The International Laser Display Association's (ILDA) annual awards for artistic and technical excellence--the laser display industry's equivalent of Hollywood's Oscars--this year honored more than a dozen companies from around the world. The eleven artistic award categories covered virtually all aspects of modern laser displays, from the production of huge outdoor shows to the creation of individual graphic frames.
ILDA's Fenning Awards for technical achievement recognized two major breakthroughs with a First-place tie. Pangolin Laser Systems of Orlando received First Place for a new software "plug-in" that allows artists to create laser shows directly from the popular 3D Studio Max program, a high-end software package widely used by computer graphics artists.
When it comes to projecting those images, laser artists can take advantage of the Schneider Showlaser, the first high-powered white-light laser that is completely solid-state. Audio-Visual Imagineering (AVI) of Orlando and Schneider Laser Technologies of Turkheim, Germany, jointly received the First-Place award for the Showlaser, which produces 10-watts of color-balanced white-light yet runs off a standard 220-volt outlet.
ILDA's winning artistic entries covered a broad spectrum of display applications that pushed technological and creative limits.
Lightspeed Design Group of Bellevue, Wash., stretched the limits of display technology for its Sea World animation with 80K scanning at 30 frames per second.
Laser Force, Inc., of Milwaukee, Wisc., took honors for a hand-drawn 430-frame animation sequence depicting a traditional Native American dance.
LaserAnimation Sollinger of Berlin strived to visually convey an operatic aria with soft and subtle laser graphics.
The wild, irregular sounds of a percussive bongo performance were brought to light with kinetic beams by LOBO electronic of Aalen, Germany.
The highest number of awards received by any single company was six, an honor shared by Audio Visual Imagineering, Laser Force, Inc., LaserAnimation Sollinger, and LOBO electronic. The highest number of First Place awards went to LOBO electronic.
With over 125 member organizations from 29 nations, ILDA is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the use of laser displays in art, entertainment and education. For more information about ILDA, the 2001 Awards, and the laser display industry go to: www.laserist.org/Laserist