BREAKING NEWS
LATEST POSTS
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Niels Cautaerts – Python dependency management is a dumpster fire
https://nielscautaerts.xyz/python-dependency-management-is-a-dumpster-fire.html
For many modern programming languages, the associated tooling has the lock-file based dependency management mechanism baked in. For a great example, consider Rust’s Cargo.
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Not so with Python.
The default package manager for Python is pip. The default instruction to install a package is to runpip install package. Unfortunately, this imperative approach for creating your environment is entirely divorced from the versioning of your code. You very quickly end up in a situation where you have 100’s of packages installed. You no longer know which packages you explicitly asked to install, and which packages got installed because they were a transitive dependency. You no longer know which version of the code worked in which environment, and there is no way to roll back to an earlier version of your environment. Installing any new package could break your environment.
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Meta Avat3r – Large Animatable Gaussian Reconstruction Model for High-fidelity 3D Head Avatars
https://tobias-kirschstein.github.io/avat3r
Avat3r takes 4 input images of a person’s face and generates an animatable 3D head avatar in a single forward pass. The resulting 3D head representation can be animated at interactive rates. The entire creation process of the 3D avatar, from taking 4 smartphone pictures to the final result, can be executed within minutes.
https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-researchers-generate-photorealistic-avatars-from-just-four-selfies
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Shadow of Mordor’s brilliant Nemesis system is locked away by a Warner Bros patent until 2036, despite studio shutdown
The Nemesis system, for those unfamiliar, is a clever in-game mechanic which tracks a player’s actions to create enemies that feel capable of remembering past encounters. In the studio’s Middle-earth games, this allowed foes to rise through the ranks and enact revenge.
The patent itself –ย which you can view hereย – was originally filed back in 2016,ย before it was granted in 2021. It is dubbed “Nemesis characters, nemesis forts, social vendettas and followers in computer games”. As it stands, the patent has an expiration date of 11th August, 2036.
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Crypto Mining Attack via ComfyUI/Ultralytics in 2024
https://github.com/ultralytics/ultralytics/issues/18037
zopieux on Dec 5, 2024 : Ultralytics was attacked (or did it on purpose, waiting for a post mortem there), 8.3.41 contains nefarious code downloading and running a crypto miner hosted as a GitHub blob.
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Walt Disney Animation Abandons Longform Streaming Content
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/tiana-disney-series-shelved-1236153297
A spokesperson confirmed there will be some layoffs in its Vancouver studio as a result of this shift in business strategy. In addition to theย Tianaย series, the studio is also scrapping an unannounced feature-length project that was set to go straight toย Disney+.
Insiders say that Walt Disney Animation remains committed to releasing one theatrical film per year in addition to other shorts and special projects
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Andreas Horn – ย The 9 algorithms
The illustration below highlights the algorithms most frequently utilized in our everyday activities: They play a key role in everything we do from online shopping recommendations, navigation apps, social media, email spam filters and even smart home devices.
๐น ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐น๐ด๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ต๐บ
– Organize data for efficiency.
โ Example: Sorting email threads or search results.
๐น ๐๐ถ๐ท๐ธ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎโ๐ ๐๐น๐ด๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ต๐บ
– Finds the shortest path in networks.
โ Example: Google Maps driving routes.
๐น ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
– AI models that understand context and meaning.
โ Example: ChatGPT, Claude and other LLMs.
๐น ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐
– Ranks pages and builds connections.
โ Example: TikTok PageRank, LinkedIn recommendations.
๐น ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐น๐ด๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ต๐บ
– Encrypts and secures data communication.
โ Example: WhatsApp encryption or online banking.
๐น ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
– Secures cryptographic systems.
โ Example: Protecting sensitive data in blockchain.
๐น ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ผ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ (๐๐ก๐ก๐)
– Recognizes patterns in images and videos.
โ Example: Facial recognition, object detection in self-driving cars.
๐น ๐๐๐ณ๐ณ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด
– Compresses data efficiently.
โ Example: JPEG and MP3 file compression.
๐น ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ต ๐๐น๐ด๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ต๐บ (๐ฆ๐๐)
– Ensures data integrity.
โ Example: Password encryption, digital signatures.
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OpenAI 4.5 model arrives to mixed reviews
The verdict is in: OpenAI’s newest and most capable traditional AI model, GPT-4.5, is big, expensive, and slow, providing marginally better performance thanย GPT-4oย at 30x the cost for input and 15x the cost for output. The new model seems to prove that longstanding rumors ofย diminishing returnsย in training unsupervised-learning LLMs were correct and that the so-called “scaling laws” cited by many for years have possibly met their natural end.
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Walter Murch – “In the Blink of an Eye” – A perspective on cut editing
https://www.amazon.ca/Blink-Eye-Revised-2nd/dp/1879505622
Celebrated film editor Walter Murch’s vivid, multifaceted, thought-provoking essay on film editing. Starting with the most basic editing question — Why do cuts work? — Murch takes the reader on a wonderful ride through the aesthetics and practical concerns of cutting film. Along the way, he offers unique insights on such subjects as continuity and discontinuity in editing, dreaming, and reality; criteria for a good cut; the blink of the eye as an emotional cue; digital editing; and much more. In this second edition, Murch revises his popular first edition’s lengthy meditation on digital editing in light of technological changes. Francis Ford Coppola says about this book: “Nothing is as fascinating as spending hours listening to Walter’s theories of life, cinema and the countless tidbits of wisdom that he leaves behind like Hansel and Gretel’s trail of breadcrumbs…….”
Version 1.0.0
FEATURED POSTS
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Python and TCL: Tips and Tricks for Foundry Nuke
www.andreageremia.it/tutorial_python_tcl.html
https://www.gatimedia.co.uk/list-of-knobs-2
https://learn.foundry.com/nuke/developers/63/ndkdevguide/knobs-and-handles/knobtypes.html
http://www.andreageremia.it/tutorial_python_tcl.html
http://thoughtvfx.blogspot.com/2012/12/nuke-tcl-tips.html
Check final image quality
https://www.compositingpro.com/tech-check-compositing-shot-in-nuke/Local copy:
http://pixelsham.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/compositing_pro_tech_check_nuke_script.nkNuke tcl procedures
https://www.gatimedia.co.uk/nuke-tcl-proceduresKnobs
https://learn.foundry.com/nuke/developers/63/ndkdevguide/knobs-and-handles/knobtypes.html
(more…)
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How to paint a boardgame miniatures
Steps:
- soap wash cleaning
- primer
- base-coat layer (black/white)
- detailing
- washing aka shade (could be done after highlighting)
- highlights aka dry brushing (could be done after washing)
- varnish (gloss/satin/matte)
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THOMAS MANSENCAL – The Apparent Simplicity of RGB Rendering
https://thomasmansencal.substack.com/p/the-apparent-simplicity-of-rgb-rendering
The primary goal of physically-based rendering (PBR) is to create a simulation that accurately reproduces the imaging process of electro-magnetic spectrum radiation incident to an observer. This simulation should be indistinguishable from reality for a similar observer.
Because a camera is not sensitive to incident light the same way than a human observer, the images it captures are transformed to be colorimetric. A project might require infrared imaging simulation, a portion of the electro-magnetic spectrum that is invisible to us. Radically different observers might image the same scene but the act of observing does not change the intrinsic properties of the objects being imaged. Consequently, the physical modelling of the virtual scene should be independent of the observer.
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Ranko Prozo – Modelling design tips
Every Project I work on I always create a stylization Cheat sheet. Every project is unique but some principles carry over no matter what. This is a sheet I use a lot when I work on isometric stylized projects to help keep my assets consistent and interesting. None of these concepts are my own, just lots of tips I learned over the years. I have also added this to a page on my website, will continue to update with more tips and tricks, just need time to compile it all :)
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Practical Aspects of Spectral Data and LEDs in Digital Content Production and Virtual Production – SIGGRAPH 2022
Comparison to the commercial side
https://www.ecolorled.com/blog/detail/what-is-rgb-rgbw-rgbic-strip-lights
RGBW (RGB + White) LED strip uses a 4-in-1 LED chip made up of red, green, blue, and white.
RGBWW (RGB + White + Warm White) LED strip uses either a 5-in-1 LED chip with red, green, blue, white, and warm white for color mixing. The only difference between RGBW and RGBWW is the intensity of the white color. The term RGBCCT consists of RGB and CCT. CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) means that the color temperature of the led strip light can be adjusted to change between warm white and white. Thus, RGBWW strip light is another name of RGBCCT strip.
RGBCW is the acronym for Red, Green, Blue, Cold, and Warm. These 5-in-1 chips are used in supper bright smart LED lighting products