Thrust Leader: W. Scott Meador, MFA, Digital Filmmaking
The Entertainment Technology Thrust focuses its research on processes and tools for artists, designers, and directors.
Current Projects:
Distributed 3D animation rendering via the Callisto Cluster
Using the power of multiple CPU cores on multiple computers, several frames of an animation can be rendered simultaneously over the cluster.
By rendering many frames at the same time it cuts the overall time needed to complete an animated film. An average frame may take as much as two minutes to render. A one minute animation has 1440 frames, which means that a single computer could take as long as 48 hours to complete the job. Using the cluster, the animation may take as little as four hours to render.
Having so many cores also allows an animator to split an animation job over as many cores as needed so for small jobs each CPU core could render a frame, whereas very complex rendering tasks can take advantage of multiple cores working on the same frame.
Stereoscopic 3D animation
Stereoscopic animation requires an image for both the left and right eye so each animation job is twice as large as a non-stereoscopic animation.
Stereoscopic live-action cinematography
Real-time virtual scenery
These projects support scholarly and creative endeavors, which may include:
Short animated films - stereoscopic and non-stereoscopic
Visual effects for live action narrative films, which may be in stereoscopic 3D
Graphics and animations for documentary films
Graphics and animations for video or web-based learning programs
Live virtual scenery for filming in greenscreen environments
Live virtual scenery and show control for live events, such as a theatrical production
Blender 3D - Open source 3D animation and compositing application available on the cluster