Daniel Langlois
Daniel Langlois (6 April 1957, Quebec, Canada - 1 December 2023, Dominica) was the founder of SOFTIMAGE, the Daniel Langlois Foundation and Coulibri Ridge.
Daniel Langlois founded SOFTIMAGE in 1986 and served as its President and Chief Technology Officer from its inception until July 1998; the company is internationally recognised in the cinema and media creation fields for its advanced digital technologies and in particular its 3D computer animation techniques. SOFTIMAGE software is used to create the dazzling 3D effects in many blockbuster films, including Jurassic Park, Titanic, Men in Black, The Matrix, The Fifth Element, Moulin Rouge, Happy Feet, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as numerous 3D video games.
In 1992, SOFTIMAGE went public on the NASDAQ. Two years later, with the goal of broadening access to and availability of 3D computer animation technologies, Mr Langlois negotiated a merger agreement between SOFTIMAGE and Microsoft, a milestone in the global consolidation of the computer graphics software industry. SOFTIMAGE was later acquired by Avid in 1998, who then sold the SOFTIMAGE 3D software division to Autodesk in 2008.
Daniel Langlois received a bachelor's degree in design from Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Prior to founding SOFTIMAGE, he worked for eight years as an animation director for private companies and the National Film Board of Canada, during which time he made significant contributions to the film industry and the field of computer graphics. He gained recognition as co-director of the computer animated film Tony de Peltrie (1985) and for his work on the first stereoscopic 3D computer animation in the IMAX format, presented at Expo 86 in Vancouver.
Throughout his career, Daniel Langlois received many important honours. In 1994, Ernst & Young named him Canada's National Entrepreneur of the Year. In 1997, he received a Scientific and Technical Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He was named a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 1999 and an Officer of the Order of Canada the following year, at which time he was named a Personnalité Arts-Affaires of the City of Montreal. In 2003, he was awarded the Octas Prize as a Great Pioneer in Information and Communication Technologies (ITC) for the integration of advanced digital technologies in film and media creation.
Daniel Langlois received honorary doctorates from the Université de Sherbrooke, McGill University, Concordia University, Université du Québec à Montréal and the University of Ottawa in recognition of his work in the fields of art, science and technology.
The Daniel Langlois Foundation is a private philanthropic charitable organisation created in 1997. The purpose of the Foundation is to advance artistic and scientific knowledge by fostering the encounter between art and science in the field of technology. The Foundation seeks to nurture a critical awareness of the impact of technology on people and their natural and cultural environments, and to explore the distinctive aesthetics of new human environments. The Foundation has funded numerous projects worldwide and its website is considered one of the most important online resources for new media and digital art.
One of the Foundation's key initiatives is an ongoing programme focused on building the long-term resilience and self-sufficiency of small communities in emerging economies that are directly affected by the devastating effects of natural disasters and global warming. The aim of the project is to research, define, design and implement realistic and viable technological solutions and interventions that will improve the quality of life of the inhabitants following natural disasters, while incorporating future resilience and self-sustainability.
The late Daniel Langlois was also involved in sustainable development and research projects for industrial sectors, such as the hospitality industry. Coulibri Ridge is part of this research process in Dominica.
Daniel Langlois and his partner Dominique Marchand died in tragic circumstances on 1 December 2023 in Dominica, near their Coulibri Ridge resort. (2023)
