a blog of links related to computer animation and production technology Sponsored by ReelMatters.com


  • Change to Adobe terms & conditions outrages many professionals

    https://9to5mac.com/2024/06/06/change-to-adobe-terms-amp-conditions

     

    The terms say:

    Solely for the purposes of operating or improving the Services and Software, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free sublicensable, license, to use, reproduce, publicly display, distribute, modify, create derivative works based on, publicly perform, and translate the Content. For example, we may sublicense our right to the Content to our service providers or to other users to allow the Services and Software to operate with others, such as enabling you to share photos

     

    Designer Wetterschneider, who counts DC Comics and Nike among his clients, was one of the graphics pros to object to the terms.

    Here it is. If you are a professional, if you are under NDA with your clients, if you are a creative, a lawyer, a doctor or anyone who works with proprietary files – it is time to cancel Adobe, delete all the apps and programs. Adobe can not be trusted.

     

    Movie director Duncan Jones was equally blunt in his response.

    Hey @Photoshop what the hell was that new agreement you forced us to sign this morning that locked our ap until we agree to it? We are working on a bloody movie here, and NO, you don’t suddenly have the right to any of the work we are doing on it because we pay you to use photoshop. What the f**k?!

     

     

    Should you ditch Photoshop with immediate effect?

    https://www.creativeboom.com/resources/should-you-ditch-photoshop-with-immediate-effect/

     

     

    Adobe’s response

    https://hothardware.com/news/adobe-responds-to-creator-outrage-over-controversial-photoshop-tos-update

     

    Adobe is not claiming ownership over the content you create in Photoshop. Likewise, it will not use customer content to train its Firefly generative AI model.

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  • DreamWorks Animation to Release MoonRay as Open Source

     

    https://www.awn.com/news/dreamworks-animation-release-moonray-open-source

     

    https://openmoonray.org/

     

    MoonRay is DreamWorks’ open-source, award-winning, state-of-the-art production MCRT renderer, which has been used on feature films such as How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Trolls World Tour, The Bad Guys, the upcoming Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, as well as future titles. MoonRay was developed at DreamWorks and is in continuous active development and includes an extensive library of production-tested, physically based materials, a USD Hydra render delegate, multi-machine and cloud rendering via the Arras distributed computation framework.

     

     

    Note: it does not support osl and usd handling is limited. Cycles may still be a fair alternative.

     

    EDIT

    MoonRay review: DreamWorks Animations’ superb rendering software is free for all

     

    A high-performance Monte Carlo ray tracer that’s capable of both DreamWorks’ trademark stylised look and photorealism.

     

    It has all the required features for that setup, including Arbitrary Output Variables (AOVs), which allow data from a shader or renderer to be output during rendering to aid compositing. Additionally, Deep Output and Cryptomatte are supported.

     

    With support for OptiX 7.6 and GPU render denoising with Open Image Denoise 2, MoonRay is able to deliver particularly impressive results, especially when working interactively.

     

    MoonRay has moved to a hybrid CPU and GPU rendering mode for its default state. It’s called XPU, and in many ways combines the best of both types of rendering workflow.

     

    VFX Reference Platform 2023 is probably the biggest addition because it enables the use of MoonRay directly in Nuke 15.

     

    MoonRay has already achieved great success with an array of feature films. Now the renderer is open source, the CG world can expect to see a whole new swathe of MoonRay-powered animations.

     

    For

    • Features for VFX workflows
    • Open source
    • XPU rendering

    Against

    • Designed for big studios
    • Steep learning curve
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  • TLDR Newsletter – Keep up with tech in 5 minutes

    Get the free daily email with summaries of the most interesting stories in startups, tech, and programming!

     

    https://tldr.tech/

     

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  • Generative AI Glossary

    https://education.civitai.com/generative-ai-glossary/

     

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  • Thomas Mansencal – Colour Science for Python

    https://thomasmansencal.substack.com/p/colour-science-for-python

     

    https://www.colour-science.org/

     

    Colour is an open-source Python package providing a comprehensive number of algorithms and datasets for colour science. It is freely available under the BSD-3-Clause terms.

     

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  • SVG to Blender

     

    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2VQDBEKiraA

     

    EPS to SVG
    https://www.freeconvert.com/eps-to-svg/download

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  • Creality K1 Max Review – Large High Speed 3D Printer

    • 300mm x 300mm x 300mm Build Volume
    • Compatible Printing Materials Up to 300°C
    • Quality of Life Features Like Hands-Free Auto Bed Leveling
    • High-Speed CoreXY with 20000 mm/s² Acceleration
    • Sturdy Unibody Die-cast Frame
    • Assembled & Calibrated Out of the Box
    • Max Print Speed: 600mm/s
    • Average Print Speed: 300mm/s
    • Print Acceleration: 20,000mm/s2
    • 32mm³/s Max Flow Hotend
    • G-sensor compensates for ringing
    • Unibody die-cast frame adds stability
    • Reduced Z-banding with upgraded Z-axis
    • 0.6mm and 0.8mm sizes (compatible)
    • Nozzle Diameter 0.4mm (included)
    • Material Types: PLA, ABS, PETG, PET, TPU, PA, ABS, ASA, PC,
      PLA-CF*, PA-CF*, PET-CF*
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  • Unity3D – open letter on runtime fees

    https://blog.unity.com/news/open-letter-on-runtime-fee

     

     

    To our community:

     

    I’m Marc Whitten, and I lead Unity Create which includes the Unity engine and editor teams.

     

    I want to start with this: I am sorry.

     

    We should have spoken with more of you and we should have incorporated more of your feedback before announcing our new Runtime Fee policy. Our goal with this policy is to ensure we can continue to support you today and tomorrow, and keep deeply investing in our game engine.

     

    You are what makes Unity great, and we know we need to listen, and work hard to earn your trust. We have heard your concerns, and we are making changes in the policy we announced to address them.

     

    Our Unity Personal plan will remain free and there will be no Runtime Fee for games built on Unity Personal. We will be increasing the cap from $100,000 to $200,000 and we will remove the requirement to use the Made with Unity splash screen.

     

    No game with less than $1 million in trailing 12-month revenue will be subject to the fee.

     

    For those creators on Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise, we are also making changes based on your feedback.

     

    The Runtime Fee policy will only apply beginning with the next LTS version of Unity shipping in 2024 and beyond. Your games that are currently shipped and the projects you are currently working on will not be included – unless you choose to upgrade them to this new version of Unity.

     

    We will make sure that you can stay on the terms applicable for the version of Unity editor you are using – as long as you keep using that version.

     

    For games that are subject to the runtime fee, we are giving you a choice of either a 2.5% revenue share or the calculated amount based on the number of new people engaging with your game each month. Both of these numbers are self-reported from data you already have available. You will always be billed the lesser amount.

     

    We want to continue to build the best engine for creators. We truly love this industry and you are the reason why.

     

    I’d like to invite you to join me for a live fireside chat hosted by Jason Weimann today at 4:00 pm ET/1:00 pm PT, where I will do my best to answer your questions. In the meantime, here are some more details.*

     

    Thank you for caring as deeply as you do, and thank you for giving us hard feedback.

     

    Marc Whitten

     

     

    https://www.linkedin.com/posts/alexanderrehm_on-the-subject-of-unity-on-september-activity-7109854372930412544-UM1I

    On September 18, Unity Software held an all-hands meeting to discuss the rollout of per-install fees. The recording was reviewed by Bloomberg, which said the company is ready to backtrack on major aspects of its new pricing policy.

    The changes are yet to be approved, but here are the first details:
    ➡ Unity plans to limit fees to 4% for games making over $1 million
    ➡ Instead of lifetime installs, the company intends to only count installs generated after January 1, 2024 (so the thresholds announced last week won’t be retroactive);
    ➡ Unity won’t reportedly track installs using its proprietary tools, instead relying on self-reported data from developers.

    During the meeting on Monday, Unity CEO John Riccitiello noted that the new policy is “designed to generate more revenue from the company’s biggest customers and that more than 90% of Unity users won’t be affected.” When asked by several employees how the company would regain the trust of developers, execs said they will have to “show, not tell.”

    David Helgason, founder of Unity and its former CEO (he is currently on the board), also commented on the controversy around the pricing changes. In a Facebook post (spotted by GamesBeat), he said “we f*cked up on many levels,” adding that the announcement of the new business model “missed a bunch of important “corner” cases, and in central ways ended up as the opposite of what it was supposed to be. […] Now to try again, and try harder,” Helgason wrote. “I am provisionally optimistic about the progress. So sorry about this mess.”

     

     

    RESPONSES

     

     

    Unilaterally removing Terms Of Services and making them retroactive is a HUGE loss of trust in Unity’s executive and management team. There is no going back there, no matter if they patch this mess. Using Unity moving forward will just be a gamble. 

     

    4% doesn’t change anything. It does not fix any of the problems that have been raised, and asked repeatedly. Install bombing still not addressed. So many “corner cases” still not addressed, especially in the mobile space.

     

    To little to late tbh it’s a systematic problem with the ceo being so out of touch that it’s going to happen again. Remember this was a man who wanted a dollar per battlefield player revive

     

    Mega Crit said Unity’s decision was “not only harmful in a myriad of ways” but was also “a violation of trust”, and pointed to Unity’s removal of its Terms of Service from GitHub, where changes can be easily tracked.

     

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  • Why every game developer is mad with Unity right now, explained

    https://www.gamesindustry.biz/unitys-self-combustion-engine-this-week-in-business

     

    $1.3 billion – Unity’s lifetime accumulated deficit as of December 31, 2021. Unity has never had a profitable quarter in its history. It has posted modest operating profits in the past three quarters for the first time ever,

     

    Unity lit money on fire for decades to buy a market advantage that overrules the basic economic incentives that supposedly ensure free markets work best for customers. It was successful in doing that because it’s very hard for a sustainable business to compete against one that is fine losing billions of dollars.

     

    First, you make yourself essential to the market, even if it costs you billions to get there. Then once you hit a threshold – let’s say, I don’t know, 70% of the market – you lean into the enshittification process. You charge more for your services, you give your customers worse terms, you turn the heat up slowly and continuously, confident in the knowledge that people are so locked in to your business and have so few viable alternatives that they may grumble but they will ultimately put up with it.

     

    And it’s such a common strategy in so many industries today that there’s just no sense of horror or outrage from the onlookers. Industry watchers and Serious Business People have seen this play out so many times they just acknowledge it’s happening and treat it as if it’s a perfectly cool and normal thing and not illegal predatory pricing.

     

    I think this new Runtime Fee makes perfect sense from a mile-high point of view, if you think about Unity as a business where you just turn whichever dials and pull whatever levers will make the numbers go up the most.

    The only problem is it makes no sense at all if you instead think about Unity as a game development tool that game developers should want to use.

     

    https://www.pcgamer.com/why-every-game-developer-is-mad-right-now-explained

     

    https://www.axios.com/2023/09/13/unity-runtime-fee-policy-marc-whitten

     

     

    “The uproar is primarily driven by two factors: Unity is attaching a flat per-install fees to games that use its engine, and it’s arbitrarily scrapping existing deals and making the changes retroactive. 

     

    The policy announced yesterday will see a “Runtime Fee” charged to games that surpass certain installation and revenue thresholds. For Unity Personal, the free engine that many beginning and small indie developers use, those thresholds are $200,000 earned over the previous 12 months, and 200,000 installs; one those marks are met, developers will be charged 20 cents every time someone installs their game.

     

    Another big issue is that Unity has made this change retroactive: It supersedes any existing agreements with Unity that developers may have made, and it applies to games that were released even before any of this happened. The revenue threshold will be based on sales after January 1, 2024, when the new pricing system takes effect, but sales that occurred before that date will count toward the install threshold. 

     

     

  • DNEG announces pay cuts of up to 25% and artists’ repayment loans

    EDIT 20230919

    https://www.cartoonbrew.com/artist-rights/vfx-giant-dneg-puts-forth-new-salary-reduction-proposal-after-worker-backlash-to-initial-proposal-232735.html

    Revised Proposal: Initially met with backlash, DNEG has revised its proposal over the weekend. They’ve introduced a third option that focuses on reducing work hours instead of salaries, along with additional paid leave to compensate for the income reduction.

     

    1. A salary reduction of 20% to 25% for seven months, with paid leave to compensate.
    2. A temporary 50% salary reduction, supplemented by a company loan, totalling 90% of the original salary, repayable over three years.
    3. Reduced working hours to a 3-day week for seven months, with no hourly rate reduction.

     

     

    https://www.linkedin.com/posts/avuuk_animation-visualeffects-dneg-activity-7107674426275442688-Fd1d

     

    Today, we want to address a concerning development at DNEG. They very recently announced pay cuts of up to 25% for its employees, coupled with a rather unconventional approach to compensate for these losses through ‘loans’, which their staff need to repay overtime.

     

    As of now, DNEG is imposing these pay cuts for a period of 7 months. To ‘help’ offset the financial impact on their staff, the company is offering ‘loans’ to their employees. While offering financial support during challenging times is usually commendable, the repayment terms are causing deep concern within the Animation & Visual Effects community, especially around their legality.

     

    The loan offered by DNEG comes with a significant catch: employees are required to pay back the loan over a three-year period. This means that even after the pay cuts are reinstated, employees will be obligated to allocate a portion of their salaries to repay the company. Aledgedly, there is no interest on the loan (tbc). This approach has sparked a considerable backlash within our industry.

     

    We at the Animation & Visual Effects Union voice very strong concern and opposition to the pay cuts, as well as the loan method. We believe pay cuts should not be compensated through loans with long-term repayment plans, placing a heavy burden on the employees who are already facing financial challenges.

     

    This situation underscores the importance of open dialogue and collaboration between employers and employees during challenging times. While businesses often need to make tough decisions to navigate economic uncertainties, it’s crucial to strike a balance that doesn’t disproportionately impact the livelihoods of their dedicated workforce.

     

    What can be done about this?

     

    If you are a member of the Animation & Visual Effects Union, get in touch with us immediately and do not accept any pay cuts yet. You can email your BECTU official Stefan Vassalos stefan.vassalos@prospect.org.uk to get advice and organise with your colleagues at DNEG.

     

    Remember, you MUST give your consent for a paycut. It is ILLEGAL to impose a cut without it. You DO NOT have to consent to a pay cut. Legal action can and will be taken against paycuts without consent. Anyone affected please get in touch with us immediately so we can represent and protect you and your livlihood as much as possible. BECTU has the power and resources to challenge moments like this, so it is imperitive YOU take action and contact us. Talk to your colleagues and get in touch. It is only through solidarity and collective effort that we can address these challenges and shape a brighter future for our industry.

     

    Please feel free to share your thoughts and insights on this matter. Your input and perspective are valuable as we navigate these unprecedented times together.

  • Unity Presents New “Runtime Fees” Based on Game Installs and Revenue

    https://80.lv/articles/unity-presents-new-fees-based-on-game-installs-and-revenue/

     

    The new program is called the Unity Runtime Fee and the main principle is based on how often users install games. Unity thinks “an initial install-based fee allows creators to keep the ongoing financial gains from player engagement, unlike a revenue share”.

     

    This is bound to kill all developers who count on free downloads but profitable venues of income like in-app purchase. Which count for a vast majority of the 30% of the market that Unity holds onto.

     

    The extra bill will be estimated by Unity based on non-specific data.

    Unity does not have a ‘known’ way to track installs. Likely due to privacy laws. Thus they will need to ‘estimate’ installs and bill clients based on that. … …. Data which is aggregated with no identifying features isn’t really prevented. Unity’s claim that they can’t distinguish between an install and reinstall or even a paid versus pirated copy actually reinforces the idea that they aren’t using any identifying information, so it would be compliant to privacy laws. … Assumption is that they will get some data from distributors like AppStore, GooglePlay, Valve, Sony, Microsoft, etc… and estimate from there.

     

    https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/rust-creator-tells-unity-to-get-fucked-as-developers-left-seething-by-new-fee

     

    “It hurts because we didn’t agree to this. We used the engine because you pay up front and then ship your product. We weren’t told this was going to happen. We weren’t warned. We weren’t consulted,” explained the Facepunch Studios founder. “We have spent 10 years making Rust on Unity’s engine. We’ve paid them every year. And now they changed the rules.”

     

    “It’s our fault. All of our faults. We sleepwalked into it. We had a ton of warnings,” they added. “We should have been pressing the eject button when Unity IPO’d in 2020. Every single thing they’ve done since then has been the exact opposite of what was good for the engine. 

     

     

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  • Joe Murray – Creating Animated Cartoons with Character

    Hi Everyone. I receive countless letters asking about my book” Creating Animated Cartoons with Character” which is now out of print, with the remaining copies being sold at huge prices. I’m not in favor of this, and it seems there are many who may benefit from the information who cannot afford such an expensive book. Since artists come in many economic brackets, I am offering a digital version of this book as a free download. No strings attached. Simply go to my website (JoeMurrayStudio.com) in the book section https://lnkd.in/gw6MHeBi and download your own copy.

     

    Once you get passed the boring bio stuff, there is info on creating and producing two of my three shows, plus interviews with the late great Stephen Hillenburg ( Spongebob) Everett Peck ( Duckman) Craig McCracken ( Powerpuff Girls) Tom Kenny ( voice of Spongebob, Heffer and a zillion other shows), and many other amazing professionals discussing their craft. Some of the information about networks, studios, and streaming need an upgrade, but other than that I feel it still remains relevant.

     

    If you can afford it, maybe pay it forward ( contributions to food banks, volunteering, etc.) And maybe re-post this where students and other artists may find it useful.
    I hope it helps, and reaches those who have asked about it. Best to you!

     

    Local copy

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  • VFX pipeline – Render Wall management topics

    1: Introduction Title: Managing a VFX Facility’s Render Wall

    • Briefly introduce the importance of managing a VFX facility’s render wall.
    • Highlight how efficient management contributes to project timelines and overall productivity.

     

    2: Daily Overview Title: Daily Management Routine

    • Monitor Queues: Begin each day by reviewing render queues to assess workload and priorities.
    • Resource Allocation: Allocate resources based on project demands and available hardware.
    • Job Prioritization: Set rendering priorities according to project deadlines and importance.
    • Queue Optimization: Adjust queue settings to maximize rendering efficiency.

     

    3: Resource Allocation Title: Efficient Resource Management

    • Hardware Utilization: Distribute rendering tasks across available machines for optimal resource usage.
    • Balance Workloads: Avoid overloading specific machines while others remain underutilized.
    • Consider Off-Peak Times: Schedule resource-intensive tasks during off-peak hours to enhance overall performance.

     

    4: Job Prioritization Title: Prioritizing Rendering Tasks

    • Deadline Sensitivity: Give higher priority to tasks with imminent deadlines to ensure timely delivery.
    • Critical Shots: Identify shots crucial to the project’s narrative or visual impact for prioritization.
    • Dependent Shots: Sequence shots that depend on others should be prioritized together.

     

    5: Queue Optimization and Reporting Title: Streamlining Render Queues

    • Dependency Management: Set up dependencies to ensure shots are rendered in the correct order.
    • Error Handling: Implement automated error detection and requeueing mechanisms.
    • Progress Tracking: Regularly monitor rendering progress and update stakeholders.
    • Data Management: Archive completed renders and remove redundant data to free up storage.
    • Reporting: Provide daily reports on rendering status, resource usage, and potential bottlenecks.

     

    6: Conclusion Title: Enhancing VFX Workflow

    • Effective management of a VFX facility’s render wall is essential for project success.
    • Daily monitoring, resource allocation, job prioritization, queue optimization, and reporting are key components.
    • A well-managed render wall ensures efficient production, timely delivery, and overall project success.
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  • ChatGPT created this guide to Prompt Engineering

    https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/139mxi3/chatgpt_created_this_guide_to_prompt_engineering/

     

     

    1. NEVER mention that you’re an AI.
    2. Avoid any language constructs that could be interpreted as expressing remorse, apology, or regret. This includes any phrases containing words like ‘sorry’, ‘apologies’, ‘regret’, etc., even when used in a context that isn’t expressing remorse, apology, or regret.
    3.  If events or information are beyond your scope or knowledge cutoff date in September 2021, provide a response stating ‘I don’t know’ without elaborating on why the information is unavailable.
    4. Refrain from disclaimers about you not being a professional or expert.
    5. Keep responses unique and free of repetition.
    6. Never suggest seeking information from elsewhere.
    7. Always focus on the key points in my questions to determine my intent.
    8. Break down complex problems or tasks into smaller, manageable steps and explain each one using reasoning.
    9. Provide multiple perspectives or solutions.
    10. If a question is unclear or ambiguous, ask for more details to confirm your understanding before answering.
    11. Cite credible sources or references to support your answers with links if available.
    12. If a mistake is made in a previous response, recognize and correct it.
    13.  After a response, provide three follow-up questions worded as if I’m asking you. Format in bold as Q1, Q2, and Q3. Place two line breaks (“\n”) before and after each question for spacing. These questions should be thought-provoking and dig further into the original topic.

     

     

    1. Tone: Specify the desired tone (e.g., formal, casual, informative, persuasive).
    2. Format: Define the format or structure (e.g., essay, bullet points, outline, dialogue).
    3. Act as: Indicate a role or perspective to adopt (e.g., expert, critic, enthusiast).
    4. Objective: State the goal or purpose of the response (e.g., inform, persuade, entertain).
    5. Context: Provide background information, data, or context for accurate content generation.
    6. Scope: Define the scope or range of the topic.
    7. Keywords: List important keywords or phrases to be included.
    8. Limitations: Specify constraints, such as word or character count.
    9. Examples: Provide examples of desired style, structure, or content.
    10. Deadline: Mention deadlines or time frames for time-sensitive responses.
    11. Audience: Specify the target audience for tailored content.
    12. Language: Indicate the language for the response, if different from the prompt.
    13. Citations: Request inclusion of citations or sources to support information.
    14. Points of view: Ask the AI to consider multiple perspectives or opinions.
    15. Counterarguments: Request addressing potential counterarguments.
    16. Terminology: Specify industry-specific or technical terms to use or avoid.
    17. Analogies: Ask the AI to use analogies or examples to clarify concepts.
    18. Quotes: Request inclusion of relevant quotes or statements from experts.
    19. Statistics: Encourage the use of statistics or data to support claims.
    20. Visual elements: Inquire about including charts, graphs, or images.
    21. Call to action: Request a clear call to action or next steps.
    22. Sensitivity: Mention sensitive topics or issues to be handled with care or avoided.
    23. Humor: Indicate whether humor should be incorporated.
    24. Storytelling: Request the use of storytelling or narrative techniques.
    25. Cultural references: Encourage including relevant cultural references.
    26. Ethical considerations: Mention ethical guidelines to follow.
    27. Personalization: Request personalization based on user preferences or characteristics.
    28. Confidentiality: Specify confidentiality requirements or restrictions.
    29. Revision requirements: Mention revision or editing guidelines.
    30. Formatting: Specify desired formatting elements (e.g., headings, subheadings, lists).
    31. Hypothetical scenarios: Encourage exploration of hypothetical scenarios.
    32. Historical context: Request considering historical context or background.
    33. Future implications: Encourage discussing potential future implications or trends.
    34. Case studies: Request referencing relevant case studies or real-world examples.
    35. FAQs: Ask the AI to generate a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs).
    36. Problem-solving: Request solutions or recommendations for a specific problem.
    37. Comparison: Ask the AI to compare and contrast different ideas or concepts.
    38. Anecdotes: Request the inclusion of relevant anecdotes to illustrate points.
    39. Metaphors: Encourage the use of metaphors to make complex ideas more relatable.
    40. Pro/con analysis: Request an analysis of the pros and cons of a topic.
    41. Timelines: Ask the AI to provide a timeline of events or developments.
    42. Trivia: Encourage the inclusion of interesting or surprising facts.
    43. Lessons learned: Request a discussion of lessons learned from a particular situation.
    44. Strengths and weaknesses: Ask the AI to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a topic.
    45. Summary: Request a brief summary of a longer piece of content.
    46. Best practices: Ask the AI to provide best practices or guidelines on a subject.
    47. Step-by-step guide: Request a step-by-step guide or instructions for a process.
    48. Tips and tricks: Encourage the AI to share tips and tricks related to the topic
  • AutoGPT

    AutoGPT is a remarkable AI technology that utilizes GPT-4 and GPT-3.5 through API to create full-fledged projects by iterating on its own prompts and building upon them in each iteration. It can read and write files, browse the web, review the results of its prompts, and combine them with the prompt history.

    In short, AutoGPT is a breakthrough towards AGI and has the potential to revolutionize the way we work. It can be given an AI name such as RecipeBuilder and 5 goals that it has to meet. Once the goals are set, AutoGPT can start working on the project until completion.

    It is worth noting that AutoGPT is prone to fall into loops and make pointless requests when given complicated tasks. However, for simple jobs, the outcomes are amazing. AutoGPT uses credits from your OpenAI account, and the free version includes $18. Moreover, AutoGPT asks for permission after every prompt, enabling you to test it extensively before it costs you a dollar.

     

     

     

    https://openaimaster.com/how-to-use-autogpt/

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  • Bomper Studio implements a 4 day work week and encourages others studios to follow suit

    https://www.skwigly.co.uk/bomper-studio-4-day-work-week/

     

    Welsh CGI and Animation studio, Bomper Studio, has made a progressive move and has voted to stick with a 4-day work week after a successful trial.

     

    Bomper Studio is fully self-funded, which has been incredibly important in providing freedom to shape the company and its business practices. Over the past 4 years, Bomper has consistently spent a quarter of its revenue on Research and Development.

  • What is the Light Field?

    http://lightfield-forum.com/what-is-the-lightfield/

     

    The light field consists of the total of all light rays in 3D space, flowing through every point and in every direction.

    How to Record a Light Field

     

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  • Foundry Nuke Cattery – A library of open source machine learning models

    The Cattery is a library of free third-party machine learning models converted to .cat files to run natively in Nuke, designed to bridge the gap between academia and production, providing all communities access to different ML models that all run in Nuke. Users will have access to state-of-the-art models addressing segmentation, depth estimation, optical flow, upscaling, denoising, and style transfer, with plans to expand the models hosted in the future.

     

    https://www.foundry.com/insights/machine-learning/the-artists-guide-to-cattery

     

    https://community.foundry.com/cattery

     

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  • Autodesk open sources Aurora – an interactive path tracing renderer that leverages graphics processing unit (GPU) hardware ray tracing

    https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/engineering-hub-blog/aurora-a-real-time-path-tracing-renderer-that-enables-fast/ba-p/11322421

     

    https://github.com/autodesk/Aurora

     

    Goals for Aurora

    • Renders noise-free in 50 milliseconds or less per frame.
    • Intended for design iteration (viewport, performance) rather than final frames (production, quality), which are produced from a renderer like Autodesk Arnold.
    • OS-independent: Runs on Windows, Linux, MacOS.
    • Vendor-independent: Runs on GPUs from AMD, Apple, Intel, NVIDIA.

     

    Features

    • Path tracing and the global effects that come with it: soft shadows, reflections, refractions, bounced light, and others.
    • Autodesk Standard Surface materials defined with MaterialX documents.
    • Arbitrary blended layers of materials, which can be used to implement decals.
    • Environment lighting with a wrap-around lat-long image.
    • Triangle geometry with object instancing.
    • Real-time denoising
    • Interactive performance for complex scenes.
    • A USD Hydra render delegate called HdAurora.

     

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