SIGGRAPH Asia 2019, Exploring the CG Dream

SIGGRAPH Asia 2019, the 12th ACM SIGGRAPH Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Asia, was successfully held in Brisbane, Australia from November 17th to 20th.

The 4-day event included a diverse range of juried programs, such as the Art Gallery / Art Papers, Computer Animation Festival, Courses, Doctoral Consortium, Emerging Technologies, Posters, Technical Briefs, Technical Papers and XR (Extended Reality).

This year, the conference comprises 250 sessions and features over 800 speakers. As the sponsor for SIGGRAPH Asia 2019, Fox Renderfarm was honored to interview some of the speakers, including Jinny H.J. Choo (SIGGRAPH Asia 2020 Conference Chair), Pol Jeremias-Vila (Computer Animation Festival Chair), Sidney Kombo-Kintombo (Animation Supervisor of Weta Digital), Mike Seymour ( Real-Time Live! Chair), Alyn Rockwood (Doctoral Consortium Chair), Ernest Petti (Studio CG Supervisor of Walt Disney Animation Studios), and Guy Williams (VFX Supervisor of Weta Digital). Please stay tuned with us, exclusive interviews will be brought to you soon!

The annual event, which rotated around the Asian region, attracted the most respected technical and creative people from all over the world who are excited by research, science, art, animation, gaming, interactivity, education and emerging technologies. Now, let’s review the highlights of this fantastic conference.

Opening Ceremony and Keynote Session

Tomasz Bednarz, SIGGRAPH Asia 2019 Conference Chair, gave an overview of how SIGGRAPH Asia 2019 came to be in Australia. Keynote Speaker Donna J. Cox presented an extraordinarily insightful presentation on 'Revolutions in Mapping the Digital Universe: Stories of Satellites, Supercomputers, and the Art of Data Visualization'.

SIGGRAPH Asia 2019 Experiences

68 companies and brands, representing 17 countries and regions participated in the SIGGRAPH Asia 2019 Exhibition, some of which have organized Exhibitor Talks. The event showcased the latest cutting-edge hardware and software applications in the computer graphics and interactive techniques space.

Doctoral Consortium

The SIGGRAPH Asia Doctoral Consortium was a forum for Ph.D. students to meet and discuss their work with each other and a panel of experienced SIGGRAPH Asia researchers in an informal and interactive setting.

Featured Session

The Featured Session Program cast a spotlight on major breakthroughs, techniques, arts in the field of Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, such as Childish Gambino's Pharos - Real-Time Dome Projection for Live Concert, Making of Pixar's Onward, How Weta Digital Created Junior for Gemini Man, Star Wars: Over Four Decades of Storytelling with Innovation, and so on.

Computer Animation Festival

Asia's premier computer animation festival showcased a world-wide collection of the year's best works. In four exciting days, presenters showcased their most innovative exploration and transition in computer-generated animation and visual effects. This year’s winners are:

BEST IN SHOW: Kids

Co-Created by Michael Frei & Mario von Rickenbach, Playables, Switzerland Distributor: Wouter Jansen, Some Shorts, The Netherlands

JURY PRIZE: Spring

Director: Andy Goralczyk, Blender Foundation, The Netherlands Producer: Francesco Siddi, Blender Foundation, The Netherlands

BEST STUDENT PROJECT: The Ostrich Politic

Director: Mohammad Houhou, Miyu Distribution, France Producer: Moira Marguin, Miyu Distribution, France

Moreover, Its panels and talks included presentations by experts on a variety of topics related to the creation of computer animation and visual effects, as well as behind-the-scenes presentations by creators from the studios and schools, whose works are screened at the festival.

Real-Time Live!

Real-Time Live! made the future of interactive techniques live on stage. Participants could watch the most innovative interactive techniques as they were presented and deconstructed live by their creators.

For artists and scientists, SIGGRAPH Asia is where enthusiasts of computer graphics and techniques gather. It is also a unique interactive platform for exhibitors, fostering connections between exhibitors and the SIGGRAPH Asia community, bringing together new friends, and creating new business opportunities.

Fox Renderfarm will continue to support CG learning and communications platforms like SIGGRAPH Asia. We are also looking forward to seeing you in SIGGRAPH Asia 2020 in Daegu, South Korea!