Q&A with SIGGRAPH 2015 Technical Papers Chair Doug James

Technical Papers chair Doug James shares his passion for the program in an exclusive interview below. 

Reminder: Technical Papers submission form and abstract are due 22:00 UTC/GMT, 19 January 2015. The final paper is due 22:00 UTC/GMT, 20 January 2015.

How did you become involved with SIGGRAPH?

My first SIGGRAPH was in `99 when I published a paper as a graduate student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Since then, I've continued to be very excited about interactive physics simulation--and graphics and animation research in general--and found SIGGRAPH to be a great community for advancing those ideas. As a computer graphics professor, it is the natural venue for our research.

What motivated you to become Technical Papers Chair?

SIGGRAPH has always been the primary venue for my research activities, and I have been a long-time volunteer in the review process of the Technical Papers program, having reviewed hundreds of papers. I was honored to be asked to be the Technical Papers Chair: it's a great opportunity for me to help maintain and improve the widely respected SIGGRAPH review process established by our community.

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in submitting content for the first time?

For new submitters to the Technical Papers program, I recommend reading the Technical Papers "call for papers" and related website content. In particular, there is an extensive Technical Papers FAQ that addresses many common questions. The basic recipe for showcasing your work in the technical program is to have a novel idea, explain it clearly in written form, and to provide evidence (be it data, images or video) to help support claims that your method improves upon the state of the art in some specific ways. Understanding and citing related works, and being able to explain the pros/cons of your approach, are also critical components. Getting feedback from experienced colleagues is also a good way to improve your submission.

What makes this program different from the others at SIGGRAPH?

The SIGGRAPH Technical Papers program is the premier international forum for disseminating new scholarly work in computer graphics and interactive techniques. We focus on the technical details underlying a broad spectrum of computer graphics innovations, and seek to document and disseminate these advances in all their glory.

Outside of Technical Papers, what other areas of the conference are you particularly excited about?

Everything. Seriously. I strongly recommend trying to look at a little of everything if you can, especially if it's something less familiar or different for you--come for the technical papers, but stay for the art and games. Things always change, and you never know what you will see next year.

How has SIGGRAPH influenced you personally and professionally?

We're inseparable. It's given me a lifelong venue for practicing and experiencing exciting technical and artistic innovations.

SIGGRAPH 2014 TECHNICAL PAPERS PREVIEW

The SIGGRAPH 2014 Technical Papers program is the premier international forum for disseminating new scholarly work in computer graphics and interactive techniques. In anticipation of the upcoming conference, SIGGRAPH’s 41st annual, the program preview trailer is available on the official ACM SIGGRAPH YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/ACMSIGGRAPH).

Submissions to the Technical Papers program are received from around the globe and feature high quality, never-before-seen scholarly work. Submitters are held to extremely high standards in order to qualify.

“The quality of this year’s Technical Papers content was superb,” said Adam Finkelstein, SIGGRAPH 2014 Technical Papers Chair. “Not only did we receive outstanding work in the traditional areas of modeling, rendering, animation, and imaging, but we also noticed two emerging fields in design/fabrication and learning.”

SIGGRAPH accepted 127 technical papers (out of 550 submissions) for this year’s showcase, an acceptance rate of 25 percent (one percent higher than 2013). As is tradition, the papers were chosen by a committee made up of academia and industry experts.

The 2014 Technical Papers program also includes presentations for 46 papers published this year in the journal ACM Transactions on Graphics (TOG). SIGGRAPH 2014 takes place 10-14 August 2014 at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, Canada.

Highlights From the SIGGRAPH 2014 Technical Papers Program:

Pixie Dust: Graphics Generated by Levitate and Animated Objects in Computational Acoustic-Potential Field
Authors: Yoichi Ochiai, Jun Rekimoto, The University of Tokyo; Takayuki Hoshi, Nagoya Institute of Technology

To generate graphics using levitated small objects, this method expands the acoustic manipulation method by changing the distribution of the acoustic-potential field. The approach makes available many expressions (for example, expression by materials and nondigital appearance), and the expressions are levitated in mid-air.

Floating Scale Surface Reconstruction

Authors: Simon Fuhrmann, Michael Goesele, Technische Universität Darmstadt

Introducing a novel, virtually parameter-free method for surface reconstruction from oriented, scale-enabled point samples. The approach constructs an implicit function as the sum of compactly supported basis functions. The final surface is extracted as the zero-level set of the implicit function.

PushPull++

Authors: Markus Lipp, Pascal Müller, Esri; Peter Wonka, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

Introducing the novel 3D modeling tool PushPull++. which enables rapid modeling and adjustment of arbitrary meshes with slanted surfaces. PushPull++ reduces the required clicks for common modeling tasks up to an order of magnitude compared to leading commercial tools.

Intrinsic Images in the Wild

Authors: Sean Bell, Kavita Bala, Noah Snavely, Cornell University

Introducing a large-scale, public dataset for intrinsic image decompositions of indoor scenes (Intrinsic Images in the Wild) with crowdsourced annotations of pairwise comparisons of material properties. The approach develops a dense CRF-based algorithm for intrinsic image decomposition of these images that outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms.

Learning Bicycle Stunts

Authors: Jie Tan, Yuting Gu, Karen Liu, Greg Turk, Georgia Institute of Technology

A general approach to simulation and control of a human character riding a bicycle. The rider not only learns to steer and balance in normal riding situations, but also learns to perform a wide variety of stunts, including wheelie, endo, bunny hop, front-wheel pivot, and back hop.

SIGGRAPH 2014 Releases Technical Papers Data & Statistics

Computational Design of Linkage-Based Characters

This year, the Technical Papers program received a total of 505 completed submissions! After committee review, 127 of them have been accepted, accounting for a 25% acceptance rate. In addition, 46 papers, published in ACM Transactions on Graphics during the course of the last year, will be presented at SIGGRAPH 2014.

Adam Finkelstein

“As is SIGGRAPH tradition, the quality of this year’s Technical Papers content was superb,” said Adam Finkelstein, Technical Papers Chair from Princeton University. “Not only did we receive outstanding work in the traditional areas of modeling, rendering, animation, and imaging, but we also noticed two emerging fields in design/fabrication and learning.”  

For a sneak peek at what's to come, see below.

Design and Fabrication

• Computational Design of Linkage-Based Characters

Authors: Bernhard Thomaszewski, Stelian Coros, Disney Research Zürich; Eitan Grinspun, Columbia University; Vittorio Megaro, ETH Zürich; Markus Gross, Disney Research Zürich, ETH Zürich; Damien Gauge, ETH Zürich

This paper presents a design system for linkage-based mechanical characters. The system allows users to interactively browse different design options, while a continuous optimization step improves motion quality and safeguards against singularities.

• Interactive Design and Optimization of Free-Formed Free-Flight Model Airplanes

Authors: Nobuyuki Umetani, The University of Tokyo, Autodesk Research; Yuki Koyama, The University of Tokyo; Ryan Schdmit, Autodesk Research; Takeo Igarashi, The University of Tokyo

This paper introduces novel interactive techniques for designing original hand-launched free-flight glider airplanes that can actually fly. Based on a compact aerodynamics model, a user-designed wing configuration is interactively optimized to maximize flight-worthiness.

Learning

• Self-Refining Games Using Player Analytics

Authors: Matt Stanton, Ben Humberston, Brandon Kase, Carnegie Mellon University; James O'Brien, University of California, Berkeley; Kayvon Fatahalian, Adrien Treuille, Carnegie Mellon University

Data-driven simulation demands good training data. In games, users explore a small subset of the configuration space. In this paper, a precomputed fluid dynamics game uses crowd sourcing to learn user behavior models that predict the most frequently encountered configurations. Precomputation is concentrated around these states, reducing model error and visual artifacts. 

• Learning Bicycle Stunts

Authors: Jie Tan, Yuting Gu, Karen Liu, and Greg Turk, Georgia Institute of Technology

This paper presents a general approach to simulate and control a human character riding a bicycle. The rider not only learns to steer and balance in normal riding situations, but also learns to perform a wide variety of stunts, including wheelie, endo, bunny hop, front wheel pivot, and back hop.

Take Note: You definitely won't want to miss the paper presentations at SIGGRAPH 2014. Occurring from Monday through Thursday, 10-14 August, the 35 paper sessions will highlight a total of 173 technical papers.

SIGGRAPH 2014 Call For Submissions

Present your research. Share your knowledge. Astound an exclusive audience with your digital-media achievements.

The expert juries of SIGGRAPH 2014 are reviewing submissions to the 41st International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques. Make sure your work is considered for presentation to thousands of international attendees and the global news media in Vancouver.

Please note that the upcoming deadline for the following program is Tuesday, 18 February 2014, 22:00 UTC/GMT.

Courses

Emerging Technologies

Panels

Posters

SIGGRAPH Mobile

Studio

Talks

Join us 10-14 August at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, Canada, and experience SIGGRAPH 2014!

SIGGRAPH 2014 Call For Submissions Share Your Talents at SIGGRAPH 2014! Present your work at SIGGRAPH’s 41st International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques: the premier showcase for creating experiences that wow the crowds and stimulate the senses. Taking place 10-14 August 2014 at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, Canada. SIGGRAPH 2014 welcomes your technical skills and creative talents, ensuring that this year’s event will be the best yet! Whether you are an industry veteran or student, join your fellow computer graphic artists and scientists and share your talents at SIGGRAPH 2014. This year, we are also encouraging submissions focusing on mobile devices! Please consider submitting your work to our SIGGRAPH Mobile program if you are creatively making use of a tablet, smart phone, or any other mobile device for augmented and virtual reality, location-based interactions, collaboration, visualization, or anything else you wish to show us. While there is something for everyone at the conference, there is nothing without you and your contributions. Every piece submitted to SIGGRAPH 2014 through the Call for Submissions is reviewed by a highly qualified jury composed of top practitioners in the relevant field. Because we want each jury to have the time to review each piece carefully, submission deadlines generally are several months ahead of the conference itself. All the submission deadlines are strictly enforced, so be sure to plan accordingly. New for SIGGRAPH 2014 - All contributors to the conference will be required to use ACM's rights management system to grant the necessary permissions rather than SIGGRAPH's information system (SIS), which you used if you previously submitted to a SIGGRAPH conference.  You will still use SIS for creating submissions, but there will be an additional step of granting permissions in ACM--SIGGRAPH's parent organization--system. The ACM right management form includes permission to record and distribute audio and video recordings of presentations made at the conference for the purposes of distribution by ACM and SIGGRAPH. For submissions other than Technical Papers, this is a permission and release form, which allows you to retain the copyright. For technical papers, authors will have the choice of transferring the copyright to ACM, or selecting an exclusive publishing license, or an Open Access license. Complete instructions are available at the SIGGRAPH 2014 web site. Please review the policy before submitting.

Important Submission Deadlines Details For How to Submit Your Brilliant Work to SIGGRAPH All deadlines are 22:00 UTC/GMT Verify deadlines in your time zone via The World Clock converter. 12 January 2014 Student Volunteer Team Leader Applications 20 January 2014 Technical Papers 21 January 2014 Art Papers and Art Gallery 31 January 2014 Production Sessions 9 February 2014 Student Volunteer Applications 18 February 2014 General Submissions Courses Emerging Technologies Panels Posters SIGGRAPH Mobile Studio Talks 4 March 2014 Computer Animation Festival 1 April 2014 Real-Time Live! Dailies 6 May 2014 Late deadline for Posters Submission Deadline Notes Poster submissions can occur prior to the 18 February “general submissions” deadline or the 6 May late deadline for Posters. In both cases, Posters are reviewed using the same criteria and by the same jury. Authors submitting prior to the early deadline will get decision notification in mid-April.

SIGGRAPH 2013 Highlights from Anaheim

Anaheim marked the 40th annual SIGGRAPH Conference and Exhibition.

SIGGRAPH 2013, the world's premier conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques, celebrated its 40th anniversary by welcoming 17,162 artists, research scientists, gaming experts and developers, filmmakers, students, and academics from 77 countries around the globe to Anaheim, California this week. In addition, 180 industry organizations exhibited at SIGGRAPH 2013 representing 43,850 sq. ft. of exhibit space. A total of 15 countries were represented on the show floor, which represented 38% of the floor being from outside the United States.

Mk Haley, SIGGRAPH 2013 Conference Chair

""No matter where SIGGRAPH is held, the gathering of tribes across such a wide range of industries and backgrounds always makes for an educational, inspiring, and delightful experience." said Mk Haley, SIGGRAPH 2013 Conference Chair from Disney Research. "SIGGRAPH 2013 was certainly no different. The content, the connections, the experience will live on through to Vancouver 2014. We want to personally thank everyone who participated or contributed in any way. Our plan is to use SIGGRAPH 2013 as a launching pad to extend the conference out beyond today’s closing through the creation of SIGGRAPH University and posting the entire 2013 Keynote session online amongst other initiatives."

In all, more than 1,354 speakers and contributors participated in the conference through a variety of talks, sessions, panels, papers, presentations, tutorials, and screenings.

Highlights from SIGGRAPH 2013 included:

The entire SIGGRAPH 2013 Keynote Session is available online here.

Nine Distinguished Animation Directors Share Their Complex Paths to Success at SIGGRAPH Keynote SIGGRAPH 2013, in collaboration with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented “Giants’ First Steps.” The panel was moderated by Randy Haberkamp of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and included notable directors: Ron Clements, Pete Docter, Eric Goldberg, Kevin Lima, Mike Mitchell, Chris Sanders, Henry Selick, David Silverman and Kirk Wise.

The panel explored the issues unique to the world of animation. The session was a part of the Marc Davis Lecture Series, which was established to provide a forum for film experts to explore the challenges of creating animation for feature films. The entire session is available online here.

The Project Skye blimp entertained attendees before the Computer Animation Festival.

The Computer Animation Festival presented the world's most innovative, accomplished, and amazing creators of digital gaming, film, and video. The Festival received more than 500 juried submissions in 2013. In addition to film screenings, the Festival included interactive sessions and exclusive learning opportunities to gain industry secrets and advice from some of the most successful professionals in the field. In all, there was a more than 10% increase in accepted films resulting in 8 additional hours of content for Daytime Selects. Also, the Electronic Theater returned with a total of 33 accepted pieces.

The Visuals Effects of Marvel's "Iron Man 3" was a popular session.

There was also a very deep set of 15 Production Sessions and a Real-Time Live! program that attracted major crowds.

SIGGRAPH 2013 Computer Animation Festival award winners were dominated by European films including:

Best in Show Award: À la Française

Directed by Morrigane Boyer, Julien Hazebroucq, Ren Hsien Hsu, Emmanuelle Leleu, and William Lorton, Supinfocom Arles; France

Jury Award: Lost Senses (Zmysły Prysły)

Directed by Marcin Wasilewski, Grupa Smacznego/GS Animation; Poland

Best Student Project Prize: Rollin’ Safari

Directed by Kyra Buschor, Anna Habermehl, and Constantin Päplow, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg; Germany

Best Student Project Prize Runner-Up: Sleddin’
Directed by John Pettingill, Texas A&M University; United States

Best Student Project Prize Runner-Up: Harald

Directed by Moritz Schneider, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg; Germany

Technical Papers, the premier global forum for presenting groundbreaking research from today's leading experts. The SIGGRAPH 2013 Technical Papers program featured 115 Technical Papers, selected among 480 submissions. The Technical Papers detailed new advances across many fronts, including 3D printing, creating water and snow with particles, deformation and distortion, and more.

The SIGGRAPH 2013 Art Gallery: XYZN: Scale presented exceptional digital and technologically mediated artworks that explored the existence of wonderment, mystery, and awe in today’s world of mediating technologies and abundant data. From nearly 400 submissions, the Art Gallery jury selected 16 pieces to be featured.

SIGGRAPH 2013 Emerging Technologies presented innovative technologies and applications of the latest developments in several fields, from 3D displays and interactive input devices to collaborative environments and robotics, and technologies that apply to film and game production. The Emerging Technologies program provides attendees a unique hands-on opportunity to interact with select innovative technologies before they become hot topics in the mainstream media and blogs.

This year marks the debut of “SIGGRAPH University” where four 2013 Courses were recorded onsite and will be posted to the internet this year and free to watch. More content will follow from SIGGRAPH 2014.

Evan Hirsch,  Business Symposium Chair

The third annual SIGGRAPH Business Symposium was held on Sunday, featuring keynote speaker Captain Thomas Chaby, executive officer at the Naval Special Warfare Center who spoke on disruption in the battlefield. The objective of the event was to provide tactics for leaders in the industry to move beyond disruption.

Click here for access to SIGGRAPH 2013 photos.

SIGGRAPH 2013 Real-Time Live Chair, Abe Wiley, discusses the amazing world of Real-Time Live, what the program is all about, and what content was shown at this year's show.

SIGGRAPH 2013 Electronic Theater Time Lapse

A popular part of the Computer Animation Festival is the premiere screening of the SIGGRAPH 2013 Electronic Theater. Here's a time lapse quick clip of the Arena filling up before the show starts. We seemed to have filled the place!

Updated Real-Time Live! Preview Video Released

The preview video for the SIGGRAPH Real-Time Live! content was just released and is available above.  The program is the premier showcase for the latest trends and techniques for pushing the boundaries of interactive visuals. As part of the Computer Animation Festival, an international jury selects submissions from a diverse array of industries to create a fast-paced, 90-minute show of cutting-edge, aesthetically stimulating real-time work.

"Celebrating its 5th Anniversary, Real-Time Live! 2013 is a can't miss, one night only event at SIGGRAPH," said Abe Wiley, Real-Time Live! Chair from AMD. "This year's show is as diverse as ever and attendees will have their minds blown by live, interactive demonstrations of  the latest advancements in photorealistic facial animation, medical visualization, crowd simulation, hair rendering, massive destruction, real-time cinematics, and more!"

Each live presentation lasts less than 10 minutes, and is presented by the artists and engineers who produced the work.

For even more details, click here.

SIGGRAPH 2013 Showcases the Latest Real-Time Developments

Real-Time Live! is the premier showcase for the latest trends and techniques for pushing the boundaries of interactive visuals. As part of the Computer Animation Festival, an international jury selects submissions from a diverse array of industries to create a fast-paced, 90-minute show of cutting-edge, aesthetically stimulating real-time work.

"Celebrating its 5th Anniversary, Real-Time Live! 2013 is a can't miss, one night only event at SIGGRAPH," said Abe Wiley, Real-Time Live! Chair from AMD.  "This year's show is as diverse as ever and attendees will have their minds blown by live, interactive demonstrations of the latest advancements in photorealistic facial animation, medical visualization, crowd simulation, hair rendering, massive destruction, real-time cinematics, and more!"

Each live presentation lasts less than 10 minutes, and is presented by the artists and engineers who produced the work.

SIGGRAPH 2013 Real-Time Live! Highlights:

Digital Ira: High-Resolution Facial Performance Playback
Graham Fyffe, USC Institute for Creative Technologies; Jorge Jimenez, Activision, Inc.; Oleg Alexander, Jay Busch, Paul Graham, Borom Tunwattanapong, Koki Nagano, Ryosuke Ichikari, Paul Debevec, Andrew Jones, USC Institute for Creative Technologies; Javier von der Pahlen; Etienne Danvoye; Bernardo Antoniazzi; Michael Eheler; Zbynek Kysela, Activision, Inc.; Curtis Beeson; Steve Burke; Mark Daly, NVIDIA Corporation

Video performance capture drives a facial blendshape model made from high-resolution facial scans that are compressed and realistically rendered in a reproducible game-ready pipeline designed for current-generation PCs and next-generation consoles.

Butterfly Effect
Renaldas Zioma, Unity Technologies

Butterfly Effect is a real-time-rendered short developed in a collaboration among Unity Technologies, Passion Pictures, and NVIDIA. During development, many traditional offline CG techniques were adopted for real-time rendering: physically based shading, Catmull-Clark subdivision, texture-space diffusion for subsurface scattering, pyroclastic noise-based volumetric effects, etc.

Unreal Engine 4 Infiltrator Demonstration
Dana Cowley, Brian Karis, Epic Games, Inc.

Infiltrator, Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4 real-time demonstration, presents high-end rendering features including physically based materials and lighting, full-scene HDR reflections, advanced GPU particle simulation, adaptive detail with artist-programmable tessellation and displacement, dynamically lit particles that emit and receive light, and thousands of dynamic lights with tiled deferred shading.

Square
Thomas Mann, Still; Daniel Szymanski; Andreas Rose, Framefield GmbH; Wolf Budgenhagen, Still

Square is a Demoscene project that harnesses the power of mandel-box-fractals and real-time raymarching to create a series of stunningly beautiful, ever-changing, procedural environments.  The cinematic experience is set to music by Wright and Bastard, but the true power of the techniques are exposed by hooking up a LEAP controller to the custom Tool2 software to allow for camera control and dynamic interaction with the fractals.

SIGGRAPH 2013 Calls for Real-Time Live! Content

SIGGRAPH 2013 seeks cutting-edge Real-Time Live! content to be presented as part of this year’s prestigious Computer Animation Festival. Examples of accepted real-time simulations and graphics submissions include:

• Military or industrial simulations
• Interactive animation and graphics
• Research projects
• Computer games
• Real-time art explorations
• Scientific visualizations: medical, astrophysics, astronomy
• Interactive data visualization and information graphics

As long as the submission is interactively controlled, rendered in real time, and repeatable for a live audience, it will be considered. Accepted work is demonstrated live on a PC or game console in front of an audience. The result is an entertaining, informative, and engaging experience.

Check out examples from a previous year in the following video:





“Celebrating its 5th anniversary, Real-Time Live! has grown into a can't miss event at SIGGRAPH and has established itself as the premier annual showcase for the best of the best in interactive real-time graphics,” said Abe Wiley, Real Time Live! Chair from Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. “We hope that this year's content will be more diverse than ever and highly encourage submission from all industries and fields of research."

The Real-Time Live! submission deadline is 5 March 2013. All real-time work will be reviewed by a professional jury of industry experts from traditional computer graphics, video games, and research organizations.

Entries will be judged on creativity, innovation, performance, and most importantly, the ability to render in real time in front of a live audience as part of the Computer Animation Festival. The top selections will be played and demonstrated live on a PC or game console.

View detailed information on how to submit Real-Time Live! content.

Important SIGGRAPH 2012 Reminders for Attendees

The SIGGRAPH 2012 Perfect Blend of Art & Science Starts 5 August 2012 

Schedule 

Download the SIGGRAPH 2012 Locator for an advance preview of all SIGGRAPH 2012 onsite details, highlights and schedule information. A printed copy will be provided to all SIGGRAPH 2012 attendees on site in LA.

From your computer or mobile device, the SIGGRAPH 2012 Scheduler allows you to browse SIGGRAPH 2012 programs, sessions, and events by program, day and time, registration level, and focus. Then create your own customized schedule for the week. Save, view, and update your schedule on your desktop or mobile device. Export it to your calendar, and share it with colleagues and friends. The scheduler is optimized for all browsers and operating systems. 

---

Your LA experience is not complete without a cocktail poolside at this hotel.

Housing and Transportation Information

Still need to plan your stay in Los Angeles? SIGGRAPH can help. Visit the SIGGRAPH web site for a list of some available Los Angeles hotels. Rates will vary from the official conference rates as the housing deadline has passed.

All changes to existing reservations should now be made directly with your assigned hotel.

Hotel-Convention Center Shuttle Service
SIGGRAPH 2012 provides complimentary shuttle service between many conference hotels and the Los Angeles Convention Center. Attendees who used the SIGGRAPH 2012 hotel reservation system to make reservations at hotels served by the SIGGRAPH 2012 shuttle buses will receive a shuttle wristband when they check in. The JW Marriott, Figueroa and Luxe Hotels are considered walk hotels.  Attendees who did not book through the SIGGRAPH 2012 reservation system and wish to use the shuttle service can purchase wristbands at the SIGGRAPH Store.

Airport Shuttle Bus Discounts
SIGGRAPH 2012 has partnered with Super Shuttle to offer transportation to and from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Shared Ride Van: $13 per passenger (up to 9 passengers) Town Car Service - $63 per sedan (up to 4 passengers). These discounted rates are valid from five days before the conference to five days after it closes.

Book by phone at 800.258.3826 (toll free) or +1.310.222.5500, extension 4. To receive the discount, you must mention the SIGGRAPH 2012 discount code: PK7AU. Or you can book online at the Super Shuttle web site.

Drivers accept cash and all major credit cards for all transfers.

If you book your shuttle reservation through the SIGGRAPH 2012 web site, you earn miles on American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta, and Frontier Airlines.

Cancellations or changes for Shared Ride van transfers and sedan cars made four hours prior to the scheduled day of transfer will not incur a cancellation fee.  Cancellation or changes made within four hours of the scheduled day transfer, or no-show, will be charged the estimated cost that was quoted at the time of the reservation (mini-buses need 72 hours for cancellation).
 
Safety Tip
When walking around any conference city be certain to remove your badge and secure it in a safe place.  Displaying your badge in public areas outside a convention center advertises that you are probably not local and may make yourself more vulnerable to a crime or aggressive panhandling. 

---

Find your answers in a few short days.

Registration Information

Upon arrival at the Los Angeles Convention Center, please proceed to the registration area in West Hall, Petree Hall C to pick up your badge. Registration hours throughout the week are as follows:

Sunday, 5 August, 8 am - 6 pm
Monday, 6 August, 8:30 am - 6 pm
Tuesday, 7 August, 8:30 am - 6 pm
Wednesday, 8 August, 8:30 am - 6 pm
Thursday, 9 August, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm

Upgrade to Full Conference Registration
If you are registered at a category other than Full Conference, you still have time to upgrade your registration to Full Conference for complete access to the technical program.

SIGGRAPH Business Symposium Spaces Available
A few spaces are still open for the SIGGRAPH Business Symposium, an intimate, interactive forum for discussion about the present and future of our industry and community. Full Conference attendees can add SIGGRAPH Business Symposium for $75.
 

---

Live Stream of Mars Rover Landing 

Watch history in the making with your fellow SIGGRAPH 2012 attendees. The Geek Bar, Room 404 in the Los Angeles Convention Center, will be open immediately following Technical Papers Fast Forward on Sunday, 5 August. The  Mars Rover landing feed will start around 10:30 pm. Please bring your conference badge and note you are responsible for transportation back to your hotel afterwards.

Watch the "seven minutes of terror" here:

    

---

Live Stream of SIGGRAPH 2012 Awards Talks

Watch a live stream of the ACM SIGGRAPH Award Talks, taking place Monday, 6 August from 2-3:30 pm. Be sure to share this information with your friends and colleagues at home who might want to tune in.  

---

Anyone with a passion for networking and sweets will not be disappointed.

Networking Dessert Reception

Monday, 6 August, 9 – 11 pm JW Marriott Hotel Los Angeles at L.A. Live, Diamond Ballroom Share professional and personal updates with colleagues from around the world at the SIGGRAPH community's highest energy, most anticipated social event of 2012. Enjoy delicious desserts and toast-worthy beverages for celebrating the past year's achievements and future challenges. A ticket is required to attend this event. If you didn't purchase a reception ticket with your registration, they will be available for purchase in the Registration Area in West Hall, Petree Hall C at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  

---

Exchange LA was used as a filming site for "The Social Network" and Heidi Klum's "Top Model" TV show

ACM SIGGRAPH Chapters Party

Monday, 6 August, 8:30 pm – 2 am

Exchange L.A., 618 Spring Street, Los Angeles

Please Note: You must present a party invitation - available at the ACM SIGGRAPH Chapters Booth at the Los Angeles Convention Center - or your conference badge to enter Exchange L.A.   

---

The new SIGGRAPH Mobile content is certain to be popular with attendees.

New for 2012: SIGGRAPH Mobile

This first-time SIGGRAPH program showcases the incredible advancements and discoveries in the field of mobile graphics and apps through a series of presentations, panels, workshops, and demonstrations. The following are a few highlights of SIGGRAPH Mobile: Mobile GPUs: Markets and Technology Wednesday, 8 August | 9-10:30 am | Room 406 AB Understanding Mobile Graphics – GPUs and Platform Wednesday, 8 August |10:45 am- 12:15 pm | Room 406 AB Mobile Graphics – Hardware and Software Techniques Wednesday, 8 August | 2-3:30 pm | Room 406 AB Mobile Applications – In Your Hand and On the Road Wednesday, 8 August | 3:45-5:15 pm | Room 406 AB  

---

SIGGRAPH Merchandise

Looking for gifts for friends, colleagues, relatives, or yourself? The SIGGRAPH Store in the South Lobby is your best shopping option for SIGGRAPH 2012 merchandise and clearance items from previous years including shirts, mugs and more! Purchase Prior Computer Animation Festival DVDs Prior Computer Animation Festival Programs on DVD will be available for purchase on site at SIGGRAPH 2012 in the South Lobby of the Los Angeles Convention Center. All SVR DVDs   $5/ea 5 DVDs  $20 10 DVDs $40 11 DVDs + $3/ea  

---

Wireless Access

SIGGRAPH 2012 offers conference attendees wireless internet access in most areas of the Los Angeles Convention Center. To use this service, attendees should have a laptop computer or other mobile device with a built-in wireless network card or with an external wireless adapter. Please refer to your device’s operating system and network adapter documentation and follow this general procedure: 1. Document all existing TCP/IP and wireless configuration information before you make any changes. 2. Configure your device to use DHCP. 3. Configure your wireless adapter Network Name (SSID) to be “s2012”. No encryption or password options are required. Users should be aware of the security considerations when using any unencrypted, public-access wireless network. For assistance or further information, please contact GraphicsNet in Room 308A.  

---

Camera/Recording Policies

No cameras or recording devices are permitted inside any SIGGRAPH 2012 content area (Art Gallery, Emerging Technologies, Sessions, Studio, Talks, Computer Animation Festival, Exhibition, etc.). Abuse of this policy will result in the loss of your registration credentials.  Not all contributors have granted complete public access to their works, information, descriptions, and other details - so please respect this request and allow SIGGRAPH to continue to offer such robust and cutting-edge content. 

---

Age Requirement For Exhibition Access

Children under 16 are not permitted in the Exhibition. Age verification is required.  

---

LA Live is a popular networking destination for SIGGRAPH attendees.

Around Los Angeles – Things to Do

Downtown Los Angeles offers historic districts, restaurants, clubs, and cultural institutions, all within an easy walk or short cab ride of the SIGGRAPH 2012 hotels. If you haven't already, visit the SIGGRAPH Los Angeles page on our web site for helpful information about city guides, maps and weather information, local news, as well as resources suggesting the best places to dine.  

---

Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival 

Exclusive to SIGGRAPH 2012 attendees – Receive 25% off your ticket to the Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival 9-12 August at L.A. Live. To receive your discount, purchase your ticket online and the 25% off will appear at check out.  

---

Actual weather forecast for next seven days in LA.

Weather and Attire

Los Angeles is an amazing city with lots to do and explore, so you'll want to be sure you're dressed comfortably for your excursions. Local weather tends to be warm during the day, but can get chilly at night. Check the local weather forecast before you pack to be prepared for the climate. Please remember that the LA Convention Center will be air conditioned and can be extremely chilly, so dress in layers to make sure you are comfortable both indoors and out.  

---

 Stay Up-to-Date

Visit the SIGGRAPH 2012 website, follow the official SIGGRAPH 2012 Twitter feed @siggraph and become a fan of SIGGRAPH 2012 on Facebook for the most up-to-date event details and information and continue to check back here for updates and photos.     Whether coming from near or far, the SIGGRAPH 2012 team wishes everyone safe travels to LA and we look forward to making your 2012 experience memorable and beneficial.