AAUGA User Group Launched in the Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill Area to Support Digital Graphics Community A new chapter of the Autodesk® Animation User Group Association (AAUGA) is being launched by BREAKIRON Animation&Design. Bimonthly meetings will be held at offsite locations starting November 11, 2011. The chapter, which is called Triangle AAUGA Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, will provide networking, social and educational opportunities for North Carolina digital graphics artists in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Research Triangle Park (RTP) and outlying regions.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Oct. 28, 2011 — BREAKIRON Animation&Design, LLC, today announced that it is launching a new chapter of the Autodesk® Animation User Group Association (AAUGA), an international organization supporting the high-end digital graphics community. The recently formed Triangle AAUGA Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill chapter will hold its first meeting Friday, November 11, 2011.
According to Larry Kleinkemper, AIA, executive president of AAUGA, the mission of AAUGA for its participants is threefold: networking in a professional environment, meeting like-minded friends and gaining additional instruction. Currently AAUGA has more than 40 chapters and approximately 5,000 members, but the anticipated growth should drive membership past 500,000 within the next few years.
“AAUGA is an in-person social network that helps artists. They can talk with the digital heroes in their community and benefit from a great mix of film, game, industrial, medical and architectural artists and animators, as well as other professionals. In addition, when a company has a huge project and funding, then there’s a need for talent — and we’re a resource where people come to find that talent,” Larry Kleinkemper said. “We’re also about education. Artists buy expensive computer programs, but more than half our membership has no place to go to ask a question or to really discuss how a piece of software works. Likely, if they’ve run into a software bug, there’s somebody in the room who’s run into that same bug a month ago and has already figured out how to fix it.”
A variety of powerful North Carolina industries — including gaming, television, film, advertising, medical and technology — are supported by digital graphics artists. The Triangle AAUGA Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill chapter meetings will strengthen and build an already significant artistic talent pool, enabling North Carolina businesses to leverage expert services locally, whether in person or through remote videoconferencing.
Led by chapter president Charlie Breakiron of BREAKIRON Animation&Design, the Triangle AAUGA chapter will meet every other month beginning November 11 at no charge. These bimonthly meetings are open to all North Carolina digital graphics artists and organizations that use digital graphics services.
“We want North Carolina’s economy to grow, and it’s more than just local pride,” said Charlie Breakiron. “We have artistic talent available that’s on par with what can be found in the prestigious production houses in New York and California. North Carolina industries can benefit from the latest in top-quality animation, visual effects and 3D graphics right here.”
“I’m very excited to welcome the Triangle AAUGA chapter to our group,” Larry said. “We look forward to working with everyone in the chapter in a more international capacity and giving them the chance to show off their knowledge and capabilities within our organization.”
Triangle AAUGA chapter meetings will include high-end production software demonstrations, presentations by sponsors and resellers, valuable reseller door prizes and giveaways, discussions about available jobs and talent, helpful hints and tips, question-and-answer time, and opportunities to talk and network. Demonstrations will involve high-end production and postproduction packages representative of what is currently available at SIGGRAPH, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and other premier conferences.
The initial Triangle AAUGA meeting will feature a demonstration of The Foundry’s NUKE compositing platform as well as presentations. Highlights for future meetings include demonstrations on the following software packages: Autodesk Softimage®, Autodesk Maya®, Autodesk 3ds Max®, Autodesk Mudbox™, Autodesk MotionBuilder® and more. Details about each bimonthly meeting, including the agenda, presenters, retailers and location, will be posted at www.triangle-aauga.org.
Registration Information
The November 11 meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Holiday Inn Crabtree Valley, 4100 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, N.C. 27612. There is no charge to attend, and there will be free food and a cash bar. Interested parties can register for the meeting at www.triangle-aauga.org. Online registration is requested, but attendees can also register at the event.
For general information about AAUGA, please visit the organization’s website at www.AAUGA.com.
About BREAKIRON Animation&Design
BREAKIRON Animation&Design, LLC, delivers high-end 3D graphics, visual effects and animation using leading-edge software solutions. For additional information and samples, please call 919.523.8414 or visit http://breakiron.com.
Autodesk, Maya, MotionBuilder, Mudbox, Softimage and 3ds Max are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. All other trademarks, registered trademarks and service marks belong to their respective owners.
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