Indiana Jones and the Great Circleis out now and making waves with its strong critical reception, and though the action-adventure title is barely a few days old yet, unsurprisingly, many have also begun wondering whether it spells the beginning of a series ofIndiana Jonesgames developed by MachineGames.And though its too early yet to have any concrete answers on that front, Lucasfilm Games certainly seems more than open to the prospect of sequels toThe Great Circle. Speaking in an interview with Variety, Lucasfilm Games vice president and general manager Douglas Reilly stated that though the focus for now is on ensuring success forThe Great Circleand working on its expansion,The Order of Giants, theres also plenty of room for moreIndiana Jonesstories to be told in the future that he says could be super interesting.Right now, were focused on getting this one to the public and getting to the DLC and making this as successful as we can, Reilly said. I think were always looking for great stories. And the good news is, theres a lot of space in between the films where we could tell more and more Indiana Jones stories that I think would be super interesting.Whether or not MachineGames gets to develop moreIndiana Jonestitles will obviously depend largely on how wellThe Great Circlesells, but critical reception for the game has certainly been strong, so heres hoping the studio gets to keep doing what it wants.Currently, MachineGames is focused onIndiana Jonesaforementioned paid expansion,The Order of Giants. Not much is known about it yet, but as per the studio, the DLC will be a narratively-driven unique experience that slots in within the main campaign. Read more on that through here.Indiana Jones and the Great Circleis available on Xbox Series X/S and PC, and launches for PS5 next Spring. Read our review through here, where we awarded it a score of 9/10, calling it an authentic, swashbuckling Indiana Jones adventure that can stand toe-to-toe with the original trilogy.

TOEMwas easily one of the best and most creative new indie titles to be released in 2023, but clearly, developer Something We Made has more ideas up its sleeve that it wants to share. The indie studio has announcedTOEM 2with a brief teaser trailer that offers a glimpse of what the game will have in store. Check it out below.TOEM 2will see players embarking on another photography adventure and, like its predecessor, will sport a stylized monochromatic art style, which, as you might imagine, is very much on display in the teaser. Not much else has been shared, but clearly, fans of the original can expect a familiar adventure.Its exciting, and honestly a bit scary, returning to something so dear to our and others hearts, said Something We Made co-founder Niklas Mikkelsen. But heres the best part: the team is back together, including our amazing composers! Alongside them, weve also welcomed some new, but familiar faces to the team, bringing fresh energy while staying true to what makes TOEMspecial. Together, were working hard to makeTOEM 2something that can stand proudly beside the original game, celebrating what worked, while improving the rest. Its an ambitious goal, and were doing our absolute best.TOEM 2is still a while away, with a release set for 2026, when it will be available for PC and consoles. Presumably, we can expect it to launch for PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendos next-gen console, though specific details havent been revealed on that front yet.

The construction of Thermes stadium-sized waterpark, the doubling in size of Live Nations concert venue, and the relocation of the Ontario Science Centre are considered to be the first phase of the redevelopment of Ontario Place. The Auditor Generals report also notes that a second phase is planned. In a May 2020 Treasury board submission, the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries noted that The approach to Phase 2 is currently under consideration and contemplates the development of a large-scale entertainment destination on a portion of the East Island and mainland.A second phase of privatization would, like the first phase, entail considerable public investment. The Auditor Generals report notes that in an earlier briefing to the same ministry and to the Premiers office, Infrastructure Ontario stated that the government would be responsible for lagoon in-fill on the East Island for a larger-scale tenant for the future phase.A September 2020 illustration, obtained by Global News, appears to show Ontario Places Brigantine Cove paved over to enable a later phase of development at Ontario PlaceDocumentsobtained by the NDP and shared by Global News earlier this year appear to confirm that Phase 2 would potentially involve filling in and paving the lagoon, also known as Brigantine Covethe body of water between Budweiser Stage and Trillium Park. The purpose would be to add to the land available to build on. An August 2022 briefing prepared for the Premiers office describes this as Phase 2: Potential Future Development Opportunity (up to 25 acres).According to Global News, a September 2020 document explains that Phase II contemplates development of a large-scale entertainment, retail and restaurant destination on a portion of the East island and mainland.What could that large-scale entertainment venue, retail and restaurant destination look like? One possibility for the nature of the developmentand perhaps even the eventual developer that will be selectedis hinted at in the Auditor Generals report. One of the applicants proposing a comprehensive development on the Ontario Place site as a whole was a company called Triple Five. Triple Five initially received a low score in all categories of evaluation and was noted as having Insufficient Information Provided to Assess. But after the consensus evaluation meeting, a VP from Infrastructure Ontario reached out to Big Five to request clarification on submission details, and exchanged a series of further e-mails and phone calls with thema process that was not pursued for any of the other 10 participants who had similarly provided Insufficient Information to Assess. Triple Five resubmitted their presentation 70 days after the deadline, receiving revised higher scores.Triple Five is a company that, according to its website, has developed, owns, and manages the worlds first, second and third largest tourism, retail and entertainment complexes of its kind, including the West Edmonton Mall, Mall of America, and the American Dream indoor amusement park and luxury shopping mall.Will the Phase II addition to Ontario Place be an outpost of the West Edmonton Mall? The Ministerial Zoning Order (MZO) for the property only explicitly prohibits residential, hotel, and casino uses and in fact lists retail stores and eating establishments as permitted uses. And it would be easy enough for the government to explicitly add shopping mall, nightclub, or whatever they please to this list, as its part of a regulation which can be adjusted without approval from the Legislature, with little recourse for public debate or opposition.A view of Studio TLAs design of Ontario Places public realm. Infrastructure Ontarios estimates for this work, exclusive of site servicing, shoreline repair, and soil remediation, have increased tenfold from $50 million ($1.8 M/acre) in 2021 to $500 million ($18 M/acre) in 2024. Does this set the stage for the further privatization of Ontario Place?Following the MoneyThe Auditor Generals report revealed substantial increases for public realm spending, both for Thermes project and in the provincially-led portions of the site.As noted in an earlier post, the day before the lease was released, Therme apparently confirmed with Infrastructure Ontario that they would be spending $700 million on their projectup from the $350 million stated in their Call for Development submissions and in subsequent documents dating from 2019 to 2024. This included a projected spend of $200 million on public realm workup from $10 million in previous documentsan astounding increase of 2000%.This may be, at least in part, an effort to conceal the direct subsidy that the Province is providing to Therme for the construction of these park areas. In addition to constructing a parkade whose spots will be mostly reserved for Therme (over $280M), demolishing the West Islands buildings and trees ($40.4M), and completing site servicing of Ontario Place as a whole ($391.9 M), the Province is contractually obliged to provide an additional $25 million in direct subsidies to Thermes construction work$10 million for its public realm, and $15 million for its shoreline work.As the Auditor General noted, there is no stipulated minimum spend for construction by Therme in its 297-page contract, so whatever figures are released publicly are of no material consequence to Thermes actual construction budget.However, Thermes original projected spend of $10 million on public realm certainly would have raised eyebrows when the lease revealed a $10 million public subsidy that conveniently offset that amountand on top of that, showed that the Province was contributing $15 million towards Thermes shoreline work. This directly contradicts public claims, by the Province and Therme, that the Therme deal was justified in part by the Austrian company paying out of its own pocket for the construction of public parkland. The announcement that Therme is now, supposedly, spending $200 million on parks and public land conveniently conceals the $25 million public subsidy, and restores the narrative that Therme is paying for public parklands, even if the truth may turn out differently.Is a similar narrative twist in the works for East Island? Infrastructure Ontario has stated that its current estimate for the public realm at Ontario Place is now $500 million, up from its $50 million estimate three years ago. It told the auditor generals office that early estimates prior to a fixed design may have reflected early concepts including a basic park of Trillium Park level of design and that estimates may not have taken into consideration the considerable site rehabilitation requirements.However, the majority of site rehabilitation requirementsincluding soil rehabilitation, shoreline reconstruction, and even the construction of roadsare accounted for in a separate line item. The $500 million budget amounts to some $18 million per acre, or $413 per square foot. At this price, the entirety of the public realm could be paved in high-end Italian marble. By comparison, the rehabilitation of Torontos Portlands amounted to approximately $1.5 million per acre, the construction of Trillium Park (including the raising of the land by a metre) cost around $4 million per acre, and the construction of Corktown Common (including the raising of the land to create a 8.5-metre-high flood protection berm) cost around $7.5 million per acre.I do not intend to discourage spending on public space, but the number appears to be very large. It raises the question:Has the number been inflated to set the stage for the further privatization of Ontario Place? It is conceivable that the Phase Two development and privatization of East Island will entail an arrangement similar to that of Therme: in which a new private partner is given free rein on a large portion of land, in return for offsetting the cost of building something akin to privately-owned public spaceeven if that cost-transfer may, ultimately, be an illusion.Related:The Auditor Generals Report, Part 1: The cost of privatizing Ontario PlaceThe Auditor Generals Report, Part 2: The billion dollar question of parkingThe Auditor Generals Report, Part 3: ThermeThe Auditor Generals Report, Part 4: Collateral DamageThe post The Auditor Generals Report, Part 5: The Future, Continued Privatization of Ontario Place appeared first on Canadian Architect.

Image credit: Herzog & MeuronThe Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) announced that it will not be going forward with the design of its proposed new building and will be bringing in a new architecture partner.Estimates for the the project have now reached $600 million. Anthony Kiendl, VAGs CEO and executive director announced on December 3, 2024, that Herzog & Meuron has been removed from the project, which is taking a new direction.Following the temporary pause of on-site construction activity announced at the end of the summer, we have been reassessing the projects direction. Throughout this process, we have been listening to feedback from our supporters, artists, Members and stakeholders, who are helping to shape the next phase of this transformative project, said Kiendl.In the statement, Kiendl went on to state that VAGs goal is to create a building that embodies a diverse and inclusiveartistic vision while ensuring financial sustainability within a fixed budget.Kiendl also noted that VAG recognizes that inflation has put tremendous pressure on their plans, and as a result, it has become clear that they require a new way forward to meet both their artistic mission and vision and practical needs.For the past decade, we have had the benefit of collaborating with the esteemed Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron on plans for a newGallery. We are grateful for our partnership with them, which has helped shape our thinking around what a museum could look like in the 21st century and provided valuable research that can be applied moving forward, said Kiendl. However, in view of our reassessment, the Gallery Associations Board has made the difficult decision to part ways with Herzog & de Meuron.The statement also noted that at its last meeting, the board approved updated Strategic Priorities that will guide the gallery as they move forward. These underscore our commitment to build a new cultural hub that will be the heart of our communities and serve and inspire diverse audiences, said Kiendl.Kiendl concluded by stating that in the coming months, they will schedule a series of opportunities at the gallery to share more about the next phase of the project and discuss it with its members and communities.The post Vancouver Art Gallery to take new design direction appeared first on Canadian Architect.

The dusky grasswren (Amytornis purnelli) is a species of small passerine bird in the family Maluridae. The species is endemic to Australia, in which it is limited to inland areas of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia. The dusky grasswren inhabits rocky ranges and outcrops, often preferring tumbled talus or scree, and with areas of thick, long-unburnt spinifex grasses in the genus Triodia. In the wild, it has been observed feeding on a range of small arthropods and other invertebrates as well as seeds. The vocal repertoire of the dusky grasswren is varied and includes trills, high-pitched whistles, rapid twittering, and high-speed warbling. This dusky grasswren was photographed in Ormiston Pound in the Northern Territory.Photograph credit: John HarrisonRecently featured: Kitt Peak National ObservatoryLeucojum vernumJean RitchieArchiveMore featured pictures

December 11 Old Well at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill1789 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (structure pictured), one of the oldest public universities in the United States and the only one to award degrees in the 18th century, was chartered.1886 The London-based football club Arsenal, then known as Dial Square, played their first match on the Isle of Dogs.1920 Irish War of Independence: Following an Irish Republican Army ambush of an Auxiliary patrol, British forces burned and looted numerous buildings in Cork.2006 Criticized worldwide as a "meeting of Holocaust deniers", the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust opened in Tehran.Averroes (d.1198)KamehamehaV (b.1830; d.1872)Carl von In der Maur (d.1913)Big Mama Thornton (b.1926)More anniversaries: December 10December 11December 12ArchiveBy emailList of days of the yearAbout

Monday, December 9th, 2024Posted by Jim ThackerFoundry releases Mari 7.1html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Originally posted on 11 October for the beta, and updated for the final release.Foundry has released Mari 7.1, the next version of its 3D texture painting software.New features include a 2D Paint Mode for creating or editing 2D images without having to switch to another application, and a new Switch node for creating texture variations.New 2D Paint Mode lets users edit source images or create decals without leaving MariThe main new feature in Mari 7.1 is the new 2D Paint Mode, for creating or editing 2D images without the need to open an external application like Photoshop.Suggested use cases include cloning out imperfections in source images, and creating custom decals and grunge maps.It supports the key features of Maris 3D painting toolset, including the Paint Buffer, Node Graph and Layer Stack, and can be accessed via a new 2D pane next to the Orthographic view, making it possible to switch between 3D and 2D modes quickly.Users can export the Node Graph to disk in 2D mode in a new .mrimg file format.The update also adds a new Image Write node type intended for use in 2D mode, equivalent to the existing Bake Point node for 3D workflows.It makes it possible to bake out a 2D image to the Image Manager that is automatically updated on each rebake.New Switch node toggles between texture variantsOther key changes in Mari 7.1 include the new Switch node.It enables artists to create multiple variants of a texture for example, clean and dirty states by choosing which parts of the Node Graph to render, switching between them with a UI toggle.Workflow improvements to the node graphThe update also features workflow improvements to the node graph, including the option to click anywhere within a Backdrop node to select all of the nodes contained within that area.It is also now possible to save part of the node graph as a Shelf item, bundling the network and any source images into a single Node Package.Other improvements include the option to choose from swatches of commonly used colors when creating a new Paint node, with users also able to add their own custom swatches.Custom Procedurals renamed Smart MasksIn addition, Maris existing Custom Procedurals system has been renamed Smart Masks to help users visualise how they might want to use the procedural groups in their projects.The same terminology is used in Adobes 3D painting software, Substance 3D Painter.The update also adds a Grunge shelf with readymade Smart Masks created by Digital Domain Lead Texture Artist Stuart Ansley.Still on the CY2023 spec for the VFX Reference PlatformAlthough Mari 7.1 remains on the CY2023 specification for VFX Reference Platform, two versions behind the latest spec, several third-party libraries have been updated. Find a full list here.Price, system requirements and release dateMari 7.1 is compatible with Windows 10+ and Rocky Linux/RHEL 9. Mari is available subscription-only. Individual subscriptions have a standard price of $86/month, or $689/year. Subscriptions for teams cost $1,169/year.Read an overview of the new features in Mari 7.1 on Foundrys websiteRead a full list of new features in Mari 7.1 in the release notesHave 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 NewsFoundry releases Mari 7.1Now available: 3D texture painting software gets new 2D painting mode for editing source images or creating custom decals.Monday, December 9th, 2024Tutorial - Modeling for Film & TV: Hard-Surface VehiclesDiscover to create a truck model suitable for use in a VFX production pipeline with The Gnomon Workshop's best-practice guide.Sunday, December 8th, 2024Autodesk open-sources USD for 3ds MaxSource code for the USD add-on for the 3D modeling and animation software is now available under an Apache 2.0 license.Saturday, December 7th, 2024Get Epic Games' free Project Titan Unreal Engine sampleDownload an 8km x 8km UE5 environment created in a massive 10-week art jam, with custom plugins and world-building tools.Friday, December 6th, 2024Maxon releases Redshift 2025.2GPU renderer gets new non-photorealistic rendering options and a USD Command Line Rendering tool for use on render farms.Thursday, December 5th, 2024Maxon releases Cinema 4D 2025.13D animation and motion graphics software gets revamped Boolean modeling system, plus updates to simulation and USD workflows.Thursday, December 5th, 2024More NewsMaxon 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 betaiClone 8.52 adds new AI-assisted character posing systemDownload ActionVFX's 20 free stock VFX clips of asteroidsBlack Friday, Cyber Monday and Holiday 2024 deals for CG artistsNekki releases Cascadeur 2024.3Tutorial - Maya for Animators: Body Mechanics3DGS Render 2.0 now lets you edit 3D Gaussian Splats in BlenderOlder Posts

The second Gilded Age: Why the 2020s feel like the 1890sPublished inThe Medium BlogSent as aNewsletter3 min read2 hours ago-- Welcome back to the Medium NewsletterIssue #225: an ode to details + the Three-Round Rule of EditingLets rewind to 1876. On Valentines Day that year, a quirky inventor in Boston submitted a patent for what would become the phone. He wasnt the only oneElisha Gray submitted a similar patent the same day, and contested Bells. Patents in the late 1800s grew nearly 400% (and so did patent litigation).That was the beginning of the Gilded Age (roughly 1870 to 1900 in the U.S.), a period of explosive economic, cultural, and technological change in nearly every dimension of life. New tools changed how we connect, communicate, and make art: the telephone, phonograph, trains, cars, the Kodak camera. The creators of these tools (or those who built infrastructure to help them scale) lived in Gothic villas with armies of staff that insulated them from the world. The top 4,000 families in the U.S. were as rich as everyone else combined.Today, instead of the telephone and phonograph, we have lightning-fast user-generated video and AI-enhanced art. Instead of The Breakers, industry titans live in hyperminimalist glass-and-concrete mansions in northern California. Global income inequality is even more pronounced than it was 150 years ago. In the U.S., income inequality is higher than in any of the G7 nations. The divide between the <1% and everyone else is getting wider.Mark Twain, who coined the term Gilded Age in an 1870s satirical novel, chose the word gilded instead of gold to signify that the sheen was only skin deep, like body paint instead of lasting wealth. Underneath the surface of progress and glamour, a lot of people were unhappy and angry. Anarchists expressed their rage by throwing bombs and assassinating industrialists. Railroad workers went on strike, and so did farmers.The parallels between then and now, once youre aware of them, are hard to unsee: lookalike contests (a form of cheap entertainment that imitates/idolizes people in power) in place of small-town Vaudeville impersonators; the assassination of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson and its revolution-tinged fallout, an echo of the attempted assassination of anti-union steel magnate Henry Clay Frick by a labor activist; the rise of labor unions which some credit as helping to end the first Gilded Age.Im borrowing some of this argument from sociologist Zeynep Tufekci, but Ive been thinking about it a lot lately. Is this what it feels like to live through the second Gilded Age? Harris Sockel 1 story, 1 sentenceChatGPT is known to evade questions about names appearing on U.S. terrorism watch lists. (Cassie Kozyrkov)The idea that 55% of communication is nonverbal took off 20 years ago, but its a misinterpretation of experiment results and as it turns out, the importance of nonverbal communication changes based on context. (Elaine Hilides)I love this ode to minuscule, make-or-break details by software engineer John Salvatier: The more difficult your mission, the more details there will be that are critical to understand for success. Your daily dose of practical wisdomEverything you write deserves three rounds of edits. The first round is for you, second round is for your fans, and third round is for your haters. (Neil Strauss via Tony Stubblebine)