SIGGRAPH 2011

Program	Date & Time	Focus
Full Conference Basic Conference Computer Animation Festival Exhibitor Tech Talks OPTIS West Building, Hall C, Booth 801 Details Physics-Based Virtual Reality Thanks to their unique physics-based approach, OPTIS light-simulation specialists provide real-time, predictive visualization solutions based on measured physical properties of surfaces and materials. OPTIS solutions are used by engineers, ergonomists, and designers to optimize perceived quality and the visual ergonomics of HMIs.	Wednesday, 10 August 9:45-10:45 am
Full Conference Basic Conference Computer Animation Festival Exhibitor Tech Talks DigiPen Institute of Technology West Building, Hall C, Booth 801 Details The Academic Infrastructure of Innovative and Successful Video Games A detailed look at the academic infrastructure of interactive media technologies and the special emphasis placed on incorporating innovative game design and gameplay mechanics to make video games highly successful and marketable.	Tuesday, 9 August 2:15-3:15 pm	Education
Full Conference Basic Conference Computer Animation Festival Exhibitor Tech Talks Autodesk West Building, Hall C, Booth 801 Details Multi-Threaded 2D Renderer Design Rendering real-time high-quality 2D vector graphics through a 3D pipeline is a challenging task that requires custom algorithms for shape tessellation, edge anti-aliasing, and text rendering. For best performance, Scaleform 2D renderer includes optimizations such as multi-threaded rendering, mesh caching, and draw-primitive batching. Following a high-level design description, this talk dives into multi-threaded rendering, introducing a novel render-tree design that allows the both threads to access scene graph nodes simultaneously, greatly reducing copy overhead. This strategy is particularly effective when only a subset of nodes is modified every frame and can be applied to any real-time rendering engine.	Wednesday, 10 August 12:45-1:45 pm
Full Conference Basic Conference Computer Animation Festival Exhibitor Tech Talks Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. West Building, Hall C, Booth 801 Details OpenCL and OpenGL/DirectX Interoperability The computing power of GPUs is now accessible to improve the interactivity of 3D graphics. Leveraging this capability requires optimum interoperability between compute (OpenCL) and graphics APIs (OpenGL/DirectX). This talk demonstrates how to compute and update geometry with OpenCL on APUs, how to update VBO on discrete GPUs, and how to compute physics data on OpenCL and transfer those data to discrete GPUs.	Wednesday, 10 August 11:15am-12:15 pm
Full Conference Basic Conference Computer Animation Festival Exhibitor Tech Talks Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. West Building, Hall C, Booth 801 Details Video Processing With AMD FirePro Solutions PC architecture and graphics-processing units have become ubiquitous in broadcast and post-production workflows. This talk reviews the types of processing and rendering that the GPU excels at and illuminates some of the emerging trends for tightening GPU integration into these workflows.	Tuesday, 9 August 11:15am-12:15 pm
Full Conference Game Papers Players and Game Worlds West Building, Rooms 118-120 Details All in a Day's Work: A Study of World of Warcraft NPCs Comparing Gender to Professions This study explores whether non-player characters within World of Warcraft reinforce stereotypical assumptions surrounding gender and work. Even though all professions are represented (albeit not equally) by male and female NPCs, there seem to be subtle hierarchies within the distribution of "work" in this gameworld. Designing Stories: Narrative Practices in 3D Computer Games Drawing on theories from game, film, and theater studies, this paper explores two primary ways in which 3D computer games deal with stories. Beyond Player Types: Gaming Achievement Goals Educational psychology studies use motivational constructs called achievement goals to predict learning success. This paper examines whether gaming achievement goals influence game play in similar ways. Gaming achievement goals could help determine whether people will play and which players are more likely to learn from educational games. Modeling Play: Re-Casting Expertise in MMOGs Studies of expertise in massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) involve either small-scale ethnographic accounts of elite players or large-scale accounts relying on one-dimensional measures of expert play. This paper presents a quantifiable model of expertise in MMOGs that is generated through qualitative analyses of both novices and experts.	Wednesday, 10 August 10:45am-12:15 pm	Research
Full Conference Game Papers Analyzing Player Behavior and Experience West Building, Rooms 118-120 Details Evaluating Enjoyment Within Alternate-Reality Games This paper on understanding enjoyment within alternate-reality games discusses the unique demands of the genre and why pre-existing enjoyment models are not applicable. Visualizing and Understanding Players’ Behavior in Video Games: Discovering Patterns and Supporting Aggregation and Comparison There is a growing need for procedures that can support analysis and understanding of players’ behaviors within game environments. This paper proposes a system that allows analysts to build and compare visualizations of clusters of players to better understand the causes and effects of players’ actions. Evaluating Gesture-Based Games With Older Adults on a Large-Screen Display This work reports on design and evaluation of three novel gesture-based games with healthy older adults. It describes key features in the physical and social engagement, and general usability of the games, to determine their applicability to the target audience. The Impact of Negative Game Reviews and User Comments on Player Experience This study of how game reviews and user comments influence player experience found that players who read negative reviews rated the game lower than those who read either positive reviews or no reviews at all.	Wednesday, 10 August 9-10:30 am	Research
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH: We Make it Home International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details Vancouver has long been a hub for the CG industry. This talk showcases the talent from the vibrant, passionate local community and offers a glimpse into what you can expect at one of our inspiring presentations. Welcome to our city, SIGGRAPH 2011! Jules Morgan Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH Chapter jules.m.morgan (at) gmail.com	Monday, 8 August 10-10:30 am
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events The New Media and the Industry in China International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details Representatives from Chinese industry and universities discuss how their digital media programs are developing to meet the needs of their exploding economy.Panel Discussion Patrick Pennefather Centre For Digital Media, Vancouver Richard Smith Centre For Digital Media, Vancouver Bai Xuezhu Communication University of China You Xiang Vice President of Crystal CG, Nanjing Chang Ming 37 Entertainment Gerri Sinclair Strategic Innovation Consultant and Principal, The Gerri Sinclair Group	Wednesday, 10 August 1:30-3:00 pm
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events The New Media and the Academy in China International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details Representatives from Chinese academic digital media programs discuss how their programs are developing to meet the needs of their exploding economy.Panel Discussion Patrick Pennefather Centre For Digital Media, Vancouver Lu Xin Communication University of China, Beijing Fu Zhiyong Tsinghua University Bai Xuezhu Communication University of China Richard Smith Centre For Digital Media, Vancouver Zhang Xiaofu Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing Electroacoustic Music Association of China Yang Xiaosong National Centre for Computer Animation, Bournemouth University Larry Bafia Centre For Digital Media, Vancouver Closing Remarks Marc J. Barr Chair, ACM SIGGRAPH Education Committee	Thursday, 11 August 9am-12:00 pm
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events The IGDA Presents Game Jam! International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details An annual activity of the International Game Developers Association, the Global Game Jam, each year in late-January, is the world's largest game-jam event. Over 5,000 games are developed in one weekend. This session presents an overview of the Global Game Jam and other activities of the IGDA. Jack Bogdan jack (at) igda.org	Sunday, 7 August 3-3:30 pm
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events SIGGRAPH Digital Arts Community International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details A discussion of the year-round activities of the ACM SIGGRAPH Digital Arts Community, including online curated exhibitions, our virtual community, and discussions. Bring announcements and ideas. Cynthia Beth Rubin rubin (at) siggraph.org	Sunday, 7 August 4-6:00 pm
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events Professional and Student ACM SIGGRAPH Chapters Start-Up Meeting International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details The Professional and Student Chapters of ACM SIGGRAPH span the globe. Within their local areas, chapters continue the work of ACM SIGGRAPH on a year-round basis via their meetings and other activities. Each chapter consists of individuals involved in education, research and development, the arts, industry, and entertainment who are interested in the advancement of computer graphics and interactive techniques, related technologies, and their applications. Chapter members gather throughout the year at meetings, site visits, conferences, video screenings, art shows, and special events. This session explains how to start and run a successful ACM SIGGRAPH Professional or Student Chapter. Topics regarding the process are outlined in detail by members of the Chapters Committee, and the session concludes with a Q&A session. Scott Lang scott (at) siggraph.org	Wednesday, 10 August 12:30-1:30 pm
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events Overview of SIGGRAPH 2011 (with Japanese interpreter) International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details Members of the SIGGRAPH 2011 Committee present an overview of the conference and highlights of their programs. Miho Aoki mihoalaska (at) gmail.com	Sunday, 7 August 2-3:00 pm
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events Join the International Resources Committee in 2012! International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details Informal overview of the ACM SIGGRAPH International Resources Committee, its year-round activities, and the International Center at the annual SIGGRAPH conference. Are you a world citizen interested in international culture and the state of computer graphics across the globe? The committee is looking for volunteers to represent these world regions: USA + Canada, Mexico, South + Central America, Southern Europe, Western Europe, Northern Europe, Eastern Europe + Russia, Africa + Middle East, Korea, Southeast Asia + China + India, Japan, Australia + New Zealand.	Wednesday, 10 August 3-4:00 pm
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events ISEA International Foundation - Open Forum International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details Founded in the Netherlands in 1990, ISEA International Foundation (formerly Inter-Society for the Electronic Arts) is an international nonprofit organization fostering interdisciplinary academic discourse and exchange among culturally diverse organizations and individuals working with art, science, and technology. The main activity of ISEA International is the annual International Symposium on Electronic Art. Selection of ISEA symposia is made by the ISEA International Foundation Board. This discussion includes information about the organization, the upcoming ISEA2012 Albuquerque: Machine Wilderness, a symposium and series of events exploring the discourse of global proportions on the subject of art, technology, and nature. It also previews ISEA2013, in Sydney, Australia. All interested members of the electronic arts community are invited to learn about the future symposia and share ideas for potential organizational collaborations. Sue Gollifer Director, ISEA International Headquarters info (at) isea-web.org	Tuesday, 9 August 12-1:30 pm
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events Industrial Application of CG in Japan International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details The Digital Content Association of Japan (DCAJ) presents some of the most recent examples of industrial application of CG technology in Japan. Eddie Suzuki suzuki (at) dcaj.or.jp	Wednesday, 10 August 10:45-11:30 am
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events Developing a Computer Graphics Community - Communication, Conference and Industry Representation in Austria International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details In recent years, several activities and foundations have generated large improvements in the general graphics community in Austria. This talk presents endeavors that culminated in the internet forum CGForum.at, the international PIXEL conference, and the Interest Group on Computer Graphics. Christoph Staber Kris (at) arxanima.com Ralf Habel Ralf (at) cg.tuwien.ac.at	Monday, 8 August 4-4:30 pm
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events Costa Rica's CGI Business: Beyond the rainforest and the beach! International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details Costa Rica's growing computer graphics industry is reaching international markets. Discover the creative and innovative side of this thriving and natural country. Presenters include: Itzamn Huelat Foreign Trade Office of Costa Rica in Canada Douglas Sánchez Costa Rica Investment Promotion Agency Gustavo Madrigal Morpho Animation Studio Itzamn Huelat ihuelat (at) procomer.com	Tuesday, 9 August 10-11:30 am
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events Computer Graphics in the Washington DC Area International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details A brief talk about the Washington-area computer graphics market, and some of the activities carried out by the Washington DC ACM SIGGRAPH Chapter, showcasing a reel of work by our members at NASA and the National Transportation Safety Board. Roberto Ortiz robertoortiz1 (at) yahoo.com	Tuesday, 9 August 9-9:30 am
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events CG in Latino Countries International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details This overview of the state of CG in Latino countries includes a special presentation by various studios in Latin America, including 3D Animation Rocks, the largest animation school in Argentina, and a university in Chile. The session ends with a celebratory piñata. Sandro Alberti salberti (at) siggraph.org	Tuesday, 9 August 2-3:00 pm
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events CG in Europe International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details An overview of the state of CG in European countries, including Eurographics 2012, scheduled for May in Italy. Speakers include: Michael Bielicky HFG/ZKM Karlsruhe, Data Driven Narratives Jorge Jimenez and Diego Gutierrez University of Zaragoza, New Advances in Real-Time Graphics for Video Games Mashhuda Glencross and Francho Melendez University of Loughborough, 3D Recontruction From Images Francho Melendez franchomelendez (at) gmail.com	Wednesday, 10 August 11:30am-12:30 pm
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events CG in Asia International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details An overview of the state of CG in Asia, including the evolution of SIGGRAPH Asia. The Chair of SIGGRAPH Asia 2011 summarizes the upcoming conference in December in Hong Kong. Lee Yong Tsui MYTLEE (at) ntu.edu.sg	Monday, 8 August 4:30-6:00 pm
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events Animation by Young Asian Artists International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details The Digital Content Association of Japan (DCAJ) shows some of the animation works by young Asian artists who won prizes at the Digital Creators Competition 2010. Eddie Suzuki suzuki (at) dcaj.or.jp	Wednesday, 10 August 10-10:45 am
Full Conference Basic Conference International Resources Events ACM SIGGRAPH Chapters Present Local Animation Festivals International Center, Harbour Concourse (Southeast corner of West Building) Details Animation festivals remain a hugely popular activity with all segments of the digital-media community. This is your chance to find out about how two chapters run their festivals. If you're interested in finding out more about how to run such a festival, or just want to take a peek behind the curtain, don't miss this talk. Scott Lang New York City ACM SIGGRAPH Chapter scott (at) siggraph.org	Sunday, 7 August 3:30-4:00 pm