Back in March, we showcased Mesh Match, David Liebard's advanced mesh registration tool for Maya. Since then, the developer has made significant progress, launching a dedicated website, releasing full documentation, and announcing that the Mesh Match for Maya 2023, 2024, and 2025 on both Windows and Linux will be publicly available before the end of this month.In case you missed it, Mesh Match brings mesh registration capabilities to Autodesk Maya, a feature that has never been natively available. It enables precise alignment of meshes that share similar overall structures, even when their topologies differ in vertex count or order. Mesh Match can also retarget deformations and transform matrices between models, whether or not they have identical topologies, while accurately considering local curvature and scale variations.Mesh Match is powered by a high-performance C++ deformer plug-in, with a Qt-based user interface that gives users intuitive access to its features and manages the overall workflow. For those looking to integrate it into custom pipelines, an API is also available to automate tasks.To help users get started, Mesh Match offers in-depth documentation, tutorial videos, example scenes, and access to a dedicated Discord server for community support and discussion. You can also try the beta for free through the Discord.Check out Mesh Match site here and join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.

What happens when globally renowned artists trade studios for the clatter of machines, industrial dyes, and production lines? At the National Festival of Making in Blackburn, the result is a bold, joyful, and often surprising collision of creativity and craft. Now entering its ninth year, the festival's flagship commissioning programme, Art in Manufacturing, has announced three major new residencies for 2025. This year's headline artists are Matter at Hand, the new studio of Lewis Jones (co-founder of Turner Prize-winning Assemble), graphic artist and community powerhouse Morag Myerscough, and collage and sculpture specialist Liaqat Rasul. Each will embed themselves inside a leading UK manufacturer in Lancashire, creating ambitious site-specific works that celebrate the region's legacy of making while pushing the boundaries of material and form. Held annually in Blackburn town centre, the National Festival of Making draws tens of thousands each July for a free weekend of performances, exhibitions, talks, and installations. Its Art in Manufacturing strand has become a vital national model for artist-industry collaboration, pairing artists with factories to produce original work from heritage processes, specialist tools, and skilled workforces. Since its launch in 2016, over 30 artists have taken part across 20 manufacturers. Lewis Jones. Credit: Niamh Riordan "These commissions have always been about shining a light on the extraordinary creativity behind closed doors," says Elena Jackson, Co-Director and Curator of Art in Manufacturing. "It's an invitation for artists to experiment with materials and scale." This year, she adds, is no exception: "The artists are exploring clay, colour and collage - making new permanent work for Blackburn, turning industrial waste into finely crafted collage, and through an expanded two-year placement, developing in-depth research into sustainable making practices through new architectural and sculptural outcomes." Jones's project, through his new practice Matter at Hand, marks the start of an extended two-year residency inside Darwen Terracotta, one of the UK's leading manufacturers of architectural ceramics. Stationed on the factory floor, Jones is working on an interactive installation inside Blackburn Cathedral that reimagines clay as a sustainable material for the built environment. His installation will showcase new prototypes and sculptural experiments drawn from Darwen's heritage techniques, blending material innovation with architectural storytelling. Morag Myerscough. Credit: Marc Sethi For Morag Myerscough, the festival is a chance to inject her signature burst of positivity into Blackburn's urban fabric. Working with Crown Paints, she will create three new public-facing works, including a permanent mural, participatory workshops, and a garden-inspired installation that speaks to greening the high street. Her 'Colour Factory' takeover of Prism Contemporary promises to be one of the festival's most immersive and energetic moments. Meanwhile, Liaqat Rasul will bring his deeply personal, collage-based practice to Herbert Parkinson, part of the John Lewis Partnership. Through intimate workshops with John Lewis Partners, Rasul will explore themes of memory, identity and community. His final installation of sculptural mobiles will invite audiences to slow down and reflect, celebrating the human stories behind everyday manufacturing. Liaqat Arnold. Credit: Daniel Farmer Photography These three projects exemplify the festival's ethos: that art and making are not separate spheres but overlapping, collaborative forces. By embedding artists within factories, Art in Manufacturing collapses the distance between creative experimentation and real-world production and, in doing so, gives both artists and manufacturers a platform to innovate. A new publication, Radical Pairings, will launch at this year's festival. It documents the programme's history and legacy and features an essay by art critic Elizabeth Fullerton. The essay explores the unusual and inspiring nature of these residencies and the potential of creative partnerships to reframe both industry and art. Art in Manufacturing 2025 will debut at the National Festival of Making on 5–6 July, with installations continuing in venues across Blackburn thereafter. For those curious about what happens when artists roll up their sleeves and step into the engine rooms of British industry, it's not one to miss.

Meet Raven Mo (@ravenmodesign): identity designer, typography lover, and Mentorship Co-Lead at @AIGANY. Based in NYC, her work champions accessibility, multi-script design & visual storytelling.We’re obsessed. 💛🔗 https://www.ravenmo.info

Fans aren’t just buying a console, they are buying into a feeling.

Longtime Slashdot reader ndsurvivor shares a report from TechCrunch: In 2018, Liangbing Hu, a materials scientist at the University of Maryland, devised a way to turn ordinary wood into a material stronger than steel. It seemed like yet another headline-grabbing discovery that wouldn't make it out of the lab. "All these people came to him," said Alex Lau, CEO of InventWood, "He's like, OK, this is amazing, but I'm a university professor. I don't know quite what to do about it." Rather than give up, Hu spent the next few years refining the technology, reducing the time it took to make the material from more than a week to a few hours. Soon, it was ready to commercialize, and he licensed the technology to InventWood. Now, the startup's first batches of Superwood will be produced starting this summer. "Right now, coming out of this first-of-a-kind commercial plant -- so it's a smaller plant -- we're focused on skin applications," Lau said. "Eventually we want to get to the bones of the building. Ninety percent of the carbon impact from buildings is concrete and steel in the construction of the building." To build the factory, InventWood has raised $15 million in the first close of a Series A round. The round was led by the Grantham Foundation with participation from Baruch Future Ventures, Builders Vision, and Muus Climate Partners, the company exclusively told TechCrunch. How do they do it? According to TechCrunch, InventWood's Superwood is made by treating regular timber with "food industry" chemicals to remove lignin and modify its structure, then compressing it to increase hydrogen bonding between cellulose fibers. This densification makes the wood up to 10 times stronger than natural wood, with a higher strength-to-weight ratio than steel. "You end up with something that looks like these richer, tropical hardwoods," Lau added. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Apple now has only one way to win the thinness race against Samsung Hamid Ganji Neowin @HamidGanji_ · May 14, 2025 07:38 EDT After an initial announcement in January alongside the rest of the Galaxy S25 family, Samsung finally unveiled its thinnest Galaxy phone ever, the Galaxy S25 Edge. With a new ultra-thin device entering the Galaxy lineup, Samsung also plans to retire Plus variants next year. However, Samsung is not alone in the thinness race. It’s been a few months since we learned that Apple also has an ultra-thin iPhone in the pipeline, dubbed iPhone 17 Air. Apple’s new take on thin iPhones will be revealed at the company’s September event, alongside the other iPhone 17 models. Similarly, the iPhone 17 Air will replace the Plus models in the iPhone lineup. The logic behind the obsession with thin devices is to let people experience flagship-level performance without having to carry bulky, heavy phones. While the Galaxy S25 Edge has the same screen size as the Galaxy S25 Plus, it is lighter and thinner, which makes it easy to carry. So far, Samsung is leading the race as the iPhone 17 Air is still a few months away from its official debut. However, Apple might have a trump card in this race, and that is the price gap between the standard and ultra-thin models. The Galaxy S25 Edge price starts at $1,099. For comparison, the standard Galaxy S25 with 128GB storage starts at $799, and the 256GB version costs $859. There is a nearly $300 price disparity between the standard and Edge variants, which is considerable for many customers. The price of the Galaxy S25 Edge might make people think twice before opting for the phone, and that’s the same thing Apple can rely on. The iPhone 17 Air is unlikely to bring major upgrades compared to the standard iPhone 17, except for a thinner design. Assuming that Apple is able to offset the impact of the tariffs and does not increase the iPhone 17 starting price from $799, the iPhone 17 Air could become a solid deal at $899. Tags Report a problem with article Follow @NeowinFeed

Space Forge has secured record Series A funding that will fuel the launch of manufacturing satellites that can make materials impossible to produce on Earth.

I hoard tech devices, but funny enough, I don’t keep piles of tech accessories. I tend to buy cables, dongles, and organizational bits infrequently. I wait until I need them, since I figure I can always buy them. But that soon may not be the case, as a lot of such stuff comes from China. Even as tariff policies are changing, shipments dropped pretty dramatically over the last month and a half. Plus, when availability goes down, prices go up. So I’m biting the bullet and finally stocking up on a few small but key items—the same things that many friends often grumble about not having on hand. Chances are, you’ll want to grab some of these, too. 1) Cables Anker Somehow, I always need more USB-C cables. (I recently rescued an e-reader and an unwanted phone, so that may have something to do with it.) Right now a pack of two is under $10. I also recently decided to rework my layout for networking gear within my home. Longer cords would make the project easier, and I may as well get faster ethernet cabling anyway. A 50-foot CAT 6 cable is $28, but if I’m willing to forgo future-proofing, I can grab a CAT 5e variant for just $10. Plus, I always need HDMI cables. So at least one cheapie $9 six-foot one goes in the cart, too. 2) Zipties HAVE ME TD / Amazon A lot of zipties are made in the U.S.—but since I don’t know if their factories rely on materials and parts made overseas, I figure this is an easy buy now, too. A pack or two of zipties doesn’t take much space or much money ($4/each). I own Velcro ties as well, but I hoard my gigantic roll for PC building projects and other places where I may want to adjust or redo the cabling. I won’t stay rich in Velcro ties if I use them everywhere. (Even if they’re only $10 for 100, they’re preeeecciouuusss to me.) Zipties are more versatile around the house, too. For tech, I use them to tidy up cabling at my desk, behind my PC, and along the back of my entertainment center. But they also come in handy with my plants, organizing craft supplies, securing loose pieces of (cheap) furniture, and the like. Pretty much every time I’m grumbling about a twist-tie breaking but being too stubborn to use one of my precious Velcro ties, I should be using a zip tie. So now I’ll have plenty. 3) USB dongles StarTech / Amazon So, in theory, USB ports can hold up to removing and inserting cables many times over. In practice, death can come faster than expected. (RIP to the charging port on my old laptop after someone tripped over the charging cable.) Whenever I can, I buy USB extender dongles for USB ports I know I’ll be swapping devices in and out of frequently. I’ve been making use of a few older USB 2.0 models I already had, but recently I started using gear needing USB 3.0. So that gets an upgrade, and I’m getting two just in case. (May as well, at $8 a pop.) 4) Cable adapters Cable Matters / Amazon I have a lot of HDMI cables. (At least, in theory I do—they’re stashed all over my place so I can’t always find them right away. Hence buying more because I may as well.)  I don’t have many specialty display cables, like HDMI to mini-DisplayPort and HDMI to micro-HDMI. I use them infrequently, but they’re valuable when doing tech support or stretching life out of older hardware. I could buy more of the specialty cables, but I’m snagging adapters instead. (Right now, I’m starting with a $10 HDMI to mini-DP option.) Converting a standard HDMI cable gives me much more flexibility, like if I need a longer cable than the specialty one I own.

Airbnb has taken a major step forward in its journey to become an all-in-one travel booking app. The app now lets you book service providers, such as chefs, trainers, or hairstylists, and experiences, such as cooking classes, museum tours, water sports, and more for your trips. "People choose hotels for their services. People choose Airbnbs for the space… Now, we're giving you the best of both worlds—amazing homes with services that make them even more special," says Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, in a press release.The updates are live on the latest version of the app, with the homepage showing two new tabs: Experiences and Services. Services at your doorstepAt launch, Airbnb's services are spread across 10 categories in 260 cities, with more to be added later on. You can now get chefs, photographers, massages, spa treatments, personal trainers, hairstylists, makeup artists, nail specialists, ready-to-eat meals, and catering services delivered to your Airbnb. (Credit: Airbnb)All service providers will have an average of 10 years of experience, Airbnb says. They will be added to the app only after they complete an internal verification process and submit relevant licenses and certifications. Those looking to enroll as service providers can submit an application on Airbnb's website.While booking, users will be able to view each host's qualifications, offerings, and pricing on the details page. In our time with the app so far, we even found portfolios of photographers on their details page. Airbnb says that many services will have an entry-level option of $50 or less.Experiences: Explore like a localThe Experiences tab is designed to help you move around a city with locals who know it the best. At launch, the feature is available in 650 cities, with more being added every day. Recommended by Our EditorsA quick look at the tab displayed the experiences available for each popular tourist city around us. Airbnb classifies its experiences into these categories: landmark, museum, and other cultural trips; food tours, cooking classes, and dining experiences; outdoors, water sports, and wildlife experiences; gallery tours, art workshops, and shopping experiences; workout, wellness, and beauty experiences. (Credit: Airbnb)Like Services, you can select your preferred Experiences after learning about who is hosting them, what they entail, and how much they'd cost. We looked into a cultural trip around Goa, and we could see the name, rating, and reviews of the host, in addition to the places included in the trip and the time required. If you're interested in hosting such experiences, Airbnb is accepting applications for that, too. The platform has also launched a premium version of Experiences called Airbnb Originals, hosted by celebrities. You can get beach volleyball lessons from Olympian Carol Solberg in Rio de Janeiro or pastry-making lessons from chef Raphaelle Elbaz in Paris. Airbnb is also promising a day on set with pop star Sabrina Carpenter in the future.A future update to the app coming later this year aims to make it more social. Airbnb says you'll be able to see who has taken the experience before and ask them about it "with simple and transparent privacy controls."Along with the introduction of new features, Airbnb has made several other changes to its app experience. For example, the Messages tab now lets you share photos and videos, and the Profile tab adds a list of your past trips and people you have met.All of the above updates are part of a $200+ million Airbnb revamp that's just kicked off. The next two stages involve making your Airbnb profile more robust so it's "almost like a passport" and the inclusion of more AI tech, Chesky tells Wired.

Credit: Mashable Photo Composite/Apple Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Learn more about how we select deals. SAVE $70: As of May 14, the Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 46mm) is on sale for $359 at Amazon. That's down from its list price of $429, saving you 16%. Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 46mm) $359 at Amazon $429 Save $70 There have been some great deals lately on a wide variety of Apple products. If you've had your eye on the brand's smartwatches, you're in luck as a few are still discounted to low prices. In particular, the Apple Watch Series 10 is on sale at Amazon right now, allowing you to pick it up for under $400.The Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 46mm) has received a 16% discount that has dropped its price from $429 to $359, allowing you to save $70. There are a few color options marked down to this price as well, so you can choose between the jet black aluminum case with a black sport band, the rose gold aluminum case with a light blush sport band, or the silver aluminum case with a denim sport band.Whether you want it for working out or to just stay on top of your general health and wellbeing, the Apple Watch Series 10 boasts plenty of features to help you out. Not only does it include heart rate and sleep tracking, it also comes with a Training Load feature that helps you keep track of the intensity of your workouts, Activity Rings (which are useful for keeping track of calories and movement), and safety features like Fall Detection, Crash Detection, and Emergency SOS. All of this comes on top of a bigger display than its predecessors and a comfortable design that you can easily wear on the go. If you've been hoping to pick up the Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 46mm), now is a great time to do it. Mashable Deals Want more hand-picked deals from our shopping experts? Sign up for the Mashable Deals newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up! Another one of our favorite deals at the moment is also over at Amazon, where you can score the iPad mini for under $400. The best deals this week, hand-picked by Mashable's team of experts Energizer AA Batteries (24 Count), Double A Max Alkaline Battery — $13.31 (List Price $21.98) Roku Ultra 4K Ultimate Streaming Player (2024 Release) — $79.99 (List Price $99.99) Beats Pill Bluetooth Speaker — $99.95 (List Price $149.00) Roborock Qrevo Master Robot Vacuum and Mop — $799.99 (List Price $1599.99) Peloton Bike — $1,145.00 (List Price $1445.00) New Apple iPad Mini (A17 Pro): Apple Intelligence, 8.3-inch Liquid Retina Display, 128GB, Wi-Fi 6E, 12MP Front/12MP Back Camera, Touch ID, All-Day Battery Life — Purple — $399.00 (List Price $499.00) Hannah Hoolihan Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer with Mashable. She’s written for various entertainment websites since 2017, covering everything from tech to games to film. You’ll currently find her work on IGN and Fangoria alongside Mashable, but she also has bylines at Rock Paper Shotgun, Collider, Screen Rant, and more. When she’s not writing, she enjoys catching up with the latest films and shows — horror, in particular — and has a deep love of FromSoft games, which she continues to happily replay.