• HDRI Median Cut plugin

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    www.hdrlabs.com/picturenaut/plugins.html

     

     

    Note. The Median Cut algorithm is typically used for color quantization, which involves reducing the number of colors in an image while preserving its visual quality. It doesn’t directly provide a way to identify the brightest areas in an image. However, if you’re interested in identifying the brightest areas, you might want to look into other methods like thresholding, histogram analysis, or edge detection, through openCV for example.

     

    Here is an openCV example:

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  • SourceTree vs Github Desktop – Which one to use

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    Sourcetree and GitHub Desktop are both free, GUI-based Git clients aimed at simplifying version control for developers. While they share the same core purpose—making Git more accessible—they differ in features, UI design, integration options, and target audiences.


    Installation & Setup

    • Sourcetree
      • Download: https://www.sourcetreeapp.com/
      • Supported OS: Windows 10+, macOS 10.13+
      • Prerequisites: Comes bundled with its own Git, or can be pointed to a system Git install.
      • Initial Setup: Wizard guides SSH key generation, authentication with Bitbucket/GitHub/GitLab.
    • GitHub Desktop
      • Download: https://desktop.github.com/
      • Supported OS: Windows 10+, macOS 10.15+
      • Prerequisites: Bundled Git; seamless login with GitHub.com or GitHub Enterprise.
      • Initial Setup: One-click sign-in with GitHub; auto-syncs repositories from your GitHub account.

    Feature Comparison

    FeatureSourcetreeGitHub Desktop
    Branch VisualizationDetailed graph view with drag-and-drop for rebasing/mergingLinear graph, simpler but less configurable
    Staging & CommitFile-by-file staging, inline diff viewAll-or-nothing staging, side-by-side diff
    Interactive RebaseFull support via UIBasic support via command line only
    Conflict ResolutionBuilt-in merge tool integration (DiffMerge, Beyond Compare)Contextual conflict editor with choice panels
    Submodule ManagementNative submodule supportLimited; requires CLI
    Custom Actions / HooksDefine custom actions (e.g., launch scripts)No UI for custom Git hooks
    Git Flow / Hg FlowBuilt-in supportNone
    PerformanceCan lag on very large reposGenerally snappier on medium-sized repos
    Memory FootprintHigher RAM usageLightweight
    Platform IntegrationAtlassian Bitbucket, JiraDeep GitHub.com / Enterprise integration
    Learning CurveSteeper for beginnersBeginner-friendly
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  • Narcis Calin’s Galaxy Engine – A free, open source simulation software

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    https://www.linkedin.com/posts/narciscalin_this-2025-i-decided-to-start-learning-how-activity-7357485340300832768-1f3i

    This 2025 I decided to start learning how to code, so I installed Visual Studio and I started looking into C++. After days of watching tutorials and guides about the basics of C++ and programming, I decided to make something physics-related. I started with a dot that fell to the ground and then I wanted to simulate gravitational attraction, so I made 2 circles attracting each other. I thought it was really cool to see something I made with code actually work, so I kept building on top of that small, basic program. And here we are after roughly 8 months of learning programming. This is Galaxy Engine, and it is a simulation software I have been making ever since I started my learning journey. It currently can simulate gravity, dark matter, galaxies, the Big Bang, temperature, fluid dynamics, breakable solids, planetary interactions, etc. The program can run many tens of thousands of particles in real time on the CPU thanks to the Barnes-Hut algorithm, mixed with Morton curves. It also includes its own PBR 2D path tracer with BVH optimizations. The path tracer can simulate a bunch of stuff like diffuse lighting, specular reflections, refraction, internal reflection, fresnel, emission, dispersion, roughness, IOR, nested IOR and more! I tried to make the path tracer closer to traditional 3D render engines like V-Ray. I honestly never imagined I would go this far with programming, and it has been an amazing learning experience so far. I think that mixing this knowledge with my 3D knowledge can unlock countless new possibilities. In case you are curious about Galaxy Engine, I made it completely free and Open-Source so that anyone can build and compile it locally! You can find the source code in GitHub

    https://github.com/NarcisCalin/Galaxy-Engine