Oscar-winning digital effects company Weta, which was behind the leading edge special effects in both the Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong, will be using Microsoft’s most recent research to improve the technology behind its graphics rendering and creative effects.
Microsoft will be licensing its graphics technology, such as advanced image-based tree modeling and mesh puppetry for ultra realistic computer graphics, to the New Zealand based company co-founded by director Peter Jackson.
“We believe the graphics technologies developed in our research labs to be among the best in the world, and are pleased that we can collaborate with entertainment industry leaders, through our new graphics technology IP licensing program, to bring new visual experiences to consumers,” said Louis Carbonneau, general manager for the Intellectual Property Licensing Group at Microsoft.
Microsoft Research, a separate division of Microsoft Corporation, will be showcasing its latest research in computer graphics at the Association for Computing Machinery’s 34th annual international conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques this week in San Diego.
“We realised that by working directly with Microsoft Research, we could develop these ideas faster and spend more time on the creative effects,” said Joe Letteri, senior visual effects supervisor at Weta Digital.
“It’s great to be working with a talented group, like Microsoft Research, whose aim is to open up new horizons in digital imaging for filmmakers.”
Microsoft Research collaborates with educational bodies from Zhejiang University in China to Caltech in the US.
It also sponsored the sponsored XNA Gamelab, the first in Ireland, for students of Trinity’s new masters in games technology, with the latest tools for computer graphics and animation.
By Marie Boran
