Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/6960
February 2010 1 O N TH E C OVE R S E E IT I N Remedy Entertainment spent fi ve years making the epic thriller Alan Wake, a game that places the main character, Alan, inside his own novel-in-progress. Complementing the thriller plotline is a noirish aesthetic that shrouds the Pacifi c Northwest setting. See pg. 8. • Helping the industry go green. • Director Guy Ritchie and editor James Herbert on Sherlock Holmes. • Building 3D models. • Unsung heroes of audio gear. Features A Nightmare, Wide-Awake 10 Remedy Entertainment takes gameplay down a different track with Alan Wake, which contains a deeply literary plot that is augmented by noir lighting and POV shots that resemble those used in movies rather than games. By Martin McEachern Myth Labs 22 A number of visual effects companies, with Digital Domain and MPC at the lead, conjure up digital magic, including mythical creatures such as a multi- headed fi re-breathing Hydra, a winged Fury, a towering Minotaur, vicious hellhounds, and the evil Hades, in addition to extraordinary locales, from the heights of Mount Olympus to the depths of Hades' underworld. By Barbara Robertson Sound Effects 30 Harmonix re-creates the rock 'n roll world of The Beatles, which comes to life in the latest Rock Band title. By Karen Moltenbrey The New Dawn of HPC 36 A long time ago, mainframes ruled the world of high-performance computing, but a revolution occurred, and a new breed of PCs and workstations assumed that all-important role—with, of course, a lot of help from highly evolved CPUs and GPUs. By Kathleen Maher Unreal Power 40 How Epic Games remains "Unreal." By David Cohn Art History 44 Savannah College of Art and Design, along with Georgia Institute of Technology, delve into the subject of art history in games. Enhanced Content Get more from CGW. We have enhanced our magazine content with related stories and videos online at www.cgw.com. Just click on the cover of the issue (found on the left side of the Web page), and you will fi nd links to these online extras. COVER STORY February 2010 • Volume 33 • Number 2 I n n o v a t i o n s i n v i s u a l c o m p u t i n g f o r D C C p r o f e s s i o n a l s 10 22 30 36 Departments Editor's Note Animation in Asia 2 Singapore, a country that prides itself on economic achievement, has emerged as a leading world market in a number of areas. Most recently it has set its sights on the digital media sector, working hard to become a force in the fi lm, gaming, and visual effects industry. Spotlight 4 Products HP's Z200 Workstation, ZR22w and ZR24w Performance Displays, EliteBook 8540w and 8440w. Autodesk Smoke 2010 for Mac OS X. Viewpoint 6 Rendering Revolution. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx Review 42 Next Limit's Maxwell Render. x Back Products 48 Recent software and hardware releases. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx x