Digital Arts & Graphics Week Lectures
Cornell University
Monday 19 Apr 4:30pm Call Auditorium
"A Behind-the-scenes Tour of Modeling"
VP of Research & Development, Pixar
Rob Cook has a B.S. in Physics from Duke University and an M.S. in Computer Graphics from Cornell University. At Cornell, he and Ken Torrance developed a physically based model of light-surface interaction that could realistically simulate color and shading; prior to this work, computer-generated images had been limited to a distinctly plastic look. In 1981, he joined Lucasfilm / Pixar where he extended this work and developed the first programmable shader for simulating complex surface appearances.
He was the first to apply Monte Carlo techniques to rendering. Together with colleagues at Lucasfilm, he solved several of the thorniest long-standing problems in computer graphics: antialiasing point sampling and ray-tracing, simulating camera effects such as motion blur and depth of field, and rendering soft shadows, glossy reflections and translucency. Motion blur and depth of field proved particularly important in the special effects industry, because they allow computer-generated imagery to match the live-action footage with which they are combined. In 1987, he received the ACM Siggraph Achievement Award in recognition of these contributions.
Rob was the co-architect and primary author of Pixar's RenderMan software, which is acknowledged as the industry standard for photo-realistic rendering. Of the last 35 films nominated for Visual Effects Oscars, 33 have used RenderMan. In 2001 he and two colleagues received the first Oscar ever given for software. He is currently the Vice President of Research and Development at Pixar.
Tuesday 20 Apr 7:30pm Alice Statler Auditorium
"Crisis in Production"
President, Pixar
Dr. Catmull is a co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios and has served as a member of the executive team of Pixar since the incorporation of the company. In 1979, Dr. Catmull brought his high-technology expertise to the film industry as vice president of the computer division of Lucasfilm, Ltd. During that time, Dr. Catmull managed four development efforts in the areas of computer graphics, video editing, video games and digital audio. He was also a key developer of RenderMan®, the program that creates realistic digital effects for computer graphics and animation. Dr. Catmull has been honored with three Scientific and Technical Engineering Awards from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his work, including an Oscar® "for significant advancements to the field of motion picture rendering as exemplified in Pixar's RenderMan®." He also won the Coons Award, which is the highest achievement in computer graphics, for his lifetime contributions. Dr. Catmull is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Science and Technical Awards Committee. Dr. Catmull earned his B.S. degrees in computer science and physics and his Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Utah.
Wednesday 21 Apr 4:30pm Call Auditorium
"The Digital Michelangelo Project"
Professor, Stanford University
Marc Levoy is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and (jointly) Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. He received a Bachelor's and Master's in Architecture from Cornell University in 1976 and 1978, and a PhD in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1989. In the 1970's Levoy worked on computer animation, developing an early computer-assisted cartoon animation system. In the 1980's Levoy worked on volume rendering, a family of techniques for displaying sampled three-dimensional functions such as medical scanner data. In the 1990's he worked on technology and algorithms for digitizing three-dimensional objects. This led to the Digital Michelangelo Project, in which he and a team of researchers spent a year in Italy digitizing the statues of Michelangelo using laser scanners. His current interests include sensing and display technologies, image-based modeling and rendering, and applications of computer graphics in art history, preservation, restoration, and archaeology. Levoy received the NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award in 1991 and the SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics Achievement Award in 1996 for his work in volume rendering.
Thursday 22 Apr 4:15pm Call Auditorium
"Digital Imagery in Entertainment"
George Joblove is the Senior Vice President of Technology at Sony Pictures Imageworks, the visual-effects unit of Sony Pictures Entertainment, in Culver City, California. With a staff of over 700, Imageworks is one of the major producers of effects and digital character animation for feature motion pictures. George is responsible for guiding the development and use of digital-imaging technology, and overseeing all aspects of the technical infrastructure that supports the facility's productions. Recent projects include such films as The Matrix Reloaded, Spider-Man, Stuart Little 2, Cast Away, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Seabiscuit, and Big Fish; work currently in production includes The Amazing Spider-Man and The Polar Express.
George also participates in a number of other technology initiatives at Sony Pictures Entertainment, including the application of advanced digital technologies to various facets of motion-picture production, postproduction, and distribution. He is actively involved in studio projects related to digital cinematography, digital film mastering, and digital cinema exhibition.
George has been directly involved in digital imaging on motion-picture film in the entertainment industry since 1981. He came to Sony Pictures in 1998 from Warner Bros., where he was director of technology for the studio's visual-effects facility. Previous affiliations include Industrial Light & Magic, where he was a founder and manager of its Computer Graphics Department, which pioneered digital manipulation of live-action motion-picture film at theatric resolution for visual effects; in his nine years at ILM his credits included Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Empire of the Sun, Willow, The Abyss, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Earlier, George was a founder and director of Joblove/Kay, Incorporated, in Hollywood, producing computer-generated film and television animation with its own proprietary graphic animation software for clients around the world. This system was an outgrowth of work JKI developed starting in 1980 at Marks & Marks, which became one of the first companies to use computer animation output to film for television commercials and on-air promotion.
George holds a Bachelor of Science degree, with honors, in computer science and a Master of Science in computer graphics, both from Cornell University, and his studies included a year at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Informatique et de Mathématiques Appliquées in Grenoble. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Visual Effects Society, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, the Association for Computing Machinery, and ACM Siggraph, and an associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers. He was honored in 1994 with a Scientific and Engineering Academy Award for his work on digital motion-picture manipulation.
Douglas Kay, Chairman
Douglas Kay is Chairman of Mondo Media. In this role he guides the company's strategic direction and partnerships, and advises on overall business structure and development, core operational issues, and sales strategies. He brings to bear an extensive background of over 24 years in entertainment industry development, production, and technology. In his previous role as President, Mr. Kay oversaw the company's growth into the leading creator and syndicator of original entertainment content on the web.
Mr. Kay is also a consultant to entertainment and technology companies. In this capacity he is currently serving as Interim Chief Technology Officer for Big Idea Productions, the creator of the VeggieTales home video series, the recently released motion picture Jonah, and other music and ancillary products.
Prior to joining Mondo Media in 1998, Mr. Kay was Vice President of Development for Berkeley Systems, Inc., where he was responsible for online and CD-ROM development. While at Berkeley Systems, he supervised the creation of the Bezerk On-Line Network and its innovative use of television-like advertisements.
Previously, Mr. Kay was Chief Technical Officer of LucasArts Entertainment Company and Senior Manager for Digital Operations at George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic. He founded the ILM Computer Graphics Department in 1985 and grew the department to more than 150 artists and production personnel by 1994. Mr. Kay played a key role in ILM?s pioneering efforts in the use of digital technology for feature films which are evidenced in the Academy Award winning Jurassic Park, Terminator 2 and The Abyss. He is the recipient of an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Technical Achievement award for his work in the development of Digital Compositing Technology.
Previously, Mr. Kay was a founder and principal of Joblove/Kay, Inc., which produced computer-generated animation for television commercials and feature films broadcast all over the world.
Mr. Kay has lectured for the entrepreneurship programs at both Stanford University and Cornell University and delivered papers and participated in panels at numerous industry conferences. He is a member of the Technical Advisory Board of Nvidia, the leading maker of high-end graphics processors.
Mr. Kay holds a BS in Computer Science and an MS in Computer Graphics from Cornell University.
Preston H. Thomas Memorial Lecture Series
Department of Architecture
Faculty of Computing & Information Science
Program of Computer Graphics