Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1517009
2 cgw j a n u a r y • f e b r u a r y • m a r c h 2 0 2 4 EMERGING TECHNOLOGY & NEW POSSIBILITIES s we wrap up another outstanding Awards Season, CGW would like to congratu- late all of the talented nominees and winners across the industry. We are awed by your inspiring creative and technical achievements, and it is a tremendous honor to share your stories and insights with our audience. In the past year, we have witnessed a staggering new influx of technology in the realm of computer graphics. It has been an absolute delight to learn how animators and visual effects artists are harnessing these new advancements to elevate storytelling to breath- taking new heights. In our cover story, we explore the dazzling web of animated visuals in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. This visually stunning new adventure unfolds across a vast array of multi-faceted parallel universes, each animated in a strikingly distinct visual style. Director Joaquim Dos Santos and VFX supervisor Michael Lasker discuss the process of bringing these spectacular visuals from the page to the screen. Lasker shares how the scope of the film and its stylized animation revolutionized his team's approach to filmmaking: "It got us to just rethink and rebuild how we did everything, and it unleashed this artistry in every- one's brain. No challenge is too big." We also go inside the thrilling visuals of FX's critically acclaimed mystery series, A Mur- der at the End of the World. Transporting viewers to a remote corner of Iceland, the show's VFX team craed scores of photorealistic effects including a tech billionaire's mysterious resort complex and a massive snowstorm. VFX supervisor Aaron Raff drew inspiration from imagery captured on location: "Oen, we'd spot ephemeral things: the sun going down or the wind blowing in a certain way. We brought that same feel into the visual effects to give them an epic quality." This issue spotlights a variety of outlooks on the future of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. A team of experts at Nvidia each share AI predictions for 2024 in their unique areas of expertise, from automotive design to robotic engineering and beyond. There is a unanimous anticipation of rapid transformations across industries as companies accelerate AI rollouts. "AI is set to become the new space race, with every country looking to create its own center of excellence for driving significant advances in research and sci- ence and improving GDP," explains Nvidia VP Ian Buck. BorisFX founder and VFX industry luminary Boris Yamnitsky shares his vision of the fu- ture of AI and addresses a controversial topic: "Is AI creativity replacing human creativity? No, absolutely not. Actually, it's a powerful technology [that] will allow us to make better and more advanced visuals as humanity advances forward." This issue provides insights into the adoption of Universal Scene Description (USD) as a VFX industry standard, and highlight the benefits of leveraging the cloud for post produc- tion. CG supervisor Timmy Willmott also discusses his career path and shares advice for up-and-coming artists: "Find something you really love doing and keep doing it. Do it for fun and let that be your drive. Eventually you'll be in a position where that thing you do for fun...someone will pay you to do that. That passion is what gets you recognized. It shines through in the work." A R E C E N T A W A R D S E D I T O R I A L CGW MANAGING EDITOR Kendra Ruczak kruczak@cgw.com t: 818.291.1168 POST EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Marc Loftus mloftus@postmagazine.com t: 516.376.1087 PUBLISHER/PRESIDENT/CEO William R. Rittwage COP Communications A D V E R T I S I N G DIRECTOR OF SALES: PRINT, DIGITAL, AND AWARDS Mari Kohn mkohn@postmagazine.com t: 818.291.1153 c: 818.472.1491 EDITORIAL OFFICE / LA SALES OFFICE 620 West Elk Ave., Glendale, CA 91204 t: 818-291-1168 D E S I G N SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Michelle Villas michelle@moontidemedia.com ISSUE DESIGNER Kendra Ruczak kruczak@cgw.com C U S T O M E R S E R V I C E / C I R C U L A T I O N Junior Lopez jlopez@copcomm.com t: 818.291.1117 D I G I T A L M A R K E T I N G / S O C I A L M E D I A Tommy Rittwage tommy@copcomm.com t: 818.291.1166 COMPUTER GRAPHICS WORLD MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY COMPUTER GRAPHICS WORLD, A COP COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY. Computer Graphics World does not verify any claims or other information appearing in any of the advertisements contained in the publication, and cannot take any responsibility for any losses or other damages incurred by readers in reliance on such content. Computer Graphics World cannot be held responsible for the safe- keeping or return of unsolicited articles, manuscripts, photographs, illustrations or other materials. Address all subscription correspon- dence to: Computer Graphics World, 620 West Elk Ave, Glendale, CA 91204. Subscriptions are available free to qualified individuals within the United States. Non-qualified subscription rates: USA—$68 for 1 year, $98 for 2 years; Canadian subscriptions —$98 for 1 year and $136 for 2 years; all other countries—$150 for 1 year and $208 for 2 years. Digital subscriptions are available for $27 per year. Subscribers can also contact customer service by calling 818-291-1158, or sending an email to csr@cgw.com. Postmaster: Send Address Changes to Computer Graphics World, 620 W. Elk Ave., Glendale, CA 91204 Please send customer service inquiries to 620 W. Elk Ave., Glendale, CA 91204 Kendra Ruczak Managing Editor, CGW