The Sims 4 has a lot of content; there's no debating that. After 11 years and dozens of expansions and other DLC, there's no shortage of stuff to do in this game. But for most folks, playing house the normal way eventually gets old. You've played the way EA wants you to play, you've found a pretty solid stable of mods you like, and now you wanna try something new. It's time to dabble in some community challenges.While the best The Sims 4 challenges have prominently been used by content creators who needed things to make videos about, these challenges tend to be just as amusing for regular folks to take on in their own games. When you need to spice things up a bit, these are great ideas to try. Just keep in mind that, even though some of these challenges have a lot of rules, they're more fun if you tailor them to how you like to play instead of sweating all the legalities, especially if you're not actually competing with anyone else. 100 Baby ChallengePerhaps the most well-known Sims community challenge is the 100 Baby Challenge, in which players are tasked with having 100 offspring that grow into adults from a single family in as few generations as possible. But the twist is that the family can only have one person who gets pregnant at any given time--the matriarch, as it were. The challenge requires each baby to age up normally until they reach young adulthood, at which point they can move out, making room for new babies.And when the matriarch becomes too old to have children or dies, another child will take over as matriarch. The ultimate goal is to reach a hundred babies while going through as few different matriarchs as possible. There are a huge number of rules involved with this challenge, including many that factor in DLC. And there are variations for The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 as well. Legacy challengeIf the 100 Baby challenge sounds like too much, the Legacy challenge may be more your speed. In this challenge, we start with a single sim who has nothing, put them on an empty lot, and spend a set number of generations (like 10 or more) building up the family to see how wealthy and successful you can make them over a long period of time, while also building up a large estate on the lot that you started with, so ideally you'll begin on a bigger lot. As with the 100 Baby challenge, there are many rules for this one, as well as several variations that will ramp up the difficulty. Rags to Riches, and Homeless challengeTechnically these are distinct challenges, but they overlap each other so much we might as well lump them together. These are both essentially supercharged versions of the Legacy challenge where you start off with nothing or next to nothing--and with the so-called "Homeless" challenge, you don't even get a home lot, and you'll have to live off the facilities in public areas, like parks, gyms, and bars. It can be pretty tough to get going like this, particularly if your Sim has no education or skills to speak of, but that's also why it's interesting--you'll be thinking about The Sims 4's systems, and also real-world systemic housing problems, in all-new ways. You can go through the rules for the Homeless challenge here, and the ones for the Rags to Riches challenge here.We should point out that these challenges play a little bit differently with the new Enchanted by Nature expansion, which added the Natural Living skill that makes it pretty easy to live in the woods without any furniture. While that skill lessens the friction of this challenge, for some folks that'll be a reason to give it a new shot. Black Widow challengeThe Sims 4 is usually a nice game, but what if you don't want to be nice? Then it's time for the Black Widow challenge, in which your Sim is tasked with marrying another Sim and then killing them in order to get their money. While, yes, The Sims 4 does not have a murder mechanic, the Black Widow's target will be a member of your household that you can manually control--you can lock them in an empty room until they starve, or make them sit in the snow until they freeze, or trick them into getting eaten by a cowplant, or whatever else you might want to do to these poor digital souls. And then once they're dead and gone, you do it again and again until your Sim dies of old age. You can read more on the rules and scoring here. Not So Berry challengeSome of the best Sims 4 challenges are the arbitrary ones, and the Not So Berry challenge, co-developed by YouTuber lilsimsie, definitely fits that description. Essentially a themed version of the Legacy challenge, the Not So Berry challenge tasks you with color coding each generation of your family--the first generation wears mint-colored clothing and has mint-colored hair, for example, but the second generation would be rose-themed. You'll likewise decorate your Sims' home with the current generation's color. For the full list of rules and color schemes, you'll want to pay a visit to lilsimsie's site. Black and White Build challengeNothing complicated about this one, as the only task here is to build a house that looks dope in black and white. This requires messing with your computer or monitor's settings, though. On a PC, you'll want to type in "Color Filter Settings" in the Windows start menu, turn the filter on, and select Grayscale as the option. On a console, you'll instead go into the settings on your monitor or TV, and under the display settings you'll turn the color slider all the way down, which should make your screen black and white. Then build away. Just be sure to see what it looks like in color once you're done, because you'll often end up with some really fascinating color schemes from building this way. Shell challengeThe idea with this one is pretty simple: From the Gallery, search for and download a frame of a house, or "shell," which has exterior walls and doors and a roof but otherwise has nothing inside, and then do what you can to make it your own. It's not a complicated challenge, as it's just a way to inspire you to try something new by using somebody else's frame instead of your own. Tiny House challengeThe task here is to choose a very small area within a lot, like a 16-tile square, and build a home entirely within it. The bb.moveobjects cheat is an absolute necessity for this challenge, since you otherwise wouldn't be able to fit much of anything in a space that small, and the Tiny Living DLC adds some furniture that'll help, like a bed that folds up into the wall. Even so, this challenge requires serious creativity to do it well. No CC/Base Game challengeJust build a home while only using free, base-game items--no DLC or custom content allowed. For folks who have been collecting DLC and CC for years, this challenge can be pretty illuminating, as it'll force you to play without some of your favorite items. It's also a good challenge for a friendly social competition, since everyone will be working with the same items. Real House challengeYou can probably figure out what this one is without any explanation--obviously, this challenge is about recreating a real house in The Sims 4, as best you can. You'll need to take liberties with some things, since EA probably doesn't have perfect recreations of all the furniture and appliances in your house, but figuring out the best replacements is part of the fun. James Turner's challenge generatorIf none of the other challenges sounds particularly compelling to you, or if you're an old hat who's already done all these challenges, YouTuber James Turner has a challenge generator that gives you random requirements for a home design and the makeup of a family. For example: make a rustic-style home with three floors, a budget of 16,000 simoleons, and a family that consists of two couples. Check out the challenge generator here.Sometimes the challenge generator spits out some strange requests--I've gotten "make sure all the bathrooms have at least five toilets" before. But if you don't like what it gives you, you can just generate a new one, or simply disregard the nonsensical suggestion. The purpose of the challenge generator is to give you ideas, not to force you to play in a way that annoys you, so it's best not to be too legalistic about it.

Recent news of Activision's decision to remove Carry Forward for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is being met with a mixed response from the game's community. While the majority of Call of Duty players appear to be ecstatic about entering Black Ops 7 without cartoon operators in their lobbies, others are incredibly upset that their purchased bundles and favorite weapons won't be making their way into the game.

At Gamescom, NVIDIA is releasing its first major update to Project GAssist an experimental on-device AI assistant that allows users to tune their NVIDIA RTX systems with voice and text commands.The update brings a new AI model that uses 40% less VRAM, improves tool-calling intelligence and extends G-Assist support to all RTX GPUs with 6GB or more VRAM, including laptops. Plus, a new G-Assist Plug-In Hub enables users to easily discover and download plug-ins to enable more G-Assist features.NVIDIA also announced a new path-traced particle system, coming in September to the NVIDIA RTX Remix modding platform, that brings fully simulated physics, dynamic shadows and realistic reflections to visual effects.In addition, NVIDIA named the winners of the NVIDIA and ModDB RTX Remix Mod Contest. Check out the winners and finalist RTX mods in the RTX Remix GeForce article.G-Assist Gets Smarter, Expands to More RTX PCsThe modern PC is a powerhouse, but unlocking its full potential means navigating a complex maze of settings across system software, GPU and peripheral utilities, control panels and more.Project G-Assist is a free, on-device AI assistant built to cut through that complexity. It acts as a central command center, providing easy access to functions previously buried in menus through voice or text commands. Users can ask the assistant to:Run diagnostics to optimize game performanceDisplay or chart frame rates, latency and GPU temperaturesAdjust GPU or even peripheral settings, such as keyboard lightingThe G-Assist update also introduces a new, significantly more efficient AI model thats faster and uses 40% less memory while maintaining response accuracy. The more efficient model means that G-Assist can now run on all RTX GPUs with 6GB or more VRAM, including laptops.Getting started is simple:Install the latest Game Ready Driver (580.97 and above) from the NVIDIA app.Open the NVIDIA app, go to Settings > About and opt in to Beta and Experimental Features / Early Access. Then re-launch the app; it should be on version 11.0.5.On the NVIDIA app, go to Home, scroll down to Discover and download the G-Assist 0.1.17 update.Press Alt+G to activate.Another G-Assist update coming in September will introduce support for laptop-specific commands for features like NVIDIA BatteryBoost and Battery OPS.Introducing the G-Assist Plug-In Hub With Mod.ioNVIDIA is collaborating with mod.io to launch the G-Assist Plug-In Hub, which allows users to easily access G-Assist plug-ins, as well as discover and download community-created ones.With the mod.io plug-in, users can ask G-Assist to discover and install new plug-ins.With the latest update, users can also directly ask G-Assist what new plug-ins are available in the hub and install them using natural language, thanks to a mod.io plug-in.The recent G-Assist Plug-In Hackathon showcased the incredible creativity of the G-Assist community. Heres a sneak peek of what they came up with:Some finalists include:Omniplay allows gamers to use G-Assist to research lore from online wikis or take notes in real time while gamingLaunchpad lets gamers set, launch and toggle custom app groups on the fly to boost productivityFlux NIM Microservice for G-Assist allows gamers to easily generate AI images from within G-Assist, using on-device NVIDIA NIM microservicesThe winners of the hackathon will be announced on Wednesday, Aug. 20.Building custom plug-ins is simple. Theyre based on a foundation of JSON and Python scripts and the Project G-Assist Plug-In Builder helps further simplify development by enabling users to code plug-ins with natural language.Mod It Like Its Hot With RTX RemixClassic PC games remain beloved for their unforgettable stories, characters and gameplay but their dated graphics can be a barrier for new and longtime players.NVIDIA RTX Remix enables modders to revitalize these timeless titles with the latest NVIDIA gaming technologies bridging nostalgic gameplay with modern visuals.Since the platforms release, the RTX Remix modding community has grown with over 350 active projects and over 100 mods released. The mods span a catalog of beloved games like Half-Life 2, Need for Speed: Underground, Portal 2 and Deus Ex and have amassed over 2 million downloads.In May, NVIDIA invited modders to participate in the NVIDIA and ModDB RTX Remix Mod Contest for a chance to win $50,000 in cash prizes. At Gamescom, NVIDIA announced the winners:Best Overall RTX Mod Winner: Painkiller RTX Remix, by Binq_AdamsBest Use of RTX in a Mod Winner: Painkiller RTX Remix, by Binq_AdamsRunner-Up: Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines RTX Remaster, by SafemilkMost Complete RTX Mod Winner: Painkiller RTX Remix, by Binq_AdamsRunner-Up: I-Ninja Remixed, by g.i.george333Community Choice RTX Mod Winner: Call of Duty 2 RTX Remix of Carentan, by tadpole3159These modders tapped RTX Remix and generative AI to bring their creations to life from enhancing textures to quickly creating images and 3D assets.For example, the Merry Pencil Studios modder team used a workflow that seamlessly connected RTX Remix and ComfyUI, allowing them to simply select textures in the RTX Remix viewport and, with a single click in ComfyUI, restore them.The results are stunning, with each texture meticulously recreated with physically based materials layered with grime and rust. With a fully path-traced lighting system, the games gothic horror atmosphere has never felt more immersive to play through.All mods submitted to the RTX Remix Modding Contest, as well as 100 more Remix mods, are available to download from ModDB. For a sneak peek at RTX Remix projects under active development, check out the RTX Remix Showcase Discord server.Another RTX Remix update coming in September will allow modders to create new particles that match the look of those found in modern titles. This opens the door for over 165 RTX Remix-compatible games to have particles for the first time.To get started creating RTX mods, download NVIDIA RTX Remix from the home screen of the NVIDIA app. Read the RTX Remix article to learn more about the contest and winners.Each week, the RTX AI Garage blog series features community-driven AI innovations and content for those looking to learn more about NVIDIA NIM microservices and AI Blueprints, as well as building AI agents, creative workflows, productivity apps and more on AI PCs and workstations.Plug in to NVIDIA AI PC on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X and stay informed by subscribing to the RTX AI PC newsletter. Join NVIDIAs Discord server to connect with community developers and AI enthusiasts for discussions on whats possible with RTX AI.Follow NVIDIA Workstation on LinkedIn and X.See notice regarding software product information.

By TREVOR HOGGImages courtesy of HBO.Dune: Prophecy pulls back the veil on the origins of the mysterious organization known as Bene Gessent founded by the two Harkonnen sisters with the goal of breeding a male messianic figure known as the Kwisatz Haderach, who has the ability to access genetic memory and bridge the gap between different eras. The HBO sci-fi series is set 10,000 years before the Dune feature films directed by Denis Villeneuve and consists of six episodes created by Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapker that required approximately 2,500 visual effects shots by Important Looking Pirates, Accenture Song VFX, Image Engine, Raynault VFX, Rodeo FX, The Resistance, Futureworks and Territory Studio to achieve the desire scope and grandeur. Overseeing the digital augmentation was Michael Enriquez and Terron Pratt, both of whom previously worked on epic projects such as Foundation and Lost in Space, respectively.There was a refinement to what we shot [for the Bene Gesserit ritual], and we ended up lifting Sister Lila and replacing the entire world around her and choreographing the ancestors in a more gruesome way. At moments, the ancestors are almost morphing or splitting, with their hands coming out their arms, and double heads. There is this gruesome, monstrous component to the ancestors appearing before Sister Lila. We couldnt do that monstrous form with what was shot. If you look carefully, every time the light would flash, the number and placement of the ancestors changes. The only way we could handle that was going full CG.Michael Enriquez, VFX SupervisorImperium soldier Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) displays a terrifying ability to burn people alive through pyrokinesis.Contributing to the gruesomeness of the characters being burned alive are the flying embers and sparks being emitted by their skin.In Foundation, we did not necessarily have a box to play in, states VFX Supervisor Michael Enriquez. It was like, Were inventing this new world that no one has seen before. It was exciting but difficult to figure out a theme for that show. With Dune, theres already such a rich visual language established by the features. It was interesting to live within that world but still tell a story that is 10,000 years removed from it. In a way, it tied our hands but also forced us to be more creative. The time gap is not as large as one would think. Because of this technical stagnation where computers and tech, for the most part, have been outlawed, everyone is returning to alternative ways of doing things, Enriquez notes. Technology hasnt advanced. While culture and designs may have evolved the way they function in general, its exactly the same. We tried to give a slightly more antique vibe to certain components, but, in the end, they still use Holtzman Shields, spaceships and folding space tech to get around.One of the biggest challenges for spaceports was to make sure there was enough activity taking place in the background to make the environments look believable and alive.I loved being able to work with Shai-Hulud [the sandworms] and put it in an environment that the audience hasnt seen before. The first time we see Shai-Hulud is a combination Arrakis and the Sisterhood environment because it is a dream sequence. Image Engine did a fantastic job to bring Shai-Hulud to life and also creating dynamic effects simulations with Shai-Hulud breaching the sand and coming up through [it] and demolishing that sandcastle-like Sisterhood complex.Terron Pratt, VFX ProducerThe capability of a Face Dancer to shapeshift is demonstrated in-camera. We tried to give it this intermediate stage so its not just Person A is going to Person B, Enriquez remarks. The character goes from the griffin character to this hairless, translucent figure and then to Sister Theodosia [Jade Anouka]. The shot we had to show it in was quite dark, so not a lot was to be seen, but there was a lot of thought process going into how to not make it like Michael Jacksons Black or White video where we were going from one person to another. We wanted to avoid that morph feeling and have it feel like an actual progression between two different stages. Shapeshifting is painful. We had extensive discussions with the director [Richard Lewis] and showrunner [Alison Schapker] in regards to this effect, explains VFX Producer Terron Pratt. We talked about what was needed for the actors to do on set to convey this pain and transformation. Then, in post, we took over areas to emphasize the pain and movement of the bones and the shifting of the structure underneath. It was technically challenging to get to that intermediate stage and for the audience to still understand what was happening without portraying this as a simple morph.Even with the extensive practical sets, digital augmentation was required to get the necessary scope and scale.Imperium soldier Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) displays a terrifying ability to burn people alive through pyrokinesis. Desmond Hart burns about six people through the course of the season, Pratt states. There were a few instances where we utilized some prosthetics makeup later on in the series. The first two were all us. Its a slow build as we start to burn the child. As a parent, its a difficult thing to figure out how we do this and present that idea without disturbing the audience in our first episode. We took that over completely in CG. We did a lot of matchmove and started to do that burning, emitting the steam and smoke from that character. That was carried much further as we get into Reverend Mother Kasha Jinjo [Jihae]; she is a bit more exposed. We can see the lava coming through the breaking skin, and particles of ash as well as charring and smoke coming up. Its a visceral moment. We talk extensively about what point is this not believable? Someone is burning from the inside, which is inherently not believable, except for the fact that we set our limit so at the point where she exhales and smoke comes out of her mouth, we said, Shes fully burned from the inside and her lungs are gone. Theoretically, your body can keep on burning; however, we dont show that on the screen anymore.Advance technology takes the form of thinking machines. It was a process because theres no real precedent for the technology in Dune, and so much has been done on sci-fi robotics and tech, Enriquez observes. We had to try to figure out what that feels like. A jumping-off point were the descriptions of the Synx [empire ruled by thinking machines and cyborgs] during the Machine War [Butlerian Jihad]. They were described like crabs. The first thinking machines we see are flashbacks to the Machine War, and got that started while we began building our lizard. We wanted it to feel like a toy because we were trying to say that the Richese family, which has the lizard, is more permissive as far as thinking machine tech. There are parts of the galaxy that dont care too much about the banishment because they feel thinking machines help their lives. There was so much variety in the type of tech that was being shown, we wanted to find a basic throughline that the audience would understand as a thinking machine. We decided that nothing in this world has blue lights except for thinking machines.Dune: Prophecy takes place 10,000 years before Dune and Dune: Part Two.Rodeo FX did quite a big build [for the Imperial Palace], and it was challenging for them because the Imperial Palace has a fantastical look with the water gardens as well as the shape and scale. The spaceport was a challenge in a different way in terms of the number of people and amount of activity that always had to be going on. Accenture Song VFX did a great job on everything from our fly-ins to aerial and ground shots; it was hard to tell where the practical set ended and the CG extension began.Michael Enriquez, VFX SupervisorSandworms make their presence felt in the drama during the breaching of the Shai-Hulud (Fremens reverent term for the sandworms). Shai-Hulud is iconic for the Dune franchise, and being able to launch into that with our first episode meant we could start off strong, hit the audience with something theyre expecting to see, and then we can dig into the other stuff, Pratt notes. I loved being able to work with Shai-Hulud and put it in an environment that the audience hasnt seen before. The first time we see Shai-Hulud is a combination Arrakis and the Sisterhood environment because it is a dream sequence. Image Engine did a fantastic job to bring Shai-Hulud to life and also create dynamic effects simulations with Shai-Hulud breaching the sand, coming up through [it] and demolishing that sandcastle-like Sisterhood complex.Some of the most disturbing imagery has an almost haunting charcoal aesthetic.The Imperial Palace and spaceport on Kaitain were significant asset builds. They were both big environments for us, with the amount of detail that needed to be there, because our cameras were flying all over the place, especially on the Imperial Palace, Enriquez states. We didnt have much of a location for the Imperial Palace except near the entrances where there were a couple of vertical structures. Otherwise, it was a 100% CG. Rodeo FX did quite a big build, and it was challenging for them because the Imperial Palace has a fantastical look with the water gardens as well as the shape and scale. The spaceport was a challenge in a different way in terms of the number of people and amount of activity that always had to be going on. Accenture Song VFX did a great job on everything from our fly-ins to aerial and ground shots; it was hard to tell where the practical set ended and the CG extension began. At times, we needed to have people walking in clusters or there were too many single people. It was a lot of choreographing of action and general background.Prosthetic makeup could not be entirely relied upon and required some digital assistance.Getting planetary introductions are Lankiveil and Wallach IX. It was nice to get into the sandbox that was all our own, Pratt remarks. We started with a tremendous amount of concept design by Tom Meyer [Production Designer] and his team. There was a distinct look between the two planets, which had to feel desolate and almost uninhabitable. Interestingly, Lankiveil was shot a couple of hours away from our stages in Budapest, and it happened to be lightly snowing. It was genuinely cold, and there was snow on the ground, although we enhanced that with special effects snow falling. Small structures were built into a side of a mountain, and we expanded that and carried that look down to the fishing village, which was actually shot in a quarry that had a mound and some structures built out to provide a shoreline. We expanded that with matte paintings and extensive 3D work with effects water and distant ships out on the horizon. Wallach IX was also shot in a quarry outside of Budapest, which served as the environmental foundation. We had these big multi-tiered rock walls, and the spaceport area was built on one of the lower levels, Pratt states. From there, we decided on the orientation of the complex that was going to be on one of the upper levels and built our surrounding environment to match the quarry. Ultimately, we took over a good percentage of that quarry, but it was good to have established the look in-camera.Smoke was added to emphasize the fact that the character is burning from the inside out.Zimia City on Salusa Secundus is a prominent setting. We tried to figure out how much of Zimia City had to be built out because one of the most challenging things to do artificially is ground-level city work, Pratt observes. There is so much detail and so many things that have go in to making it feel believable. Thankfully, for this season, most of time when we are in Zimia City its flyovers, and we only had one scene that took place at ground level when Valya Harkonnen [Emily Watson] goes to visit her family. Tom gave us a ton of concepts for buildings and the general layout of the city. We ran with it and tried to figure out the exact locations of where things are so the connecting shots of cars driving to and from made sense in terms of geography. We fleshed out the city enough that it gave us everything that was needed for this season. We still didnt go crazy as far as building an entire city where you can go and land on the ground level. Zimia City ended up being much more efficient than I feared it would be.Much of the bloodwork was achieved in post-production.A diffused, misty lighting gives an ethereal quality to the shot.A significant asset build was the Imperial Palace.A flashback to the Machine War otherwise known as the Butlerian Jihad.In a dream sequence, the Shai-Hulud breaches the Sisterhood complex, which is made out of sand.Blue lights were a signature visual cue for the thought machines.Sandworms make their presence felt in Episode 101.Wallach IX is a desolate planet shot in a quarry outside Budapest, with the spaceport located at a lower tier.Approximately 2,500 visual effects shots were created for Dune: Prophecy.Given the ban on technology, the visual language of Dune: Prophecy is not radically different to the feature films.Living up to its name is the Bene Gesserit ritual known as the Agony where Sister Lila [Chloe Lea] consumes the Water of Life, which unlocks her genetic memory and, in the process, she becomes a Reverend Mother. We formulated a plan, which was shot to the best of our abilities, and as the cut was being put together, we realized this wasnt what the show needed, Enriquez reveals. There was a refinement to what we shot, and we ended up lifting Sister Lila and replacing the entire world around her and choreographing the ancestors in a more gruesome way. At moments, the ancestors are almost morphing or splitting, with their hands coming out their arms, and double heads. There is this gruesome, monstrous component to the ancestors appearing before Sister Lila. We couldnt do that monstrous form with what was shot. If you look carefully, every time the light would flash, the number and placement of the ancestors changes. The only way we could handle that was going full CG. Im happy with how it turned out.

PlayStation Store welcomes an all-new promotion, starting August 27. For a limited time*, Ready, Set, Play will offer a vast selection of games, including blockbuster franchises, acclaimed indies and standalone greats, at discount. The question then is, where do you start?Were here to help you with the answer. 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After having played through the first acts of the game, youre more than ready to experience more of the campaign of Path of Exile 2. In update 0.3.0 "The Third Edict," Grinding Gear Games not only adds a fresh act that takes you to a brand-new region, but it also makes adjustments to skills and systems.

A design system is more than just a set of colors and buttons. Its a shared language that helps designers and developers build good products together. At its core, a design system includes tokens (like colors, spacing, fonts), components (such as buttons, forms, navigation), plus the rules and documentation that tie all together across projects.If youve ever used systems like Google Material Design or Shopify Polaris, for example, then youve seen how design systems set clear expectations for structure and behavior, making teamwork smoother and faster. But while design systems promote consistency, keeping everything in sync is the hard part. Update a token in Figma, like a color or spacing value, and that change has to show up in the code, the documentation, and everywhere else its used.The same thing goes for components: when a buttons behavior changes, it needs to update across the whole system. Thats where the right tools and a bit of automation can make the difference. They help reduce repetitive work and keep the system easier to manage as it grows.In this article, well cover a variety of tools and techniques for syncing tokens, updating components, and keeping docs up to date, showing how automation can make all of it easier.The Building Blocks Of AutomationLets start with the basics. Color, typography, spacing, radii, shadows, and all the tiny values that make up your visual language are known as design tokens, and theyre meant to be the single source of truth for the UI. Youll see them in design software like Figma, in code, in style guides, and in documentation. Smashing Magazine has covered them before in great detail.The problem is that they often go out of sync, such as when a color or component changes in design but doesnt get updated in the code. The more your team grows or changes, the more these mismatches show up; not because people arent paying attention, but because manual syncing just doesnt scale. Thats why automating tokens is usually the first thing teams should consider doing when they start building a design system. That way, instead of writing the same color value in Figma and then again in a configuration file, you pull from a shared token source and let that drive both design and development.There are a few tools that are designed to help make this easier.Token StudioToken Studio is a Figma plugin that lets you manage design tokens directly in your file, export them to different formats, and sync them to code.SpecifySpecify lets you collect tokens from Figma and push them to different targets, including GitHub repositories, continuous integration pipelines, documentation, and more.NameDesignTokens.guideNamedDesignTokens.guide helps with naming conventions, which is honestly a common pain point, especially when youre working with a large number of tokens.Once your tokens are set and connected, youll spend way less time fixing inconsistencies. It also gives you a solid base to scale, whether thats adding themes, switching brands, or even building systems for multiple products.Thats also when naming really starts to count. If your tokens or components arent clearly named, things can get confusing quickly.Note: Vitaly Friedmans How to Name Things is worth checking out if youre working with larger systems.From there, its all about components. Tokens define the values, but components are what people actually use, e.g., buttons, inputs, cards, dropdowns you name it. In a perfect setup, you build a component once and reuse it everywhere. But without structure, its easy for things to drift out of scope. Its easy to end up with five versions of the same button, and whats in code doesnt match whats in Figma, for example.Automation doesnt replace design, but rather, it connects everything to one source.The Figma component matches the one in production, the documentation updates when the component changes, and the whole team is pulling from the same library instead of rebuilding their own version. This is where real collaboration happens.Here are a few tools that help make that happen: Tool What It Does UXPin Merge Lets you design using real code components. What you prototype is what gets built. Supernova Helps you publish a design system, sync design and code sources, and keep documentation up-to-date. Zeroheight Turns your Figma components into a central, browsable, and documented system for your whole team. How Does Everything Connect?A lot of the work starts right inside your design application. Once your tokens and components are in place, tools like Supernova help you take it further by extracting design data, syncing it across platforms, and generating production-ready code. You dont need to write custom scripts or use the Figma API to get value from automation; these tools handle most of it for you.But for teams that want full control, Figma does offer an API. It lets you do things like the following:Pull token values (like colors, spacing, typography) directly from Figma files,Track changes to components and variants,Tead metadata (like style names, structure, or usage patterns), andMap which components are used where in the design.The Figma API is REST-based, so it works well with custom scripts and automations. You dont need a huge setup, just the right pieces. On the development side, teams usually use Node.js or Python to handle automation. For example:Fetch styles from Figma.Convert them into JSON.Push the values to a design token repo or directly into the codebase.You wont need that level of setup for most use cases, but its helpful to know its there if your team outgrows no-code tools.Where do your tokens and components come from?How do updates happen?What tools keep everything connected?The workflow becomes easier to manage once thats clear, and you spend less time trying to fix changes or mismatches. When tokens, components, and documentation stay in sync, your team moves faster and spends less time fixing the same issues.Extracting Design DataFigma is a collaborative design tool used to create UIs: buttons, layouts, styles, components, everything that makes up the visual language of the product. Its also where all your design data lives, which includes the tokens we talked about earlier. This data is what well extract and eventually connect to your codebase. But first, youll need a setup. To follow along:Go to figma.com and create a free account.Download the Figma desktop app if you prefer working locally, but keep an eye on system requirements if youre on an older device.Once youre in, youll see a home screen that looks something like the following: From here, its time to set up your design tokens. You can either create everything from scratch or use a template from the Figma community to save time. Templates are a great option if you dont want to build everything yourself. But if you prefer full control, creating your setup totally works too.There are other ways to get tokens as well. For example, a site like namedesigntokens.guide lets you generate and download tokens in formats like JSON. The only catch is that Figma doesnt let you import JSON directly, so if you go that route, youll need to bring in a middle tool like Specify to bridge that gap. It helps sync tokens between Figma, GitHub, and other places.For this article, though, well keep it simple and stick with Figma. Pick any design system template from the Figma community to get started; there are plenty to choose from.Depending on the template you choose, youll get a pre-defined set of tokens that includes colors, typography, spacing, components, and more. These templates come in all types: website, e-commerce, portfolio, app UI kits, you name it. For this article, well be using the /Design-System-Template--Community because it includes most of the tokens youll need right out of the box. But feel free to pick a different one if you want to try something else.Once youve picked your template, its time to download the tokens. Well use Supernova, a tool that connects directly to your Figma file and pulls out design tokens, styles, and components. It makes the design-to-code process a lot smoother.Step 1: Sign Up on SupernovaGo to supernova.io and create an account. Once youre in, youll land on a dashboard that looks like this: Step 2: Connect Your Figma FileTo pull in the tokens, head over to the Data Sources section in Supernova and choose Figma from the list of available sources. (Youll also see other options like Storybook or Figma variables, but were focusing on Figma.) Next, click on Connect a new file, paste the link to your Figma template, and click Import.Supernova will load the full design system from your template. From your dashboard, youll now be able to see all the tokens.Turning Tokens Into CodeDesign tokens are great inside Figma, but the real value shows when you turn them into code. Thats how the developers on your team actually get to use them.Heres the problem: Many teams default to copying values manually for things like color, spacing, and typography. But when you make a change to them in Figma, the code is instantly out of sync. Thats why automating this process is such a big win.Instead of rewriting the same theme setup for every project, you generate it, constantly translating designs into dev-ready assets, and keep everything in sync from one source of truth.Now that weve got all our tokens in Supernova, lets turn them into code. First, go to the Code Automation tab, then click New Pipeline. Youll see different options depending on what you want to generate: React Native, CSS-in-JS, Flutter, Godot, and a few others.Lets go with the CSS-in-JS option for the sake of demonstration:After that, youll land on a setup screen with three sections: Data, Configuration, and Delivery.DataHere, you can pick a theme. At first, it might only give you Black as the option; you can select that or leave it empty. It really doesnt matter for the time being.ConfigurationThis is where you control how the code is structured. I picked PascalCase for how token names are formatted. You can also update how things like spacing, colors, or font styles are grouped and saved.DeliveryThis is where you choose how you want the output delivered. I chose Build Only, which builds the code for you to download.Once youre done, click Save. The pipeline is created, and youll see it listed in your dashboard. From here, you can download your token code, which is already generated.Automating DocumentationSo, whats the point of documentation in a design system?You can think of it as the instruction manual for your team. It explains what each token or component is, why it exists, and how to use it. Designers, developers, and anyone else on your team can stay on the same page no guessing, no back-and-forth. Just clear context.Lets continue from where we stopped. Supernova is capable of handling your documentation. Head over to the Documentation tab. This is where you can start editing everything about your design system docs, all from the same place.You can:Add descriptions to your tokens,Define what each base token is for (as well as what its not for),Organize sections by colors, typography, spacing, or components, andDrop in images, code snippets, or examples.Youre building the documentation inside the same tool where your tokens live. In other words, theres no jumping between tools and no additional setup. Thats where the automation kicks in. You edit once, and your docs stay synced with your design source. It all stays in one environment.Once youre done, click Publish and you will be presented with a new window asking you to sign in. After that, youre able to access your live documentation site.Practical Tips For AutomationsAutomation is great. It saves hours of manual work and keeps your design system tight across design and code. The trick is knowing when to automate and how to make sure it keeps working over time. You dont need to automate everything right away. But if youre doing the same thing over and over again, thats a kind of red flag.A few signs that its time to consider using automation:Youre using the same styles across multiple platforms (like web and mobile).You have a shared design system used by more than one team.Design tokens change often, and you want updates to flow into code automatically.Youre tired of manual updates every time the brand team tweaks a color. There are three steps you need to consider. Lets look at each one.Step 1: Keep An Eye On Tools And API UpdatesIf your pipeline depends on design tools, like Figma, or platforms, like Supernova, youll want to know when changes are made and evaluate how they impact your work, because even small updates can quietly affect your exports.Its a good idea to check Figmas API changelog now and then, especially if something feels off with your token syncing. They often update how variables and components are structured, and that can impact your pipeline. Theres also an RSS feed for product updates.The same goes for Supernovas product updates. They regularly roll out improvements that might tweak how your tokens are handled or exported. If youre using open-source tools like Style Dictionary, keeping an eye on the GitHub repo (particularly the Issues tab) can save you from debugging weird token name changes later.All of this isnt about staying glued to release notes, but having a system to check if something suddenly stops working. That way, youll catch things before they reach production.Step 2: Break Your Pipeline Into Smaller StepsA common trap teams fall into is trying to automate everything in one big run: colors, spacing, themes, components, and docs, all processed in a single click. It sounds convenient, but its hard to maintain, and even harder to debug.Its much more manageable to split your automation into pieces. For example, having a single workflow that handles your core design tokens (e.g., colors, spacing, and font sizes), another for theme variations (e.g., light and dark themes), and one more for component mapping (e.g., buttons, inputs, and cards). This way, if your team changes how spacing tokens are named in Figma, you only need to update one part of the workflow, not the entire system. Its also easier to test and reuse smaller steps.Step 3: Test The Output Every TimeEven if everything runs fine, always take a moment to check the exported output. It doesnt need to be complicated. A few key things:Are the token names clean and readable?If you see something like PrimaryColorColorText, thats a red flag.Did anything disappear or get renamed unexpectedly?It happens more often than you think, especially with typography or spacing tokens after design changes.Does the UI still work?If youre using something like Tailwind, CSS variables, or custom themes, double-check that the new token values arent breaking anything in the design or build process.To catch issues early, it helps to run tools like ESLint or Stylelint right after the pipeline completes. Theyll flag odd syntax or naming problems before things get shipped.How AI Can HelpOnce your automation is stable, theres a next layer that can boost your workflow: AI. Its not just for writing code or generating mockups, but for helping with the small, repetitive things that eat up time in design systems. When used right, AI can assist without replacing your control over the system.Heres where it might fit into your workflow:Naming SuggestionsWhen youre dealing with hundreds of tokens, naming them clearly and consistently is a real challenge. Some AI tools can help by suggesting clean, readable names for your tokens or components based on patterns in your design. Its not perfect, but its a good way to kickstart naming, especially for large teams.Pattern RecognitionAI can also spot repeated styles or usage patterns across your design files. If multiple buttons or cards share similar spacing, shadows, or typography, tools powered by AI can group or suggest components for systemization even before a human notices.Automated DocumentationInstead of writing everything from scratch, AI can generate first drafts of documentation based on your tokens, styles, and usage. You still need to review and refine, but it takes away the blank-page problem and saves hours.Here are a few tools that already bring AI into the design and development space in practical ways:Uizard: Uizard uses AI to turn wireframes into designs automatically. You can sketch something by hand, and it transforms that into a usable mockup.Anima: Anima can convert Figma designs into responsive React code. It also helps fill in real content or layout structures, making it a powerful bridge between design and development, with some AI assistance under the hood.Builder.io: Builder uses AI to help generate and edit components visually. It's especially useful for marketers or non-developers who need to build pages fast. AI helps streamline layout, content blocks, and design rules.ConclusionThis article is not about achieving complete automation in the technical sense, but more about using smart tools to streamline the menial and manual aspects of working with design systems. Exporting tokens, generating docs, and syncing design with code can be automated, making your process quicker and more reliable with the right setup.Instead of rebuilding everything from scratch every time, you now have a way to keep things consistent, stay organized, and save time.Further ReadingDesign System Guide by Romina KavcicDesign System In 90 Days by Vitaly Friedman

Step onto the rooftop terrace of the Fondazione Prada Tower and the Milan skyline stretches in every direction. Anchoring this 360 view is the LS24-Lounge System, a new futuristic seating installation by architect Federico Pompignoli of PMP Architecture. Set against the terraces graphic black-and-white flooring and mirrored walls, the seating transforms the space into an optical playground where design, technology, and architecture converge.While some seating is designed to quietly disappear into its surroundings letting the sweeping skyline or bold flooring take center stage the LS24-Lounge System does the opposite. It punctuates the terrace with gleaming chrome curves, pigmented silicone cushions, and saturated purple discs. Engineered from carbon fiber with a recycled PET core, each piece balances strength with lightness, making the system easy to rearrange for events. The cushions add a playful shock of color and are translucent enough to reveal the glow of LED lights within, giving the furniture a luminous quality that shifts from day to night.The visual impact of the LS24-Lounge System is heightened by the terraces black-and-white striped flooring and mirrored parapet walls, which play tricks on your spatial perception. Reflections bounce across the surfaces, multiplying curves and circular footrests into endless repetitions. The result is a three-dimensional optical illusion where movement is exaggerated and space feels like a time warp expanding, contracting, and shimmering depending on where you stand. In this way, the LS24-Lounge System doesnt just occupy the rooftop; it transforms it into a living, shifting installation.Realized in collaboration with Mailas an innovative leader in architecture, construction, and technology the system is a testament to advanced research and materials. From carbon fiber structures to translucent polymer cushions, Mailas expertise brought Pompignolis bold vision to life. Beyond its visual drama, the design is flexible at its core. Each piece generates two seating typologies at once: a casual, stool-like seat along the exterior and a concave, lounge-style seat on the interior. The elevated intersecting disc creates these dual zones, offering both a quick perch and a more embracing rest. As a modular system, the units can stand alone or cluster into sweeping configurations, adapting seamlessly to everything from laid-back hangs to full-scale events.Suspended between city and sky, the LS24-Lounge System transforms Fondazione Pradas rooftop into a shifting landscape of light, reflection, and form. More than a place to sit, its an experience meant to linger for years to come.Photography courtesy of Gabriele Croppi and Prada.

Applying the anchoring effect to design practice.Heres a nutty idea: designing terrible solutions makes you a better designer. I know that sounds backwards. Designer portfolios share only the most pristine of examples. And were taught about efficiency and time savings. Best practices tell us to move fast, fail fast, and get to good solutions quickly. So why waste your time thinking about the worst possibleoption?Just a few weeks ago, I was working with my team to reinvent a complex workflow. We were struggling a bit. Stuck in the land of today. Instead of jumping straight into good solutions or what might be better, I provoked the team by asking to produce a deliberately badversion.What happens if you design bad solutions onpurpose?What happened next surprised us all. As we looked at what we thought would be terrible solutions, we discovered they had some redeeming qualities. Elements that seemed obviously bad at first glance turned out to solve problems we hadnt even identified yet. Our bad solutions were teaching us about the problem space in ways our good thinking never could. Plus, as we intentionally worked towards a bad option we better understood what did and didnt work for theuser.That terrible solution acted as a powerful filter for what it means to be good. The critical point was that we knew we were creating terribleoptions.The Single OptionTrapMost of the time we think were exploring when were really just optimizing minor variations of one good solution. We brainstorm solutions that are all reasonably acceptable (and eerily similar), tweak them until theyre slightly better, then pick the least problematic (cheapest) option.Butif you only explore acceptable solutions, how do you know what makes them actually good? Whats the definition of good? Something thats good is only good if its in juxtaposition to something thats bad. And if bad is the complete absence of a solution, then the bar is set prettylow.Its like trying to understand fast without ever experiencing slow. You might think youre ripping down the highway in your eco compact car, but you have no reference point to judge againstuntil a hot rod nearly blows your mirrors off as they pass you. The false efficiency of jumping straight to the right answer leaves us designing in avacuum.One of my cherished design mentors used to say, Its not design if you only explored one option. Lets push it a bit further: its definitely not great design if all your options exist in the same narrow band of acceptable.Without contrast, were making design decisions based on assumptions and feeling rather than understanding. Were optimizing within fake constraints instead of discovering the actual boundaries of our problemspace.The Psychology: Anchoring Effect inDesignTheres a well-documented psychological principle called the anchoring effect. When people make decisions, the first piece of information they encounter becomes an anchor that influences every subsequent judgment. Show someone a high price first, and even a discounted price seems good. Start with a low number, and everything else feels expensive.Without context, any option is subjective.In design, we rarely think about what were anchoring to. We start with existing patterns, competitor solutions, or our own assumptions about what good looks like. But what if we intentionally anchor our perspective to something horrible?When you establish a genuinely bad reference point, something magical happens. You start to pencil in defined boundaries. You can finally see the difference between acceptable, actually good, and incredible because you understand what completely broken lookslike.Without that bad anchor, good enough becomes your ceiling. You dont push further because you dont realize how much room you have to improve. But once youve introduced your partners to some truly terrible solutions, the path to breakthrough thinking becomesvisible.The same option in context suddenly seems different.The Method: Systematic Questions for BadDesignThis isnt about randomly making things worse. Its certainly not about shipping bad solutions either. To be productive with terrible design takes intention. I have a few helpful questions that help reveal the edges of any problemspace:What would make this experience completely unusable? Dont just think hard to use. Think impossible. What would make users give up immediately and neverreturn?What would hide the value so users never feel it? Even if your solution works perfectly, how could you ensure users never realize its helpingthem?What would utterly destroy user trust? What design choices would make users question your credibility, your motives, or your competence?What could make this impossible to find or access? How would you ensure the people who need this solution never discover itexists?What would make this take 10x longer than necessary? Not just slow-painfully, unnecessarily, infuriatingly slooooow.What would make users feel stupid or frustrated? How could you design something that makes people question their own intelligence?When I work through questions like these, I typically keep it low-fidelity (and encourage my teams to do the same). Quick sketches with a marker, pencil, or favorite pen. Keep them like rough wireframes on a whiteboard. The goal isnt to build terrible things. Its to understand what makes things terrible. So, dont spend too much time here, but just enough to learn fromit.Boundary Discovery vs. Constraint AcceptanceEach terrible solution you sketch teaches you something essential about the shape of the problem. Terrible solutions (along with good solutions) help you feel the edges of the problem space youre interacting with.Most designers work within perceived boundaries. Things we think are true, but have to assume for lack of information. But until you push against those boundaries and see what actually breaks, you dont know which constraints are real and which are just assumptions to restore comfort in the world of design problem ambiguity.Theres a crucial difference between constraints (what you must work within) and boundaries (what breaks the solution entirely). Constraints are negotiable. Boundaries arenot.Bad ideas help you determine the line between good andbad.When our team reinvented that workflow in the worst possible way, we learned that the boundaries we thought existed for users were in a different spot. We found that changing input methods and interaction style wasnt as detrimental as we thought. We became less focused on what was on the screen, and more focused on productive ways for users to input their information.Youre not just making stuff when you explore terrible solutions. Youre surveying the territory youre designing within. Youre understanding the landscape so you can map it and navigate it with confidence.The Innovation ConnectionThis connects to something Ive written about before: what do stakeholders want from design? The gist is that in the business rush to eliminate risk and guarantee outcomes, weve made design practice sterile. Many times, design practice isnt used to solve problems or innovate, its used to reduce risk. So, naturally we avoid anything that appears risky or impossible to validate. Which means we also tend to avoid anything that might be a breakthrough hit.Risk aversion kills innovation because it prevents exploration of new ideas that exist on the edges of the solution space. Including ideas that might be perceived as bad. However, controlled exploration of bad ideas prevents accidental bad outcomes. Its a little like a vaccineexposing yourself to a small, controlled dose of failure builds immunity against larger failureslater.You cant push boundaries if you dont know where they are. You cant create genuinely innovative solutions if youre afraid to understand the fine edge between what works and what doesnt. The sanitization of design has made us allergic to anything that appears like failure, which is exactly what breakthrough thinking requires. Just think of Dysons 1,000s of prototypes for the bagless vacuum, or Edisons 1,000s of filament tests to produce a valuable lightbulb. They werent simply failing, they were systematically exploring what didnt work to understand whatwould.When you deliberately explore a lot of solutions, including the bad ones, youre not wasting time. Youre doing reconnaissance. Youre gathering intelligence about the problem space that will inform every subsequent design decision.Making It WorkTomorrowAt this point, I hope youre thinking about how you could get started with this. It doesnt have to be complex. Just startsimple.Next time someone brings you (or your team) a design problem, spend 7 minutes sketching the worst possible solution. Dont overthink it. Just grab a marker, pen, or pencil and draw something genuinely awful. I mean abysmal. Ask yourself those systematic questions (from above) and see whathappens.Try it as a team exercise. In your next ideation session, say, Before we explore good solutions, lets spend five minutes mapping what we definitely dont want. Youll be surprised what you discover in just a few minutes. Maybe you can even give the winner aprize?Jot down what you learn from terrible ideas. Theyre as valuable as your good solutions because they teach you about boundaries, constraints, and problem edges that good solutions oftenmiss.Build this into your exploration routine, not as an exception or luxury. Make it a standard part of how you approach unfamiliar problems or early exploration phases. Keep it low-fidelity and time-boxed, and position it as mapping the problem space rather than wasting time. Even 5 minutes is valuable.This bad exploration delivers maximum value when youre dealing with unfamiliar problems, complex user workflows, or situations where you need to communicate risk to stakeholders. Its less valuable for well-understood patterns or incremental improvements where the boundaries are alreadyclear.Remember: the goal is understanding. Youre not trying to create the final solution. Youre trying to understand the problem well enough to create a final solution that actuallyworks.Including terrible options helps you determine what the best solution reallyis.Embracing Productive FailureSo yeahthis is backwards from how we typically think. Designing terrible solutions to become a better designer feels like taking a detour through failure when youre trying to reach success. As you explore terrible solutions, you start building a backlog of what suboptimal means in a variety of situations. You fill your bag of experience with solution paths that tend to fail to solve problems in specific types of situations.Its a bit unintuitive: the fastest path to breakthrough thinking sometimes takes a journey through the wasteland of terrible ideas. Not because terrible ideas are good, but because understanding what doesnt work gives you clarity about whatdoes.Design isnt about avoiding failure. Its about understanding what success looks like. And success is made clear when contrasted with failure. When you map the boundaries of bad, the territory of good becomesvisible.Your next design challenge is an opportunity to test this. Take just 7 minutes this week and intentionally design something terrible. Sketch the worst possible solution you can imagine. Ask yourself questions that surface the most painful experience. See what it teaches you about the problem youre actuallysolving.You might be surprised by what you discover in the wasteland. And you might be more surprised with how fun itis.Why designing terrible solutions makes you a better designer was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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