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LATEST POSTS
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Introduction to Autodesk ShotGrid
https://customersuccess.autodesk.com/learning/course/introduction-to-shotgrid
Learn about ShotGrid’s basic capabilities and functionality in this introductory course. Set up your account, gain an understanding of the structure of data within ShotGrid, learn to navigate ShotGrid, determine your role, including what you can and cannot do, and customize the view of on-screen data.
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OpenAI may go bankrupt by 2024, AI bot costs company $700,000 every day
While OpenAI and ChatGPT opened up to a wild start and had a record-breaking number of sign-ups in its initial days, it has steadily seen its user base decline over the last couple of months. According to SimilarWeb, July 2023 saw its user base drop by 12 per cent compared to June – it went from 1.7 billion users to 1.5 billion users. Do note that this data only shows users who visited the ChatGPT website, and does not account for users who are using OpenAI’s APIs
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WGA Response to Studios Indicates No Quick End to Strike
https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/wga-response-studios-not-quick-strike-1235697413/
The two sides remain at odds on items across the board, including streaming residuals and a higher minimum tier for TV writer-producers
The WGA wants to tie streaming residuals to the popularity of a show, but streamers had adamantly refused to share such viewership data.
The WGA is also seeking a provision that would allow its members to honor other unions’ picket lines.
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Most bosses regret how they mandated workers return to the office. They blamed it on not having enough data
Four in five (80%) of bosses told workplace software firm Envoy that, had they had a better grasp on actual employee preferences, they would have taken a starkly different approach to their return to office plans. The problem, they said: They didn’t have access to workplace data to help them make their decision.
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Lucasfilm to shut Singapore operations, affecting more than 300 employees
Lucasfilm is winding down operations in Singapore after nearly 20 years in the country, with parent company Disney citing economic factors affecting the industry.
According to an ILM employee in Singapore, there are 340 staff members in the company and work will continue until the end of the year.
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Unpremult and Premult in compositing cycles
Steve Wright
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-oh-premultiply-steve-wright/
James Pratt
https://jamesprattvfx.wordpress.com/2018/11/08/premult-unpremult/
The simple definition of premult is to multiply the alpha and the RGB of the input together.
Un-Premult suggests that this does the opposite operation to the premult node. Therefore instead of multiplying the RGB values by the alpha, it divides instead.
Alan Martinez
“Unpremult” and “premult” are terms used in digital compositing that are relevant for both those working with computer-generated graphics (CG) and those working with live-action plates.
“Unpremult” is short for “unpremultiply” and refers to the action of undoing the multiplication of a pixel by its alpha value. It is commonly used to avoid halos or unwanted edges when combining images. (This by making sure that edits to a layer are added independently from edges’ opacity levels.)
“Premult” is short for “premultiply” and is the opposite process of “unpremult.” In this case, each pixel in an image is multiplied by its alpha value.
In simple terms, premult crops the RGB by its alpha, while unpremult does the opposite.It’s important to perform color corrections on CG renders in a sort of sandwich approach. First, divide the image to extend the edges fully of the RGB channels. Then, apply the necessary color corrections. Finally, pre-multiply the image again to avoid artifacts on the edges.
Typically, most 3D rendered images are premultiplied. As a rule of thumb, if the background is black or even just very dark, the image may be premultiplied. Additionally, most of the time, the 3D render has antialiasing in the edges.
Aaron Strasbourg
https://www.aaronstrasbourgvfx.com/post/2017/06/23/002-unpremult-and-premult
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KeenTools 2023.2: Introducing GeoTracker for Blender!
https://keentools.io/products/geotracker-for-blender
Changes in add-ons Blender
- GeoTracker open beta
- Up to 3 times faster texture generation
- Minor bug fixes and improvements in FaceBuilder
Changes in GeoTracker for After Effects
- Video analysis up to 2 times faster
- Improved tracking performance up to 20%
- Accelerated surface masking
- Fixed primitive scaling issue
- Minor bug fixes and improvements
Changes in Nuke package
- Video analysis up to 2 times faster
- Improved tracking performance up to 20%
- TextureBuilder up to 3 times faster
- Accelerated surface masking
- New build for Nuke 14 running newer linux systems (RHEL9)
- Minor bug fixes and improvements
FEATURED POSTS
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Nvidia unveils $3,000 desktop AI computer for home LLM researchers
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/01/nvidias-first-desktop-pc-can-run-local-ai-models-for-3000
https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/project-digits
Some smaller open-weights AI language models (such as Llama 3.1 70B, with 70 billion parameters) and various AI image-synthesis models like Flux.1 dev (12 billion parameters) could probably run comfortably on Project DIGITS, but larger open models like Llama 3.1 405B, with 405 billion parameters, may not. Given the recent explosion of smaller AI models, a creative developer could likely run quite a few interesting models on the unit.
DIGITS’ 128GB of unified RAM is notable because a high-power consumer GPU like the RTX 4090 has only 24GB of VRAM. Memory serves as a hard limit on AI model parameter size, and more memory makes room for running larger local AI models.
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Christopher Butler – Understanding the Eye-Mind Connection – Vision is a mental process
https://www.chrbutler.com/understanding-the-eye-mind-connection
The intricate relationship between the eyes and the brain, often termed the eye-mind connection, reveals that vision is predominantly a cognitive process. This understanding has profound implications for fields such as design, where capturing and maintaining attention is paramount. This essay delves into the nuances of visual perception, the brain’s role in interpreting visual data, and how this knowledge can be applied to effective design strategies.
This cognitive aspect of vision is evident in phenomena such as optical illusions, where the brain interprets visual information in a way that contradicts physical reality. These illusions underscore that what we “see” is not merely a direct recording of the external world but a constructed experience shaped by cognitive processes.
Understanding the cognitive nature of vision is crucial for effective design. Designers must consider how the brain processes visual information to create compelling and engaging visuals. This involves several key principles:
- Attention and Engagement
- Visual Hierarchy
- Cognitive Load Management
- Context and Meaning
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Custom bokeh in a raytraced DOF render
To achieve a custom pinhole camera effect with a custom bokeh in Arnold Raytracer, you can follow these steps:
- Set the render camera with a focal length around 50 (or as needed)
- Set the F-Stop to a high value (e.g., 22).
- Set the focus distance as you require
- Turn on DOF
- Place a plane a few cm in front of the camera.
- Texture the plane with a transparent shape at the center of it. (Transmission with no specular roughness)