Scans Factory – Unreal 5.4 demo – Rome Walkthrough
PlanCraft – An assumptions based project schedule generator
https://www.hasielhassan.com/PlanCraft/#about
It helps you create and Open Schedule Format (OSF) JSON file for your projects.
Elon Musk finally admits Tesla’s HW3 might not support full self-driving
The CEO said when asked about Tesla achieving its promised unsupervised self-driving on HW3 vehicles:
We are not 100% sure. HW4 has several times the capability of HW3. It’s easier to get things to work on HW4 and it takes a lot of efforts to squeeze that into HW3. There is some chance that HW3 does not achieve the safety level that allows for unsupervised FSD.
NoPoSplat – Surprisingly Simple 3D Gaussian Splats from Sparse Unposed Images
A feed-forward model capable of reconstructing 3D scenes parameterized by 3D Gaussians from unposed sparse multi-view images.
Apple reaches deal to acquire Pixelmator
https://9to5mac.com/2024/11/01/apple-reaches-deal-to-acquire-pixelmator
Pixelmator has signed an agreement to be acquired by Apple, subject to regulatory approval. There will be no material changes to the Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator apps at this time.
https://www.pixelmator.com/pro/
Linus Torvalds on GenAI
Linus Torvalds, the creator and maintainer of the Linux kernel, talks modern developments.
Niantic SPZ – open source, compressed gaussian splats file format
https://scaniverse.com/news/spz-gaussian-splat-open-source-file-format
https://github.com/nianticlabs/spz
• Slashes file sizes by 90% (250MB → 25MB) with virtually zero quality loss
• Lightning-fast uploads/downloads, especially on mobile
• Dramatically reduced memory footprint
• Enables real-time processing right on your phone
Tech breakthrough:
• Smart compression of position, rotation, color & scale data
• Column-based organization for maximum efficiency
• Innovative fixed-point quantization & log encoding
https://www.8thwall.com/products/niantic-studio
Why Streaming Content Could Be Hollywood’s Final Act
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinereid/2024/10/24/why-streaming-could-be-hollywoods-final-act/
The future of Hollywood was reshaped in 1997 with the founding of Netflix, an innovative mail-order DVD rental business by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph. Unlike traditional rentals, Netflix allowed subscribers to retain DVDs as long as they wanted but required returns before ordering more, allowing the company to collect uninterrupted subscription fees. By 2009, Netflix was shipping nearly a billion DVDs annually but had already set its sights on streaming. The transition to streaming, launched in 2007, faced initial challenges due to limited broadband availability but soon became popular, outpacing the DVD business and bringing Netflix millions of subscribers.
Netflix’s dominance drove traditional media giants to reevaluate their strategies. Disney, initially hesitant, eventually licensed its vast library to Netflix, contributing to the latter’s rise. However, by 2017, Disney pivoted to launch its own platform, Disney+, breaking its Netflix partnership and acquiring 21st Century Fox for content diversification. Disney’s decision sparked a broader industry shift as other studios also developed streaming services, aiming to retain full revenue from direct-to-consumer content instead of sharing it with theaters or traditional networks.
Disney+ quickly gained traction, especially during the pandemic, reaching millions of subscribers and temporarily boosting Disney’s stock. However, the reliance on streaming and subscriber growth strained Disney financially, with high operating costs and content expenses. Content exclusivity backfired, creating complexity for fans, particularly with interconnected Marvel shows, and contributing to user dissatisfaction. Additionally, Disney’s decision to release films like Black Widow simultaneously in theaters and on streaming led to backlash, lawsuits, and lost box office revenue, highlighting the downsides of simultaneous releases.
Facing ballooning expenses and subscriber attrition post-pandemic, Disney’s leadership returned to more traditional revenue models, emphasizing exclusive theater releases and licensing content to third parties. They also introduced cost-saving measures like job cuts and content reductions to stabilize financial losses. This shift echoes a partial return to pre-streaming industry norms as Disney and other studios explore “always-on” channels within their streaming platforms, aiming to balance direct consumer access with sustainable profit models.
Björn Ottosson – OKlch color space
https://abhisaha.com/blog/interactive-post-oklch-color-space/
Björn Ottosson proposed OKlch in 2020 to create a color space that can closely mimic how color is perceived by the human eye, predicting perceived lightness, chroma, and hue.
The OK in OKLCH stands for Optimal Color.
- L: Lightness (the perceived brightness of the color)
- C: Chroma (the intensity or saturation of the color)
- H: Hue (the actual color, such as red, blue, green, etc.)
Also read:
Björn Ottosson – OKHSV and OKHSL – Two new color spaces for color picking
Motionity – The free, open source web-based motion graphics editor for everyone
https://www.producthunt.com/products/motionity
Motionity is an free and open source animation editor in the web. It’s a mix of After Effects and Canva, with powerful features like keyframing, masking, filters, and more, and integrations to browse for assets to easily drag and drop into your video.
Open Shading Language (OSL) by Larry Gritz
Open Shading Language (OSL) is a small but rich language for programmable shading in advanced renderers and other applications, ideal for describing materials, lights, displacement, and pattern generation.
https://open-shading-language.readthedocs.io/en/main/
https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/OpenShadingLanguage
https://github.com/sambler/osl-shaders
Learn OSL in a few minutes
https://learnxinyminutes.com/docs/osl/
Q2 2024 Global Production Report
https://prodpro.com/blog/q2-2024-global-production-report/
What’s important: Over the past 6 months, the total number of productions filming globally in 2024 is still 16% lower than in 2022, and 37% lower in the US.
Why it matters: The lower volumes are here to stay.