"Confessions of a Visual Effects Physicist"

Terry Tessendorf, Rhythm and Hues Studios

Visual effects in films combine computer graphics, applied math, and physics to produce the imagery seen on-screen. In this talk we look at the mixtures that have been assembled for several different film projects, and the (sometimes eccentric) artistic requirements that drove them. We focus on projects involving fluid dynamics in several different forms, in films such as "X-Men 2", "Superman Returns", "Happy Feet", "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe", and others.

Dr. Jerry Tessendorf is a Principal Graphics Scientist at Rhythm and Hues Studios, where he develops new methods for artists to construct visual effects for feature films.