Tron Legacy was one of last year’s more visually interesting films. It wasn’t perfect, but it did provide some interesting implementation of 3D in a big Hollywood release. The way 3D was used here served as a method to differentiate the two different worlds the movie is set in. Recently, CG Architect caught up with him for a brief interview:

CGA: Now that you’ve directed your first major motion picture and you look back at the path that you’ve taken from architecture to commercials and game cinematics – is this where you always thought you’d end up?  And is this where you’re going to be for a while now?

Joe Kosinski: Yeah, I guess I would say I didn’t necessarily always think I would end up here.  I grew up loving movies as a kid, but grew up in an area where no one I knew actually worked in the entertainment business.  So as a career it never really seemed like a real possibility.  So it has been a very organic path for me – obviously starting with these parallel interests in music and engineering, which eventually for me I felt architecture might be that ultimate combination of the creative and technical sides of things that I was interested in.

The rest of the interview can be seen here.

Source: [CG Architect]

January 31, 2011. Beaverton, Oregon: e-on software, makers of leading solutions and technologies for Digital Nature, today announced immediate availability of version 5 of Ozone, its atmospheric plugin for 3ds Max, Maya, Softimage, Cinema4D, and LightWave.

Source: [Creative 3D News]

For more details, you may visit Creative 3D News and http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/.

Okino’s Industry Standard PolyTrans Provides Robust Support for Converting SolidWorks® 2011 CAD Data (and all other major CAD file formats) into all major downstream 3D packages and file formats

For the rest of the post and press release, head on over to Creative 3D News.

Now shipping, MARI 1.2 adds Python integration, Fractal Noise Tools, Texture Mirroring, and new Shader tools, as well as improved detection and support for GPUs. Support for Python 2.6.5 enables users to produce scripts that seamlessly integrate MARI into their workflow.

Texture Mirroring is useful for painting UV assets and, when combined with the two new fractal noise tools, can be used to add natural looking detail. A new Levels Filter allows you to change the color levels in paint, and new shader modules have been added for masked bump and improved normal mapping.

Source: [Creative 3D News]

The world’s two largest manufacturers of flat screen TVs, both based in South Korea, project a huge increase in 3DTV sales this year, 15 million between the two of them.
Those sales alone would be a big increase over total 3DTV sales to date among all manufacturers.
Yoon Boo-geun, president of the visual display business of top-ranked Samsung Electronics Co., based in Suwon, South Korea, said today (Thursday, Feb. 17) that the company expects to rack up 3-D sales of between 9-10 million 3DTVs this year, five times the 2 million sold by the company last year, according to the Associated Press.
LG Electronics Inc., headquartered in Seoul, has projected sales of 5 mil. 3D TVs this year.
Samsung shares rose 1 percent to close Thursday at 954,000 won ($854). LG’s stock price, meanwhile, declined 3.3 percent to 118,500 won.

Source: [Hollywood in hi-Def]

U.S. cable provider Comcast has launched its own 3D channel this past Sunday. Xfinity3D comes just four days after the launch of 3net, a 3D channel from Sony, Discovery, and Imax. Xfinity3D, according to Comcast, will feature more sporting events and concerts, as well as documentaries and original 3D programming.

For more details on Xfnity3D’s program lineup, you can view more details on Hollywood in Hi-Def.

NVIDIA blew what’s left of our minds with its Project Denver announcement yesterday, so today it’s back to the more familiar world of 3D to soothe our souls. The company’s 3D Vision technology has been installed on the above Lenovo L2363d, which touts both three-dimensional output and input, courtesy of a pair of webcam lenses embedded in its top bezel. This 1920 x 1080 display spans 23 inches diagonally and requires the usual active shutter glasses to enjoy its content. So, if you buy one for yourself and your nearest and dearest, you can get your 3D videoconferencing action on in proper Blues Brothers style.

View the press release and more images at Engadget.

We just might be closer to getting a perfect glasses-free 3D display thanks to MasterImage 3D’s efforts.

MasterImage 3D is giving attendees at this week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona demonstrations of a an auto-stereoscopic 3D display for mobile devices with a wider viewing angle and brighter image, as well as what the company claims is a groundbreaking 3D user interface that shows the beginnings of the holographic mobile experience.

The rest of the post is available on Hollywood in Hi-Def.

Nintendo’s latest handheld platform, the 3DS, will be launching on March 27 of this year. After its warm reception at E3 and other successive gaming events, Nintendo finally blew the lid off long-awaited bits of information such as its price and release date.

The 3DS will be launching at the price of $249.99 in the US.  The package will include a charging dock, USB cable, and five AR (augemented reality) cards to be used in conjunction with the 3DS’ cameras.

The 3DS will mark Nintendo’s second attempt at launching a 3D-capable gaming device, after their much-maligned attempt during the mid-90s with the Virtual Boy.

via [suite101]