ACM SIGGRAPH Practitioners: Skills You Need to Step Up!

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Session Details
‍Tuesday, August 8, 2023, 10:00AM - 12:00NN PST
ACM SIGGRAPH Theater, West Hall 501, Los Angeles Convention Center
Find us on the conference program

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Intended Audience
‍This SIGGRAPH Practitioners Conversation is open for professionals of all levels of experience, through the conversations will be primarily focused on product mindset development for early- to mid-career growth and leadership. The discussions will be primarily focused on technical skills development and career journeys.

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Open Participation Policy
‍The SIGGRAPH Practitioner Conversations are informal conversations between the moderator and participants. While we will keep the discussion focused between the presenters on stage, the moderator will open the floor for open discussion with the audience during the latter half of the conversations.

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Streaming and Recording Policy
‍At this point in time, while we are currently negotiating to have equipment for recording, it's likely that we will not be recording the session as the conference has asked us to keep some materials in-person.

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Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques Applications at Large

Over the years, the advances and practices of computer graphics and interactive techniques have continually become more accessible and applicable to a broadening range of industries and stakeholders. With new innovations, improved computational power and infrastructure, and an evolving market for visual- and sensory-based applications, computer graphics professionals have more leverage to explore emerging challenges within our communities as well as across other disciplines. 

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In this SIGGRAPH Practitioners conversations panel, we will discuss emerging trends and opportunities in computer graphics and interactive techniques, both within what is perceived to be our traditional industries (e.g. media and entertainment) as well as outside of it. We will explore how these opportunities can continue to challenge and excite us as computing professionals, and how, as someone who wants to get started and/or switch into working on these opportunities, one can build best practices for identifying and scoping down one’s passions and interests as part of their career journey.

Speakers

Ken Museth, Senior Director, Simulation Technology, NVIDIA

Ken Museth is a senior director in Simulation Technology and joined NVIDIA in early 2020 when he initiated the development of NanoVDB. He was previously Head of Research & Development in Simulations at Weta Digital, focusing on developing state-of-the-art VFX for the Avatar sequels. He is the creator of VDB and the lead architect of OpenVDB, and the chair of its Technical Steering Committee. Additionally, Ken worked six years for SpaceX on large-scale fluid dynamics simulations of the new Raptor rocket engine. Before joining Weta in 2017, he worked for a decade at DreamWorks Animation and Digital Domain, and prior to that for a decade as a researcher and full professor at Caltech and Linkoping University. He holds a PhD in quantum dynamics from Copenhagen University and has been awarded a Technical Achievement Award from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

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Product Development and Deliverables

A product development mindset means putting the users first when building great products. Becoming an engineer who can build great software/hardware while understanding the product development process can help one understand the big picture of any product they have ownership of, such as how decisions are being made for the product and what features customers prioritize. Similarly, being in leadership requires developing best practices and processes for handling product development and client delivery, which may vary from company to company and situation to situation.

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In this SIGGRAPH Practitioners Conversations, we will discuss different perspectives and experiences with the product development process and life cycle, including but not limited to the following topics:

• Best practices for productizing tools and services
• Creating a prototyping cycle for minimum viable products
• Prioritizing customer needs, and when to cut features
• Managing client delivery and deadlines
• How to use software to aid your management and development process
• How to fail gracefully and spring back

Speakers

Peter Crossley, Director of Engineering, Nuke

Frederic Servant, Director of Engineering, Entertainment & Media Solutions, Autodesk

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Managing Your Time, Your Team, and Everything in Between

Whether you are just starting out in a new role or are an experienced professional looking to contribute value to your team, few qualities have the same impact as strong leadership. While one may not necessarily aim for leadership positions, developing leadership qualities can help affect change and make a difference in the lives of the people with whom one works with.

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In this SIGGRAPH Practitioners conversational panel, we will discuss perspectives, experiences and best practices for developing leadership qualities, regardless of whether you are in a leadership position or not. We will discuss how these can lead to positive results such as increased productivity and improved work satisfaction, with ideas ranging from small adjustments to day-to-day workflow to better directions for overall team growth.

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Speakers

Mark Elendt, Mathematician, SideFX Software

Mark has spent over 30 years developing high-end computer graphics software at SideFX.  He is the recipient of four AMPAS Technical Achievement awards, including the Award of Merit.

Mark has also served on several ACM SIGGRAPH committees and volunteered for the organization in various other roles.

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Eric Haines, Distinguished Engineer, NVIDIA

Eric Haines has worked in the field of computer graphics for 40 years. Among other work, he helped develop the real-time graphics layer underlying AutoCAD, Maya, 3DS MAX, and other products. He co-authored the book Real-Time Rendering and co-edited Ray Tracing Gems, and helped found the open-access Journal of Computer Graphics Techniques. He currently works at NVIDIA.

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Susan Salituro, Director of Engineering, RenderMan, Pixar Animation Studios

Susan Salituro is a Director of Engineering, supporting the RenderMan team at Pixar Animation Studios. Earlier in her career at Pixar, she was an engineering lead on Pixar’s Software R&D team, specializing in software development infrastructure. She’s committed to building collaborative and productive development teams to create software that opens up new artistic and technical frontiers.