Altair has acquired SimSolid and the company says it will change the process of analysis. SimSolid, founded in 2015 was based on technology developed by Victor Apanovitch who was also the co-founded of SimSolid. The company has pioneered meshless analysis. The software is able to run structural simulations on actual CAD models rather than requiring models to be simplified for … Read more
The many ways content is being created is changing and so are the way we see things. This issue of TechWatch, has some stories that are continuing gifts from Siggraph as well as news that has come out ahead of IBC; and all that is in addition to the random stuff we stumble across — but a whole bunch of … Read more
In my recent editorial on future AIB prices in the U.S. due to the tariff war between Trump and China, I forecasted a decline in sales this holiday season and next year if the tariffs stay in place. In the mercurial environment the U.S. finds itself, with special cutouts and mood swings by Trump, the “if” is a big factor. … Read more
At IBC, digitalization is a done deal and 4K becoming the norm; 8K is coming in with new screens, cameras, transmission systems, CODECS, and lenses all built to satisfy increasing demand. UHD is at home in living rooms around the world and the discussion now is around HDR. All of that adds of the heavy workloads for workstations and servers, … Read more
Today, we’re more likely to measure the progress of humanity by Blade Runner rather than biblical omens, plagues, locusts, etc. Even though we have plenty of that going on as well. By the Blade Runner scale, we’re hurtling towards the abyss. Japanese communications giant, NTT Docomo showed off a wealth of technology at the International Broadcasters Convention. It always does. … Read more
A graphics processing unit (GPU) with the power and ability to present gamers with gorgeously rendered graphics and physics effects at high frame rates is a valued asset for a gamer. Increasingly AI is also going to become part of the equation. As better games evolve, the demand for more powerful graphics processors will continue to go up, and there … Read more
This collection of stories doesn’t come close to saying all we have to say about Siggraph, not by a long shot. But honestly, we had to put something on the cover, and a picture of the Vancouver convention center is as good as anything. VR, AR, MR etc. continue to pull too much attention away from some of the real … Read more
Maybe you've read that VR is fading. Certainly, the hype is fading, and here at Siggraph that doesn't seem like a bad thing. The lines for VR applications are not so crazy, though they do exist. People aren’t so eager to put a headset on and look around. They’ve been able to do that with cardboard viewers for years now. … Read more
The subtext of Siggraph in Vancouver has generally been about the evils and advantages of outsourcing. The whole reason the North American version of Siggraph ever left the U.S. is because so many content creation jobs had moved to Canada – many of them, just up the road from Los Angeles to Vancouver. Just how short that road can become … Read more
Nvidia record revenue from all platforms—datacenter, gaming, professional visualization, automotive. Revenue of $3.12 billion, up 40 % from a year ago. The company’s GPU business revenue was $2.66 billion, up 40 % from a year earlier but down 4 % sequentially, however, the company claimed gains across all platforms, including datacenter, gaming, and professional visualization platforms. GeForce GPU gaming results … Read more
In 2011, a scant seven years ago, Florida-based Magic Leap wow’ed the world and investors with fake videos of its planned augmented reality (AR) headset. The videos were so good, investors fell over themselves trying to stuff money into Magic Leap’s bank account, and they succeeded to the tune of something north of $2.3 billion US-dollars—making it the richest startup … Read more
Yet another former AMD executive has gone to Intel. Mark Hirsch will be Intel’s new VP of competitive software programs. Hirsch was corporate VP of systems engineering for AMD's Radeon graphics technology group. Intel has made several recent hires of former AMD talent, including Raja Koduri, AMD's former chief GPU architect who is now leading Intel's Core and Visual Computing … Read more
