– Acura hosts Softimage 3D event

To celebrate the new version of Softimage 3D, Toronto distributor Acura Technology Group held an event showcasing the software’s new features.

Some of the industry’s best-known animators and artists, including representatives from NetStar Communication Graphics, TOPIX Computer Graphics and Animation, Nelvana and Empire Entertainment, gathered at The Left Bank to see a demonstration performed by International Academy of Design program coordinator and Softimage expert Derek Fullerton.

Key features of Version 3.7 include enhanced lighting tools, interactive lighting control for animated effects such as explosions, improvements in the mouse control, expanded support for midi devices, 70 new shader presets, and more than 400 new textures.

Also featured was the first-ever Canadian demonstration of a Dual Pentium ii, 300 MHz workstation by NeTpower. The chip, recently released by Intel, is touted as having the capacity to significantly expand nt’s ability to run complex programs like Softimage.

-Alias|Wavefront names Williams

Toronto-based Alias|Wavefront has announced the appointment of Thomas Williams as the company’s chief technical officer and vp.

Williams, a two-time Academy Award winner, will drive Alias| Wavefront’s engineering agenda and long-range product development efforts, overseeing r&d centers in Toronto, Paris, Detroit, Vancouver, Seattle, Santa Barbara and Mountain View, California, home of parent company Silicon Graphics.

Williams has 14 years’ cg experience, including work at Pixar and ilm, where he was recently head of the computer graphics department. Credits include T2, Jurassic Park, The Mask, Jumanji and Twister.

-Baton, Craig go with Sony SX

Sony has made inroads in the broadcast expansion teams with a $3-million sale of digital broadcast equipment to Baton Broadcasting’s new specialty The Comedy Network and its new Vancouver station civt.

The new station is investing in the entire range of Sony sx technology, including multiple Betacam sx camcorders, Digital News Editing Systems, Digital Video Cassette Players and high-resolution video monitors. bbs says the network was looking for an integrated single format for news gathering, studio production and on-air playback.

Craig Broadcasting Systems has also purchased Sony Digital sx for its Calgary and Edmonton A-Channel stations, launching this September. In the $10 million deal, the broadcaster will acquire a complete digital sx-based setup including 20 SX DNW7 camcorders.

-Farm sampling

Toronto’s Image Farm has released its image preview tool, the Image Farm Browser Disc V.1, featuring every image in Farm’s collection in low-resolution form for reference.

The disc enables producers and designers to put a picture into context in mockups or rough layouts before purchasing any of the volumes of high-resolution, royalty-free images on cd-rom. The browser disc also includes 10 high-resolution sample images that can be used in projects without any additional licensing fees.

-Turbo flexibility

L.A.-based Quantum Films Software has released an upgrade for Turbo Budget for Windows which facilitates different union rules and rates within a budget. The Wizard, a feature in Version 4.0 of the software, provides a menu choice for different setups which apply to independent production, Canadian production or a studio-style budget.

For tv movie production, where budgets are often created for different locations, the Wizard can create multiple budgets from a single-budget template, accessing rates for specific locations and merging them into a finished budget, thereby allowing location cost comparisons. The software is sold in three editions priced from us$199 to us$699.

-Immersion Studios

Toronto’s Immersion Studios has created a virtual reality entertainment installation called My Canada which employs the company’s own video technology to take users on a tour.

Immersion uses proprietary software which combines videoclips, satellite images, photography, text and animation, sound, Web links, and models and textures to create a big-screen interactive experience.

The system is based on a Silicon Graphics Onyx2 Infinite Reality hardware coupled with high-definition projectors. Components include panoramic visualization, cad and virtual reality interfaces, and the package incorporates projection equipment, floor-to-ceiling screens, dynamic sound systems and satellite stations.

Immersion is aiming its technology at institutions and location-based entertainment operators.

The company’s 15-minute My Canada interactive product is set to debut at this year’s Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto Aug. 15 to Sept. 1. The production is scheduled to continue at Immersion’s new permanent offices at Exhibition Place before being taken across Canada.

-On the move

Magnetic North has announced the promotions of Brian Karn to supervising editor and Colin Moore to supervising colorist. Karn has been a Magnetic editor for the past two years, with previous experience as offline, online and effects editor at tvontario and Nelvana. Moore has 16 years’ experience as a colorist in Toronto, Vancouver and the u.k.