Washington DC ACM SIGGRAPH

An Evening with Akin Bilgic (Freelance Artist and ZBrush Modeler)

WHEN: Thursday, February 6, 2014 from  7 – 9pm

WHERE: US Patents & Trademarks Office – Jefferson Building

600 Dulany Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

http://www.uspto.gov/about/contacts/locations/directions.jsp

 

RSVP to RobertoOrtiz1@yahoo.com

 

Happy New Year!  DC SIGGRAPH has an exciting year lined up!  But first we must elect our officers! Since we did not have a quorum at our last meeting, we will have elections at this one. If you are interested in holding an office please come to the meeting!

DC_SIGGRAPH invites you to another round of informal Q&A and VFX workflow demonstration with our very own Akin Bilgic, who is in town visiting from San Francisco, CA.  Akin is freelance Modeler / Generalist TD who has since gone on to work for a variety of studios including Moonbot, Laika, and Walt Disney Animation.

You can view some of Akin’s work at his site: CGGallery.com

Akin will give live workflow demonstrations and help answer questions on topics including Modeling, Texturing/Shading, Lighting/Rendering, and Compositing for Animation and VFX pipelines.

He’ll also share his experiences working in the industry and being a freelance artist. The presentation will be left open and fluid – with an emphasis on addressing audience questions.

And as a New Year gift – one lucky member will receive a FREE copy of Lightwave 3D animation software!

Please Note we will be charging $5.00 for non-members. (See policy change announcement below.)

We hope you will join us for this informal gathering.

RSVP to RobertoOrtiz1@yahoo.com Continue reading “An Evening with Akin Bilgic(Freelance Artist and ZBrush Modeler) – Feb. 6”

When: Thursday, December 19 from 7:00 pm to 9:00pm

Where: US Patent and Trademark Office, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 – (Knox Building)

Washington DC ACM SIGGRAPH would like to invite you to attend our end of the year event! Join us for holiday treats, a chance to socialize/network and vote for our new chapter leaders! We will also be discussing an new policy change to our chapter in the New Year.

Washington DC ACM SIGGRAPH is currently accepting nominations for the following positions:  Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer.  Please email us if you are interested in volunteering for a position at dc_siggraph@mail.com or robertoortiz1@yahoo.com.  The main requirement is that you have the passion and some time to help create an amazing year for the chapter!  Information about the duties and responsibilities of each member is located here: http://wp.siggraph.org/washington/bylaws/

If you are unable to attend the meeting but would still like to volunteer for a position, please drop us an email and your name will be added to the ballot.

See you there!

Continue reading “Holiday Networking Event and Elections – December 19, 2013”

DC ACM SIGGRAPH Potluck and 2013 Keynote
When: Thursday, October 24, 2013  from 6:30pm to 9pm (6:30-7:00 networking/potluck, 7-8:30 showtime!)
Where: US Patent and Trademark Office –  Remsen Building
RSVP:  robertoortiz1@yahoo.com

Due to the government shutdown, subsequent reopening and the current state of the local economy, DC ACM SIGGRAPH would like to host a potluck dinner for our chapter members.  Bring a dish to share or contribute $5.00 for pizza and soda and join us as we watch the inspirational SIGGRAPH 2013 keynote presentation.

At the SIGGRAPH 2013 conference, nine legendary animation film directors climbed the stage at the Marc Davis Lecture Series: Giants’ First Steps. For an hour and a half, the men shared stories and laughs, providing the audience a rare glimpse into the lives of some of the biggest names in the animation world.

The giants (Ron Clements, Pete Docter, Eric Goldberg, Kevin Lima, Mike Mitchell, Chris Sanders, Henry Selick, David Silverman and Kirk Wise) were interviewed onstage by Randy Haberkamp of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In addition to providing amusing behind-the-scenes anecdotes, the men opened up about their earliest attempts at animation and the evolution of their careers. Toward the end of the address, the animators also divulged a few pieces of valuable advice for students.

Join us for some food and inspiration on Thursday, October 24 as we endure these trying times.

See you there!

Computer Animation Festival screening Sept. 26

When: Thursday, September 26, 2013  from 6:30pm to 9pm (6:30-7:00 networking, 7-9 showtime!)

Where: US Patent and Trademark Office –  Jefferson Building
RSVP:  robertoortiz1@yahoo.com

The Computer Animation Festival is back!  After a year-long hiatus, the Washington DC ACM SIGGRAPH is happy to announce we will be presenting the 2013 SIGGRAPH Video Review / Computer Animation Festival (CAF) on Thursday, September 26, 2013 at the US Patent and Trademark Office. The SIGGRAPH Video Reviews showcase some of the year’s most dazzling and innovative collection of submitted works selected by a distinguished jury of computer graphics experts and specialists. SIGGRAPH’s Computer Animation Festival celebrates its 40th year as the world’s leading festival of the most innovative and accomplished computer graphics. For those of you who were unable to attend the SIGGRAPH conference this is your chance to see some of the amazing animation presented there.  Please let Roberto (robertoortiz1@yahoo.com) know if you plan to attend so we can plan for refreshments.

To see a trailer of the CAF event click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAGbcxiHZ9E

See you there!

When: Thursday, August 15, 2013 from 7:30pm to 9:30pm

Where: US Patent and Trademark Office

600 Dulany Street – (building TBD)

Alexandria, VA 22314

RSVP: robertoortiz1@yahoo.com

DC_SIGGRAPH would like to invite you to a SIGGRAPH conference de-brief and schwag exchange! For those of you that did not get to go to the SIGGRAPH conference in Anaheim our own Roberto Ortiz will be sharing his experiences and insights from the conference!  He will also be giving away fun “schwag” he procured from the conference. Whether or not you made it to Anaheim, please join us for a post-conference social event!

DC_SIGGRAPH invites you to join us for an information exchange social event at the US Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday, August 15, from 7:30 –9:30 pm. If you attended the conference, share your experiences with those who could not attend this year. Bring your laptop and flash drives and exchange photos. Show off your coveted Pixar teapot or other fun give-aways! Tell us about the cool parties we missed! If you couldn’t make it, sit back and hear a re-cap from Roberto’s perspective!

See you there!

Demo Reel/Portfolio Night 

 

When: Thursday, June 6, 2013 from 6:30pm to 9pm (6:30-7:00 social networking,  7:00-9:00pm demo reviews)

Where: US Patent and Trademark Office (Jefferson Building), at 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, VA

Come join DC SIGGRAPH for our demo reel/portfolio review night. We will be reviewing demo reels and portfolios and take part in an open discussion and review of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to the one thing that shows your skill, talent, and experience… your demo reel or portfolio.  If you don’t have a reel yet,  just come over and enjoy networking with other like-minded individuals.

As we approach the SIGGRAPH Conference in Anaheim and face the effects of sequestration budget cuts, many people are thinking about updating their demo reel. How long should it be?   What are interviewers looking for?  If you are preparing to interview at the upcoming SIGGRAPH Conference, looking for ways to improve your present position, or shopping around for a new one, the time to polish up your demo reel is now. If you’re looking to hire, this will be a great opportunity to see a range of fresh new talent.

Join us on Thursday, June 6, 2013 from 6:30pm to 9pm as DC_SIGGRAPH discusses these questions and more at our Annual Demo Reel Night. Please RSVP to robertoortiz1@yahoo.com and indicate if you will be bringing a demo reel to share. You can also put you’re demo on a website and we will test the link before the event to make sure everything works.
Light snacks will be provided (soda and chips). Hope to see you there!

When: Thursday, April 25, 2013 from 7:00 pm to 9:30pm

(7:00-7:30 social networking,  7:30-9:30pm guest speaker – Taro Omiya)

Where: US Patent and Trademark Office, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 – (Jefferson Building)

 

Washington DC ACM SIGGRAPH would like to invite you hear Taro Omiya present an introduction to Unity 3D.  Unity is a game development software with a powerful rendering engine. It is fully integrated with a complete set of tools to create interactive 3D content and multiplatform publishing. Taro will present an overview of the software.

 

Taro Omiya is an indie game developer that works for e4 Software and his own studio, Omiya Games.  He has been developing games with Unity 3D since 2010.  His latest games are SWARM! (available on iPad and Amazon App Store) and Touch Yoga (available on Google Play).

 

Attendees are welcome to load Unity on their laptop and bring it as well to follow along with Taro’s presentation.  You can download a Free Full Version for Windows with Unity Pro and Android trials from here: http://unity3d.com/unity/download/.

 

DC_SIGGRAPH is also giving away to one lucky person – a free copy of Lightwave!  If you plan to attend, please RSVP to  robertoortiz1@yahoo.com.  We look forward to seeing you there!

 

When: Thursday, January 31, 2013 from 7:00 pm to 9:30pm   (7:00-7:30 social networking,  7:30-9:30pm guest speaker – Solomon Jagwe)

Where: US Patent and Trademark Office, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 – (Jefferson Building)

 

Washington DC ACM SIGGRAPH would like to invite you hear a presentation from Solomon Jagwe an Independent Film Director, VFX Artist, Animator, and 3D Modeler. Currently, Mr. Jagwe is working on an Animated Mountain Gorilla and wildlife conservation film written in his native language Luganda entitled “Galiwango Obulamu Bw’ekisodde” (Translated: The life of a mountain Gorilla.) The 3D animated film is the story of an orphaned mountain Gorilla called Galiwango. The film explores the challenges that Galiwango encounters when he is captured and sold as a baby on the black market by Colonel Kasobeza, a former ranger turned rebel, to an illegal animal trafficking ring leader called Musawo (meaning the Doctor). Mr. Jagwe will discuss his work on the film, his budget and ways he had to improvise and get help in creating the animation.

More information about Solomon Jagwe and links to his work follow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_emDomru0sY

http://www.sowl.com/african-film-festival/

Continue reading “Guest speaker Solomon Jagwe at next Meeting Thurs. Jan. 31”

When: Thursday, December 6 from 7:00 pm to 9:30pm
(7:00-8:00 social networking/holiday treats, 8:00 nominations and elections, 8:30-9:30pm sneak peeks)
Where: US Patent and Trademark Office, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 – (Jefferson Building)

Washington DC ACM SIGGRAPH would like to invite you to attend our end of the year event! Join us for holiday treats, a chance to socialize/network and get a sneak peek for what’s in store for 2013! Bring your laptop or DVD and show us what you’re working on as well! We will also be holding elections!

Washington DC ACM SIGGRAPH is currently accepting nominations for the following positions: Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. Please email us if you are interested in volunteering for a position at dc_siggraph@mail.com or robertoortiz1@yahoo.com. The main requirement is that all officers MUST be voting members of ACM and members of ACM SIGGRAPH. Information about the duties and responsibilities of each member is located here: http://wp.siggraph.org/washington/bylaws/

If you are unable to attend the meeting but would still like to volunteer for a position, please drop us an email and your name will be added to the ballot.

We are also looking for volunteers for Communications and Refreshments committees. If you’d like more information about a position feel free to contact us as well.