::Department of Visualization at Texas A&M University::

Students to work with visiting artist, Samuel Yates
	Students are encouraged to enroll in VIZA 629 or VIST 485 with visiting artist, Samuel Yates. In this course, we will explore New Media Theory, Locative Media Theory, Relational Aesthetics, and other expanded notions of art and architecture through the creation of several new, large-scale art objects and plans for art objects. These objects may include painting, sculpture, photography, performance, installation, software, and architecture made for gallery, museum and street contexts, as well as print publication. more >>>

BS-Viz Student receives Movie Credit
	During his internship with ImageMovers Digital, Michael Catalano worked with former MS-Viz students on Disney's A Christmas Carol, making him the first BS-Viz student to have his name listed in the credits of a major motion picture.

Gary Bruins, Former Student and Effects Supervisor for "Up" visits campus
	Gary Bruins, former MS-Viz student, returned to campus to talk about the challenges PIXAR faced while making the movie, UP. Gary and his effects-team had to create computer-based simulation methods for the balloons, clouds and other elements in the film.

Pat James, Former Student, discusses PIXAR's use of Matte Paintings
	Sometimes you have to use smoke and mirrors. Pat James, another former MS-Viz student working at PIXAR, showed examples of how his team pushed the principles of 2D matte-painting to create the environmental looks for Wall-E.

Faculty Member Exhibits Photographic Work
	Viz faculty member, Howard Eilers, recently exhibited his photographic work in the College of Architecture's Wright Gallery. His show consisted of photographs that captured the skies above the Brazos Valley.

Lucas Arts Visits Viz
	Jason Smith, Digital Production Supervisor, and Katie Layous, University Relations Coordinator for Lucas Arts, visited with students and faculty to discuss various career options at Lucas Arts and the other divisions of Lucas Film.

The Kyle Field Panoramic Project
	Glen Vigus, the Viz Lab's Production Specialist, has been working with the Athletic Department to capture high-resolution panoramic images of Kyle Field that can be viewed online. After Glen processes the images, visitors to the AggieAthletics.Com website can zoom-in to see themselves, friends, or family who attended the OSU, ISU, or Baylor games. This project was recently featured in an edition of The Battalion.

A Day with Judy Pfaff
	Students and faculty spent a day with Judy Pfaff examining student work while discussing the awards and challenges of producing art. Her visit concluded with a lecture in which Judy chronicled her personal journey as an artist and the work she produced. Her visit was a part of Texas A&M University’s Artist in Residence program, which is supported by the Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts, the College of Architecture, and the Department of Visualization.

Vizzer Wins Immersive Visualization Center Competition
	Viz graduate student, Bob Graff, was this year’s first-place winner of the 4th annual Scientific Visualization Competition hosted by the Immersive Visualization Center and the Institute of Scientific Computation. Students were judged on the basis of their work’s visual appeal, scientific or artistic merit, and the student’s verbal presentation. Both Bob and the runner-up received new NVIDIA graphic cards.

Electronic Arts Representatives Evaluate Student Game Designs
	During a daylong visit with Konrad Dunton, CG Supervisor from Electronic Arts, students from the gaming-design class pitched their recent work as part of an internal competition. During a previous visit, EA presented the class with a design challenge. Konrad Dunton and Merry Ayres, EA recruiter, met with each team and determined the winner. Later that evening, Konrad gave an in-depth presentation on the similarities and differences that exist between the CG-movie and CG-gaming industries.

Blizzard Entertainment Presents Its Cinematic Division
	Jeff Chamberlain, Blizzard cinematic projects lead, spoke to a full house about their production pipeline and the processes they use to create the cinematic animations for their games.

Faculty Member Receives Art Award
	Having been nominated by one of Tanne Foundation’s Board of Trustees, assistant professor, Joshua Bienko received a Tanne Award for his compelling artwork and contribution to the field. The Tanne Foundation’s primary interest is the support of individual artists and their need to create art. MORE>>>

Texas A&M University System Video Showcases the Department of Viz
	Ruben Olague, of the Texas A&M University System's Communications Office produced a video that focused upon the Department of Visualization and the students' recent involvement with Disney during the summer industry animation course. This video can be viewed from the TAMU System Website.

Former Student speaks at SIGGRAPH Asia 2009
	Former Vizzer Tatsuya Nakamura will present "Pipeline and Workflow Improvement with Custom Tools for 9" at SIGGRAPH Asia 2009. He was one of the software developers who worked on the film.

Join our Graduate Program!
	If you’re a creative visionary, consider becoming a part of the MSVS Program at Texas A&M University. You don’t have to be crazy to be part of the team, but it helps. Check out the admissions section for more information and application deadlines. (click image to enlarge)

Students Complete Summer Course with Walt Disney Animation Studios
	Every summer, students taking VIZA 627 get the opportunity to produce an animated short while working with industry professionals from one of the leading visual effects or animation studios. This past summer, student teamed up with Walt Disney Animation Studios to produce four animated shorts.

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The Department of Visualization at Texas A&M University provides both undergraduate and graduate programs for students interested in pursuing careers, research and/or exposure to computer graphic animation, 3D art, gaming, game development, rigging, effects, scientific visualization, photography, digital photography, stereography, videography, digital art, modeling, facial animation, rendering, shader writing, CG industry internships, immersive visualization, virtual architecture, programming, and tool development.