What important highlights happened on day 3 of SIGGRAPH Asia 2023? Join SIGGRAPH Asia sponsor Fox Renderfarm, the CG industry's leading cloud rendering provider and render farm, to discover now!
BUSINESS & INNOVATION SYMPOSIUM
At the Business & Innovation Symposium, business leaders, professionals, researchers, and production experts convened for a day of interactive sessions, which delved into where technology, creativity, and business may transect, and emphasized the transformative power of Generative AI. The highlight of the event was a panel discussion titled 'Powering Business Transformation With Generative AI,' featuring five influential thought leaders from Europe and the Asia Pacific. The discussion explored the diverse growth opportunities offered by AI, envisioning its potential to enhance ethical business practices, judicial systems, and government operations, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and efficient global landscape. Additionally, the conversation delved into AI's capacity to identify and address dark design patterns in digital products. Dr. Ingo Weber emphasized the environmental imperative, underlining the need to transition from finite to renewable energy sources to mitigate the substantial energy demands of Generative AI.
NVIDIA DAY
In a day that showcased NVIDIA as the driving force propelling modern computing systems, NVIDIA Day offered a dynamic and immersive learning experience for developers. Knowledge flowed from expert lecturers, real-world industrial use cases, and cutting-edge demonstrations by industry leaders, to participants. Special events included Kerry Halupka's presentation, 'Powering The Magic Of Canva,' along with 'Gravitational Energy Storage Design And Visualization Using NVIDIA Omniverse,' presented by Daniel Keys and Mark Swinnerton.
REAL-TIME LIVE DEMOS (8) + AWARDS
A true highlight of the SIGGRAPH Asia conferences, Real-Time Live! offers an exhilarating and one-of-a-kind experience in which audiences are treated to a live spectacle and competition, one in which the finest minds in real-time graphics and interactive techniques bring their creations to life. Sally Coleman, currently pursuing a practice-based PhD with UTS Creativity & Cognition Studios, clinched victory for both Best in Show and People's Choice awards. Her innovative music project, Big Sand, a lively animated sci-fi virtual band crafted with Unreal Engine and brought to life through motion capture technology, stole the spotlight. Notably, the entire Real-Time Live! was live streamed on Twitch for the first time, extending its reach to a global audience.
ART TALKS
The 2023 Art Gallery Program, themed "In Unruly Times," showcases exceptional works spanning art, science, and technology, from data visualization and 3D printing to XR, robotics, AI, sonic, performative, NFT, and media/interactive installation. The Program is amplified by a series of thought-provoking talks. Today’s sessions included artists Masaki Kanayama from Nagaoka Institute of Design and Shunji Yamanaka from the University of Tokyo shared the creation of their artwork "Δt-Sphere, which celebrates the intersection of man-made objects and nature, while interdisciplinary artist and academic Nooroa Tapuni explored racial bias in AI through self-portraits, revealing AI imagery reproducing negative stereotypes of poor, angry, black women.
FEATURED SESSION: THE INTERSECTION OF ART AND TECHNOLOGY: CREATIVE DESIGN AT INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC
"Lean into the constraints to increase creativity". This was a key takeaway from Rob Bredow, Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) Featured Session titled "The Intersection of Art and Technology: Creative Design at Industrial Light & Magic."
Drawing from his illustrious career on blockbuster hits like Solo: A Star Wars Story and Independence Day, Rob delved into the indispensable role of design in propelling creative ventures and technological leaps. Tailored for artists, engineers, and production teams, his insights offered a compelling outlook on harnessing design for groundbreaking outcomes in movie production.The session also spotlighted ILM's continued growth in Sydney and its ongoing recruitment drive for the industry’s brightest minds and talent in the industry.
FEATURED SESSION: THE NEXT TOOLS
In "The Next Tools," Mark Pesce, Honorary Associate, Media and Communications at the University of Sydney delved into developments for creative tools in computing. In addressing the challenges of traditional tools he demonstrated how two groundbreaking Australian works could help bridge the gap between artists and technologists, lowering the barriers to entry and potentially reshaping creative technology. The tools he described were 3D-GPT (Sun et al., 2023), which offers a linguistically rich, parametric tool interface, and CICADA (Ibarrola et al., 2022), which reimagines drawing, fostering human-AI collaboration.
FEATURED SESSION: UNRAVELING THE VFX BEHIND THE MARVELS
A mother first and then the Sequence VFX Supervisor at Wētā FX, New Zealand, Sabine Laimer celebrated her dual roles as a mother and an industry leader! In her keynote speech titled “Unraveling The VFX Behind The Marvels”, which featured an all-female cast, both as heroes and villains, she celebrated the progress of women in the industry.
Recognized for her meticulous work, she discussed her role in post-production for "The Marvels" and how she led the process, seamlessly integrating mocap, concept art, and pre/postvis to overcome pandemic-related challenges, where the use of high-quality digi-doubles played a crucial role. She described how the FX work in the chaotic third act masterfully delineated the heroes, offering viewers a behind-the-scenes peek into the collaborative marvel that brought "The Marvels" to life.
DEI PANEL: THE FUTURE OF INCLUSIVE FILMMAKING SPONSORED BY ILM
The boundless possibilities of an inclusive cinematic future were brought to the fore with a lively discussion between representatives from Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Disney Entertainment. Narratives have potential to shape our perceptions and influence societies and it is now an imperative for inclusive filmmaking. This dynamic panel discussed how there needs to be a fresh lens on VFX and filmmaking - one rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Key highlights included the importance of promoting women in leadership roles, establishing safe spaces for minority groups, and fostering open communication about diversity, individual needs, and boundaries. The panel also discussed opportunities to prioritize accessibility within company practices. ILM showcased The Jedi Academy, an initiative nurturing talent, and their integration of sign language in meetings to enhance global inclusivity. While taking strides, ILM expressed their commitment to expanding these efforts, emphasizing the ongoing need for innovative diversity and inclusivity across all interactions.
Learn more about SIGGRAPH Asia 2023.
Source: SIGGRAPH Asia 2023
