Walt Disney Pictures and Autodesk sign XGen technology license agreement

XGen is a system for generating arbitrary primitives on a surface. It was first presented in a research paper at SIGGRAPH in 2003 for the creation of computer-generated fur, feathers and foliage. Since that time, it has evolved and has been used on several feature films to create hair, trees, leaves, debris, grass, airborne dust, plus props such as roof tiles, arrow fletchings, a broom and paint brushes. According to the press release, the agreement will “enable Autodesk to make this technology available to artists to create digital entertainment”. Maya is mentioned, but 3DS Max is not. More at Autodesk.