The region’s best minds in computer graphics and interactive techniques are set to convene in Bangkok, Thailand for the annual SIGGRAPH Asia. Held from 27 to 30 November at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC), the tenth edition of SIGGRAPH Asia is expected to attract close to 7,000 attendees from over 60 countries.
Themed “The Celebration of Life and Technology”, the impetus behind this year’s conference and exhibition is to showcase how human experiences help push the boundaries of digital imaging, research, science, art, animation, gaming, interactivity, education and emerging technologies.
“Over a decade, SIGGRAPH Asia has grown from a niche event to one of the largest computer graphics and interactive techniques conference and exhibitions in the region. This year, we are proud to host SIGGRAPH Asia in Bangkok, which is home to one of the region’s fastest growing computer graphics and animation industries. It is a very exciting time to be in an industry that is evolving so quickly, where we are using technology to change the way we experience new things,” says SIGGRAPH Asia 2017 conference chair and Mahidol University’s centre for creative economy project director Surapong Lertsithichai.
Keynotes at SIGGRAPH Asia this year include Planet3 co-founder and chief science officer and award winning National Geographic Explorer Albert Yu-Min Lin, and Facebook’s computational photography group director Michael Cohen.
Renowned for applying an innovator’s approach to exploration, Albert will be sharing how he incorporates his unique approach into the work he does, while Mark will discuss how Facebook’s computational photography team is incorporating 3D and virtual reality applications into the social media platform to enhance how share photos and videos are shared.
In addition to the keynotes, SIGGRAPH Asia will host a featured session titled How Real-Time Graphics Helps Pixar Make Feature Films. This panel session will be led by Pixar animation studio’s senior graphics software engineers, Pol Jeremias-Vila, and David G Yu, who will demonstrate how Pixar applies real-time graphics in animation.
Returning segments at SIGGRAPH Asia
This year’s edition will see the return of the VR showcase, which will delve deep into both virtual and augmented worlds to showcase the impact of immersive VR in fields such as healthcare, entertainment as well as its influence on human interactivity and engagement. Meanwhile, the Emerging Technology program seeks to demonstrate how research on interactive technologies such as 3D interaction and brain-machine interface or brain-computer interface can help improve the way we live, work and play.
The symposium on Mobile Graphics and Interactive Applications (MGIA) will highlight novel uses of graphics and interactivity on mobile devices and how we interact with digital content. Increasingly sophisticated development environments, easy market access through application stores, and widespread device availability has created new opportunities for developers to participate in a global market that is estimated to grow to more than $35 billion annually.
Also returning is the Computer Animation Festival, Asia’s premier computer animation festival which showcases a world-wide collection of the year’s best works. The festival will comprise of screenings and panels including presentations by industry experts related to computer animation and visual effects.
The event’s exhibitors will demonstrate their newest developments in hardware and software applications. Leading companies and brands include Epic Games, FORUM8, FoxRenderfarm, Ritsumeikan University, SOFA Framework, The Khronos Group, Tsinghua – Tencent Joint Lab, Simpitec, Unity Technologies, VSOChina, Yannix (Thailand) among numerous other brands.
