Innovation Profile: Side Effects Software, University of Waterloo and Sheridan Institute
Side Effects Software is one of Hollywood's top developers of 3D animation and visual effects software. Its lead product, Houdini, has been used in over 250 feature films including nine of the last 11 films to win the Academy Award for best visual effects. This Toronto-based company relies on the superb talent emerging from local universities and colleges such as the University of Waterloo and the Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. Read full profile below.
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Paul Salvini | Prof David Johnston President University of Waterloo | Dr Michael Collins Dean, Sheridan School of Animation, Arts and Design |
Creating Award-Winning Digital Media Magic
Side Effects Software is one of Hollywood's top developers of visual effects software. Its lead product, Houdini, has been used in over 250 feature films including nine of the last 11 films to win the Academy Award for best visual effects. Based in Toronto, the company has received two Academy Awards for scientific and technical achievement.
"A great example of our techology is in the Spiderman film series. One of the fundamental things that Spiderman needs to be able to do is cast a web. One of the real strengths of our Houdini product is that it allows the visual effects artists to explore various ways of casting a web to see what's going to look great and compelling for the audience," says Paul Salvini, Side Effects Chief Technology Officer. Other film credits include the Harry Potter series as well as The Matrix and Lord of the Rings trilogies.
For this industry leader, the best place to be is Toronto, not southern California. Just ask them and they'll tell you about the phenomenal talent emerging from the region's colleges and universities; Toronto's rich history of digital media leadership; tax relief programs such as the federal government's Scientific Research and Experimental Tax Credit; and, a provincial government that is investing in digital media R&D.
The Toronto Region is home to many of Ontario's 800 digital media companies and their 18,000 employees. The region is North America's third largest ICT cluster. Right after New York and Los Angeles in size, Toronto's film and television industry offers local content and talent for the region's animation software industry. With over 100 languages and dialects spoken, the region also offers unparalleled openness to the real and virtual worlds.
"In order to succeed in digital media, you have to understand that this is a global business and you have to be able to compete globally. One model that we're really excited about is what's happening with the University of Waterloo and their plans to expand with a campus in Stratford for Digital Media and International Business," says Paul Salvini.
Professor David Johnston, President of the University of Waterloo, couldn't agree more. The Stratford Institute is just one example of the university's innovative approach to education and research. "Being very conscious of the needs of the marketplace is part of our DNA. The Stratford Institute is all about collaboration between public and private sector partners working to use new and emerging technologies to create goods and services," says Professor Johnston.
The world's largest co-op education university, the University of Waterloo is recognized globally for the strength of its IT graduates. Says Professor Johnston, "Many years we're the largest source of recruits for Microsoft. We rival the University of Washington, MIT, Berkeley, Harvard and others to supply talent to them."
In September 2008, the university launched VeloCity - a residence to house students from a cross-section of disciplines who are all focused on IT innovation and applications. "This is the type of thing that Mike Lazaridis, founder of Research in Motion, graduate and now Chancellor of the University of Waterloo, would have been into with his sleeves rolled up. We hope to attract a whole lot of Mike Lazaridises to make interesting things happen," says Professor Johnston.
For Dr Michael Collins, Dean of Animation, Arts and Design at the Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning the goal is to produce the next generation of top animation talent. Sheridan graduates have been nominated six times for Academy Awards and won twice.
"Every year, we have an industry day that is sort of like the NHL draft," says Dr Collins. "Fifty of the world's best animation companies come to look for the students with the hottest hands. When they find the person they think might be the next animation star, they'll try to hire him or her right away. It's very exciting."
Ranked among the very best animation schools in North America, Sheridan has a legacy of producing graduates who are both exceptional artists and skilled technicians. The recently constructed Animation Centre houses 450 students receiving training on the latest technologies from pre-visualization software to artificial intelligence automation.
As a member of the Consortium on New Media, Creative, and Entertainment R&D in the Toronto Region or CONCERT Sheridan's faculty is researching novel uses for the latest innovations in software and hardware. Their work includes R&D in TV animation, video gaming and filmmaking but also in sectors as diverse as construction, mining and medicine where the ability to visualize systems is critical to 21st century planning.
"Toronto is the third largest centre for creative production in North America," says Dr Collins. "And, while there is some opportunity for decentralization because of the web, it's still important to be able to go to cafés and to meet people on the street. Toronto has a great labour pool where animators are able to have creative exchanges with the people that have the money and resources to bring their ideas to fruition."
© 2010 Toronto Region Research Alliance