Thousands of people bustled through into the L.A. Convention Center for the 35th annual Special Interest Group on Graphics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH) conference Aug. 11 through 14, eager to see the newest graphics technologies.
This year, more than 250 exhibitors at SIGGRAPH showcased their latest products. Almost all of the booths had video screens showing off the capabilities of their upcoming products, as well as high-definition TV screens showing presentations of their work. Some booths had interactive demonstrations for spectators to try out, as well as special events scheduled, such as presentations and prize giveaways.
The exhibitors at the event ranged from video game and movie companies, such as Activision and Pixar, to hardware and software manufacturers.
“This is the premier graphics show, this is where it happens,” said Brandon Reiss, a representative for Organic Motion, which was showing off its their newest camera-based motion capture technology. “The real advantage of this technology is that it can be used in public; there’s no set-up time since we don’t use markers.”
A few of the exhibitors at the event were not just showing their work to the attendees of the event, but also to other exhibitors in an attempt to gain new clients. Red Eye Studios, for example, was at SIGGRAPH to advertise their abilities with motion capture and animation. The company’s talents had contributed to games such as Bioshock.
“The fun thing is watching the research kind of work we do in action,” said Eugene Hsu, a doctoral PH.D student from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Another reason many of these companies were at SIGGRAPH was for recruitment. Along with the main exhibitions, there was also a job fair at which potential applicants could give their resumes to any company they were interested in working for and be interviewed by potential employers.
“This is kind of the place to be if you want a job in graphics,” said Hsu.
The SIGGRAPH 2008 conference lasted from Aug. 11 to 15, while the exhibitions were open from Aug. 12 to 14.
For more information on SIGGRAPH, you can visit their website at www.siggraph.org/s2008/ .