When that aforementioned relationship broke down, things had to move quickly. Here in Austria, there is a website called willhaben.at with apartment listings. Thats where I came across the ad for this place. The owners had renovated several apartments and I looked at all of them. This was actually the first one I viewed and as soon as I stepped through the door, I knew it would be mine.When choosing the floor-to-ceiling curtains from the Belgian brand Designs of the Time, Kaindl was advised by her friend and interiors expert Fridi Nefe.What was that feeling based on?The other two apartments were larger, and at the time I felt overwhelmed by the thought of all those empty rooms. I wanted something tranquil, something for myself, where I could create my own environment.And that felt possible with this apartment?Yes, very much. Its a 592-square-foot apartmenta size that was easy for me to manage on my own at the time. It had also just been renovated.Did you have a lot of furniture that you moved with you, or was Vienna a completely fresh start?Yes and no. I had taken most of the furniture with me, but I had to completely rebuild the kitchen. I already knew that I really wanted a stainless-steel one, so there wasnt too much to decide. However, I chose to have the walls painted for the first time in this apartmentits something Id never done before.Kaindl already owned the Twin sofa from Formela Berlin and the vintage marble table from Studio Boleh. The artwork above the sofa is by Thomas Schrenk.The stainless-steel table lamp from Max Sauze is a vintage piece from the 1970s.You bravely embraced the power of color!Funnily enough, for me, adding color on the walls was a way for me to embrace that Id be staying here for a whilethat Im not just passing through. I had a lot of support from my friend Fridi Nefe, who works in interior design here in Vienna. She came to me with her array of color options and that helped a lot with my decision.Now the wall in your kitchen is a bright yellow and your hallway is a powder pink.

Blender updates are exciting, packed with shiny new features and tools, but they can also feel like a double-edged sword.Just when youve mastered the current version, here comes another release to shake things up. Whether youre a beginner or a seasoned pro, staying current can feel like a balancing act.If you love riding the wave of every update, you might:1. Track Blenders latest milestones.2. Dive into developer forums to report bugs.But if you're focused on getting projects done, learning the ropes of Blender, teaching a class, or simply staying in a steady creative flow, sticking with a Long Term Support (LTS) release might be the best move.Check out the full article on CG Cookie.

You remember NetEase revealing last week that it was planning to celebrate April Fools' day by bringing a Venom twerk emote to Marvel Rivals, and us being like 'please say this isn't a joke because we've written about it now'. Read more

It might be April Fools' Day today, but Helldivers 2 has recieved an actual patch. It's just a little one, is patch 01.002.202, but there is one fix in it that's caught my eye, given what's been going on with the game on PC lately. Read more

Read on to discover Ada, the animated series by Should We Studio, the powerful themes it explores, and how V-Ray helped bring it to life for an audience of over 21 million.Summary:Ada, a series by Elizabeth Coxs Should We Studio, premieres weekly on the TED-Ed YouTube channel. It fuses storytelling with eye-catching animation.The Should We Studio production team relied on V-Ray for rendering, streamlining their workflow despite a small team and tight deadlines.As production progressed, the team refined their use of V-Ray, ultimately re-rendering the stroke pass on the first two episodes to enhance quality.The series has received praise from TED-Ed's 21 million subscribers, who are delighted by Ada's approach to fascinating, unusual topics and playful animation style.Ever caught yourself daydreaming about life after the apocalypse? Meet Adaa recent college graduate pondering this and other existential questions in her self-titled animated series available on TED-Ed.Elizabeth Cox, founder of Should We Studio, launched Ada as the studios first major productionnow earning widespread praise from TED-Eds 21 million subscribers. Heres how the small team used V-Ray to bring this 2D and 3D animated series to life.

It's time for Switch 2.Update: We're almost there! The April 2025 Nintendo Direct is coming tomorrow - can you tell we're excited?Our second Nintendo Direct of 2025 is coming, and it's a big one.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Despite Googles intentions for its default image viewing and editing app for Android, the Photos app has, over the years, become one of the most popular photo backup services around. In fact, it was one of the most attractive offerings for years until it stopped offering unlimited storage in 2020.That change in the tech giants strategy has left some space for other photo backup services to grow and showcase their offerings to people. Especially for people who dont want to hand over pictures of their entire life to big tech companies, photo backup services that focus on privacy have become really attractive. Thats where Ente comes in.An open-source project by Vishnu Mohandas, a former Google employee, Ente (which means Mine in Malayalam) offers end-to-end encrypted photo storage across various platforms meaning the service cannot access its users photos at all. The startup says it stores photos at three different locations for better reliability and access, and the open-source nature of the project means anyone can inspect the code or even spin up their own server to store their pictures securely.The company says all its user-facing features are processed on-device the processing for features like identifying faces and locations, creating themes and curating memories is done locally and the processed information is synced with other devices using end-to-end encryption. You can also use natural language to search for photos, such as beach sunsets in India.The service offers a web client as well as Android, iOS and desktop apps, and comes with 5GB of free storage. Users can pay for plans starting from $9.99 per month for 1TB of storage, and can share one account with five people.Image Credits: EnteIn an interview with TechCrunch, Mohandas said that while he uses a lot of Google products, including Photos, the companys privacy practices made him uncomfortable.Google takes security seriously, but not user privacy. They dont really care about customer data or what implications can come from being careless about it. In hindsight, this is not surprising because they are an advertisement company, Mohandas said. He eventually tried out Apple and Dropbox but wasnt satisfied with their interfaces or how difficult it was to access pictures across different platforms and devices.Image Credits: EnteEnte, which is bootstrapped, claims it has over 150,000 registered customers who have collectively stored over 165 million photos on the app. Despite the traction, Mohandas says the company doesnt yet have any ambitions to seek out venture capital.The cost of a company like us shutting down is really high, as all our customers would need to take off their data. We dont want to take venture money at the moment and try and get growth in a manner that could lead us to shut down, Mohandas said.He said the open-source community around Ente is strong, and all its 12 employees were previously part of the community. The company also offers dedicated support for folks who want to self-host the app.Mohandas realizes that privacy features arent going to be enough to sell a service like this and says thats why Ente has tried to maintain feature parity with services like Google Photos. The startup is also considering releasing an Android app that doesnt require users to log in and offers photo categorization features locally.

The visual effects of Hagen include contributions from BigHugFX, a Munich-based studio that helped bring the films mix of history and mythology to life with subtle yet impactful work inclunding a dragon! Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2025The post Hagen: VFX Breakdown by BigHugFX appeared first on The Art of VFX.

Fluid Effects: Splashes 5 Paint25 VFX Elements for Your Render Engine of ChoiceFluid Effects: Splashes 5 - PaintThis product has 25 incredibly realistic 3D paint splash animations. They are Alembic files that you can load into any render engine/app that supports them such as Blender, Octane, Redshift, Arnold, Houdini, Cycles, Unreal, and many more.Incredible RealismAttention to detailEvery animation has real world fluid splashing characteristics.VarietyMultiple OptionsThis pack includes 25 completely unique animations with different characteristics and parameters so you can find the perfect match for your project. They also come in three different speeds each, all pre-simmed and drag-and-drop ready!VersatileBeautiful DetailsThese can be used as paint, but also slime, thick ink splashes, goo, honey, or any other thick fluid. Use your imagination!Only $79 $55 Instant Download30% OFF NOW with code: paint30Download Now25 Paint Splash Assets for the Professional Artist(The numbers start at 101 because this is a continuation of our Water Splash Pack 1, 2, 3, and 4)Only $79 $55 Instant Download30% OFF NOW with code: paint30Download NowIncludes Multiple Speed OptionsThere are three options for each of the 25 assets: Base Speed (Regular), a Slow Motion version, and a Custom Version which has a nice time remap.25 Gorgeous Alembic fluid simulations you can load into any 3D render engineNot Just Paint!These are also perfect for thick ink splashes, slime, goo, honey, or any other fluid. Use your imagination!Big fan of your collections, Ive bought multiple VDB packs from you and use them often in my work as a 3D artist. The quality and variation is fantastic. I strongly feel that you should be charging at least $200 for these packs, its an extreme bargain.Sohaib BouaissOnly $79 $55 Instant Download30% OFF NOW with code: paint30Download NowRequirementsAny application that supports alembics like Octane, Redshift, Arnold, V-Ray, Houdini etc.Lots of hard drive space and fast internet!GuaranteeWe believe in what we create and want you to be 100% happy. We offer a 60 day money back guarantee if we dont meet your expectations!User GalleryUsing Our Fluid Assets(Click for Full Resolution)Want More?Fluid Effects BundleGet Splashes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Bubbles, Bubbles 2, Rivers, Crown Splashes, and Glass Shatter together and save 20%! Thats 250 professional, realistic, and highly detailed fluid simulation elements for your render engine of choice.Learn MoreWant More?VFX Elements BundleGet thousands of professional VFX elements for your next project and snag a tasty 25% discount with this bundle!Learn MoreWant More?VDB BUNDLEIf you want to save 25% off the thousands of assets in our VDB lineup, check out our VDB Bundle!Learn More

SWISSto12, a Swiss manufacturer specializing in satellite communication products and known for its innovation in the aerospace sector, has introduced the HummingLink-SOTP (Satcom-On-The-Pause), a new terminal designed for continuous connectivity via geostationary (GEO) satellites. The product combines compactness, portability, and high throughput, aiming to address the growing demand for reliable, fast-deployment GEO solutions.HummingLink-SOTP terminal uses SWISSto12s proprietary additive manufacturing processes to produce ultra-lightweight, high-gain antennas. These antennas, available in X-band, Ku-band, and Ka-band, are paired with advanced RF electronic circuits to maximize performance and allow for rapid deployment. The terminal is designed for operators who need compact, high-performance solutions for GEO Satcom-On-The-Pause (SOTP) connectivity.According to Emile de Rijk, CEO of SWISSto12, HummingLink-SOTP is a compact, highly portable yet highly performing SATCOM product that answers the requirements of operators for systems that can be rapidly deployed by a single person to establish robust, high throughput connectivity over GEO.The HummingLink- Satcom-On-The-Pause. Photo via SWISSto12.Mathieu Billod, Head of Terminals at the company, highlighted the differentiation in antenna design: Despite the small size of the HummingLink-SOTP terminals, the antenna arrays that we integrate into our terminals are extremely efficient and highly differentiated when compared to traditional dish antennas, which require larger surface areas to reach similar performance. We combine this with an optimized system design and industrial approach to provide a cost-competitive solution.The first commercial release, HummingLink-SOTP-Ka, supports Ka-band operation and comes in multiple configurations based on gain, polarization, and frequency. Designed for ultra-fast deployment, the terminals can be equipped with a modem and optional auto-pointing systems. Variants for X-band (HummingLink-SOTP-X) and Ku-band (HummingLink-SOTP-Ku) are currently available for demonstration and will enter the market in 2025.Founded in 2011 as a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), SWISSto12 has developed a portfolio of satellite RF payloads and communications terminals built around additive manufacturing techniques. The companys work on HummingSata small geostationary satellite platform developed through a public-private partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA)illustrates its focus on compact, high-performance systems tailored to modern satellite communications.3D Printing in Satellite ProductionSidus Spaces LizzieSat program, developed in partnership with Markforged, integrates 3D printed components into aerospace-qualified satellite structures to reduce weight while meeting stringent durability and safety requirements. These components, produced with Onyx FRA material, maintained mechanical integrity after extended exposure on the International Space Station. The LizzieSat satellites are designed for real-time geospatial intelligence and are capable of hosting a variety of sensors. The first unit, which features Markforged-produced parts, is scheduled to launch aboard the SpaceX Transporter-9 mission.In 2023, the French space agency CNES has integrated INTAMSYS 3D printing technologies into its satellite assembly and testing workflows to accelerate production cycles and enable on-demand manufacturing of tooling. By incorporating high-temperature FFF 3D printers such as the FUNMAT PRO 610HT and 410, CNES can fabricate structural tools using materials like PEEK and ULTEMTM 9085. These components are used in clean rooms and vacuum chamber tests, including the production of a full-scale stratospheric drone structure qualified for high-altitude and extreme thermal conditions. This shift from traditional to additive manufacturing has reduced the timeline for part production from weeks to a single day.The Stratospheric Drone Structure. Photo via CNES and INTAMSYS.Ready to discover who won the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards? Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to stay updated with the latest news and insights.Featured image shows the HummingLink- Satcom-On-The-Pause. Photo via SWISSto12.Anyer Tenorio LaraAnyer Tenorio Lara is an emerging tech journalist passionate about uncovering the latest advances in technology and innovation. With a sharp eye for detail and a talent for storytelling, Anyer has quickly made a name for himself in the tech community. Anyer's articles aim to make complex subjects accessible and engaging for a broad audience. In addition to his writing, Anyer enjoys participating in industry events and discussions, eager to learn and share knowledge in the dynamic world of technology.