PANORAMA – Asia Pacific Animation Challenge 2009

Autodesk, Mayan and Cyberport Incutrain Centre launch inaugural animation competition to showcase regional talent, and groom the next generation of digital artists 

Sydney, October 13, 2009 – Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, has launched PANORAMA – Inaugural Asia Pacific Animation Challenge (URL: www.apac-panorama.com). Conceptualised and sponsored by Autodesk, the contest is co-organised by Cyberport IncuTrain Centre with support from Hong Kong Cyberport Management Co. Ltd. and the Mayan: Hong Kong User Group, and with Animax as the official regional media partner. 

PANORAMA will see students from Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore submitting their original animation projects for a chance to represent their country in the finals of the contest – the Autodesk Animation Challenge Bootcamp. Students must be aged 18 years and above and form teams of three in order to participate in the contest. Shortlisted participants will be selected by in-country judges and announced on November 15, 2009. 

“Autodesk is committed to grooming the next generation of digital artists, and to providing them with opportunities to acquire the skills and industry exposure they need to excel,” said Tom Joseph, director, Education Programs, Autodesk Asia Pacific. “With PANORAMA, we hope to inspire students in Asia Pacific, and impart the technical capabilities they need to overcome real-world industry challenges, even before they graduate.”

The Autodesk Animation Challenge Bootcamp will be held from December 11 to 14, 2009 at the Hong Kong Cyberport, and will see 12 finalist teams mentored by professionals from award-winning media and entertainment companies, including:

• Lucasfilm Animation Singapore – whose credits include the hit CG-animated TV show Star Wars™: The Clone Wars™, NDS games Star Wars™: The Clone Wars™: Jedi Alliance and Republic Heroes, and created visual effects for Transformers, Iron Man and Star Trek.
• Imagi Studio – a Hong Kong-based company which developed CG-animated films including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Astro Boy.

Over the course of the four-day boot camp, mentors will teach finalist teams how they can fine-tune the animation projects that they submitted during the qualifying stages of the contest. These will then be judged once more, and the ultimate winners of PANORAMA will be announced on December 14, 2009. 

“The PANORAMA Asia Pacific Animation Challenge 2009 provides an excellent training opportunity and platform for youth to showcase their creative animation work,” said Mr. Anthony Au, Chairman of the Advisory Committee of the Cyberport IncuTrain Centre and Board of Directors of Hong Kong Cyberport Management Co. Ltd. “The creative industry is one of the six priority areas that the Hong Kong Government is actively promoting and developing, and Cyberport is pleased to be part of this alliance. This initiative is also in line with Cyberport’s mission to establish a regional centre of excellence for IT and digital media training for developing human capital in IT through collaboration and partnership with the industry, academia, and professional bodies.” 

Finalist teams will be judged on creativity and originality, motion, technical excellence and overall design. The top three winning teams of PANORAMA stand a chance to win cash prizes, Autodesk software and trophy prizes. Other team-based awards for the contest include the Best Teamwork Award, Best Rookie Award and Animax Extraordinaire Award. PANORAMA also promises to offer students regional exposure, as the original works by the 12 finalist teams will be aired as vignettes on Animax from December 25, 2009 onwards. 

“In Hong Kong, Autodesk is providing secondary and primary school students with the same 3D technology that professional product designers and Hollywood movie-effects artists use.  Traditionally this had been reserved until students reached post secondary level. We believe that this will serve as a seedbed to generate greater interests in design in the digital arena among the young, setting the standards ahead,” said Wendy Lee, branch manager, Autodesk Hong Kong and Macau. 

“Autodesk has been working with leading animators, game developers and visual effects artists globally for many years, and our solutions are the backbone of the global media and entertainment production environment,” said Marc Su, head of media and entertainment, industry marketing, Autodesk Asia Pacific. “We’re honoured that our customers will mentor the shortlisted PANORAMA participants in Hong Kong, and are grateful for the strong support of our Mayan: Hong Kong User Group. We look forward to seeing the results of the participants’ efforts!” 

For more information on PANORAMA, please visit www.apac-panorama.com. 

About the Mayan: Hong Kong User Group

The Hong Kong Maya User Group is a passionate, non-profit organisation formed by dedicated Maya users.  The primary objective of the group is to promote and cultivate professionalism in digital content creation with a focus on 3D computer graphics, animations and digital visual effects creation, especially to the education community.  The group has developed a strong network among similar user groups in the APAC region, and aim to elevate users’ skills through the exchange of ideas, programs and best practices. For additional information, visit www.mayan.hk/mayan/Welcome.html

About Cyberport IncuTrain Centre

Funded by the Innovation and Technology Fund, Cyberport is Hong Kong’s first and only incubation and training centre for the digital entertainment industry. Dubbed as the “IncuTrain Centre”, it aims to promote the commercial success of Hong Kong’s digital entertainment industry, foster entrepreneurship and competence amongst small-to-medium size businesses, and generate a pool of creative business talents for the local industry. IncuTrain also provides incubatee companies with fully equipped office spaces, advance digital production facilities, support in business development, training, legal advice, internship recruitment, and facilitates partnership matching and collaborations with local and overseas organisations. For more information, visit www.incutrain.hk.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD® software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software to help customers experience their ideas digitally before they are built. Fortune 100 companies – as well as the last 14 Academy Award® winners for Best Visual Effects – use Autodesk software tools to design, visualize and simulate their ideas to save time and money, enhance quality, and foster innovation for competitive advantage. For more information, visit www.autodesk.com.au.

Autodesk and AutoCAD are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

© 2009 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved

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