Village Gamer

Lévis – 3D scanning corporation Creaform has acquired Montréal-based InSpeck, a leader in manufacturing and marketing 3D scanning systems specialized in human-body scanning. InSpeck products are used in the industries of movie special effects, medical imagery, research, 3D crystal engraving and computer games.3D scanning of the human body, whose products include animation, special effects, medical imagery, research and electronic games. InSpeck’s current clients include Sony Computer Entertainment America, Electronic Arts, Warner Brothers and Gentle Giant Studios.

“This acquisition consolidates our position as leader in 3D scanning, as well as our position in the medical, multimedia and entertainment, and 3D imagery sectors,” says Mr. Charles Mony, President of Creaform, whose products, services and advanced training programs are intended for companies from the automotive, aerospace, consumer products, education, heritage preservation & architecture, manufacturing, medical care and multimedia industries, among others.

“By uniting their forces, our 2 companies keep expertise that is very coveted all over the world right here in Québec,” says Mr. Li Song, CEO for InSpeck. “Further, the complementary technologies of our teams will help us cover more applications and better serve the needs of the clients.”

Creaform has developed and sells the Handyscan 3D™ line of scanners. These state-of-the-art self-positioning handheld 3D laser scanners are known for the high accuracy of the 3D scanning data they generate, their true portability, and their ease of use. Creaform also manufactures and sells the HandyPROBE™, the 100% portable, wireless CMM, a probing system designed for inspection applications.

Vancouver – IUGO Mobile Entertainment presents its mega iPhone hit Zombie Attack! Bad Blood for the BlackBerry. ZA!BB is an addictive 3D tower defense game with a scary twist, and it is now available for purchase on Mobihand for $3.99.

Your mission: Play as a survivor of the ultimate Zombie Apocalypse, strategically place weapons turrets to protect your shack and stay alive.

Features:

Different zombie types to slay
4 weapon types for a variety of zombie killing techniques
Survivor machete: hack and slash the undead when needed
Stylized 3D graphics
Local leaderboards
Intuitive controls, elegant UI
Pick up and play for 2 minutes or 2 hours

Global – Student animation festival VisionFest is now accepting animation, game and other interactive art submissions from high school, undergraduate and graduate students from around the world for this year’s festival, which will take place in Indianopolis, Indiana this coming October 22 – 24. Students are permitted to submit work which was completed no earlier than January 1, 2007. All entries must be postmarked on or before July 28, 2010.

Winners in each category are selected by a jury of animation and gaming industry experts. Past VisionFest jurors have included top talent from many of the top studios in the world, including Industrial Light & Magic, Walt Disney, Blue Sky Studios, and DC Comics. Each category is divided into three levels of competition recognizing high school, undergraduate and graduate students, and all entries meeting submission requirements will receive written critiques from the jurors. Best-in-Category award winners will also receive cash prizes. Audience members will also select an overall Audience Choice Award winner in each category.

Each category is divided into three levels of competition distinguishing high school, undergraduate and graduate students. Proof of student status must be submitted with entries, such as a copy of a current student ID or a letter from the student’s department chair on school letterhead. Submissions cannot have been broadcast or distributed commercially in the United States prior to the festival.

Please see the VisionFest website for the full Submissions and Technical Requirements Guidelines. Winners will be notified by VisionFest in September 2010, and finalists are encouraged to attend the festival and awards ceremony on the evening of October 23.

Global – The MIPTV Cross Media Festival, which takes place in Cannes, France this April 12-16 is looking for pitch contestants for its Content 360 program. Digital media pioneers, including independent producers, interactive agencies, digital designers, Internet content creators, mobile application providers and other digital media innovators are invited to tap into this unique opportunity to pitch major decision makers at MIPTV.

Content 360, according to its website, is “a rapid-fire live competition across 5 different categories for independent producers, agencies and digital designers to pitch A-list commissioners on original interactive cross-platform content ideas.  Over the past four years 1,400 ideas were received, 42 countries represented, 100 ideas retained, and € 400,000 in development funding awarded.” The deadline for submissions is February 15 2010; please visit the conference web site for complete details on the pitch subjects and guidelines.

Some of the corporations and organizations looking for the winning pitch include the National Film Board of Canada, ad agency Ogilvy and Mather, TF1 Publicité, the media sales house of the French television TF1 Network, Korea Communications Commission and the European Commission – Audiovisual Service.