News

Durham scientists win 3D movie award

(26 January 2010)

Still from 'Cosmic Origins' movie showing the Milky Way is just one of many thousands of galaxies

A 3D movie produced by Durham University scientists has overcome competition from Disney to secure an international award.

Cosmic Origins, created by a team from the University’s Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC) and its School of Engineering and Computing Sciences, won the award for the best 3D movie at the Stereoscopic Displays and Applications conference, held in Silicon Valley, California.  

Among the other entrants beaten by the Durham scientists was Disney’s 3D conversion of its classic animated movie Sleeping Beauty.

The Durham scientists created their movie using a computer simulation, which shows the history of the universe, from the ‘cosmic dawn’ - when the first galaxies formed – to the present day.

The simulation predicts how the very early universe would have appeared 500 million years after the Big Bang and how it evolved into today's amazing tapestry of galaxies and clusters.  The movie impressed the judging panel which included Samuel Zhou, the Director of Image Technology at IMAX.

Stereoscopic Displays and Applications, in its 21st year, is the world’s leading specialist conference on 3D displays and applications.

Dr Nick Holliman, lead scientist on the Cosmic Origins project at Durham’s School of Engineering and Computing Sciences, said: “The research carried out by the whole visualisation team is recognised by this award. It is great to get this recognition from the 3D imaging community for the quality of our results.” 

Professor Carlos Frenk, Director of the Institute for Computational Cosmology said: “Cosmic Origins was intended to inspire the viewer with the amazing wonders of the cosmos. I knew the movie was great, but I never thought we would beat a Disney production. The differences in budget must be staggering.” 

The Institute for Computational Cosmology is one of the World's foremost institutes for research into the Big Bang and the evolution of the universe. The institute specializes in supercomputer simulations of the formation of galaxies and other structures, from the Big Bang to the present.  

The Innovative Computing Group runs the Durham Visualisation Laboratory which specialises in research into the 3D imaging techniques that make possible 3D movies, 3D TV and the personal 3D devices of the future. 

The field of electronic 3D imaging has been an area of advanced study at Durham over the last ten years. The technique is now seeing real impact following the commercial success of movies such as Avatar.

Media coverage includes:

• Sunderland Echo