FMX 2018 Announces New Tracks, Attending Companies

Conference also has put online the second in its ‘Behind the Beard’ trailer series.

Bruno the Beaver is back in ‘Snow,’ the second trailer in FMX 2018’s ‘Behind the Beard’ series.

LUDWIGSBURG, GERMANY -- In line with this year’s theme of Creating Worlds, the curators of FMX 2018 have developed several new tracks for the conference: Creatures & Characters, Simulation, AR Platforms and Creating 3D Assets from Real World Imagery.

The new tracks attempt to present the continuous developments and novelties in the areas of animation, visual effects, games and immersive media, and to discuss new approaches in research and technology as well as social impact.

FMX 2018 is scheduled for April 24-27 in Stuttgart, Germany.

A first selection of the new tracks is presented below.

Creatures & Characters: Every year, fantastical creatures and characters come to life on the screen. They appear alive and look entirely realistic. The Creatures & Characters track puts a spotlight on some of these creations and how they were brought to digital life by employing increasingly complex visual effects and animation techniques.
Simulation: The tiniest details make virtual images truly come to life. Creating and manipulating the supposedly random behavior of organic structures, the elements, and their interaction with one another, is the focus of the Simulation track. Masters in the field will present the latest and greatest developments that look so real, it's out of this world.
AR Platforms: As virtual reality has arrived in the mass consumer market, augmented reality is just in reach of advancing as the next innovative tool for blending real and virtual worlds. This track will take a closer look at the latest augmented reality platforms from major corporations and what to expect from them in the future. The track is curated by Volker Helzle, head of research & development at the Animationsinstitut at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.
Creating 3D Assets from Real World Imagery: 3D reconstruction of real world objects and environments, static and dynamic, to create assets for creative production has received tremendous attention over the last decade. Creative industries eagerly adopted suitable solutions derived from research and developed ways to integrate the algorithms into their tools and professional workflows. A vibrant start-up scenery constantly provides news ideas to enter these markets. The track is curated by Aljosa Smolic, SFI research professor of creative technologies at Trinity College Dublin.

AMD and InstaLOD have secured spots in the marketplace, while Pixar's RenderMan will host several workshops at FMX 2018.

Framestore, Rodeo FX and Recom have registered for the recruiting hub.

At the school campus, aspiring students will be able to meet representatives of the School of Visual Arts MFA Computer Arts, National Film and Television School, Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences, ifs internationale filmschule köln, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

And Snow, the second in FMX 2018’s Behind the Beard trailer series, is now online.