The 10th annual SIGGRAPH Asia computer graphics confab will take place (for the first time) in Bangkok, Thailand from Nov. 27-30, with organizers expecting nearly 7,000 attendees from more than 60 countries to convene on the BITEC expo center. The 2017 show theme is “The Celebration of Life and Technology,” with the aim of showcasing how human experiences help push the boundaries of digital imaging, research, science, art, animation, gaming, interactivity, education and emerging technologies.
“Over a decade, SIGGRAPH Asia has grown from a niche event to one of the largest computer graphics and interactive techniques conference and exhibitions in the region. This year, we are proud to host SIGGRAPH Asia in Bangkok, which is home to one of the region’s fastest growing computer graphics and animation industries. It is a very exciting time to be in an industry that is evolving so quickly, where we are using technology to change the way we experience new things,” said Dr. Surapong Lertsithichai, SIGGRAPH Asia 2017 Conference Chair and Director, Center for Creative Economy Project, Mahidol University, Thailand.
This year’s keynote speakers include Albert Yu-Min Lin, Award Winning National Geographic Explorer, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer at Planet3 — who will share how he applies an innovative approach to exploration; and Michael Cohen, Director of the Computational Photography Group at Facebook, discussing how the team is incorporating 3D and virtual reality applications into the social media platform.
A gem of the animation programming lineup is a Featured Session on How Real-Time Graphics Helps Pixar Make Feature Films, led by the studio’s Senior Graphics Software Engineers Pol Jeremias-Vila and David G. Yu, who will demonstrate how Pixar applies real-time graphics to its feature animation pipeline.
Returning highlights of the event include the VR Showcase, highlighting immersive AR and VR’s impact on healthcare, entertainment and human engagement; the Emerging Technology program, demonstrating how research on technology from 3D interaction and brain-machine interface can help improve the way we live, work and play; the Symposium on Mobile Graphics and Interactive Applications will explore new opportunities in the global market estimated to reach $35 billion a year. And, of course, the Computer Animation Festival will present the year’s best works from around the world, as well as panels and presentations on CG animation and VFX.
On the exhibition floor, leading companies including Epic Games, FORUM8, FoxRenderfarm, Ritsumeikan University, SOFA Framework, The Khronos Group, Tsinghua – Tencent Joint Lab, Simpitec Co., Ltd, Unity Technologies, VSOChina, Yannix (Thailand) Co., Ltd, and more will demonstrate their latest hardware and software developments.
Details and registration available at https://sa2017.siggraph.org.
 in Bangkok, Thailand from Nov. 27-30, with organizers expecting nearly 7,000 attendees from more than 60 countries to convene on the BITEC expo center.){kind=link}