Alexander Reford. Photo credit: Ali InayAs Les Jardins de Mtis approaches its 100th anniversary milestone in 2026, it will begin various transitions as it enters a new chapter.As part of this transition, Alexander Reford, general manager of Les Jardins since 1995, will be leaving the general management of Jardins de Mtis.A new general manager will take office in March 2025 and will be accompanied in the transition by Reford, to ensure consistency in operations as well as the overall strategic vision.Following the centenary celebrations, Reford will continue his his involvement in the Jardins de Mtis mission as curator.This development reflects Les Jardins de Mtis goal to combine the legacy of Elsie Reford with a contemporary vision of garden design.Elsie left us blank pages at the end of her gardening notebook in 1958. These blank pages leave it to her successors to carry on her work, said Alexander Reford.The centenary of Les Jardins de Mtis represents an exceptional opportunity to pay tribute to our predecessors, while paving the way for future generations. This transition will breathe new life into our institution while preserving the values for which it is known for.The post Les Jardins de Mtis prepares for 100th anniversary milestone appeared first on Canadian Architect.

Stephanolepis hispidus, commonly known as the planehead filefish, is a species in the filefish family, Monacanthidae. It is found in the Atlantic Ocean at depths of up to 300 metres (980 ft), with its range extending from the Canadian province of Nova Scotia to Uruguay in the west and from the Canary Islands to Angola in the east. It lives near the seabed on reefs and over sandy and muddy sea floors, often being found among Sargassum seaweed. Stephanolepis hispidus grows to a maximum length of 27 centimetres (11 in) but is more typically about 17 centimetres (6.7 in) long. The colour is cryptic, being a more or less mottled pale brown, olive or green on a light coloured background, sometimes with darker brown splotches and streaks. This S. hispidus individual was photographed off the Spanish island of Tenerife.Photograph credit: Diego DelsoRecently featured: Stuben am ArlbergMarcelo Rebelo de SousaDusky grasswrenArchiveMore featured pictures

December 14: Martyred Intellectuals Day in Bangladesh (1971), Monkey DayJapanese battlecruiser Haruna1650 English domestic servant Anne Greene survived being hanged for infanticide.1836 The Toledo War, a mostly bloodless territorial dispute between Ohio and the Michigan Territory, was unofficially ended with a resolution passed by the controversial "Frostbitten Convention".1913 Haruna (pictured), the fourth and last Japanese battlecruiser of the Kong class, was launched and went on to serve in both world wars.2008 During a press conference in Baghdad, Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi threw his shoes at U.S. president George W. Bush and Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, yelling "This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq".JohnIII of the Sedre (d.648)Al-Ashraf Khalil (d.1293)Helle Thorning-Schmidt (b.1966)More anniversaries: December 13December 14December 15ArchiveBy emailList of days of the yearAbout

Friday, December 13th, 2024Posted by Jim Thackerukasz Czy releases UVPackmaster 3 for Mayahtml PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Developer ukasz Czy has released UVPackmaster 3 for Maya, a new Maya edition of his GPU-accelerated UV packing plugin.The tool enables artists to pack UV islands from 3D models into space-efficient layouts, minimizing texture distortion, and reducing file sizes on 3D design, animation and VFX projects.A fast, efficient GPU-accelerated UV packing toolOriginally only available for Blender, UVPackmaster 3 is a fast, efficient UV packing plugin capable of running on CUDA-enabled NVIDIA GPUs as well as a workstations CPU.It performs a heuristic search to find the most space efficient layout for the UV islands from a UV-unwrapped 3D model, and is capable of packing thousands of UV islands in seconds.It supports tiled UV layouts, including UDIMs, with users able to split UV islands into any number of named groups, and adjust packing on a per-island or per-group basis.The plugin can also be used to stack topologically similar islands, further minimising use of UV space.Now available for Maya, although currently only on WindowsThe new release makes the add-on available for Maya as well as Blender: according to Czy, the Maya edition has the same set of features as the Blender version.You can find an overview of its features on the product website, and more details in the online documentation.However, unlike the Blender edition, which also runs on Linux and macOS, the initial release is Windows-only.Pricing and availabilityUVPackmaster 3 is compatible with Maya 2022, running on Windows 10+ only. A new single-user licence now costs $44. Multi-user Studio licences start at $159.Read more about UVPackmaster 3 for Maya on the product websiteGet UVPackmaster 3 for Maya from GumroadHave 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.Latest Newsukasz Czy releases UVPackmaster 3 for MayaCheck out the popular GPU-accelerated UV packing and UV stacking tool, now available for Maya as well as Blender.Friday, December 13th, 2024Blender add-on ClayPencil turns 2D animation into 3D 'claymation'Neat free Geometry Nodes setup lets you create 3D animation using 2D workflows in Blender's Grease Pencil toolset.Friday, December 13th, 2024Foundry releases Nuke 16.0 in betaNext major update to Nuke introduces native multishot compositing, and improves roto performance and BlinkScript editing.Thursday, December 12th, 2024Chaos releases V-Ray 7 for SketchUpSketchUp edition of the renderer gets support for 3D Gaussian Splats, luminaires for lighting, and new material override options.Thursday, December 12th, 2024The new V-Ray for Blender is available in betaUpdated: Long-awaited new Blender integration for V-Ray based on the V-Ray 7 core is now available in free public beta.Wednesday, December 11th, 2024Foundry releases Katana 8.0Check out the new features in the lighting and look development software, including support for USD export and USD roundtripping.Tuesday, December 10th, 2024More NewsFoundry releases Mari 7.1Tutorial - Modeling for Film & TV: Hard-Surface VehiclesAutodesk open-sources USD for 3ds MaxGet Epic Games' free Project Titan Unreal Engine sampleMaxon releases Redshift 2025.2Maxon releases Cinema 4D 2025.1Maxon releases ZBrush 2025.1Maxon releases ZBrush for iPad 2025.2Adobe releases After Effects 25.1Check out Substance 3D Modeler's new Primitives systemOtoy releases OctaneRender 2026.1 in alphaOtoy releases OctaneRender 2025.1 in betaOlder Posts

Friday, December 13th, 2024Posted by Jim ThackerBlender add-on ClayPencil turns 2D animation into 3D claymationhtml PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Animator and educator Daniel Martnez Lara has released ClayPencil, a free Blender add-on that can be used to convert 2D animations to claymation-style 3D.The Geometry Nodes set-up fills outlines created using Blenders Grease Pencil 2D animation toolset with 3D geometry, making it possible to create 3D animation using 2D techniques.Convert Grease Pencil outlines to animatable 3D geometryClayPencil according to Martnez Lara, the name really refers to the animation technique rather than the add-on itself makes use of the recent changes to Grease Pencil in Blender 4.3.In particular, it is now possible to modify Grease Pencil objects using Geometry Nodes, Blenders node-based 3D modeling framework.The ClayPencil Geometry Nodes set-up makes it possible to convert Grease Pencil strokes from 2D to 3D, or to fill Grease Pencil outlines with solid geometry.That means that with manual refinement, and after applying a suitable clay shader it can be used to convert 2D animations to 3D animations that resemble traditional claymation.An experimental but promising initial releaseMartnez Lara describes the initial release of ClayPencil as highly experimental, so users are warned to expect glitches.However, early adopters are already getting good results with it, as you can see from demo videos like the one above from animator and illustrator Ron Letkeman.The download comes with the base Blender .blend scene file, plus two demo scenes, including the cowboy character shown in the video at the top of this story.System requirements and release dateClayPencil 0.1 is compatible with Blender 4.3. Its a free download.Download free Blender animation add-on ClayPencil from GumroadSee more demos of ClayPencil on the Pepe School Land YouTube channelHave 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.Latest Newsukasz Czy releases UVPackmaster 3 for MayaCheck out the popular GPU-accelerated UV packing and UV stacking tool, now available for Maya as well as Blender.Friday, December 13th, 2024Blender add-on ClayPencil turns 2D animation into 3D 'claymation'Neat free Geometry Nodes setup lets you create 3D animation using 2D workflows in Blender's Grease Pencil toolset.Friday, December 13th, 2024Foundry releases Nuke 16.0 in betaNext major update to Nuke introduces native multishot compositing, and improves roto performance and BlinkScript editing.Thursday, December 12th, 2024Chaos releases V-Ray 7 for SketchUpSketchUp edition of the renderer gets support for 3D Gaussian Splats, luminaires for lighting, and new material override options.Thursday, December 12th, 2024The new V-Ray for Blender is available in betaUpdated: Long-awaited new Blender integration for V-Ray based on the V-Ray 7 core is now available in free public beta.Wednesday, December 11th, 2024Foundry releases Katana 8.0Check out the new features in the lighting and look development software, including support for USD export and USD roundtripping.Tuesday, December 10th, 2024More NewsFoundry releases Mari 7.1Tutorial - Modeling for Film & TV: Hard-Surface VehiclesAutodesk open-sources USD for 3ds MaxGet Epic Games' free Project Titan Unreal Engine sampleMaxon releases Redshift 2025.2Maxon releases Cinema 4D 2025.1Maxon releases ZBrush 2025.1Maxon releases ZBrush for iPad 2025.2Adobe releases After Effects 25.1Check out Substance 3D Modeler's new Primitives systemOtoy releases OctaneRender 2026.1 in alphaOtoy releases OctaneRender 2025.1 in betaOlder Posts

All aboard!Cassette Beasts is getting a new, free content update on November 20th that introduces a brand new game mode! The 1.7 Gauntlet Update will see players taking on previous bosses and rivals in a knuckle-biting fight for fusion material and bragging rights!Check out the brand-new trailer below:Cassette Beasts 1.7 Gauntlet UpdateGet ready buckle up for the ride!Magikrab needs your help and will pay you handsomely in return! Magikrabs Gauntlet sees you hopping on one of the Mer-lines interdimensional trains and battling allies, enemies and bosses from your past. Available after the main story, this is the ultimate challenge for those players who think theyve mastered their monster forms! Whats more, this gauntlet is entirely playable with a friend in online co-op better buddy up, because this ride is about to get rough!The new Sticker fusion feature gives you a whole new way to customize your move stickers better save up those Fused Materials!New Cosmetic DLC: Fashion PackWe also have a new cosmetic DLC coming along with the Gauntlet Update!The Fashion Pack is priced at 3.99 USD/3.99 EU/3.29 and will come with a ton of new looks for your character as they travel through New Wirral!The Fashion Pack adds the following cosmetic items to the players wardrobe: Baseball Cap Flat Cap Twin Tails Bow & Bangs Foxy Cut Windswept Spikes & Goggles Swept Mohawk Flower & Fringe Beret Round Specs Trenchcoat Crop Top Tall BootsSteam WorkshopWhilst the PC version of Cassette Beasts already has a robust modding community, the 1.7 update will bring Steam Workshop support to the game letting mod creators share their creations directly via the Steam platform!Finally, in case you missed our Halloween celebration, the mailbox code SPOOKY24 is still active! Enter it at the mailbox for a spooky treat!We cant wait for you all to check out the games new update see you all on November 20th!The post The 1.7 Gauntlet Update is coming to Cassette Beasts! appeared first on Raw Fury.

As you may have noticed with the recent art update, weve brought on some extra hands to help Ballionaire on its road to launch! Were teaming up newobject to publish Ballionaire (and while we cant talk about the launch date just yet its a LOT closer than you think!)Not only this, but the Ballionaire demo is now live on Steam in both English and Simplified Chinese! What are you reading this for, go play it yourself! Oh, and wishlisting would be great we need more future Ballionaires for the Elders. They get peckish.Places to interact:Discord: https://discord.gg/ballionaireSteam Forums: https://steamcommunity.com/app/2667120/discussions/Twitter: https://x.com/newobjectTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@playballionaire?lang=enOK, out of news, go play a game!The post Introducing Ballionaire! appeared first on Raw Fury.

Media manipulation, lookalike contests, and fabricated outragePublished inThe Medium BlogSent as aNewsletter3 min read14 hours ago-- My goal for this weekend is to last one whole day without looking at a screenIssue #228: how to reflect on your year + avoid stressLast Saturday, before we knew the name of the lead suspect in Brian Thompsons murder, a writer on Medium named Burt came across a flyer for a lookalike contest in downtown New York City. It asked people to come dressed as the United Healthcare CEO assassin, offering the winner a cash prize. Burt figured his jacket looked enough like the one in the news photos and decided to go.I felt frustrated with the extensive media coverage of the shooting and the singling out of the shooter considering the recent unsolved white supremacist stabbing of migrants in the city, he told me when I asked why he went. As Burt describes it, he participated not to glorify the murderer but to critique the media.On Medium, Burt recounts that none of the contestants celebrated the assassin. Most of them didnt even really look like him. They responded to journalists facetiously (joking about the event being organized by the FBI and saying Soros paid them to be there, when in reality the organizer was anonymous and never showed up). It was a quickly formed in-group: you either knew what was up and how blatantly unserious the whole thing was, or you assumed some sort of odd malevolence or antisocial behavior, Burt writes. Heres a video. He won the competition.Later that day, though, the media framed it differently. The New York Post wrote New Yorkers mockingly celebrated the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO The Daily Mail: Outrage as New York park hosts vile lookalike eventI see this pattern a lot: Something relatively innocuous happens and its covered in a way that inspires outrage or indignation. At the lookalike contest, in Burts experience, eight strangers in hoodies gathered for a pretty uneventful stunt to poke fun at celebrity lookalike culture. The bemused crowd was described as outraged. Another example is TPOT, or This Part of Twitter, a community of intellectually curious people posting memes about technology and self-optimization on X. Its mostly innocuous, but since weve discovered Luigi Mangiones association with it, people think the entire movement is suspect.Decorum is often a rhetorical and fabricated means for the media [giving them] the right to pretend that they have the higher ground, writes Burt, reflecting on how his participation in the event was covered.Its a predictable pattern, I think. (Its also a reason to watch less news.) Have you noticed this? Where and how? Harris Sockel One more story: a year-end ritualI never do this but always promise myself I will: Actually take time to reflect on your year, in writing. This weekend or next, maybe Ill finally try leadership coach Tutti Taygerlys year-end ritual. By hand, write your answers to the following questionsWork: What are the 3 projects youre most proud of finishing this year (at work, in life, anywhere)? What would you change if you had to do them again?Relationships: Which three of your relationships grew the most this year? Where did you build unexpected trust? Who gave you the most support?You: What behaviors have you let go of? Which new ones have you adopted? What negative patterns have you successfully broken? What are you proudest of learning? What new identities have you adopted? Worth rememberingTheres a fine line between taking on a worthwhile challenge and taking on unnecessary stress. John Gorman, Stop Wasting Your Time

Introducing Featured Stories for PublicationsPublication editors can now play a greater role in curating story recommendations for their publications followersPublished inThe Medium Blog3 min read11 hours ago--Images created by Jason Combs and Jon WongWere testing an important change that gives publication editors the power to Feature stories to their publication followers. This change is live for many publications today; our goal is to have it available to all publications by the end of the next week.Each publication will be able to feature stories to their followers. Our system will recommend these stories more highly in Digest emails, on the homepage For You feed, in the publication story page, and anywhere else a publications followers see its stories. This gives publication editors a way to use their experience to share the stories they think their readers will find valuable.Screenshot of an editor featuring a story.Publication editors can feature one story every seven days. If youre an editor and have more questions about the details of this new feature, weve preemptively answered many of them in our help center.Humans firstWere building a humans-first platform. This feature is part of our philosophy of building a better internet. Featured Stories are another way that the Medium feed is curated by real humans with subject-matter expertise, not just algorithms.Medium readers want substance and deeper understanding. It is now common on Medium that the top recommendations for readers have been vetted by at least two humans ahead of you checking for quality, authenticity, depth, research, impact, and all of the things that make it likely that a story you read here will deepen your understanding of the world. (Its also this human vetting that does the heroic work of holding back the AI slop from taking over your feeds.)The bigger pictureWhen readers come to Medium, we aim to recommend high-quality stories through the human curation that powers our systems. A big part of this is our Boost program, which helps us work directly with publication editors to find great writing across all corners of Medium. More than one million people pay for a Medium membership because they get a reliably great reading experience here.Our systems are based on human curation because writing is inherently human. Thats what we mean by putting humans first. You write to think and to develop your ideas for readers, not for an algorithm. Reading is just as human. Readers look for good stories in order to better understand the world. When writing is done well with context, knowledge, and nuance then a writers wisdom passes onto their readers.But a shared, universal definition of what makes a story good does not exist. Quality is subjective because humans are unique.Story Featuring is a way to recognize and celebrate the expertise and unique perspectives that editors bring to Medium.Publications are the heart of community on Medium. Publication editors recognize, curate, and share ideas with their communities. They serve an important role to help connect readers with great writing and help stories find the right audience. Now, they can do that with more power.At Medium, everything we do connects to humans, from our membership model to our curation systems to our community of readers. What matters isnt an updated functionality in our product; its how you all use these features, and how the stories we all read will change as a result. I used the word test in the introduction of this story because theres more coming. If you have feedback, were listening leave a response here to share.