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SIGGRAPH 2024 Shapes the Future of Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques With Games, Immersive Technologies, and Cutting-Edge Technology Demos

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The 51st annual conference sets the stage for attendees to tap into their imaginations, pursue creative engagement, and get a glimpse into the immersive future of gaming 

DENVER, July 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — SIGGRAPH 2024 has pinpointed trends in the computer graphics industry for more than 50 years. From Sunday, 28 July to Thursday, 1 August 2024, the future of computer graphics and interactive techniques driving the multibillion-dollar gaming industry will be front and center at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. The 51st annual conference embodies the goals of gaming, as both aim to build new worlds with the minds behind real-time graphics, art, and systems that foster human interactions and spectator experiences.

Few industries have captivated the hearts and minds of people worldwide as much as the video game industry, which boasts 3.32 billion gamers, in the ever-evolving world of technology. Game creators continue to make strides with the latest advancements in graphics and visual technologies to related technologies for interactivity, augmented and mixed realities, and generative artificial intelligence (AI). These innovations will be showcased throughout SIGGRAPH 2024 with many programs that weave gaming into the mix including Talks; Courses like Natalya Tatarchuk’s fan-favorite “Advances in Real-Time Rendering in Games Part 1” and “Part 2” which returns with a demonstration of state-of-the-art and production-proven rendering techniques for fast, interactive rendering of complex and engaging virtual worlds of video games; Panels, Appy Hour, the Immersive Pavilion, and Real-Time Live!.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of Real-Time Live!, which invites SIGGRAPH 2024 attendees to experience the connectivity and accessibility of real-time applications across industries in a spectacular live showcase. “With Real-Time Live! this year, we branched out and are incorporating a lot of different industries and applications,” Emily Hsu, Real-Time Live! Chair, said. “Our goal is to showcase transformative technology in a variety of forms including game technology, real-time visualization, artist tools, live performances, or as real-world mixed reality (MR) and augmented reality (AR) applications.”

Hsu also commented on the event’s uniqueness, “Real-Time Live! is an incredibly unique and anxiety-inducing showcase specific to SIGGRAPH. There are no slides and no pre-recorded videos. Whatever you are doing has to be run in real time in front of a live audience in six minutes or less. It crosses the whole spectrum of different industries that are doing real-time work. While gaming applications are definitely represented, there are a variety of showcases from universities, well-known companies, and small start-ups.”

A few Real-Time Live! presentations focused on gaming include:

“MOVIN TRACIN’ : Move Outside the Box” — MOVIN will unveil an innovative, AI-driven, real-time, free-body motion capture technology, utilizing a single LiDAR sensor for accurate 3D movement tracking. This demonstration redefines multiplayer gaming, showcasing seamless integration of dynamic, precise motion capture with a mere 0.1 second latency and automatic calibration, all compacted within MOVIN’s advanced system.”Enhancing Narratives with SayMotion’s text-to-3D animation and LLMs” — Deep Motion will make this presentation showcasing SayMotion, a generative AI text-to-3D animation platform that utilizes Large Motion Models and physics simulation to transform text descriptions into realistic 3D human motions for gaming, XR, and interactive media, addressing animation creation challenges with AI Inpainting and prompt optimization using a Large Language Model fine-tuned to motion data.”Revolutionizing VFX Production with Real-Time Volumetric Effects” — Zibra AI will present its ZibraVDB compression technology and Zibra Effects real-time simulation tools to demonstrate the capabilities of creating high-end volumetric visual effects in real-time scenarios on standard hardware to enhance game realism and streamline film production workflows.

In a SIGGRAPH Spotlight Podcast, Hsu commented, “We are world builders. We make and create stories, and there’s always going to be a natural part that has to do with storytelling, and sometimes that also means transporting into new worlds. What’s happening in the last several years and into the future is that it’s becoming a little easier, more efficient, and more accessible so we can tell different kinds of stories that haven’t been told before, and that people from anywhere can take technology and mold it and use it to build new worlds.”

As for Real-Time Live!, Hsu noted that it’s a showcase to help provide the audience with a sense of what’s possible. Real-Time Live! was often thought of as the future — SIGGRAPH 2024 proves that real time is now, and it’s everywhere.

With SIGGRAPH 2024 honing in on immersive storytelling, the Immersive Pavilion is another element the conference features. The team behind SIGGRAPH 2024 knows that immersive technologies and interactive techniques enhance how we interact and solve pragmatic needs for everyday life at work and at play. Those who step foot in the Immersive Pavilion experience the evolution of gaming, AR, virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), interactive projection mapping, multi-sensory technologies, and more.

“SIGGRAPH prides itself on being on the cutting edge. We always guarantee that everything attendees see, especially anything immersive, has elements they’ve never done and had no experience with before. So, it has that special novelty aspect,” Derek Ham, SIGGRAPH 2024 Immersive Pavilion Chair, said.

“I’m very excited about the creators that are thinking about the future of playing from the audience’s perspective to the players’ perspective. When you look at gaming, you now have this platform where people can watch esports or gamers go at it person versus person, or team versus team. We haven’t seen the immersive nature of that for a long time; it’s usually looking at a laptop or screen. The immersive action of the activities and the content, that’s the next level,” Ham added. 

The SIGGRAPH 2024 Immersive Pavilion serves as a place for contributors and participants to engage in critical discourse on the latest interactive breakthroughs and support for hybrid environments. This includes social experiences, games, and artistic expression. The Immersive Pavilion has sought work that reflects the exciting evolution of AR, VR, and MR, particularly in terms of interaction, showing unique features and how they are shaping the future. Eighty submissions came from academic, professional, and independent fronts, and 20 were selected.

A few installations focused on gaming include:

“MOFA: Multiplayer Onsite Fighting Arena” — Reality Design will present a game framework that uses HoloKit X headsets, exploring the design space of synchronous asymmetric bodily interplay in spontaneous collocated mixed reality. MOFA game prototypes like “The Ghost,” “The Dragon,” and “The Duel,” inspired by fantastic fiction scenarios, demonstrate that the strategic involvement of non-headset-wearers significantly enhances social engagement.”Metapunch X: Combing Multidisplay and Exertion Interaction for Watching and Playing E-sports in Multiverse” — The National Taipei University of Technology will present Metapunch X, an encountered-type haptic feedback esports game that integrates exertion interaction in XR with multi display spectating. The game is designed as an asymmetric competition, utilizing an XR head-mounted display and a substitutional reality robot to create an immersive experience to the players and audiences.”Reframe: Recording and Editing Character Motion in Virtual Reality” — Autodesk Research will present a live demo of creating lifelike 3D character animations in VR. Attendees will use a novel VR animation authoring interface to record and edit motion. The system utilizes advanced VR tracking to capture full-body motion, facial expressions, and hand gestures, coupled with an approachable intuitive editing interface.

“SIGGRAPH might be the only unique one in this space; it’s like this bubble where it starts here, and then you see where these things go. And if you are the early adopter, you come to SIGGRAPH and follow this content to the more polished form. That’s what I love about the rawness you see at SIGGRAPH,” Ham added.

Learn more about how SIGGRAPH 2024 is shaping the future, building worlds, and pinpointing the trends of gaming with its games-focused programs by checking out the full program.

About ACM, ACM SIGGRAPH, and SIGGRAPH 2024
ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field’s challenges. ACM SIGGRAPH is a special interest group within ACM that serves as an interdisciplinary community for members in research, technology, and applications in computer graphics and interactive techniques. The SIGGRAPH conference is the world’s leading annual interdisciplinary educational experience showcasing the latest in computer graphics and interactive techniques. SIGGRAPH 2024, the 51st annual conference hosted by ACM SIGGRAPH, will take place live 28 July–1 August at the Colorado Convention Center, along with a Virtual Access option.

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Mahoney Environmental Customers and Theft Prevention Team Help Lead to Nine Arrests in Three States in Under a Month

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WOODRIDGE, Ill., Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Mahoney Environmental, a leading used cooking oil (UCO) recycler, today shares that its Grease Theft Rewards Program and Theft Prevention Team supported four recent incidents in three states that resulted in nine arrests in under a month.

Recent Incidents

Cranston, R.I. (Sept. 11): Police made two arrests after locating a suspect vehicle at PJ’s Pub. About 100 gallons of UCO were taken. Mahoney’s Sales and Theft Prevention teams collaborated on the case.Plymouth, Ind. (Sept. 17): A King Gyros owner spotted a truck stealing UCO on camera and called dispatch. When the truck returned, police arrested two men.Evansville, Ind. (Sept. 29): Officers responded to a theft in progress and found roughly 300 gallons of UCO in the suspects’ van. Two men were charged.Beverly, Mass. (Oct. 10): A neighbor alerted a business owner, who watched surveillance footage and called police. Officers made three arrests.

Why Quick Reporting Matters

Annually, UCO theft costs restaurants and recyclers millions of dollars, and thieves can empty a container in minutes. In each case, someone noticed something wrong and acted.

“Restaurant owners have enough to worry about without wondering if their oil is safe overnight. That’s why every Mahoney customer is eligible for a reward when their tip leads to an arrest and/or conviction. We want customers to know that speaking up is worth it, and that we have their backs,” said Beau Mega, SVP of Sales and Marketing, Mahoney Environmental.

How the Program Works

Mahoney’s dedicated Theft Prevention Team works closely with law enforcement and customers to identify and prosecute UCO thieves. All customers are eligible for cash rewards, and rewards vary between misdemeanor and felony convictions and are granted per vehicle. To report a theft or learn more, visit the Mahoney Environmental Grease Theft Rewards Program.

All individuals arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

About Mahoney Environmental

Founded in 1953, Mahoney Environmental helps food service operators nationwide recycle used cooking oil, enabling nearly 100% material recovery at all facilities. In 2020, Neste (HEL: NESTE) acquired Mahoney Environmental, strengthening the global supply chain for sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel production. Mahoney is a licensed EPA and ISCC Certified recycler committed to creating a safer planet for future generations.

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Getwebcraft Limited launches MakeCalligraphy for creative lettering and text design

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MakeCalligraphy offers free tools for decorative lettering, signatures, monograms, and handwritten pages for personal projects and business use.

NICOSIA, Cyprus, Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Getwebcraft Limited has launched MakeCalligraphy, a collection of free online tools for creating lettering for personal projects, business communications, and event stationery. The site lets users turn their own words into styled text images, compare fonts, and download lettering for use in digital designs and print layouts.

Getwebcraft Limited has launched MakeCalligraphy, a collection of free online tools that lets users turn their own words into styled text images, compare fonts, and download lettering for use in digital designs and print layouts.

The collection includes calligraphy, cursive, and decorative font generators, signature and monogram makers, and a tool for turning typed text into handwritten pages. Users can explore styles such as brush, gothic, graffiti, tattoo, manga, and comic lettering for branding, social media graphics, invitations, stationery, and personalized gifts. Below is a spotlight on five tools from MakeCalligraphy’s wider collection for lettering and text design.

Calligraphy and cursive generator for names, messages, and branding

The calligraphy and cursive generator turns names, quotes, slogans, and other short text messages into lettering using handwritten, cursive, and script fonts. Users can compare their text in several fonts before choosing a version and adjusting its size, color, line height, and alignment.

Background options include transparent and colored fills, allowing the exported lettering to fit different layouts. Users can turn a name into cursive lettering, style a quote for a social media graphic, or create a calligraphy heading for a website. Downloads are available as PNG images or scalable SVG files, without watermarks.

Signature generator with typing and drawing options

The signature generator gives users two ways to create a signature image. They can type a name and compare handwritten font styles, or draw their own signature with a mouse, finger, or stylus.

For drawn signatures, pen styles and settings let users adjust the appearance of existing strokes, including their size and color. Depending on the selected pen, controls also support changes to smoothing, stroke contrast, and tapered endings. Users can compare finishes on the same drawing before downloading it.

Transparent PNG files can be placed in compatible email or document editors. SVG files provide scalable artwork for compatible design software. Uses include personal website signoffs, artwork credits, and names added to letters or presentation slides.

Wedding text generator for invitations and stationery

The wedding text generator helps users compare names, dates, and short phrases in wedding calligraphy, script, and handwritten fonts. They can adjust text size, colors, line spacing, and alignment, then download the lettering for use in their own invitation or stationery layout.

Couples and event planners can use the same lettering style across invitation headings, guest place cards, menus, welcome signs, and thank you notes. Transparent backgrounds allow the lettering to sit over a photograph or colored design, while SVG downloads can be scaled in compatible software for larger printed signs. Users supply the wording and assemble the finished design in their chosen application.

Monogram maker for initials and personal designs

The monogram maker combines initials, fonts, and frames for personal or wedding monograms. Users can start with a preset, adjust individual letters, and change the colors and background. Designs can be downloaded as PNG images or scalable SVG files for use on invitations, stationery, and other personal designs.

Text to handwriting for notes and letters

The text to handwriting tool turns typed passages into pages styled with handwriting fonts. Users can choose paper formats, adjust margins and line spacing, and set ink and paper colors. Longer text flows across multiple pages. The tool exports a complete document as a PDF or the current page as a PNG, allowing users to prepare notes and letters for printing or sharing.

All the MakeCalligraphy tools work directly in a browser without requiring an account.

About MakeCalligraphy

MakeCalligraphy is a collection of free online tools for calligraphy, signatures, decorative lettering, and other text design projects. Its tools work in a browser and help users style their own text for personal and business projects. MakeCalligraphy is developed by Getwebcraft Limited.

Media Contact

Giorgia Mangoni, Getwebcraft Limited, 39 3402200119, giorgia.mangoni@getsitecontrol.com

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Harvard students win the 2026 James Dyson Award’s Global Medical category for Rumble Rims, a breakthrough concussion-screening headset

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BOSTON, Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Rumble Rims, a low-cost headset designed to bring objective concussion screening to the sidelines, has won the Global Medical category of the 2026 James Dyson Award. Created by Harvard University students Cleo Pontone, Radhika Saran and Sophia DeVito, the U.S. invention uses infrared eye-tracking to help identify possible neurological impairment when critical decisions must be made. The team will receive $40,000 to accelerate development of the technology.

Rumble Rims has won the 2026 James Dyson Award’s Global Medical category. Selected by Sir James Dyson, the Harvard team’s invention addresses one of sports’ most urgent safety challenges: recognizing a possible concussion quickly and objectively before an athlete returns to play.

The honor places Rumble Rims among the world’s most promising student inventions. Since 2005, the James Dyson Award has supported more than 400 student inventions worldwide with $2 million in prize money. This year, 2,294 entries were submitted by emerging engineers across 28 countries and regions—the highest number in the competition’s history.

James Dyson on Rumble Rims: “All too often, we hear of those having accidents involving head injuries, particularly amongst athletes, and suffering the consequences later in life. Yet spotting concussion is complex, requiring specialist equipment and hospital expertise, so screening isn’t always done when it should be. Cleo, Radhika and Sophia have found a new way to bring objective screening to the sidelines, where the critical decisions are made. It could help prevent the lasting brain injuries that affect so many sportsmen and women.”

2026 Global Medical Winner – Rumble Rims, invented by Cleo Pontone, Radhika Saran and Sophia DeVito

A critical challenge in sports

Concussion is a serious concern at every level of sports, from youth leagues to elite competition. When it goes unrecognized and an athlete continues to play, the risk of further brain injury can increase. Yet concussion can be difficult to identify in the moment because symptoms differ from person to person and may take up to 72 hours to appear.

Objective assessment technologies are available, but many are expensive, clinic-based or dependent on specialist expertise. That can leave schools, youth leagues and grassroots teams relying heavily on subjective sideline judgment precisely when fast, informed decisions matter most.

A winning solution built for the sidelines

Harvard University students Cleo Pontone, Radhika Saran and Sophia DeVito developed Rumble Rims to help close that gap. Their low-cost infrared eye-tracking headset is designed to bring objective concussion screening to the sidelines, placing potentially valuable neurological insight closer to athletes, coaches and trainers at the moment of concern.

During a two- to three-minute test, infrared cameras measure how an athlete’s eyes follow, fixate and move—behaviors that can provide an objective indication of neurological impairment. A mobile display translates those measurements into real-time guidance to help inform whether an athlete should be removed from play and referred for professional medical assessment.

Rumble Rims extends beyond the initial sideline screening. Its recovery dashboard enables repeat testing over time, creating an objective record that athletes, families and clinicians can use to monitor progress before returning to play. The system is intended as a screening tool, not a diagnostic device; return-to-play decisions remain under the direction of a qualified healthcare professional.

The team moved through prototypes involving helmets, mouthguards and chin rests before developing the current headset, which uses side-mounted infrared cameras and 45-degree dichroic mirrors. Feedback from medical professionals and coaches informed the design throughout. With support from the James Dyson Award, the team plans to build and test a higher-fidelity prototype, refine the eye-movement assessment and validate Rumble Rims with athletes, coaches, trainers and medical advisers. Their longer-term ambition is to pilot the technology with schools and youth sports programs and pursue medical device validation.

On winning the James Dyson Award, Cleo, Radhika and Sophia said: “The recognition from the James Dyson Award validates our belief that we don’t have to accept problems as they stand today. Concussions in youth sports have become something we treat as routine, despite their long-term neurological impact. We can challenge norms like this one and design a more usable, accessible world where technology reaches people when they need it most, not after the damage is done. This award gives us an incredible opportunity to progress towards pilots that could put Rumble Rims on every sideline.”

Shuya Gong, Faculty of Master’s in Design Engineering at Harvard, said: “What impressed me most about Cleo, Sophia, and Radhika was how, through rapid prototyping and curious experimentation, they found elegant ways to test ambitious ideas while holding themselves to the conviction that their solution should be affordable and easy to use, whether on the sidelines or at home. Rumble Rims is a fantastic collision of designing for care and engineering rigor.”

James Dyson Award

The James Dyson Award is an international design competition that inspires and celebrates the next generation of design engineers. Now in its 21st year, the Award has supported more than 400 problem-solving inventions with over $2.3m in prize money. It operates across 28 countries and regions and is run by the James Dyson Foundation, Sir James Dyson’s engineering-education charity.

James Dyson Foundation

The James Dyson Foundation, established in the UK in 2002, now supports design, technology and engineering education programs not only in the UK but also in countries around the world, including the United States, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia. To date, James Dyson and the James Dyson Foundation have donated more than $210 million to charitable causes. This includes a $16 million donation to establish the Dyson School of Design Engineering at Imperial College London, an $11 million donation to support the creation of the Dyson Centre for Engineering Design and the James Dyson Building at the University of Cambridge and finally, a $10.5 million donation to fund Malmesbury Primary School’s STEAM Center and expansion project.

1 Sarmiento, K., Thomas, K. E., Daugherty, J., Waltzman, D., Haarbauer-Krupa, J. K., Peterson, A. B., Haileyesus, T., & Breiding, M. J. (2019). Emergency department visits for sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries among children — United States, 2010–2016 . MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 68(10), 237–242.
2 DePadilla, L., Miller, G. F., Jones, S. E., Peterson, A. B., & Breiding, M. J. (2018). Self-reported concussions from playing a sport or being physically active among high school students — United States, 2017 . MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 67(24), 682–685.
3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Responding to a sports-related concussion; and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Returning to sports. CDC HEADS UP.
4 Eye-movement and ocular biomarker research, including Murray et al. Smooth pursuit and saccades after sport-related concussion; and Carrick et al. The pupillary light reflex as a biomarker of concussion.

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