The Impact of Wavefront Technologies on Computer Animation

Author's Note

Forty years ago, on June 4th, I received a letter from the California Secretary of State's office confirming that Wavefront Technologies was officially incorporated in California. Since then, I've celebrated this anniversary in various ways—sometimes with my co-founders and sometimes with big parties here in Santa Barbara.

Today, as we find ourselves scattered around the world, I raise a toast and tip my cap to all of you. You are amazing, and together, we truly changed the world.

Please share this article so we can gather and cherish the stories from your time with Wavefront, whether as a team member, customer, or enthusiast. Thank you.

Our first demo reel. Demo Reel Circa 1993

It Was 40 Years Ago Today

Wavefront Technologies significantly impacted the world of computer animation through pioneering software development. The company's innovative tools like Preview, The Advanced Visualizer (TAV), The Personal Visualizer, Composer, Kinemation, and Dynamation set new standards in the industry. These tools allowed animators and visual effects artists to produce high-quality content with greater efficiency and creative flexibility.

1984: Founding and Early Development

• Founders: Wavefront Technologies was founded in June 1984 in Santa Barbara, California, by Mark Sylvester , Larry Barels , and Bill Kovacs (RIP). The founders were driven by the desire to produce computer graphics for TV commercials and movies. Lacking off-the-shelf software, they set out to create their own tools.
• Initial Goal: The initial goal was to create a company that could deliver high-quality computer-generated imagery (CGI) for various media. The founders leveraged their backgrounds in graphics and animation to build a company that could meet the growing demand for CGI in the entertainment industry.
• First Product: The company developed its first product, Preview, during its first year. Preview was designed to help animators visualize their work, and it quickly found a market among major clients like Universal Studios (for "Knight Rider"), NBC, Electronic Arts, and NASA. Santa Barbara Studios, headed by John Grower, became the in-house production department that used Preview to create opening graphics for television programs, fine-tuning the software through practical application.
• Key Developers: Bill Kovacs, Jim Keating, and John Grower , who had previously worked at Robert Abel and Associates, led early software development at Wavefront. Roy Hall and others further developed Wavefront's flagship product, the Advanced Visualizer.

1987-1988: International Expansion and Acquisitions

• Office in Brussels: Wavefront established an office in Brussels, led by Bernard Lernout , with financial support from the Belgian government.
• Acquisition of Abel Image Research (AIR): In 1988, Wavefront acquired Abel Image Research, a division of Robert Abel and Associates. This acquisition increased Wavefront's presence in Japan and was partially financed by the Belgian government following the establishment of an office in Ghent in association with Barco Graphics of Kortrijk.
• Personal Visualizer: The Personal Visualizer was released as a desktop workstation interface to high-end rendering software, initially developed for Silicon Graphics computers and later ported to platforms like Sun, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Tektronix, DEC, and Sony.

1989-1991: Product Innovation

• Data Visualizer: In 1989, Wavefront released the Data Visualizer, an early commercial tool for scientific visualization.
• Composer: Introduced in 1991, Composer became a standard for 2D and 3D compositing and special effects for feature films and television.

1992: Advanced Animation Tools

• Kinemation: Launched with SmartSkin?, Kinemation was a 3D character animation system using inverse kinematics for natural motion.
• Dynamation: Developed by Jim Hourihan, Dynamation was a tool for interactively creating and modifying particle systems for realistic, natural motion. Dream Quest Images used it to create over 90 visual effects sequences for the film "Crimson Tide."

1993-1994: Further Expansion and Partnerships

• Acquisition of Thomson Digital Images (TDI): In 1993, Wavefront acquired TDI of France, enhancing its capabilities in NURBS modeling and rendering and extending its distribution channels in Europe and Asia.
• GameWare Partnership with Atari: In 1994, Wavefront partnered with Atari to develop GameWare, the exclusive graphics and animation development system for the Atari Jaguar. This partnership demonstrated Wavefront's software's accessibility and power.

1995: Merger and Creation of Maya

• SGI Merger: On February 7, 1995, Silicon Graphics announced the purchase of Wavefront Technologies and Alias Research, creating Alias|Wavefront. The merger aimed to create more advanced digital tools by combining the companies' strengths and reducing duplication. At the time, Wavefront had a market value of $119 million and 1994 revenues of $28 million.
• Motivation: The merger was partially motivated by Microsoft's purchase of Alias and Wavefront's competitor Softimage, which SGI saw as a market threat.

Collaboration with the Entertainment Industry:

Wavefront's software was integral to many groundbreaking projects in television and film, such as "Luxo Jr.," "The Great Mouse Detective," "Akira," "Technological Threat," "All Dogs Go To Heaven," "Rock-a-Doodle," "Off His Rockers," "Outbreak," "Aladdin," "True Lies," and "Stargate."

Foundation for Maya:

The development of Maya, one of the most influential 3D animation software platforms, directly resulted from Wavefront's legacy. Maya integrated features from Wavefront’s Advanced Visualizer, Thomson Digital Images’ Explore, and Alias’s Power Animator. Released in 1998, Maya revolutionized 3D animation and modeling, becoming the industry standard for film, television, and video game production.

First Academy Award-Winning Film:

The first film to win an Academy Award using Wavefront software was "Total Recall" (1990), which received a Special Achievement Academy Award for its groundbreaking visual effects. (RIP Tim McGovern)

Academy Awards:

• 1997: Jim Hourihan received an Academy Award for Technical Achievement for creating Dynamation.
• 1998: Bill Kovacs and Roy Hall received a Scientific and Engineering Academy Award for their work on the Advanced Visualizer.
• 2003: Alias|Wavefront was awarded an Academy Award for scientific and technical achievement for Maya software, which combined elements from Wavefront, Alias, and TDI.

Conclusion

Wavefront Technologies profoundly impacted computer animation by pioneering innovative software, expanding global accessibility, collaborating closely with the entertainment industry, and laying the foundation for Maya. Its contributions have left a lasting legacy, continually pushing the boundaries of what is possible in visual effects and animation.

Note: This article covers Wavefront Technologies' major milestones from 1984 to its merger with Alias in 1995. If I forgot something, please leave a note in the comments. I am so proud of all the work and all the milestones, and I'd love to have a complete record.

A Thousand Thanks

There are way too many people to thank. Please help share this article so we can recognize everyone.

Here are a few of you I could find on LinkedIn: Richard Kerris Gary Hooper Derry Frost Martin Plaehn Jim Atkinson Gary Monheit Peter Meechan Larry Barels Kevin "Bubba" Lombardi Ben Hess Bill Taylor Kenneth Ibrahim Josh Aller Don Brittain Jon Pittman Patsy Frost Kempton Izuno ??? Jeff Yates Joaquin ("Kino") Gil Jamal Houmaoui, PMP Bernard Lernout Mike Wilson Chris Ford Buckley Collum Neville Spiteri Corban Gossett Jim D. Andy Payne Soeren Thust Jonathan Southard Tom Sullivan Bob Nicoll Cliff Plumer Matt Baer Denise Silagyi-Montanes Eric Petersen Kenneth Knobel Eric Pender Vicky McCann Robert Tesdahl Jeff Saunders Matt Dougan Scott Nelson Brian Bowman Dan Walker Kenji Kato TF Harper jeff martin Ron Brinkmann Dave Immel John Patton Chris Seitz Doug Whetter Diane Ramey Michael Stivers Bruce Hickey lynwen brennan Christopher Horvath Dave Swan Larry Schnur Jeff Wood Kevin M. Smith Jay Cole Tristan Ikuta Amber Reddin Ed Braden Isa Alsup Ray Feeney Roger Huynh Jane Veeder Esther Frankel Jason Schleifer Roger Wilson Eduardo Batres Howard Royster Alain Chesnais

Note from Mark: Looking up all of these links and seeing what these amazing people are doing now was a trip down memory lane. If you got this post from a friend, please put your name in the comments. We'd love to hear from you.