Alias|Wavefront is finalizing details on an international event which will celebrate the art of 3D graphics and showcase its software systems in 30 cities simultaneously on Dec. 3. Appropriately titled 3December, the event will feature guest speakers who have created high-profile product using Maya, a|w’s 3D animation and visual effects software for film, broadcast, video and game development, and Studio Tools, its software for industrial design. The Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, the company’s home city, will provide 3December’s only Canadian venue.

The gatherings will allow industry professionals to rub elbows at the ‘3D Pub’ and budding graphic artists will have opportunities to get hands-on with sgi workstations to see how the software systems work. This is a key element of the event, as leading fx shops have reported a shortage of artists to handle their current workloads.

‘We already know the [industry] veterans and they know us,’ says Peter Gambirasio, the Netherlands-based 3December manager. ‘They are close friends and very good customers. But we are also very interested in developing some structures where young people will have the chance to get to know 3D graphics and make decisions on what their careers could be like.’

Gambirasio oversaw the launch of 3December one year ago in Amsterdam. Attracting 1200 visitors, it was so successful the company decided to expand it around the globe, again under Gambirasio’s watchful eye. He explains the cities were chosen based on a|w having either an office there or a strong distribution channel in place.

‘A great example is Bogota, Colombia,’ he points out. ‘I’ve never been there and I doubt if any of my colleagues have, but there is a huge 3D graphics community over there, and there are many speakers [lined up]. They have developed a very good plan to execute 3December.’

a|w wants to use this initiative to call attention to the pervasiveness of its industry in global culture.

‘3D graphics is so powerful in modern society – you can ask people on the street and nine out of 10 will have some association with them,’ Gambirasio says. ‘It can be games, through some commercial they saw on tv or very familiar [films] like How the Grinch Stole Christmas or The Perfect Storm. And since we are so responsible for many things happening in this 3D revolution, we want to [illustrate] many more of these associations with 3D graphics.’ *

Mark Dillon

-www.3december.com