Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 22, 2013. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
This year, on February 9, the Academy of Motion and Picture Arts and Sciences will present a Technical Achievement Award to the two German smoke experts Markus Gross and Nils Thuerey and their two US colleagues Doug James and Theodore Kim. The Wavelet Turbulence software, which originated as a joint project for SIGGRAPH 2008, uses a method that makes CGI effects such as smoke and explosions easier and faster to create. It is based on wavelet turbulence algorithms, which allow movements and turbulence in liquids and gases to be calculated faster than with conventional applications.
Markus Gross is Professor of Computer Graphics and Director of Disney Research Zurich at ETH Zurich and had not expected an award from the Academy: "I was aware that our technology is used in many Hollywood productions, but I did not expect this award".
The four researchers deliberately chose the route of publication to make their software known and did without patenting it. The source code was released under a GNU Public License. The Wavelet Turbulence software is said to have already been used in more than 20 major Hollywood productions, including "Avatar", "Sherlock Holmes" and "Battleship". According to ETH Zurich, upcoming blockbuster projects such as "Iron Man 3" and "Man of Steel" also rely on this technology. Thus, entirely deservedly, the two researchers will travel to Beverly Hills on February 9 to receive their technical award during a gala.
You can find more information about ETH Zurich and the smoke software here.
The Wavelet Turbulence software is demonstrated in this video:
