA, SERATA IN RICORDO DI LEO DE BERARDINIS E PERLA PERAGALLO

(Adnkronos/Adnkronos Cultura) - Una serata speciale per ricordare Leo De Berardinis e Perla Peragallo. Il 3 novembre al Teatro Valle di Roma (ore 21) l'Ente Teatrale Italiano e il Centro Teatro Ateneo della "Sapienza" rendono omaggio a due fra i maggiori protagonisti della scena d'avanguardia del teatro italiano dagli anni Sessanta a oggi, recentemente scomparsi. Il titolo delli'appuntamento e' "Leo e Perla. Chianto 'e risate risate 'e chianto. Un ricordo, a cura di Ferruccio Marotti e Luisa Tinti".

Compagni d'arte e di vita negli anni '60 e '70, De Berardinis e la Peragallo hanno rappresentato una grande coppia teatrale, di alto rigore etico e politico, e per tutta la vita hanno seguito un percorso coerente, caratterizzato dalla rottura degli schemi, dalla sperimentazione scenica, dall'interscambiabilita' dei ruoli e dalla capacita' di improvvisazione. Nel corso della serata saranno ricordati dai compagni con cui i due artisti lavorarono a Roma, dai tempi dell'universita' al teatro in borgata fino all'esilio di Marigliano, vicino a Napoli.

Ferruccio Marotti e Antonio Calenda racconteranno gli inizi di Leo e Perla al Centro Universitario Teatrale (Cut) della "Sapienza"; Carlo Quartucci, insieme con Claudio Remondi e Cosimo Cinieri, evochera' le regie beckettiane; Ciccio Capasso e Tito Schipa jr parleranno della drammaturgia della musica, mentre Carla Tato' e Simone Carella dei progetti degli anni Settanta. Infine una testimonianza delle generazioni piu' giovani, con Carola de Berardinis e Ilaria Drago, che hanno condiviso la partecipazione alla scuola "Il Mulino di Fiora".

View Conference 11-14 nov

L’universo della cultura digitale raccontato dai massimi esponenti mondiali: questa è VIEW Conference, manifestazione diretta da María Elena Gutiérrez e realizzata grazie al contributo di Regione Piemonte, Provincia di Torino, Città di Torino, Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione CRT, e Camera di Commercio di Torino, che si svolgerà a Torino dall’11 al 14 novembre.
Oltre 100 appuntamenti previsti, animati da guru dei videogame, registi, maestri degli effetti speciali, visual artist e docenti universitari. Mai nel nostro Paese si è assistito a una tale concentrazione di figure di questo livello pronte a onfrontarsi con il pubblico svelando la loro “visione” (View) del futuro. Non a caso l’organizzazione della manifestazione si aspetta un’affluenza di circa 30 mila persone, più del doppio rispetto all’edizione dello scorso anno.
MAGGIORI INFO:

www.viewconference.it/

VIEWFest - Torino, 7-9 nov 2008 -A global network of digital movie festivals.

A selection of the best of every fest is screened, through the net, to all others fests.
This is VIEWFest. Turin is the Italian knot of the net.
VIEWFest, the Italian evolution of Resfest, the successful global touring digital film festival, is not a festival like any other. It doesn't have a mere spatial location, rather, it is a knot in a net.
Imagine a network of festivals everywhere in the world, from São Paulo to Seoul, from Amsterdam to Istanbul. Now, draw some virtual lines, communication channels among all these cities. The result is a worldwide festival, where every knot in the net is connected to the others. For Italy, this knot is Turin.
So... Get ready for the new era of the vanguard of digital filmmaking.
Three days of film, art, video clips, music, workshop, parties, and much more, and more...

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