And also a winner is… digital artistry!

MANILA, Philippines - Great movies are defined by great stories and increasingly, great storytelling is being empowered by digital technology. Autodesk, Inc. media and entertainment staff and software played a starring role in the creation of many of this year’s Academy Award nominees across many categories and were recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with two Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards (Sci-Tech Awards).

“This year has been especially gratifying. Not only is it the 19th consecutive year Autodesk software has enabled Academy nominated filmmakers to push the boundaries of what is possible by enabling them to tell stories that just would not be possible practically — whether it’s creating the weightlessness of outer-space or the ice-locked beauty of a frozen world,” explains Chris Bradshaw, Autodesk SVP. “But Autodesk staff were also recognized by the Academy for two of the technologies they developed, and were instrumental in helping Mark Gill bring The Voorman Problem, to the big screen. We are delighted to be such an integral part of innovative filmmaking.”

Every year, the Academy hosts a special awards ceremony two weeks before the Oscar ceremony to recognize the “discoveries and innovations (that) have contributed in significant, outstanding and lasting ways to motion pictures.” In a press release, Richard Edlund, Academy Award-winning visual effects artist and Scientific and Technical Awards Committee Chair wrote, “This year’s honorees have in a myriad of ways enabled today’s movie-going experience…their efforts have advanced not only the art and science of motion pictures, but the work of countless global industries.”

The Academy honored Autodesk Mudbox, 3D sculpting software, with an Academy certificate for its powerful new design capabilities and its contribution to multi-resolution digital sculpting. Additionally, the Academy awarded FiLMBOX, the foundation of Autodesk MotionBuilder, with an Academy plaque for its innovative architecture that was the basis for the development and evolution of virtual production. Autodesk scientists, designers and technologies have been similarly recognized five times in past Scientific and Technology awards ceremonies.