It’s already being touted as one of the major conferences to land in New Orleans. Especially in August, which is considered the peak of hurricane season and tourists avoid the city.
Yet people still came to New Orleans. Whether it was to get the latest research paper about Generating Novel Facial Images, learn new animation techniques or talk with representatives from Disney, Pixar Animation or EA Games, Siggraph is another example that the city is rebounding after Katrina and a new industry is forming in the state – dubbed “silicon bayou”.
Mckendree Poston, a visual effects artist from Jacksonville, Fla, came especially to get her feel of computer graphics. It was her first attending Siggraph and she wanted to market her skills. In her view, Siggraph is for animator geeks.
“We can all get together to share technology and ideas and share what everyone is working on”, Poston said.
She was also excited about coming to New Orleans.
Not all came to learn, some came looking for research the latest trends in animation. One person told me that the conference is more than just animation. He told me that researchers come from all over the world to see what’s new and what’s going on in the state of animation art. Researchers are also looking for new companies that have formed with new technologies they’re using as well.
Both were asked which is better to run animation software: Mac or PC? Both agreed that it all comes to personal preference as the researcher said that the Mac is easier to manage. Poston said she thinks Windows is better than a Mac because more software titles are available.
It’s more of a personal preference, she said.