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Dual Opteron Model 248

Model Specifications
Dual AMD® Opteron® Processor Capable
AMD-8131 HyperTransport PCI-X Tunnel
AMD-8151 HyperTransport AGP Tunnel
128-bit Dual Channel Memory Bus
Up to 16GB ECC Registered 333MHz DDR
(8) DIMM Slots
Dual Channel UltraDMA 133 IDE Controller
Four Port Serial ATA RAID (0,1,0+1)
6 Channel Audio
(1) 8x AGP Pro Full Length Slot
(2) Full Length PCI-X 64bit 133/100MHz Slots
(2) Full Length PCI-X 64bit 100/66MHz Slots
(1) Onboard 10/100/1000Mbs Ethernet Adapter
(4) USB Ports: (2) Front USB 1.1, (2) Rear USB 2.0
(2) IEEE1394 Ports: (1) Front, (1) Rear
(1) Front headphone jack
(1) Parallel port
(1) Serial port
(4) 3.5" x 1" Internal hard drive bays
(2) 5.25" Exposed drive bays
1.44MB Floppy drive
460W Power supply
(2) 92MM, (1) 80MM Cooling fans
Tower Chassis (Optional 4U Rackmount kit)
Physical dimensions: 7.0"W x 17.0"H x 17.5"D

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2D Grand Prize - Wacom Cintiq 18SX Interactive Display
Valued at USD$3499, provided by Wacom Europe

Wacom’s state-of-the-art Interactive Pen Display is the perfect pen-paper alternative. The Cintiq 18SX Interactive Pen Display targeted at digital media professionals, graphics and industrial designers, photographers, audio/visual professionals, architects and animators.

Key to the Cintiq product range is the combination of Wacom’s patented ‘Penabled’ technology with an LCD that enables users to draw, scribble, navigate or animate directly on the liquid crystal display with the cordless, battery-less and pressure sensitive pen. Working with the pen on the display facilitates perfect eye-hand co-ordination meaning most jobs can be done faster and therefore more efficiently.

Previously most designers have had to scan in sketches to translate their drawings to digital files – with the Cintiq 18SX, designers benefit from taking the traditional way of working with pen-on-paper to the computer, and can now work with digital data from the outset. Additionally, using the pressure sensitivity of the pen directly on the display, the Cintiq 18SX optimises creative flexibility, producing a more efficient and natural way to draw, design and manipulate digital media.

• Cintiq 18SX has impressive graphic capabilities with an 18.1 inch diagonal screen size and an SXGA resolution of 1,280 x 1,024 with 24-bit colour depth.
• The specially coated, glare-free liquid crystal display reduces reflection and provides a small amount of friction mirroring real pen-on-paper movement. The transparent layer over the actual LCD is extremely thin which decreases parallax* for pinpoint accuracy.
• The Cintiq 18SX also comes with an accurate ICC profile for colour management to meet today’s demanding imaging and technical needs.

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Discreet 3ds max 6
Valued at USD$3495

3ds max is the world's most widely used professional 3D modeling, animation and rendering solution, offering the ultimate in professional 3D tools required for creating eye-catching visual effects, cutting edge games, and distinct design visualizations. New features in 3ds max 6 software include an advanced schematic view for complex scene management; integrated mental ray® 3.2 renderer; a new event-driven particle system; reactor® 2 stuntman dynamics; unmatched design workflow with Autodesk® solutions through .DWG import/export with ObjectARX support; vertex painting; enhanced modeling and skinning tools; HDRI support; performance optimizations designed in conjunction with Intel® Corporation; and extensive focus on enriching the reliability of existing features. The release also incorporates a new CD-ROM complete with software from strategic partners such as Criterion Software® RenderWare Visualizer®, Bionatics® EASYnat™, Okino Computer Graphics PolyTrans™ OpenFlight, and ArchVision™ .

• Comprehensive modeling, animation and rendering tools
• Includes reactor® 2 dynamics and integrated mental ray® rendering
• Easy to learn – fast - fits into any production pipeline
• Supports the largest selection of rendering options including Brazil, VRay, Renderman, and PRMan
• Over 400 sparks™ specialty plug-ins and Discreet Certified plug-ins

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Discreet combustion 3
Valued at USD$995

Discreet combustion 3 offers the creative tools, speed and interactivity that professionals need and artists crave. Paint, animation, editing and 3D compositing are combined in an integrated environment based on Discreet's legendary user interface. Designed to satisfy the world's most demanding effects artists, combustion 3 is the best solution for creating effects and motion graphics for video, film, DVD, and the web.

Key Version 3 Features

• RE:Flex™, the free-form warper and morphing solution from RE:Vision Effects™ is now bundled with combustion. Purchased separately, it's a $600 US value. [more...]
• Use the Edit Operator to break free from your NLE by assembling clips complete with transitions right in combustion
• Design JavaScript-based Expressions to craft complex animations without having to keyframe each parameter
• Make dazzling Macromedia Flash animations using the full power of the combustion vector paint and animation tools
• Create customized brushes so you always have the right tool for any job

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NVIDIA Quadro FX1100 Workstation Graphics Card
Valued at USD$695

Engineered to deliver unprecedented graphics performance, precision, and programmability, the NVIDIA Quadro FX 1100 will serve demanding graphics and engineering professionals in computer-aided design, digital content creation, and scientific visualization markets.

Features and benefits of the NVIDIA Quadro FX 1100 include:

• Industry’s only true 128-bit floating-point graphics pipeline delivers a higher level of accuracy and the ultimate in visual quality.
• Industry-leading 12 bits of subpixel precision helps to ensure high geometric accuracy and the elimination of sparkles, cracks, and other rasterization anomalies.
• Third-generation vertex and pixel programmability allows professionals to simulate a wide range of physical effects and surface properties.
• 128MB graphics memory powers high resolution digital and analog displays.
• 0.13-micron graphics processing unit from the IBM foundry in East Fishkill, NY for higher performance with lower power consumption.

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The Gnomon Workshop Analog DVD Sets
Full 18 Analog DVD set valued at USD$1125, 9 DVD set valued at USD$562

The Gnomon Workshop provides the best analog training DVD's focusing on the techniques of production concept artists such as Ryan Church, Feng Zhu, Harald Belker, Carlos Huante and John Brown. For this Challenge, the Gnomon Workshop is sponsoring two sets: the full 18 DVD set and a 9 DVD set (your choice of DVD's).

The Techniques of Ryan Church
Volume I: Rendering Matte Vehicles
Volume II: Rendering Shiny Vehicles
Volume III: Hi-Tech Architecture
Volume IV: Low-Tech Architecture
Volume V: Architectural Interior

The Techniques of Feng Zhu
Volume I: Design Process - Fighting Robots 
Volume II: Robot Refinement and Rendering 
Concept Design, I: Vehicle Sketching
Concept Design, II: Environments
Concept Design, III: Quick Sketching
Concept Design, IV: Digital Painting

The Techniques of Harald Belker
Volume I: Intro to Car Design and Drawing 
Volume II: Digital Automotive Rendering 
Volume III: Integrating a Vehicle

The Techniques of Carlos Huante
Volume I: Creature Sketching and Design 
Volume II: Digital Creature Painting 

Sculpture
Sculpture, I: The Armature
Sculpture, II: Character Maquettes
Sculpture, III: Sculpting the Character Head 
Sculpture, IV: Molding/Casting the Head 
Sculpture, V: Molding/Casting the Maquette

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Wacom Intuos2 A4 Platinum Edition
Valued at USD$470, provided by Wacom Europe

Intuos2 features Wacom's unique patented battery-free, cordless (pen) technology. With 1,024 levels of pen tip and eraser pressure sensitivity, nothing unlocks the power of Photoshop, Painter, Paint Shop Pro, Flash and other professional graphics applications like Intuos2. All Intuos2 pens also support pen tilt and bearing for completely natural feel and control.

With exactly the same technical specifications as the award-winning Intuos2 graphics tablet system, the Platinum Edition is ideal for digital photography, video editing and 2D/3D design as well as other creative mediums. It is aimed at those style-conscious digital design professionals that want an aesthetic working environment. The new Platinum Edition complements the modern design of Apple’s Titanium PowerBook and many PCs on the market today. The input devices supplied with the Intuos2 Platinum Edition such as the Grip Pen and 2D Mouse for the A5, and the Grip Pen and 4D Mouse for the A4 regular, also come in platinum to match the contemporary look of the tablet. All existing input devices are also compatible with the Intuos2 Platinum Edition.

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Ballistic Publishing EXPOSE' 1 Book
Each valued at USD$60 (soft cover)

EXPOSÉ, the industry’s first art book celebrating the creative talents of digital artists worldwide. EXPOSÉ is an unprecedented premium publication featuring the finest digital artwork the world has ever seen. EXPOSÉ is a phenomenal global success, selling worldwide and receiving critical acclaim from all quarters of the digital art industry.

"EXPOSÉ is absolutely beautiful! It's a work of art," says Paul Lypaczewski, General Manager of Discreet and Executive Vice-President of Autodesk. "EXPOSÉ truly helps the industry because this is what we live for. We love this business because of the stories that we tell through the imagery. EXPOSÉ is the epitome of the creativity we unleash."

EXPOSÉ consists of international artwork covering the fields of 3D, digital illustration, industrial design, architectural visualization, games, television and feature film. As you view the pages, you will see an eclectic collection of work from around the world. The images range from work created by the world's leading design firms, to a wealth of images from established professionals and many, many unknown and very young artists whose work will astonish you.

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