A new lawsuit demanding $5 billion in damages because of alleged false advertising over Apple Books lacks the understanding that digital books are licensed and not owned.Apple BooksApple famously faced and lost a "very ugly" lawsuit in the earliest days of what was then called iBooks. That was a startling misreading of the law, but regardless, the suit made Apple pay out $450 million.And now a law firm figures it can get 11 times that amount in another spurious case. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

David Childs, the much-admired Skidmore, Owings & Merrillmainstay, passed away last week at the age of 83, leaving behind a portfolio of time-tested and essential designs that charter his career's progression from a young Washington, D.C. architect to its pinnacle in the international spotlight as the designer for the new One World Trade Center tower in New York City in 2014.Along the way, commercial high-rise designs, civic and governmental projects were a carrying force as he leaned on mentors Philip Johnson and Gordon Bunshaft, eventually moving to New York to follow in the footsteps of the latter in 1984."The rebuilding of the World Trade Center was a labor of love for thousands of people, and no single individual was more responsible for its success than David," friend Larry Silverstein remembered recently. "He pushed from the earliest days for the creation of a master plan and the participation of a wide range of architectural voices. He created a masterpiece in 7 World Tra...

Nintendo believes that playing Switch titles on the Switch 2 through the new consoles backwards compatibility features will make for a better experience than playing the same titles on the original Switch. As spotted by ResetEra user Truno, Nintendo technical director Takuhiro Dohta spoke about this in recent Ask the Developers questionnaire.Responding to a question about how the newer technology could potentially enhance games that were originally developed for the Swtich, Dohta spoke about how games were running better, with less load times and more overall stability. He also pointed out Switch 2 features like GameChat as being another way these titles would be better played on the new console.When we tried running Switch games on Switch 2, there were some where loading times became faster, or game performance became more stable, so we realised that the overall gameplay experience could improve, said Dohta. And as mentioned previously, GameChat will also be available for Switch games that are played on Switch 2. Even for previously released games, there are opportunities to add value in the sense that it can enhance and change the gameplay experience. We understand that people buy new hardware so they can play new games created for it, so weve developed Switch 2 with that in mind.Details about the Nintendo Switch 2 were revealed during a recent Direct dedicated to the upcoming console. The Nintendo Switch 2 will be hitting store shelves on June 5, and will be coming out alongside quite a few games, including the new Mario Kart World.

Shortly after revealing quite a few details about the Nintendo Switch 2 during its recent Direct, the company has now revealed even more information about some of the upcoming consoles more technical aspects. In an update to its websites, the technical specs for the Switch 2 have been laid out, confirming that the SoC powering the device has been made by Nvidia.While we dont quite get more details about the SoC, such as the kind clock speeds we can expect from it, it does appear to be a custom chip made by Nvidia. Interestingly, this also makes the Switch 2 the only current console with an Nvidia chip; the Xbox Series X/S as well as the PS5 are powered by AMDs chips.The rest of the details on the specs page for the Switch 2 line-up with what we were shown during the Direct. It is worth noting that the Switch 2 will be equipped with a 5,220 mAh battery, with promises of the battery lasting anywhere between 2 and 6.5 hours of play time, depending on what you play.This lines up with rumours from back in January, which indicated that the Switch 2 would be powered Nvidias Tegra 239 chip. While not quite as powerful as other consoles or modern gaming systems, the modifications made to the Tegra 239 likely allow Nintendo to get quite a bit more power from the chip than developers would be able to with an off-the-shelf version of it.The rumours indicate that the SoCs GPU runs at a clock speed of 561 MHz, roughly amounting to around 1.71 TFLOPS (trillion floating point operations per second) while in handheld mode, and 1,000 MHz (around 3.1 TFLOPS) in docked mode.The Nintendo Switch 2 will be hitting store shelves on June 5. Check out our coverage of the Direct for more details.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Originally posted on 8 November 2024, and updated for ZBrush for iPad 2025.3.Maxon has updated ZBrush for iPad, the new tablet edition of ZBrush, its industry-standard digital sculpting software.ZBrush for iPad 2025.1 introduces more features from the desktop edition, including support for bitmap textures, UV layouts, displacement maps and surface noise.ZBrush for iPad 2025.2 adds GoZ support for Cinema 4D, making it possible to send data to the 3D animation and motion graphics software in a few clicks.ZBrush for iPad 2025.3 adds more key features from the desktop edition, including ZModeler, NanoMesh and UV Master.ZBrushs core functionality, repacked in a UI designed for use on a touchscreen deviceReleased in Fall 2024, ZBrush for iPad is a much-anticipated tablet edition of digital sculpting software, widely used in concept art, game development and visual effects.It includes the core functionality from the desktop edition, including over 200 of the most popular sculpting brushes.Other key features include dynamic tesellation system Sculptris Pro, plus DynaMesh for true clay-like sculpting, and Live Boolean modeling.The tablet edition also includes ZBrushs Dynamics toolset for simulating cloth, and applying soft-body dynamics to sculpts.For texturing sculpts, users get 3D painting toolset Polypaint.New texturing options from the desktop edition, including texture map and UV controlsZBrush for iPad 2025.1 extends those texturing options considerably, since the update adds the Texture Map, UV Map and Displacement Map sub-palettes from the desktop edition.The new tools make it possible to apply bitmap textures to sculpts, convert Polypaint data to textures for export, UV unwrap models, and import models with an existing UV layout.Maxon has also added the desktop editions Surface Noise feature, for applying procedural noise to sculpts: one nice change in the tablet edition is the option to use photos from the iPad camera as a source of surface noise.Workflow and interface improvementsUI and workflow improvements include the option to add any control from the software to the customizable bottom toolbars, not just brushes, materials, texture and alphas.The Apple Pencils roll feature is now supported for changing values on the four main brush sliders, and tooltips are displayed on hover on devices that support the Pencils hover feature.The iPad edition also now supports the same set of languages as the desktop version, with the update adding localizations in Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.Updated 4 December 2024: Maxon has released ZBrush for iPad 2025.2.The update adds GoZ support for Cinema 4D, making it easier to send sculpts to the 3D animation and motion graphics software, as in the desktop edition of ZBrush.In addition, the software now includes ZSpheres templates for Female, Male and Hand mannequins.Updated 2 April 2025: Maxon has released ZBrush for iPad 2025.3.Its a significant update, adding several long-awaited features from the desktop edition most notably, ZModeler, its polygonal modeling system for base meshes and hard surface models.The interface and workflow have been adapted for use on a tablet, as shown in the video above.The update also adds NanoMesh, ZBrushs system for populating areas of a model with instanced geometry: for example, for creating repeating surface details.iPad users also now have access to UV Master, ZBrushs automated UV unwrapping system.Price and system requirementsZBrush for iPad is compatible with iPadOS 17.0+ requires an iPad with a A12 Bionic chip or later.The base app is free, but is export-disabled. Access to the full feature set requires a paid subscription, which costs $9.99/month or $89.99/year.ZBrush for iPad is also included in subscriptions to the desktop edition of ZBrush, which now cost $49/month or $399/year.Read an overview of the new features in ZBrush for iPad on Maxons websiteRead a full list of new features in ZBrush for iPad in the App StoreHave your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we dont post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.

The Body Model Used During a Famous Scene in E.T. Is Heading to AuctionCreated by Italian special effects designer Carlo Rambaldi, the three-foot-tall prop can be seen in the film hiding among stuffed animals in 10-year-old Elliotts closet The three-foot-tall model has an aluminum skeleton coveredin latex, foam, straw, acrylic paint and adhesive. Sotheby'sFans of Steven SpielbergsE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial have a chance to own an important prop used in the beloved 1982 science fiction film.Abody model of E.T.the friendly brown alien who befriends a young boy after being left behind on Earthis heading to the auction block. Auction organizers expect it to fetch up to $900,000 during Sothebys There Are Such Things: 20th-Century Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy on Screen sale.The three-foot-tall body model was used during one of the movies most iconic scenes, in which the orphaned extraterrestrial hides among stuffed animals in the closet of 10-year-old Elliott (played byHenry Thomas). With his eyes wide, E.T. sits silently among a pile of toys to avoid being detected by Elliotts mother (played byDee Wallace).The model consists of an aluminum frame covered in latex, foam, straw, acrylic paint and adhesive, all attached to a metal base. Sothebys says the models wear is consistent with its age and production use.It belongs to the estate ofCarlo Rambaldi, the Academy Award-winning Italian special effects artist who worked on E.T., as well as King Kong, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Alien and many other sci-fi films.Rambaldi died in 2012, but his family held onto the E.T. body model and other items from his storied special effects career. Sothebys is also offering up several of Rambaldissketches of E.T., ananimatronic reproduction he made of the aliens left eye and two sand worms he created for the 1984 film Dune.Carlo Rambaldi Special Effects Artist interview from the 1980'sWatch on We hope that the artifacts being offered will bring immense joy to those who will cherish them in the years to come, just as they have brought great emotions to my family and shaped the magic of my childhood, says Rambaldis daughter, Daniela Rambaldi, in a statement. These iconic pieces hold a special place in our hearts, and it is our sincere wish that they continue to inspire and captivate future generations.While writing the screenplay for E.T., Melissa Mathison intentionally omitted any mention of the lovable aliens physical characteristics, according to Sothebys. That meant it was up to Spielberg and Rambaldi to determine the creatures aesthetic. They drew inspiration from Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway and Carl Sandburg, as well as a painting Rambaldi had made in 1952 titled Women of the Delta. Rambaldi also studied his familys Himalayan cat, Kika.I remember saying to Carlo, heres some pictures of Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway and Carl Sandburg. I love their eyes, Spielberg said in a 1996 documentary, per Popular Sciences Andrew Paul. Can we make E.T.s eyes as frivolous, and also wizened and as sad, as those three icons?Rambaldi and four assistants worked long hours to create multiple body models of E.T. to be used during filming, includinganimatronic versions that could move and talk.Carlo Rambaldi was E.T.s Geppetto, Spielberg said in a statement after Rambaldis death, per the New York Times Daniel E. Slotnik.The film racked up numerous accolades, includingfour Academy Awards in 1983. At one point, it was thehighest-grossing movie ever made. Rambaldi played a big role in the movies success, thanks to his meticulous craftsmanship in bringing the title character to life, says Cassandra Hatton, Sothebys vice chairman of science and natural history, in a statement.This model embodies the artistry of an era before CGI took hold, a nostalgic and iconic piece of Hollywood history as captivating as the stories themselves, she adds.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

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In its April 2nd Direct event, Nintendo revealed a lot of the Switch 2 details weve been waiting for, including the consoles price ($449.99 in the US), its June 5th release date, and a slew of new games coming to it, like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. The video and details the company published after the event also helped create a more complete picture of what we should expect from the second-generation Joy-Cons that come with the system.The new Joy-Cons look a lot like the old Joy-Cons but are about a half-inch longer and black, with color accents on the connection rails and under the analog sticks blue on the left and a pinkish red on the right. Nintendo says theyll be more comfortable, too. They have the same general button layout as the originals, but with a new C button on the right Joy-Con 2 thats used for a Discord-like GameChat feature that lets you talk to friends using a microphone embedded in the top of the Switch 2 itself, and includes screen-sharing functionality and the ability to start streaming with the Switch 2 camera accessory Nintendo is selling separately.As Switch 2 producer Kouichi Kawamoto describes in a new Ask the Developer interview published today, the Switch 2s Joy-Cons have larger and more durable analog sticks with smoother movement. On its site, the company says that the Joy-Con 2s are quieter, too. Smoother and quieter makes sense if Nintendo is using Hall Effect sensors this time around, as previously rumored. Kawamoto also points out that the L and R buttons curve further down the side for easy reach. The Joy-Con 2s connect to the Switch 2 magnetically, something Kawamoto says the company originally wanted to do for the first Switch. The Joy-Cons have larger SL and SR buttons that are made of metal, while the magnets themselves are embedded in the console. Disconnecting them involves pressing a release button on the back, and in its Direct today, Nintendo claims they wont easily detach on their own, but well see about that when the system launches this summer. You cant even force them to detach with ghost hands. GIF: NintendoAnother big new feature of the Switch 2 Joy-Cons is that they can work like a mouse with select games. When theyre detached, you hold them, connection-rail-down, on a surface like a coffee table. Kawamoto said the feature will be used in games like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, for aiming (gyro control is still an option too, according to a footnote on the page), and the thoroughly-named Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Plus Jamboree TV.Comparing it to the Wii Remotes cursor, Switch 2 director Takuhiro Dohta, who is also featured in the interview, says the company sees Joy-Con 2 mouse functionality as a way to let the Switch 2s touchscreen capabilities transition to playing in docked mode. The Joy-Cons come with wrist straps, which Nintendo says gives them a wider base for smoother gliding and better stability.RelatedKawamoto said the new Joy-Cons rumble feature, now called HD Rumble 2, is updated to allow for a wider variety of vibrations. Theyll also be stronger, he said, and have quicker response times. According to Nintendos official specs, the controllers will last about 20 hours between charges and recharge in about 3.5 hours, same as the original Joy-Cons. As for accessories, apart from the included wrist straps, Nintendo has also announced a $19.99 set of two wheels you can attach Joy-Con 2s to for games like Mario Kart World. The company will sell a $34.99 charging grip, and the console comes with a standard non-charging grip, as well. Nintendo did away with the IR sensor found on the right-hand first-generation Joy-Con, which I will miss for no reason other than that I love when gadgets have IR sensors. But in every other way, the updated Joy-Cons sound like an improvement over their predecessors, with intriguing new features and Nintendos promise of better comfort and improved rumble. Now we just have to wait to see if Nintendo managed to solve the first Joy-Cons stick drift problem.See More:

Nintendo didnt spend much time on the Switch 2s UI during todays big Direct presentation, but the company has just given us a pretty good look at the new consoles homescreen.At the bottom of Nintendos webpage detailing how certain games are getting updated Switch 2 Editions, there is a small image of the Switch 2s homescreen highlighting where the eShop icon will be located. Aside from a few minute aesthetic changes, the homescreen looks more or less like the original Switchs. Presumably, youll also be able to select a darker UI option the way you can on Nintendos last console. Theres no word on whether the Switch 2s UI will gain customization features like what weve seen on the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X / Series S. But Nintendo went into great detail about the consoles specs, its new features, and how you will be able to preorder the system ahead of its June release.Homescreen customization isnt exactly what sells people on consoles, but something as simple as being able to set your own wallpaper can go a long way in terms of making you want to spend time looking at a screen. That feels like the sort of thing Nintendo might …Read the full story at The Verge.