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2 cgw a p r i l • m ay • j u n e 2 0 2 2 MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE A REALITY It is an honor to be stepping into the role of Managing Editor at CGW. This is a time of tremendous innovation in computer graphics, visual effects, and game development, with photorealistic digital humans and interactive 3D environ- ments evolving at a faster pace than ever before. As a kid in the early-to-mid '90s, I was captivated by the colorful graphics that brought my favorite side-scrolling MS-DOS platformer games to life on the family PC. I especially loved iD Soware's Commander Keen series, following the adventures of an 8-year-old boy genius defending the galaxy from alien invaders with his homemade spacecra, retro ray guns, and trusty pogo stick. Another favorite was Epic MegaGames' Jill of the Jungle, chronicling a fearless heroine who defeated monsters and solved puzzles as she ventured through the jungle, shapeshiing into a phoenix, frog, and fish along the way. I had no idea that the designer of Jill of the Jungle, Tim Sweeney, would go on to create the groundbreaking Unreal Engine, which has revolutionized virtual worldbuilding and real-time rendering across gaming platforms, visual effects workflows, and beyond. Now the Unreal Engine is powering massive virtual production setups for projects like HBO's new pirate comedy series Our Flag Means Death (see page 4), shot entirely in a virtual ocean environment displayed on a massive LED wall with volumetric tracking, interactive lighting, and ultra-high-resolution playback. When Pixar released its first digitally animated feature Toy Story in 1995, it was thrilling to see the cinematic storytelling potential of computer graphics. Animation had entered a whole new chapter, unlocking CG-based creativity on a level that had never been seen before. Now Pixar has released its milestone 25 th animated feature film, Turning Red (see our cover story on page 10), which continued to break new ground both on screen and behind the scenes. In addition to implementing a new animated expression pipeline, the film also features the studio's first all-female-led production team. "I have worked with a lot of amazing women at Pixar for many, many years in different ways, but I think this [project] in particular allowed us to be a little bolder in our choices for our filmmaking — in the performances, the lines, the script, but also aesthetically in the choices we made about the stylization," recalls producer Lindsey Collins. Computer graphics continue to evolve and improve exponentially, allowing films, shows, games, and other media to push beyond the limits of what is believed to be possible. A mysterious black hole appears on a Wyoming ranch in the new Prime Video series Outer Range (see page 20), which presented the show's visual effects team with the challenge of creating "nothing" out of "something." "By definition, a black hole doesn't look like anything," observes VFX supervisor Ari Rubenstein. "You can't show it by what it is, only by what it is not." It is wonderful to be living in a time when computer graphics are allowing the impossi- ble to become a reality. ¢ I 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 PUBLISHER'S ASSISTANT/ADVERTISING SALES Lisa Neely lneely@copcomm.com t: 818.660.5828 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 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