Computer Graphics World

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011

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Editor’sNote The Space Crunch And those adorable, new shoes that really complimented that winter sweater. And as much as I like these new favorites, I was not ready to toss aside any of my other former-favorite apparel. So, I found a way to make room for all of it—let’s just say I now open the door slowly and carefully. My closet was not the only thing bulging at the seams lately. This L month, I ran into a similar situation while trying to cram CGW with stories showcasing the cutting-edge techniques used to create some amazing visual effects and games. Just a few weeks ago, in December, audiences were treated to some tremendous work at the box office. One highly anticipated visual effects film was TRON: Legacy, which we covered extensively in our previous issue. Much to my surprise, though, it did not make the final list of Oscar nominees for Best Visual Effects. Another film that failed to make the final cut is The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The movie con- tinues to up the visual ante in terms of its CG creatures and more—this time taking us on a breathtaking voyage across a magical CG-created sea. Impressed by the work on this third film in the Narnia series, we prepared an in-depth look at the digital work that went into this production. And even though we were given a good amount of editorial space in this issue, in the end, it was not enough. But then again, editors always want more space. I was faced with a tough decision: run the story as is or cut out large portions of it. I didn’t want to hack the story apart. It was simply too good. Instead, I divided it into two pieces. One part, which details the work pertaining to the computer-generated water, appears in this issue. The other, which focuses on the movie’s CG characters and magical library, was rolled into a feature all its own and can be read online at www.cgw.com—a very large virtual story closet indeed. To make the online story easier to read—it is quite lengthy, after all—we packaged it in a beautiful layout, just like we do for our printed pieces. So, after you read “Swimming in Effects” on pg. 36, use your smartphone to read in the QR code at the beginning of the story so that you can easily access “Magical Menagerie” online. (More details on how to do this can be found on the table of contents.) That was not the end to the cram session. I still had Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I to deal with. This movie is vying for the Oscar, and it’s easy to see why. West Coast contributing editor Barbara Robertson enchants us with her de- tailed report on these spellbinding VFX. The movie, from the get-go, takes us on an exciting journey as the young wizards flee for their lives while being pursued by Voldemort and his evil cronies. Some of the most exciting effects occur during the early moments in the film as Harry and his friends (who briefly all look like Harry thanks to a potion) barely manage a harrowing escape. The work is explained in “On the Road Again” on pg. 32. Meanwhile, the other complex work (and there is a lot of it!) is presented in a wonderful feature layout online, also accessible via the QR code on the first page of the story. We took a similar approach with our game features in this issue, as our MMA, Assassin’s Creed, and Fable 3 pieces are augmented with online stories that will provide a more complete picture of the DCC process described in the pages of this magazine. As we try to live greener with less “stuff,” we often find that some things are worth keeping. And that was certainly the case with these stories. I hope you agree. ■ ate last month, right after Christmas, I was attempting to put away my presents only to find that what I really needed most was more space. My closet was al- ready overflowing, yet I still couldn’t live without that new, cute winter sweater. The Magazine for Digital Content Professionals EDITORIAL KAREN MOLTENBREY Chief Editor karen@cgw.com • (603) 432-7568 CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Courtney Howard, Jenny Donelan, Kathleen Maher, George Maestri, Martin McEachern, Barbara Robertson WILLIAM R. RITTWAGE Publisher, President and CEO, COP Communications SALES JEFF VICTOR Director of Sales—West Coast jvictor@cgw.com (847) 367-4073 GARY RHODES Sales Manager—East Coast & International grhodes@cgw.com (631) 274-9530 KELLY RYAN Marketing Coordinator kryan@copcomm.com (818) 291-1155 Editorial Office / LA Sales Office: 620 West Elk Avenue, Glendale, CA 91204 (800) 280-6446 PRODUCTION JASON CROWLEY Production/Web Designer jcrowley@copcomm.com (818) 291-1162 MICHAEL VIGGIANO Art Director mviggiano@copcomm.com CHRIS SALCIDO Account Representative csalcido@copprints.com (818) 291-1144 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 safekeeping or return of unsolicited articles, manuscripts, photographs, illustrations or other materials.Address all subscription correspondence 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—$72 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 (800) 280 6446, opt 2 (publishing), opt 1 (subscriptions) or sending an email to csr@cgw.com. Change of address can be made online at http:// www.omeda.com/cgw/ and click on customer service assistance. Recent awards: Postmaster: Send Address Changes to Computer Graphics World, P.O. Box 3551, Northbrook, IL 60065-3551 Please send customer service inquiries to 620 W. Elk Ave., Glendale, CA 91204 2 January/February 2011

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