Pixar President Receives Siggraph Coons Award

Anaheim, CA (August 3, 1993) The ACM-Siggraph committee announced that they
have awarded the 1993 Steven A. Coons Award to Pixar President, Dr. Edwin
E. Catmull. The award, named after one of the pioneers in computer
graphics, is awarded bi-annually in recognition of long term creative
impact on the field of computer graphics.

Over the past twenty years, Dr. Catmull has made many fundamental advances
in computer graphics as an individual researcher, inspiring leader,
director of pivotal organizations, and a mentor for many.

Dr. Catmull received his doctorate from the University of Utah during the
golden era of computer graphics. While at the University of Utah, Ed
invented many of the algorithms that the industry now takes for granted,
such as texture mapping and the Z buffer.

Later, Dr. Catmull moved to the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)
where he became the first director of the Computer Graphics Laboratory.
While at NYIT Dr. Catmull led the team that developed the first RGB paint
system, wrote the first keyframe animation system and developed many
important graphics algorithms still in use today. Under Dr. Catmull's
leadership, this laboratory grew from the proverbial garage to the center
of raster computer graphics research in the 1970's.

In 1979, Dr. Catmull joined Lucasfilm as vice president of the Computer
Division to develop state-of-the-art computer technology for the film
industry. Under Ed's direction, Lucasfilm developed an entire spectrum of
applications of computers to feature film production, from video and audio
editing stations to high-quality computer image generation and digital
optical printing. In 1986, this division spun off to form Pixar.

Dr. Catmull states, "Pixar's goal is to make images so realistic that they
can be used in live-action motion pictures." Pixar achieved this goal with
the development of RenderMan, the industry standard software system for
photorealistic image synthesis. RenderMan is currently in use at various
motion picture production companies including: Industrial Light and Magic,
where it was used to create special effects for Terminator II and Jurassic
Park; and, Walt Disney Studios, where it was used to create stunning 3D
backgrounds for Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. In fact, RenderMan is so
important to the film industry that earlier this year, Ed and six other
computer scientists were awarded a Scientific and Technical Academy Award
by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the development of
RenderMan.

Perhaps the most exciting development of the past few years is that Pixar
is currently partnered with Walt Disney Pictures to produce the world's
first full-length computer animated feature film due to be released in
1995. This project is the computer graphics industry's "Holy Grail" which
Dr. Catmull has been working his whole career to achieve. It is now a
reality.

Dr. Catmull is the sixth recipient of this coveted award. Previous
recipients include cofounders of Evans and Sutherland Corporation, Dr.
Ivan E. Sutherland and David C. Evans, pioneer in computer aided design,
Dr. Pierre Bezier, Cornell professor, Donald P. Greenberg and
distinguished author and Brown University professor, Andries Van Dam.

Pixar was incorporated in 1986 and is located in Point Richmond,
California. The company specializes in the development of computer
graphics software including RenderMan, Showplace, and Pixar Typestry.
Pixar's animation division offers worldclass computer animation production
services.

Pixar, 1001 Wets Cutting, Richmond, CA 94804
510-236-4000,  fax 510-236-0388

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