VFX veterans mourn death of Softimage founder Daniel Langlois – The Hollywood Reporter
Daniel Langlois’ Softimage 3D software was used in the movie Titanic.
20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved./Everett Collection
Many computer graphics industry veterans are expressing shock and sadness at the death of Daniel Langlois, the influential founder of pioneering 3D computer graphics software developer Softimage, whose tools were used to create visual effects on countless notable films — among them, Jurassic Park, The Matrix, Men in Black, The Fifth Element And Titanic — During a period of rapid development in this field.
CBC reported that on December 6, two men, Jonathan Lehrer and Robert Snyder, were charged with the murder of Canadian Langlois and his accomplice Dominique Marchand in the Dominica Court of the West Indies. According to a CBC story, the bodies were discovered in a burned-out car last Friday near the island’s Kolibri Ridge Resort. CBC also reported that Lehrer owns property next to the resort and they were involved in a previous dispute over the road.
“In 1985, Daniel Langlois co-directed one of the first computer-generated animated short films (Tony De Beltre). This experience led him to create Softimage, on a mission to develop better software that animators and artists could actually use to make movies. “I met Daniel at Softimage in 1991 and worked with him and the very enthusiastic team he assembled for seven years,” said David Morin, executive director of the Software Academy Foundation, in an email to . Hollywood Reporter.
Maureen added: “Daniel was smart, focused, an entrepreneur with a clear vision and the ability to translate it in terms that would inspire everyone around him. He was a pioneer in the animation and visual effects industry that redefined what could be shown on screen. The people who worked at Softimage and the community that “The users of the program owe him a lot. The news of his death came as a shock, and he will be greatly missed.”
An obituary on the website of the Daniel Langlois Foundation (a charitable organization aimed at the intersection of art and science) said the couple died in “tragic circumstances.”
According to his biography on this site, the French-Canadian entrepreneur, born in 1957, started Softimage in Montreal during 1986, where he served as its president and chief technology officer. The company went public in 1992, and then in 1994 merged with Microsoft. Avid acquired Softimage in 1998, and a decade later it was sold to Autodesk.
Langlois was among the team that received a SciTech Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, for developments in Softimage software.
“I’ve always been impressed by the way Daniel has found a way to surround himself with the best talent and focus on solving real problems above all else,” Michel Beisner, former CEO of entertainment software developer Kaydara (whose technology is now part of Autodesk), wrote to THR. “The 3D and VFX industry would not have been what it was without his contribution to the development of Softimage and Digital Studio – artist-friendly tools that revolutionized the software industry and were often ahead of its time. He also continued to contribute to driving innovation through investment and was a mentor to me during Building a Kidara success story.
Before founding Softimage, Langlois worked as an animation director for the National Film Board of Canada.
In 1999, he was appointed Knight of the National Order of Quebec and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada the following year during which he was also appointed Personal Arts Affairs Officer of the City of Montreal. In 2003, he received the Oktas Award for Advanced Digital Technologies in Film and Media Industry.
“Daniel was a true creative force – both at Softimage and in his many projects around the world. His vision of translating 3D animation into the digital realm set the stage for an entire industry, and his creativity and passion launched countless career paths – including my own,” recalls Dan Krause, another longtime Softimage employee and industry vet, said in an email to THR.
