Renderfarm @ University of Colorado @ College of Arts and Media

The University of Colorado, College of Arts and Media has recently become a full dome content resource. Brian Leister, Timmy Edens and Lawrence Haas have created a 25 Mac Pro Octocore machine render farm for the Visual Arts department at the University of Colorado Denver and have teamed up with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to research and create in the full dome medium.

A render farm is basically a cluster of computers linked together to render computer-generated imagery (CGI), typically for film or television visual effects. In our case, we are creating digital large scale full dome content. Denver Museum of Nature and Science planetarium operations director Dan Neafus has given permission for the university to test out rendered footage on the 55ft dome at Gates Planetarium and it is an honor to use such an amazing establishment.

UCD's Render farm started from my obsession with the geodesic structure and being a VJ (Video Jocky)at the the Local clubs in Denver like THE CHURCH, CLUB VINYL, BETA, CERVANTES, and the BOMB FACTORY warehouse parties. After receiving the Creative Research grant from the College of Arts and Media @ the University of Colorado Denver I joined International Planetarium Society and Domefest and went to the conventions held at the Adler Museum in Chicago, July of 2008. Upon my return to Denver I had the intent to build my first render farm and begin creating full dome content. Assistant Professor Brian Leister was an awesome troubleshooter and confidant through the whole process. Also the Mac Lab director Lawrence Haas has also been a great asset to this project in allowing us to create such a network in the universities Mac Lab.
I will render my thesis on the render farm along with other students at the College of Arts and Media Digital Design department. This under taking has been a successful venture and I am excited to make submissions for Dome festivals around the globe.
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EIENSTEINS TELESCOPE and Dr Evalyn Gates

Last night i had the pleasure of Speaking with Dr. Evalyn Gates
of the theories she proposes about how Dark Matter and Dark Energy
make up 95% of what is. The other 5% is what actually takes form.
Dr. Gates proposes that there is a Dark web that we aren't seeing
and cannot identify that connects every thing together. With recent
advances in technology we can now see what this web looks like but
as a planet we are baffled as to what it is.
The Lecture took Place at Denver Museum of Nature and Science at the
Gates Planetarium and Dr. Gates's Lecture was part of the Adult Programs at the Museum www.dmns.org/adultprograms.
The Next Lecture @ Gates Planetarium is DIGITAL EARTH: EXPLORE THE WORLD FROM SPACE by Dr. Ka Chun Yu and Dr. Bob Raynolds. Tuesday March 10, @ 7pm.
www.dmns.com Read more!