SIGGRAPH 2017, the annual interdisciplinary educational experience showcasing the latest in computer graphics and interactive techniques, has recently concluded in Los Angeles with over 16,500 attendees from around the world. SIGGRAPH 2017 marked the 44th International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, and was held 30 July-3 August 2017 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Taking over downtown L.A., attendees came to see and interact with the latest innovations in computer graphics, including new applications in virtual and augmented reality and robotics. At the heart of SIGGRAPH 2017 were opportunities to gain hands-on experiences with new technologies; to hear experts discuss the “how-to” behind their cutting-edge film, television, game, or multi-media productions; and, to experience the merging of traditional processes with experimental, never-before-seen technologies.
During the course of the conference, over 600 papers, courses, lectures, panels, installations, artworks, and experiences were shared, culled from nearly 2,000 submissions from around the world. Over 1,800 speakers and contributors participated during the course of the conference. In addition, select sessions that were live-streamed generated significant viewership, with over 29,000 views on YouTube, and over 73,000 views on Facebook thus far.
On the conclusion of this year’s event, SIGGRAPH 2017 conference chair Jerome Solomon said, “We had a fantastic, very well-attended show this year! SIGGRAPH 2017 presented more activities, technologies, experiences, and venues than we’ve ever seen before. Once again, SIGGRAPH has proven itself a preeminent conference for computer graphics and interactive techniques, and I’m confident that our 2018 show next year in Vancouver will no doubt present even more unique experiences, as SIGGRAPH contributors continue to fulfill the future potential of interactive technology and innovation from every corner of the globe.”
SIGGRAPH 2017 attendees hailed from the United States and 87 other countries worldwide, including Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
The conference and exhibition also played host to over 150 exhibitors on the show floor, each showcasing the latest in computer graphics and interactive technologies, products, and services. Due to the remarkable increase in the amount of new technology that has debuted in the global computer graphics marketplace over this past year, one third were first-time exhibitors.
Among this year’s highlights were the Keynote session, which featured a conversation with Disney Legend and animator Floyd Norman, Walt Disney Animation Studios‘ first African-American animator. Attendees also enjoyed critically acclaimed VR short films in the first-ever SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival VR Theater; participated in a VR Film Jam, which transformed two animated short films into virtual reality experiences; listened to and met with the creators of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters as part of the Production Sessions program; and, heard from the most cutting-edge technical researchers in the business.
SIGGRAPH 2017 Award Winners
The Human Race, a real-time demonstration presented by The Mill during Real-Time Live! on Tuesday night, was awarded the SIGGRAPH 2017 “Best Real-Time Graphics and Interactivity” honor. The Human Race is a collaboration with Epic Games and is made possible through the combination of Unreal Engine 4, The Mill Cyclops, and The Mill Blackbird. The demonstration showcased its ability to blur the line between production and post, revolutionizing the conventions of digital filmmaking.
>The SIGGRAPH 2017 Emerging Technologies program awarded its “Best in Show” prize to “MetaLimbs: Arms Interaction Metamorphism,” from Japan. MetaLimbs proposes a novel approach to body-schema alternation and artificial-limb interaction by adding two robotic arms to the user’s body and mapping the global motion of the user’s legs and feet relative to the torso.
Originally announced in June, SIGGRAPH 2017 Computer Animation Festival award winners were presented with their statues during Monday night’s Electronic Theater. These awards included: Best in Show (Song of a Toad, Germany), Jury’s Choice (John Lewis Buster the Boxer, United Kingdom), and Best Student Film (Garden Party, France).
Finally, the Art Papers program awarded its very first “Best Art Paper” honor to Robert Twomey of Youngstown State University and Michael McCrea of the University of Washington for their paper entitled, “Transforming the Commonplace Through Machine Perception: Light-Field Synthesis and Audio-Feature Extraction in the Rover Project.” The paper describes the mechatronic, machine perception, audio/visual synthesis, and compositional techniques developed for the Rover, an imaging device and real-time audio/visual installation.
To view select, recorded SIGGRAPH 2017 sessions, please see: http://s2017.siggraph.org/live-streaming-sessions.
The 45th annual conference, SIGGRAPH 2018, will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 12-16 August, at Vancouver Convention Center.
