Come try Project Draco - our drawing/animation/effects innovation mash-up - at the SIGGRAPH 2014 Studio

08/07/2014

We'll be showing Project Draco at the SIGGRAPH 2014 Studio in Vancouver and you can get your hands on it!

SIGGRAPH 2014 Studio

Here's how SIGGRAPH describes the SIGGRAPH 2014 Studio:

The SIGGRAPH 2014 Studio is a collaborative working environment where the latest technologies and brightest minds come together to learn, experiment, and create. Attendees of the SIGGRAPH Studio explore wide range of new techniques and media with help from experienced hands. Attendees experience the latest in 3D printing, modeling, and animation software. The SIGGRAPH Studio is made for anyone interested in cutting-edge DIY gadgets, quasi-objects, Rube Goldberg machines, user-generated content projects, software, hardware, processes, workflows, technologies, etc.

Like any good SIGGRAPH experience there are moving pixels to describe the space and event. We're very happy to see Project Draco as the lead piece in this movie!

We'll be in the Studio Sunday through Thursday and have put our offer to you in the form of a short poem:

please stop by

give Draco a try

help us clarify

how we may supply

this technology

to girl and guy

In other words, we are looking for feedback on the technology and seeking input and ideas from people on what to do next. Letting you get your hands on it should help with that.

Project Draco

Project Draco comes from the User Interface Group here at Autodesk Research. Draco mashes up illustration, animation and effects in an easy to use interface. Fast Company says "Autodesk's Draco Lets You Animate An Illustration In Seconds". Take a look at the following illustration. There are a lot of simple elements in a picture that can be made to move and create an even richer experience for the viewer.

Autodesk is well known for tools like Maya, 3ds Max and Flame that let people create similar things. Project Draco takes some of these concepts and makes them available to just about anyone. The learning curve is very flat and the immediate feedback is incredibly gratifying. Have a look at the intuitive sketch-based workflow:

More examples of the workflows and things you can create are available in this short movie:

We hope to see you at SIGGRAPH. If you can't be there in person, take a couple moments to let us know if you're interested in testing Draco in the future.