OUAN504 - SIGGRAPH, The Future of Computer Graphics

SIGGRAPH, which is short for 'Special Interest Group on Graphics and Interactive Techniques', is something I hadn't personally heard of before looking into the graphics and CG industry as I have been in recent weeks. SIGGRAPH is actually the chosen name of an annual conference that revolves around computer graphics convened by the ACM SIGGRAPH organisation. The first SIGGRAPH conference was held in 1974 which I believe was around the very start of computer animation and CG as we know it today. The conference is attended by thousands of professionals, specilising in the industry and is a place where ideas are discussed and new developments are demonstrated and revealed all in the aid of pushing the industry forward and of course pursuing individual interests and passions for what they do. In the past the conferences have been held in cities all over the United States and Canada, including; Los Angeles, Dallas, New Orleans, Boston and Vancouver among some other US cities. Some of the usual highlights of the conference are its Animation Theater and Electronic Theater presentations, which is where recently created CG films are shown to an audience. Aside from this, there is also an exhibition floor where companies are able to demonstrate what they do and in a sense pitch themselves to the people attending the event. The purpose of this is to recruit employees, spread the company name and demonstrate what they do. The majority of the companies are invested in different industries such as the engineering, graphics, motion picture, or video game industries. Aside from booths and stands set up by companies, there is also some which are set up by specialised schools, which are dedicated to interactive arts or CG and graphics.



SIGGRAPH is a place where each year, tens of research papers are presented focused around the industry and moving forward. In terms of the prestigious hierarchy, SIGGRAPH is probably considered the most prestigious forum for which publications of computer graphics research are shown and presented. In recent years the acceptance rate for papers of this nature has been around 26%, so around one in four are accepted. The papers that are submitted are peer-reviewed and the ones that are accepted based on the blind process that is conducted for each assessment are printed in a special issue of the 'ACM Transactions of Graphics Journal'. This has been the case since 2003. However, before this the publications were shown in a specific SIGGRAPH magazine for the published papers. In addition to the papers and research aspect of the conferences, there are a lot of panels hosted by industry leaders and experts which set up and undertake discussion on different topics surrounding the industry and areas outside of it; including; computer graphics, education, and interactivity. In a similar fashion the conference offers artists the opportunity to discuss their latest work - which is of course a huge opportunity for both the artist and the audience. In 1984, John Lasseter's first computer animated short, The Adventures of André & Wally B. premiered at SIGGRAPH, at the time under Lucas Film before Pixar had broken away from the Lucas Film company. Luxo, Jr. which was Pixar's first animated short then followed up in 1986. Pixar is quite a regular contributor to the conference in terms of showcasing work, and often shows films there quite early. SIGGRAPH also has an awards program that consists of several awards to recognise the outstanding contributions to computer graphics. The most prestigious award from the three available is titled the the 'Steven Anson Coons Award for Outstanding Creative Contributions to Computer Graphics'. This particular away has been awarded every two years since 1983, and it's main purpose is to recognise an individual's lifetime achievement in computer graphics. The company encompasses a huge range of industry areas and general topics. Some of these include, outside of the ones already mentioned software development, digital art, game design, visual effects, computer science, graphic design, and film and television production. It's also worth mentioning that this is a non-profit organisation. I like this because it demonstrates the organisation's interests and their personal involvement with the development of the industry.