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SIGGRAPH 2017, the world’s leading annual interdisciplinary educational experience showcasing the latest in computer graphics and interactive techniques, announces highlights of the innovative contributions to this year’s Games and Mobile programs. SIGGRAPH 2017 will mark the 44th International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, and will be held 30 July–3 August 2017 in Los Angeles.

The SIGGRAPH 2017 Games focus spotlights creators, visionaries, and pioneers across the games industry, with presentations from leading interactive content creators. These achievements are presented in sessions and demonstrations throughout the conference week, and showcase advances in real-time rendering, runtime animation synthesis, asset creation, and much more. Plus, many takeaways from presenters are directly transferable to VR/AR production. 

Among this year’s highlights are:

• DeepLoco: Dynamic Locomotion Skills Using Hierarchical Deep Reinforcement Learning Program: Technical Papers

With hierarchical deep reinforcement learning, this work develops a variety of environment-aware locomotion skills for a simulated 3D biped.

“Final Fantasy XV”

Program: Talks, Computer Animation Festival

Hear about the production and AI processes that went into the making of “Final Fantasy XV,” or attend the Computer Animation Festival Electronic Theater to take in the beautiful graphics of the “Final Fantasy XV – Omen Trailer.”

• Blizzard Entertainment Presents: The Making of the “Overwatch” Animated Shorts

Program: Production Sessions

Learn how Blizzard Animation had to radically alter some of its production workflows and much of the technology used to produce the six episodes of “Overwatch.” Using the groundbreaking GPU-based ray-tracing renderer Redshift, the “Overwatch” shorts represent an entirely new, cost-effective animation pipeline that allows rich, high-quality content to be created in a fraction of the time traditionally associated with pre-rendered workflows. Blizzard’s team will also share some of the strategies, tools, and techniques employed to create a world worth fighting for.  

• Evolution of AR in Pokémon GO

Program: Talks

Pokémon GO inspired user behaviors indicative of a successful augmented reality application such as sharing of photos with rendered characters and spontaneous real-world gatherings of thousands of people. This talk summarizes the evolution of the technical and design choices in Niantic’s products through Pokémon GO that achieved a mass-market AR application.

• IL Gigante: Michelangelo's David in VR

Program: VR Village

See Michelangelo's "stone giant" in virtual reality. Walk around Michelangelo's 17-foot (5-meter) statue of David and use a virtual scaffold to see the work up close as few have seen it before.

In addition to these highlights, the Games program is debuting two new experiences at SIGGRAPH 2017. First, an interactive VR Graffiti Wall for attendees at every level to enjoy. The wall is powered by spray-paint game "Ghost Paint.” Second, the all-new VR Film Jam will give two animation teams three days to turn animated short films into virtual reality experiences. Epic Games experts will be on-hand to assist both teams, which include a single female artist from School of Visual Arts with “The Moon is Essentially Gray” and a student from Silicon Valley’s Cogswell College with “Trouble Brewing.”

SIGGRAPH 2017 Games Chair Chris Evans said, “There's an amazing amount of content pertaining to game developers and people using game engines to power interactive experiences. Whether you're shipping games on the latest hardware or using runtime technology to create interactive VR and AR experiences, there's a ton of stuff to see and experience at SIGGRAPH 2017!”

SIGGRAPH 2017’s Mobile focus will present the latest advances in mobile app development, including powerful new graphic techniques, game production for handheld devices, and methods of content creation. The always-increasing process capabilities of smartphones, tablets, and hybrids continues to expand the possibilities and allow for the creation of endless new mobile experiences.

Among the focus’ many highlights is a special Panel entitled “The Future of Mobile VR Graphics & Gaming,” which will feature speakers from ARM, Google, Qualcomm, Unity Technologies, and Virtual Arts Limited. The panel will be moderated by Ryan Shrout of Shrout Research. Another staple of the Mobile focus is the 2017 Appy Hour techno-social soirée. The event celebrates how amazing apps are often developed by individuals or small teams, and showcase the innovation, creativity, and know-how of the next generation of mobile media. Two highlights among this year’s 10 selected apps include:

Mobile Image Stylization Combining Neural Style Transfer and Filtering
This mobile app combines neural-style transfers with user-controlled state-of-the-art image filtering to interactively transform photos into artistic renditions. The results feature characteristics of famous artworks, simulate the appeal of traditional media such as oil paint and watercolor, and can be exported at full image resolution.

Expresii Watercolor
Expresii combines state-of-the-art watercolor simulation and hybrid vector-raster rendering to provide the most natural water-based painting experience.

“The mobile focus content mix is spread across augmented reality storytelling, image editing, and water coloring. I’m confident that content will be both engaging and entertaining for our attendees,” said SIGGRAPH 2017 Mobile Chair Akshay Agarwal.

Register for SIGGRAPH 2017 at s2017.SIGGRAPH.org.

About SIGGRAPH 2017
The annual SIGGRAPH conference is a five-day interdisciplinary educational experience in the latest computer graphics and interactive techniques, including a three-day commercial exhibition that attracts hundreds of companies from around the world. The conference also hosts the international SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival, showcasing works from the world's most innovative and accomplished digital film and video creators. Juried and curated content includes outstanding achievements in time-based art, scientific visualization, visual effects, real-time graphics, and narrative shorts. SIGGRAPH 2017 will take place from 30 July–3 August 2017 in Los Angeles. Visit the SIGGRAPH 2017 website or follow SIGGRAPH on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Instagram for more detailed information.

About ACM SIGGRAPH
The ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques is an interdisciplinary community interested in research, technology, and applications in computer graphics and interactive techniques. Members include researchers, developers, and users from the technical, academic, business, and art communities. ACM SIGGRAPH enriches the computer graphics and interactive techniques community year-round through its conferences, global network of professional and student chapters, publications, and educational activities.

About ACM 
ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for lifelong learning, career development, and professional networking.