If by 'partly' you mean 'largely,' then yes. The whole point of SIGGRAPH is for computer graphics nerds to get together and share the awesomeness of all their shiny things! I sat in on presentations about digital photography and a reverse ray-tracing algorithms, and watched the guys from Pixar and Sony show footage of throwing a digital armadillo down the digital stairs made of digital cornstarch.

But the industry, while professional, is just made up of a bunch of nerds. Don't get me wrong, I love the guys I work with. They were always at least slightly more careful about their conversations when I was in the room. I've heard what gets said when there isn't a girl around. The fact that a bunch of advertisers thought it was a good idea to use scantily clad women to market their 3D products to other nerd men doesn't surprise me.