Software

A mini platform from Intel: the NUC

From a strategic standpoint, Intel is intentionally not in the business of making money from selling systems. And for good reason, as doing so — at least on any kind of consistent basis —would alienate its OEM customers, whose existence does depend on making money from selling systems. However, to help seed demand, especially for novel products, Intel will create … Read more

Maxon has a new plan, actually several of them

The new release of Cinema 4D for subscribers has an updated viewport with new visualization features including colored glass reflections as shown, realistic representations for hair and fur, and improvements to shadows.    Maxon was planning for a bang-up NAB 2020, but it all went up in a cloud of Coronavirus.  It’s too bad because Maxon was coming to the … Read more

Epic adds universal scene description and ray tracing

(Source: Epic)   Epic has made some major improvements and upgrades to its popular game engine, Unreal. With the release of Unreal Engine 4.25, Epic has expanded the toolset to include content creation and editing for more areas of game and visualization development. Epic says their linear media tools are improved to enable even more immersive and efficient production of … Read more

Is ray tracing catching on?

Source: Francis Damm   It was late July 2018, when Nvidia surprised and delighted the world with the introduction of its RTX GPU that could deliver real-time ray tracing, dubbed RTRT. If you build it, will they come? It was a gamble. Nvidia had to not only design and manufacture the chip, but they also had to build a toolset … Read more

Autodesk teams with Aurigo

Autodesk is continuing its work to expand its footprint in construction. The company has announced an alliance with Aurigo. Founded in 2003, in Austin, Texas, Aurigo works with public sector agencies and facility owners with tools to plan, deliver, and maintain capital projects and assets. The company says its tools, including Aurigo Masterworks Cloud software, offer full construction lifecycle management.  … Read more

Canvas GFX launches remote learning subscription program for education

  Canvas GFX, a venerable document creation program for business-to-business applications, has announced the launch of Canvas Unlimited for Universities. Like the name says, it is an unlimited license meaning that participants have access to the full Canvas portfolio, which includes Canvas X, Canvas X³, Canvas X GEO, and Canvas X Draw for macOS.Canvas GFX is making it available to … Read more

Nvidia releases new Studio Drivers

Accompanying the new computers, which are arriving like spring flowers, are new Nvidia drivers. The Nvidia Notebook Driver program has released version 442.92 of the Nvidia Studio Driver. Nvidia's Studio Drivers are designed with the understanding that creative users tend to use multiple apps as they're doing creating work. It's a very different workflow from the dedicated gamer who shuts … Read more

If you want a Switch, you may have to switch

Image credit Arne Hückelheim   Nintendo’s Switch was the best selling game console in 2019—15 million units is significant and speaks to the enduring popularity of the Nintendo characters and game themes. And, they’d sell more if they could.  Because of the shelter-in-place rules in most countries and most states in the US, the demand for the popular game console has … Read more

Adobe introduces Production and opens up collaboration

From the very beginning, Adobe Premiere has been a tool for single project work, which makes sense given its origins as a desktop product and its role in democratizing video editing for everyone. It has been used to make movies and TV shows, but they’ve had to work around the single project structure of Premiere. Everything starts in the Productions … Read more

Dassault demonstrates flow-driven generative design

Going with the flow: Dassault takes a new look at the ways in which generative design tools can be used effectively. (Source: Dassault)   There is no doubt that generative design is changing the way parts are designed, modeled, and manufactured. That’s true, and it’s been true for over a decade. Unfortunately, generative design has also introduced more complexity to … Read more

Minecraft with Nvidia’s ray tracing GPU and RTX

Nvidia offered a sneak peek at what is possible when the world’s most popular game employs ray tracing technology. The company is also offering some tutorials to help Minecrafters get started using ray tracing in their constructions. The company said they have been working with some of the world’s most talented creators in the Minecraft community in preparation for the … Read more