*Toronto demo trio

Kinetix Software Canada, together with Eyeon Software and Intergraph Canada, are cohosting a launch of three nt power products Dec. 3 in Toronto.

Tim Miller from Blur Studios in California will lead a presentation to celebrate Kinetix 3D Studio Max 2.0, the new version of the company’s graphics software; Eyeon’s Digital Fusion V2 nonlinear compositing system; and Intergraph’s TDZ 2000 hardware platform.

The event is being held at The Joker nightclub starting at 6:30 p.m.

*Gajdecki gets hotter

Toronto-based John Gajdecki Visual Effects has traded up for something quicker, returning its Discreet Logic Flame system and Silicon Graphics Onyx for an upgrade to Discreet Logic Inferno running on sgi’s Onyx2.

Gajdecki says the upgrade was motivated by the urge to have a faster platform and to further facilitate the large number of film finish jobs coming through the shop.

Currently wrapping the Stargate series, Gajdecki has a raft of new projects in the house including a pilot for Disney/Alliance’s The Book of Jamie G. (a kids’ show with 87 effects shots), with effects supervisor Bruce Turner and effects supervisor John Campfens working on the John Woo/Alliance pilot Black Jack. The shop is also working on shots for u.s.-based series The Visitor and is testing for Universal’s Invisible Man series, being shot in l.a. and for which Universal is bidding three effects players.

*Storage synergy

Toronto-based DataVation and JVC Canada have agreed to jointly market a 1.5 terabyte data storage library to the broadcast industry. The storage system is intended to index and store digital video, audio and data from any source including tv, vcr, video camera, avi or wav file. The agreement will see DataVation’s DataVast mass storage used as the hardware basis of the system. The DataVast system combines disc and 12mm tape technology.

*Name that bird

Telesat Canada is moving right along with the construction of the country’s first dbs satellite and is opening up the naming of the new bird to the masses.

The satellite is expected to be in service Dec. 1, 1998 and will carry the signals of the ExpressVu dth service as well as Electronic Digital Delivery, which allows consumers to download movies and other programming from the satellite. edd is a joint venture of wic and Emc3 ihbv of the Netherlands.

Telesat is offering a grab bag of goodies to any Canadian who can come up with a catchy handle for the new satellite. Contest closes Feb. 13, 1998.

*Sheridan 25th anniversary

The Media Arts Department of Sheridan College recently held its 25th anniversary celebration, which brought 300 alumni back to Oakville, Ont. and recognized the best of the current crop of students.

The awards show, held on campus, was designed with a ‘Sheridan Mafia’ theme and presenters included the heads of Kodak and Panasonic.

The Best Film Award, sponsored by Medallion pfa, went to Chris Walsh for Museum, and Scott Bucsis won the Panasonic-sponsored Best Video Award for Jackie Cabbage, which also earned Bucsis the nod for best director.

Several of the college’s success stories returned for an alumni dinner the following night, including X-Files dop Attila Szalay from Vancouver.

*Command Cubists

Toronto’s Command Post toybox recently used the high-res capability of its Graphics Paintbox to create an ’80s flashback with a giant 3D Rubik’s Cube which appears in a Chrysler Minivan spot for bbdo.

The spot features the anatomical characteristics of a Minivan highlighted on the side of a rotating Rubik’s Cube. To achieve the look, Command Post used its Quantel Graphics Paintbox 2 into which senior Paintbox artist Dale Codling scanned elements of the vehicle at high resolution. Animators Brian Anderson and Jim Rutherford then mapped the images onto the surface of a 3D Cube, created with Alias software.

*WYSIWIN

Toronto-based CAST Lighting recently launched the new Windows 95 version of its wysiwyg lighting software at the Lighting Dimensions International show in Las Vegas and won the Entertainment Product of the Year for its efforts.

The software was originally designed in 1994 to allow preprogramming of automated and conventional lights in a 3D virtual environment. The new product is available in three configurations including wysicad, which allows users to create and explore a lighting design in 3D or 2D while still being able to work with 2D symbols to create lighting plots, and wysipaper, allowing the printing of schedules, inventories and building custom reports.

wysiwyg supports the connection of a lighting control desk to any pc to allow full preprogramming of a lighting presentation. The new program reduces costs of pre-cuing a show and provides complete and consistent documentation for rental companies throughout jobs.

*Ultra launch

Jessup, Maryland-based Digi-Data has announced the launch of purportedly the first Ultra 2 SCSI RAID Controllers on the market. Designed to handle throughput for video, prepress and other imaging applications, the new Z-9200 Ultra 2 SCSI RAID 3 Controller features transfer speeds of up to 80 megabytes per second.

The product is being demonstrated at comdex in Las Vegas Nov. 17-21.

*C.O.R.E. news

Derek Grimes, one of the early members of the C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures contingent, has departed the Toronto-hq’d company.

The shop recently completed a pair of mows for Disney and is working on 20th Century Fox feature Dr. Doolittle, shooting in l.a. and starring Eddie Murphy.

* ITS retreat

It’s winter in Hawaii for attendees of the International Teleproduction Society’s 11th annual President’s Retreat/Management Conference, being held this year on the ‘big island’ Feb. 21-26, 1998. The retreat will focus on managing people and facilities and bottom-line considerations, and will feature former fcc chair Dick Wiley on the new digital mandates.

* Correction

Animator/Houdini artist Peter Thorup’s name was misspelled in an item on Spin Productions’ work on a spot for Lipton side dishes in last issue’s Network.