Google, Facebook to discuss Virtual Reality at SIGGRAPH Asia 2016

Google, Facebook to
discuss Virtual Reality at SIGGRAPH Asia 2016

·  Virtual Reality is the next frontier in
computer generated imagery (CGI) and immersive
environments

·  Paul Debevec from Google and Brian Cabral of
Facebook to deliver keynote addresses

Singapore, 26 October 2016 – Themed “Key to the
Future”, SIGGRAPH Asia 2016
explores the next frontier in computer-generated imagery (CGI) and immersive environments: Virtual Reality. Widely known for its in applications for videogames, live
events and entertainment, Virtual Reality is increasingly being applied across
a wide range of traditional industries including engineering, education,
healthcare, the military, real estate and retail. The implications for this are
enormous, as in 2016 the market for Virtual Reality hardware and content is
expected to top USD1 Billion[1] and to rise
exponentially to $80 billion[2] by 2025.

(L – R): Paul
Debevec, senior staff engineer at Google VR and Brian
Cabral, Director of Engineering at Facebook

The SIGGRAPH Asia 2016 conference features the
leading minds in the industry: Paul Debevec, a senior staff
engineer at Google VR will deliver a keynote address, Achieving
Photoreal Virtual Humans in Movies, Games and Virtual Reality; and Brian
Cabral, Director of Engineering at Facebook, whose keynote is entitled VR
Capture: Designing and Building an Open Source 3D-360 Video Camera.

Multiple panel sessions also take place at
SIGGRAPH Asia. Two of the highlights this year include:

He’s Back! T2 25 Years Later

The Terminator 2 panel will feature the
original team (pictured below): Mark Dippe, Assistant Visual
Effects Supervisor for T2 and Steve “Spaz” Williams, Computer
Animation Supervisor for T2, as our panellists. Scott Ross, who was
the General Manager of Industrial Light & Magic, Co-Founder of Digital
Domain with James Cameron, will be moderating this panel discussion.

The Future Of Imaging

Brian Cabral moderates this
panel discussion between Kurt Akeley,
Chief Technology Officer, Lytro Inc; Radu B. Rusu, Chief Executive
Officer and Co-Founder of Fyusion, Inc and Shen Shaojie; Chief
Roboticist, Da-Jiang Innovations (DJI) (pictured below), who will share their
past and current adventures as well as their visions for the future of the
digital imaging industry.

SIGGRAPH Asia will also
be hosting three Symposiums this year. Academia and industry come together at the Symposium on
Education to discuss the teaching and integration of computer
graphics and interactive techniques. The Symposium on Mobile Graphics and Interactive Applications explores the development,
technology and marketing of mobile graphics and interactive applications;
especially the novel uses of graphics and interactivity on mobile devices. The Symposium on Visualization brings
to light the
development, technology, and demonstration of visualization techniques and
their interactive applications

Technical papers will be
presented at sessions on, for example, Geometric Deep Learning, Modeling Behavior for
Social Robots and Virtual Humans, Creating Virtual Environments with 3D
Printing and Photogrammetry for example, alongside technical sessions for story
development, optics, video development, modeling along with a wide range of
subjects.

                                                                                                                                

One of the most exciting parts of the program is
the premier Computer Animation Festival, which brings together a collection of the
year’s best, world-wide, animation works. An internationally recognized jury
receives hundreds of submissions to select the most creative works of the year,
which are aired over three exciting days at SIGGRAPH Asia 2016. From students’
works to professional pieces, the SIGGRAPH Asia Computer Animation Festival’s Electronic Theater
runs for four screenings of two hours each during the event. The Festival Chair
is Victor Wong Wang Tat from vfxNova Digital Productions Limited, Hong Kong and
his Co-Chair is Shuzo John Shiota of Polygon Pictures Inc., Japan.

Also, highly sought
after is the SIGGRAPH Asia Art Gallery, which showcases innovative
and leading-edge digital contributions on Mediated Aesthetics from around the
world. The exhibition highlights Digital Art projects that prioritize the
expression of an alternative aesthetic, while employing the rich variety of
techniques available to designers and artists who use computer mediation as a
part of their creative palette. Mediated Aesthetics are a presentation of a
combination of new media technologies, including algorithms, sensors,
networking, augmented reality, biotechnology, networking and other
technologies. Art evolves from the aesthetic investigation of these technologies.
This program will be held off-site at the Macau University of Science and
Technology (MUST).

SIGGRAPH Asia 2016 will take place from 5 to 8
December 2016 at The Venetian Macao in Macao, China. For more information on
SIGGRAPH Asia and its programs, please visit http://sa2016.siggraph.org/en/attendees.