January saw the opening of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) submissions for the 44th annual SIGGRAPH conference being held later this year. While those are still ongoing until 21st March, for those interested in attending the event, registrations are now open.
This year’s conference chair is Jerome Solomon, Dean of the College at Cogswell College, who was appointed back in 2015. He plans on making SIGGRAPH 2017 “bigger and better than ever.”
“We are very excited about returning to Los Angeles for this year’s conference,” said Solomon in a statement. “We have plans for over a dozen awesome experiences that we’ve never done before. For example, we will be holding our grand opening day reception at the California Science Center, which will offer attendees the chance to get up close to the actual Space Shuttle Endeavor. We will also be debuting a brand-new VR Theater—a venue in which attendees can experience VR storytelling from different filmmakers using state of the art technology and VR headsets.”
On this year’s conference, he continued: “Not only is Los Angeles one of the world’s major hubs for the entertainment industry and all the major movie and TV studios, but it’s also dramatically evolved in recent years and has finally ‘arrived’ as a player within the digital space. L.A. has numerous top digital companies located in Silicon Beach, and the city has also become a key player and the home of countless new VR content development and production companies.”
“Interactive technologies, real-time graphics, virtual reality, and augmented reality are all key growth areas today,” adds Solomon. “In fact, the computer graphics industry is going through a bit of a renaissance right now—CG plays a critical role in more everyday digital tools and technologies than ever before. It’s bleeding over everywhere, and into so many industries.”
There are a number of ways visitors can register for SIGGRAPH 2017 depending on how much they want to see and do. Prices start from $50 USD for an Exhibits Only pass, rising all the way up to $1,445 for a Full Conference Platinum pass for non-members or $1,245 for ACM OR ACM SIGGRAPH members. These are also early bird prices valid until 9th June, after which the cost does go up.
For the latest news from SIGGRAPH 2017, keep reading VRFocus.