SIGGRAPH and SPORE ... Perfect Together.

Breaking News: Will Wright Selected as a SIGGRAPH 2009 Keynote Speaker

SIGGRAPH keynote speakers represent a variety of prominent industry luminaries and technology experts, who present on different aspects of the multi-dimensional computer graphics and interactive techniques industries. SIGGRAPH 2009 is proud to announce the selection of two of this year's keynote presenters:

Will Wright. Photo courtesy of Electronic Arts.

Famed video game designer Will Wright, creator of the popular Spore™ and The Sims series, was selected as part of the SIGGRAPH 2009 expanded focus to integrate gaming as part of the conference program.

Wright rose to prominence when he invented SimCity, the widely acclaimed, non-violent, open-ended simulation video game. Since its release 20 years ago, Wright has expanded his simulation realm with the introduction of The Sims series, and several other follow-ups that include, SimEarth: The Living Planet, and SimAnt: The Electronic Ant Colony. In all, the franchise has sold more than 58 million games and was the best selling PC game for five consecutive years.

In 2008, Wright unveiled his latest achievement: Spore™, an internet-based game that allows users to create a species of creatures and share their evolutions with other players interactively worldwide. The game garnered immediate praise including being named by Time Magazine as one of the "50 Best Inventions of 2008."

Export Spore to Maya, or your favorite 3D app ??

I love SPORE. I think it's a monumental acheivement in programming. After the SPORE Creature Creator was released last summer, and prior to the release of the full SPORE game, there were rumors that the package would include a Maya exporter. This never seemed to materialize.

Necessity being the mother of hacking as it were there are/have been attempts to export the SPORE models into other 3D apps. I have included a link to a tool Called SpView which will do just that. It requires a bit of hoop jumping but it will work. Check it out Here

Spore Creator Released

The long awaited game/simulation called SPORE has finally been released... well not really all of it. The Spore Creator is the companion to Spore which allows you to create a wide array of original creatures. There is a huge library of parts( arms, legs, eyes, fins...) that are used to design original 3d and fully rigged organisms. It's great fun.

It would be great if there was an exporter that allowed these creations to be used in 3d apps like Maya. Are you listening Electronic Arts?



Spore the game/simulation is due in September. It is a PC game' which is a bit odd. It will also be available for Nintendo DS and Mobile devices. I can't imagine it won't be ported to the consoles as well, but right now it's apparently not planned. Here is some other info about Spore Creator.



With Spore you can nurture your creature through five stages of evolution: Cell, Creature, Tribe, Civilization, and Space. Or if you prefer, spend as much time as you like making creatures, vehicles, buildings and spaceships with Spore’s unique Creator tools.
CREATE Your Universe from Microscopic to Macrocosmic - From tide pool amoebas to thriving civilizations to intergalactic starships, everything is in your hands.
EVOLVE Your Creature through Five Stages - It’s survival of the funnest as your choices reverberate through generations and ultimately decide the fate of your civilization.
EXPLORE your world and beyond - Will you rule, or will your beloved planet be blasted to smithereens by a superior alien race?
SHARE with the World - Everything you make is shared with other players and vice versa, providing tons of cool creatures to meet and new places to visit.