html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" The MetaHuman client reel. Epic Games’ framework for generating realistic 3D characters for games is out of early access, and can now be used with any DCC app or game engine. Epic Games has officially launched MetaHuman, its framework for generating realistic 3D characters for games, animation and VFX work, after four years in early access.The core applications, MetaHuman Creator, Mesh to MetaHuman and MetaHuman Animator, are now integrated into Unreal Engine 5.6, the latest version of the game engine. In addition, Epic has updated the licensing for MetaHuman characters, making it possible to use them in any game engine or DCC application, including in commercial projects. There are also two new free plugins, MetaHuman for Maya and MetaHuman for Houdini, intended to streamline the process of editing MetaHumans in Maya and Houdini. A suite of tools for generating and animating realistic real-time 3D characters First launched in early access in 2021, MetaHuman is a framework of tools for generating realistic 3D characters for next-gen games, animation, virtual production and VFX.The first component, MetaHuman Creator, enables users to design realistic digital humans. Users can generate new characters by blending between presets, then adjusting the proportions of the face by hand, and customising readymade hairstyles and clothing. The second component, Mesh to MetaHuman, makes it possible to create MetaHumans matching 3D scans or facial models created in other DCC apps. The final component, MetaHuman Animator, streamlines the process of transferring the facial performance of an actor from video footage to a MetaHuman character. MetaHuman Creator was originally a cloud-based tool, while Mesh to MetaHuman and MetaHuman Animator were available via the old MetaHuman plugin for Unreal Engine. Now integrated directly into Unreal Engine 5.6 That changes with the end of early access, with MetaHuman Creator, Mesh to MetaHuman and MetaHuman Animator all now integrated directly into Unreal Engine itself.Integration – available in Unreal Engine 5.6, the latest version of the engine – is intended to simplify character creation and asset management worklows. Studios also get access to the MetaHuman source code, since Unreal Engine itself comes with full C++ source code access. However, the tools still cannot be run entirely locally: according to Epic, in-editor workflow is “enhanced by cloud services that deliver autorigging and texture synthesis”. https://www.cgchannel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/250604_MetaHumanOfficialLaunch_LicensingChanges_UnifiedClothing.mp4 Users can now adjust MetaHumans’ bodies, with a new unified Outfit Asset making it possible to create 3D clothing that adjusts automatically to bodily proportions. Updates to both MetaHuman Creator and MetaHuman Animator In addition, the official release introduces new features, with MetaHuman Creator’s parametric system for creating faces now extended to body shapes.Users can now adjust proportions like height, chest and waist measurements, and leg length, rather than simply selecting preset body types. Similarly, a new unified Outfit Asset makes it possible to author custom 3D clothing, rather than selecting readymade presets, with garments resizing to characters’ body shapes. MetaHuman Animator – which previously required footage from stereo head-mounted cameras or iPhones – now supports footage from mono cameras like webcams. The toolset can also now generate facial animation – both lip sync and head movement – solely from audio recordings, as well as from video footage. You can find fuller descriptions of the new features in Epic Games’ blog post. Use MetaHumans in Unity or Godot games, or sell them on online marketplaces Equally significantly, Epic has changed the licensing for MetaHumans.The MetaHuman toolset is now covered by the standard Unreal Engine EULA, meaning that it can be used for free by any artist or studio with under $1 million/year in revenue. MetaHuman characters and clothing can also now be sold on online marketplaces, or used in commercial projects created with other DCC apps or game engines. The only exception is for AI: you can use MetaHumans in “workflows that incorporate artificial intelligence technology”, but not to train or enhance the AI models themselves. Studios earning more than $1 million/year from projects that use MetaHuman characters need Unreal Engine seat licenses, with currently cost $1,850/year. However, since MetaHuman characters and animations are classed as ‘non-engine products’, they can be used in games created in other engines, like Unity or Godot, without incurring the 5% cut of the revenue that Epic takes from Unreal Engine games. https://www.cgchannel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/250604_MetaHumanOfficialLaunch_LicensingChanges_MetaHumanForMaya.mp4 The free MetaHuman for Maya plugin lets you edit MetaHumans with Maya’s native tools. New plugins streamline editing MetaHumans in Maya and Houdini Last but not least, Epic Games has released new free add-ons intended to streamline the process of editing MetaHumans in other DCC software.The MetaHuman for Maya plugin makes it possible to manipulate the MetaHuman mesh directly with Maya’s standard mesh-editing and sculpting tools. Users can also create MetaHuman-compatible hair grooms using Maya’s XGen toolset, and export them in Alembic format. The MetaHuman for Houdini plugin seems to be confined to grooming, with users able to create hairstyles using Houdini’s native tools, and export them in Alembic format. The plugins themselves are supplemented by MetaHuman Groom Starter Kits for Maya and Houdini, which provide readymade sample files for generating grooms. Price, licensing and system requirements MetaHuman Creator and MetaHuman Animator are integrated into Unreal Engine 5.6. The Unreal Editor is compatible with Windows 10+, macOS 14.0+ and RHEL/Rocky Linux 8+.The MetaHuman plugin for Maya is compatible with Maya 2022-2025. The MetaHuman for Houdini plugin is compatible with Houdini 20.5 with SideFX Labs installed. All of the software is free to use, including for commercial projects, if you earn under $1 million/year. You can find more information on licensing in the story above. Read an overview of the changes to the MetaHuman software on Epic Games’ blog Download the free MetaHuman for Maya and Houdini plugins and starter kits Read Epic Games’ FAQs about the changes to licensing for MetaHumans Have 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 don’t post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.

Heydar Aliyev Center | © Olivier Blanchette via Unsplash In contemporary architectural discourse, the building envelope is no longer a passive partition but a dynamic interface capable of interaction, regulation, and adaptation. Amid rising environmental complexity and performance demands, composite materials are emerging as enablers of this transformation. Their potential goes far beyond lightweight strength; composites are redefining what intelligence means in architectural materiality. As the industry pivots toward energy-conscious design, real-time responsiveness, and multi-functional skins, composites provide structural solutions and performative systems. In this context, the envelope becomes a site of intelligence. From Passive Shells to Active Systems For centuries, architectural skins served primarily as barriers, blocking weather, enclosing space, and symbolizing permanence. But the 21st century demands more. We require façades that filter air and light, mediate thermal flux, integrate sensors, and generate power. Traditional materials, limited by monolithic performance and weight, have struggled to adapt. Composites, by contrast, are inherently systemic. They are engineered layers rather than singular substances. Through the integration of fibers and matrices, composites enable architectural envelopes that perform structurally while accommodating embedded systems such as thermal insulation, acoustic control, impact resistance, and photoreactivity. These characteristics make them prime candidates for high-performance envelopes in buildings and infrastructure alike. In the Qatar Integrated Railway Project, composite roofing and FRP façade panels were employed to meet the demands of the harsh desert environment. This solution reduced structural loads and improved thermal performance while ensuring long-term durability in a climate defined by extremes. Performance Layering and Embedded Intelligence What distinguishes composites from conventional materials is their capacity to combine multiple performance layers in one unified system. Instead of applying insulation, waterproofing, and cladding in sequence, a composite panel can consolidate these into a single prefabricated, high-performance element. A compelling example is the Eco Casa in Australia, designed by Ian Wright, which used frameless DuFLEX composite panels. The result was an environmentally conscious home with significantly reduced material waste, enhanced thermal performance, and minimized emissions. These outcomes demonstrate how composites offer design efficiency and ecological responsibility. The capacity for prefabrication and integration is particularly valuable in settings where labor conditions, transportation logistics, or weather exposure make traditional multi-layered construction inefficient or impractical. Composites with a Nervous System: Sensing the Built Environment Recent innovations in smart composites extend these capabilities further. By embedding fiber-optic or piezoresistive sensors into composite assemblies, architects and engineers can develop building skins that sense stress, temperature changes, humidity, or vibration in real-time. These responsive façades can feed data into building management systems, enabling performance optimization or alerting maintenance teams to signs of wear or structural fatigue. This functionality has been successfully explored in transport infrastructure. The King Abdullah High-Speed Rail Station in Saudi Arabia used 27-meter composite sandwich panels to span vast distances with minimal support. The lightweight system reduced the need for extensive reinforcement while enabling thermal and mechanical performance in a climate that demands resilience. Such examples are foundational to a future in which architecture does not merely resist the environment but interprets it. Formal Freedom Meets Functional Responsiveness Guangzhou Opera House | © Scarbor Siu via Unsplash Beyond embedded intelligence, composites also expand formal expression. Their moldability, especially with parametric design and digital fabrication, allows for envelopes that curve, fold, and morph in unattainable ways with conventional rigid materials. The Guangzhou Opera House, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, is a defining example. Advanced composite assemblies that merged structural demands with formal ambition enabled its seamless curvatures and sharp transitions. These systems supported high-precision details and complex geometries while reducing material weight and installation complexity. This freedom extends to smaller-scale yet equally ambitious projects. At the Tilburg School for VAVO, translucent composite panels embedded with knitted textiles reference local craft while offering thermal performance and design cohesion. Such examples show that intelligence in architecture includes cultural sensitivity as well as technical adaptability. Toward Circular and Regenerative Envelopes The sustainability potential of composites is often overlooked. While early generations relied heavily on fossil-derived materials, newer systems use bio-based resins, natural fibers like flax and basalt, and recyclable matrices that fit into circular design models. Composite panels can now be designed for disassembly, repurposing, or reintegration into new construction, minimizing waste and conserving embodied energy. The Pasarela de Almuñécar in Spain exemplifies this ethos. As the world’s longest carbon-fiber walkway, it replaced heavier materials and extended structural lifespan while reducing maintenance. The project signals how composites can fulfill both technical and ecological ambitions. Efforts to embed digital tracking into panels, such as RFID tags, also support long-term monitoring and facilitate reuse planning. This vision aligns with emerging concepts like material passports, which will play a critical role in lifecycle accountability. Pasarela de Almuñécar in Spain | © Luis Garcia, CC by 3.0 Overcoming Barriers to Adoption Despite the clear advantages, composite adoption in architecture still faces notable hurdles. First is the challenge of integration with legacy materials such as concrete, stone, or steel. Connection detailing requires careful coordination to ensure structural continuity and thermal performance. Second is the perception of cost. While composites may require a higher upfront investment, their lower maintenance demands, improved energy performance, and reduced structural requirements often result in favorable long-term economics. Finally, regulatory frameworks continue to evolve. Building codes have been slow to reflect the unique properties of composites, although this is changing as standardization increases and successful pilot projects proliferate. A Vision for the Future: Architecture as Adaptive Intelligence Composites are not merely substitutes for traditional materials. They represent a paradigm shift in how we understand performance, integration, and the role of material in space-making. As architecture becomes increasingly data-driven, climate-responsive, and energy-conscious, the intelligent envelope will become the norm rather than the exception. Composites make this future feasible by offering structural capability, aesthetic freedom, environmental stewardship, and embedded intelligence within a single engineered solution. From high-speed rail terminals to cultural landmarks, these materials are shaping a new kind of architecture that listens, learns, and evolves. It is no longer sufficient for architecture to stand still. The next generation of buildings must adapt, interact, and perform. Composites make that future tangible. Learn More Explore how composite materials are redefining the building envelope in the construction sector and beyond: Visit Composites.Archi by ArchEyes Team Leave a comment

Parametric design is a transformative approach to product development that integrates interconnected parameters to enhance a product’s performance and adaptability. This approach maximizes the relationships between parameters like color, size, and material by defining and adjusting them to improve design results. In contrast to conventional design systems, parametric design encourages creativity by making it possible to create adaptable and dynamic solutions that are suited to changing requirements. The use of sophisticated algorithms makes it easier to create intricate patterns and structures, changing the way engineers and designers approach architectural, industrial, and urban planning projects. Parametric design is based on systems that are naturally based on parametric principles and are inspired by biological and natural patterns. The Flip chair, inspired by the natural beauty of wind-blown grass, combines asymmetry and craftsmanship to create a unique seating experience. Designers focused on the “flip” as the central element, allowing the bent wood to flow through gradual transitions, and infusing the piece with vitality. The challenging process of steam-bending thick wood was repeated multiple times, ensuring that each chair is handmade, one-of-a-kind, and exhibits a distinctive form, making it an elegant yet functional addition to any space. Developed with the support of the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute (NTCRI), the Flip chair seamlessly blends traditional craftsmanship with modern parametric design. The result is a chair that not only offers aesthetic appeal but also carries a story of innovation and meticulous workmanship. Its organic texture and thoughtful design make it a statement piece that is ideal for those seeking a functional yet artistic element to complement their home or office decor. What are the Applications of Parametric Design? Parametric design enables the creation of customized product designs by allowing users to adjust shape, size, and functionality based on specific inputs. This approach combines various algorithms and parameters to create and refine designs that enhance the functionality and aesthetics of the product. Designers begin by defining key parameters, which can then be adjusted to optimize efficiency and performance. CAD software and similar tools are commonly used in this process and by utilizing parameters, the design process becomes more controlled and enables innovative solutions. Multiple design options can be explored quickly which heps in reducing time and waste, and making parametric design a powerful tool for innovation. Located in Jakarta’s business district, the Stalk Tree-Hugger, designed by RAD+ar, integrates five existing tall trees with a parametric fabric structure that creates an engaging play of light and shadows. This innovative design combines a restaurant and lounge, offering a unique spatial experience while blending seamlessly with the surrounding greenery. The shifting shadows from the trees foster an intimate, inviting atmosphere, while the dynamic tensile structures, swaying with the wind, create a nature-centric ambiance. The 750-square-meter bar restaurant showcases minimal intervention in nature, providing a versatile space for commercial activities. The lightweight steel-timber thatch roof offers both shade and support to the parametric fabric, transforming into a lantern at night, enhancing the cityscape and event ambiance. Designed by Antonius Richard and the RAD+ar team, the project emphasizes reducing environmental impact while maintaining the commercial value of the land. With constant movement and changing lighting, the design creates a relaxing, tranquil space, where visitors can observe and interact with nature. The Generico Chair, created by Marco Hemmerling and Ulrich Nether, exemplifies the power of generative algorithms in computational or parametric design. This innovative process allows the software to optimize the design to meet specific parameters and results in a lightweight yet strong structure. The chair’s Voronoi-inspired design reduces material usage significantly while maintaining strength and flexibility in the backrest. The careful application of generative design principles ensures the chair’s efficiency without compromising its functionality. Designed for both performance and comfort, the Generico Chair retains its ergonomic qualities despite its reduced volume. The chair is 3D printed to accommodate the complexities of its generative design, which introduces specific manufacturing constraints. The result is a visually captivating piece with a skeletal charm that blends creativity and precision. Its unique form showcases how software-aided design can produce functional and aesthetically pleasing furniture pieces while adhering to sustainability, precision, and material efficiency goals. How does Parametric design bring innovation to product design? Parametric design, powered by CAD software, achieves a harmonious balance between complexity and simplicity, streamlining the processes of product creation and modification. By defining specific parameters, designers can make adjustments with ease, minimizing waste and improving efficiency. This highly versatile approach adapts to various products, such as adjusting the height and tilt of a chair or modifying the color, angle, and brightness of lighting design. Therefore, parametric design promotes flexibility, providing a wide range of solutions to complex challenges. By establishing parameters at the outset, significant time is saved, enabling refinements during the design phase before creating a physical prototype. It excels in managing intricate shapes and patterns while opening new possibilities for innovation and creativity. John Mauriello, the designer behind the Coral Lighting Collection, articulates his creations as moments frozen in time. These lamps are the result of complex algorithms simulating natural growth, each one capturing a unique form by pausing the simulation at a precise point. The collection features three distinct designs namely Timor, Sargasso, and Celebes, each inspired by different types of coral. Mauriello’s deep connection to the ocean, fostered through his experience as a surfer, is reflected in his tribute to coral’s inherent beauty and vibrant life. The lamps are meticulously designed to be visually appealing both when illuminated and when turned off. Crafted from a white, ceramic-like material, they are 3D printed in the USA using sustainable methods that enable the recycling of any waste materials. The integrated LED lights interact with the lamp’s uneven cross-sections to produce dynamic lighting effects of brightness and shadow. The manufacturing process is eco-conscious and allows any waste material that is produced during the design process to be recycled. A Guide to Parametric Design Software Parametric modeling is a computer-aided design (CAD) tool used to create and manipulate parametric models. Several software programs incorporate advanced algorithms for parametric design, combining computer software with AI to offer innovative design solutions. These sophisticated algorithms enable an interactive design process, allowing designers and engineers to input specific constraints directly within the software. This approach minimizes errors and ensures the creation of accurate digital models. Furthermore, the integration of virtual reality enhances the experience, providing immersive and interactive opportunities to visualize and refine concepts. Designers can explore complex geometries and design intricacies, enabling the creation of 3D shapes and models with greater precision and flexibility. CATIA’s Visual Scripting app, part of the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, makes parametric design easier and more accessible. This no-code tool lets designers, engineers, and architects create complex designs without needing to write code. Using a simple, node-based interface, users can define parameters and generate detailed 3D models effortlessly. The tool’s Capture & Reuse feature boosts efficiency by allowing users to share and reuse design algorithms across different projects. By combining CATIA’s CAD software with a visual approach to parametric and generative modeling, Visual Scripting enhances creativity and speeds up design iterations. Its smooth integration with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform provides a streamlined workflow, making algorithmic design a built-in feature. Beyond traditional modeling, it also enables mesh manipulation and the creation of custom lattice structures—perfect for 3D printing in industries like aerospace, furniture, and jewelry design. Parametric design is transforming the product design industry by fostering creativity, improving efficiency, and enabling customization. Its seamless integration with digital manufacturing and sustainability efforts makes it an essential tool for modern designers. As technology continues to evolve, parametric design will remain at the forefront, driving ethical and innovative advancements in product development.The post Parametric Design And a Guide to Creating Adaptable, High-Performance Products with Algorithms first appeared on Yanko Design.

On Designing National Pavilions: Power and Identity at Universal ExhibitionsSave this picture!Czech Pavilion Expo 2025 Osaka / Apropos Architects Image © boysplayniceWhat can a pavilion’s architecture reveal about its country? At major World Expos, national pavilions are designed to answer this question, transforming into spaces laden with symbolism. Though temporary, these structures are rich in meaning, functioning as architectural expressions of political identity. Their forms and materials encapsulate national ambitions. Expo Osaka 2025, the latest chapter in this ongoing narrative, showcases how nations increasingly use built space to construct global images of themselves—sustainable, technological, culturally distinct, and geopolitically relevant. Save this picture!Over the decades, these pavilions have evolved into meticulously curated narratives where architecture, politics, and culture intersect to shape national identity. At Osaka 2025, this symbolic and diplomatic function becomes even more pronounced. Pavilions communicate not only who a nation is, but who it aspires to be. The environmental agenda, for example, has become a compelling vector of soft power. Japan’s pavilion exemplifies this shift, employing local wood, parametric design, and natural ventilation not just for function, but as metaphors of circularity and harmony with nature.Save this picture!Meanwhile, countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are embracing immersive technologies—augmented reality, responsive facades, and AI—to reframe their narratives. No longer defined solely by oil economies, they seek to position themselves as innovation-driven futurescapes. In this context, national identity is staged like a multisensory installation. Materials, sounds, aromas, lighting, and spatial choreography become tools for storytelling—none of them neutral, all of them charged with intent. Related Article Are World's Fairs a Thing of the Past? The Role that Architecture Played on One of History's Biggest Stages Architecture as a Political StatementPavilions transcend cultural or technological display to become instruments of political messaging. Architectural choices convey nuanced—or at times overt—signals about values, ambitions, and worldviews. Denmark’s Expo 2020 Dubai pavilion, with open ramps and fluid circulation, subtly suggests democratic transparency and inclusion, while Russia’s monumental spiral structure evokes nationalism and technological command. Here, architecture becomes a codified discourse: every curve, void, and surface reads like a political sign.Save this picture!This language continues at Osaka 2025. Israel’s pavilion, inspired by the ecological resilience of deserts, presents a narrative of innovation and perseverance amid adversity—an architectural response to both climate challenges and regional geopolitics. Bahrain’s contribution, by Lina Ghotmeh Architecture, focuses on the adaptability of maritime cultures. South Korea’s high-tech, futuristic pavilion reinforces its position as a rising digital powerhouse.In some instances, however, absence speaks just as loudly. In previous editions, countries like North Korea and Syria have boycotted the Expo as a form of political protest. These silent gestures are part of the same strategic vocabulary, where presence, form, and even withdrawal shape the geopolitical stage set by architecture.Save this picture!Sustainability on DisplayAmid the global climate crisis, national pavilions have also become key arenas for environmental diplomacy. Sustainability—once a peripheral concern—is now central to the architectural narrative of Expos. It’s no longer only about meeting green standards, but about crafting a spatial language that embodies ecological responsibility. This shift also challenges the very notion of ephemerality: where temporariness once defined these structures, reuse, intelligent disassembly, and material reintegration now drive their conception.This ecological turn is particularly evident at Expo Osaka 2025. With the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” the event encourages models of regenerative, cooperative, and resilient living. Sweden’s and Germany’s pavilions are designed for a second life, to be repurposed as schools or community centers. The U.S. pavilion, designed by Trahan Architects, incorporates steel, fabric, and HVAC components repurposed from Tokyo 2020 Olympics structures—materials slated for further reuse across Japan. In this framework, the Expo becomes a laboratory of environmental geopolitics, where sustainability itself is a form of soft power.Save this picture!Technological Spectacle as a National StrategyIn contemporary Universal Exhibitions, technology is no longer displayed as an end in itself but has become a narrative and experiential medium. Immersive installations, sensory interfaces, and AI-driven storytelling transform pavilions into interactive ecosystems, where visitors are both spectators and agents. This shift signals a significant change: it is no longer just about showcasing innovation, but about embedding technology into the dramaturgy of space. Architecture, in this context, ceases to be a static backdrop and merges with experience design, dissolving the boundaries between the built and the digital. Moreover, the way each country orchestrates these elements reveals its ability to envision desirable futures—and to position itself as a protagonist in the global technological transformation.Save this picture!At Expo Osaka 2025, this race for technological affirmation takes clear shape in pavilions such as that of the United Arab Emirates, which offers an interactive journey through environments responsive to human presence, narrative artificial intelligence, and real-time sensors that react to visitors’ actions—demonstrating a sophisticated technical mastery with implications across multiple spheres. In a similar vein, the Uzbekistan Pavilion stands out with an exhibition focused on empowerment, highlighting the country’s openness to innovation and its commitment to preparing for the future.Yet this immersion presents a growing tension: how to balance technological spectacle with architectural integrity. In some cases, architecture risks being overshadowed by its digital overlay, losing spatial coherence. The most compelling pavilions are those that fuse form, function, and innovation into a seamless whole, where technology becomes not an add-on, but an intrinsic architectural language.Save this picture!Intercultural Collaborations: The True LegacyWhile Universal Exhibitions are organized around national representation, they have also emerged as vital platforms for cultural exchange. Increasingly, national pavilions are designed by multicultural teams, resulting in more nuanced, inclusive, and inventive expressions of identity, not as a fixed essence, but as something fluid and co-constructed.Save this picture!At Osaka 2025, this collaborative ethos is exemplified by pavilions such as Switzerland’s, designed by an international team, and Indonesia’s, which brings together local architects and foreign consultants. These collaborations offer more than design efficiency—they signal gestures of quiet diplomacy. In a climate of resurgent nationalism, such exchanges underscore that innovation thrives through openness and dialogue. Each pavilion becomes a space of mutual learning, expanding the very meaning of global belonging.Save this picture!Ultimately, the lasting value of Expos may not lie in reinforcing national brands, but in fostering encounters—shared spaces where ideas, technologies, and cultures converge to respond to urgent global challenges. As architect Manuel Herz, designer of the Swiss Pavilion, puts it: “In a moment of global tension, every possibility for us to physically meet in a shared space and celebrate something that can still be described as a cosmopolitan spirit needs to be valued and utilized.” Amid so many crises, pavilions remind us that architecture is more than shelter or style—it is a vessel for connection, a space for learning, and a rehearsal for futures we must build together.We invite you to check out ArchDaily's comprehensive coverage of the Expo Osaka 2025. Image gallerySee allShow less About this authorCamilla GhisleniAuthor••• Cite: Ghisleni, Camilla. "On Designing National Pavilions: Power and Identity at Universal Exhibitions" [Projetando Pavilhões Nacionais: Poder e Identidade nas Exposições Universais] 30 May 2025. ArchDaily. (Trans. Simões, Diogo) Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1030539/on-designing-national-pavilions-power-and-identity-at-universal-exhibitions&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save世界上最受欢迎的建筑网站现已推出你的母语版本!想浏览ArchDaily中国吗?是否 You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" Itoosoft has released RailClone 7, the latest version of its 3ds Max parametric modelling plugin.The update introduces a new set of Spline Operators for manipulating splines in a wide range of ways, comprising 10 new nodes with 19 separate features. Users of the paid Pro edition get RailClone Systems, a new set of readymade procedural assets for generating common architectural structures like windows, curtain walls, and cabling. A popular parametric modelling tool for architectural visualisation work First released in 2010, RailClone makes it possible to generate complex 3D models by defining procedural construction rules using a node-based workflow.Users can create complex 3D models by repeating simple base meshes, or ‘Segments’, along splines, using Generators to arrange them into arrays, and Operators to control their properties. Although the workflow applies to visual effects or motion graphics, the plugin is most commonly used to generate buildings and street furniture for architectural visualisation projects. It is compatible with a range of third-party renderers, including Arnold, Corona, FStorm, OctaneRender, Redshift and V-Ray. RailClone 7: new multi-purpose Spline Operators RailClone 7 adds a new category of Spline Operators to the software’s graph editor.The 10 new nodes include Basic Ops, a new ‘multi-tool’ for performing common operations on splines, like transforming, breaking, combining, flattening or chamfering splines. A new Boolean node performs standard Boolean operations on regions bounded by splines. Other new nodes include Offset, for creating repeating clones of splines; Catenary, for creating the catenary curves generated by cables hanging under their own weight; and Conform, for projecting splines onto terrain. The images in Itoosoft’s blog post show potential use cases ranging from creating road networks to structures like wiring, railings and gantries. In addition, a new Draw Splines mode makes it possible to preview the result of spline operations directly in the viewport. New version-independent portable file format, and updates to point clouds Other new features include the Itoosoft Portable file format, making it possible to save RailClone objects in a file format independent of the version of 3ds Max used to create them.The point cloud display mode has been updated, with each RailClone object now using a fixed number of points, rather than point density being dependent on distance from the camera. According to Itoosoft, the new mode is optimized for modern GPUs and versions of 3ds Max. There are also a number of smaller workflow and feature updates, especially to macros, array generation, and handling of V-Ray Proxies when rendering with V-Ray GPU or Vantage. Pro edition: new RailClone Systems procedural assets Users of the paid Pro edition also get RailClone Systems, a new set of customizable readymade procedural assets for creating common architectural elements like windows, suspended ceilings, curtain walls, boardwalks, and cabling.You can see the new assets in the online preview of RailClone’s asset library. Price and system requirements RailClone 7.0 is available for 3ds Max 2022+. Feature support varies between the compatible renderers. New licences start at $275, including one year’s maintenance. There is also a free, feature-limited Lite edition of the plugin. Read an overview of the new features in RailClone 7 on iToo Software’s blog Read a full list of new features in RailClone in the online release notes. Visit the RailClone product website (Includes a download link for RailClone Lite at the foot of the page) Have 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 don’t post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" Architectural visualization artist and tools developer Antoine Bagattini has released Baga River Generator, a new tool for rivers to 3D scenes in Blender.The add-on, co-created with artist Laura Mercadal, lets users create detailed rivers simply by drawing freehand paths in the viewport. Add good-looking 3D rivers to Blender scenes by drawing them in freehand To judge from the promo video embedded above, workflow in Baga River Generator is pretty much as simple as selecting a preset, then drawing a path in the viewport.The add-on then generates a detailed 3D river along the course of the path, complete with water, banks, and surrounding terrain, populated with rocks and plants. There are four presets available – a desert environment, and three with surrounding vegetation – and the add-on comes with over 30 different readymade environment assets. If you want to create your own looks, the terrain is fully parametric, making it possible to adjust the width and depth of the river channel and height of the surrounding land. You can also create or edit scatter layers, to control how the environment assets are distributed. There are some limitations in the initial release – the vegetation isn’t animated, and the water doesn’t have any foam or turbulence – but the results in the video look pretty good, and the output can be rendered with both the Cycles and Eevee render engines. Price and system requirements Baga River Generator is compatible with Blender 4.2+. It costs $12.To install it, you need the GeoPack system in BagaPie, Bagattini’s free Blender modifier, which is now available as an Extension directly inside Blender. Read more about Baga River Generator on the plugin’s Superhive page Have 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 don’t post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.

Every couple of days in early 2024, Leonardo Hummel would free-dive into the shallow waters surrounding Koh Tao, Thailand. Amidst the growing communities of reef fish, Hummel liked to document the progress of the first artificial reefs he'd created and deposited two years earlier while at nearby New Heaven Dive School. The original 9mm rebar had grown multiple times in size, with the accretion of calcium carbonate.Sandra Rubio, one of Leo's colleagues at Black Turtle Dive, remembers the passion with which Leo would speak about his work, and the pride that Hummel took in his creations. "They were like his babies," she says. From an early age, growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Hummel found himself perpetually fascinated by the natural world, origami, and art. These fascinations drove him across the globe - from growing up singing with Seattle's Northwest Boychoir and Vocalpoint! Seattle, to a B.A. in East Asian Studies at Carleton College (and post-college years teaching in Beijing), to a master's degree in Industrial Design at Georgia Tech. Hummel found himself in Koh Tao in pursuit of a dream that managed to fuse all of these passions, crafting beautiful artificial reefs in a project that he dubbed "SeaWeaver." These few handfuls of woven reefs still sitting off the coast of Koh Tao, however, now also serve as a gentle memorial; in March of last year, Leo Hummel, 34, passed away. His parents, professors, and colleagues kindly offered their memories of Leo for this article, in the hopes that it might help keep his work alive.—Hummel detailed his project in a paper, "SeaWeaver: Integrating Cultural Craft and Materials Innovation for Artificial Reef Conservation Strategies," which debuted at the Design Research Conference (DRS) in Boston, in June 2024. Leo's former professor, Georgia State's Lisa Marks, presented the research in his stead."Leo was the kind of person that, if something interested him, he would be in school 24 hours a day, ignoring all his other classes just to do that," Marks says. "I'd come back from Christmas break, and my lab was just covered in these insane laser-cut patterns. And I'd say, what's all this? But that was just his brain."Hummel first met Marks after taking her course on the intersection of industrial design and folk craft. Marks, in her work, combines parametric modeling with endangered traditional handcrafts (a field overwhelmingly derived from women's labor, and largely unconsidered in male-dominated industrial design). Leo soon became Mark's research assistant, and she his thesis advisor. Leo went on to complete his thesis on origami that possesses thickness - such as solar-powered marine lights that could fold and sink beneath the ocean waves, to shelter from coming storms."Because he would obsessively go into these deep dives, he would get burnt out," Marks recalls. "So I'd say: 'Leo. Take three days. Go do some other experiment.' And one of those was this hexagonal structure that theoretically could make kelp farms. And that little pet project got University of Washington interested." In June 2020, the University of Washington and the Nippon Foundation launched the "Ocean Nexus Center," whose stated mission is "to establish social equity at the center of ocean governance;" Leo's mother, who worked at the University, put him in contact with them.Ocean Nexus, as it turned out, suddenly had a travel budget going largely unused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and could repurpose some of those funds for Leo to develop his work. Amidst a largely academic consortium of anthropologists and economists who study the complexities of human behavior, Hummel's work in fabrication served as a beloved addition.All along the West Coast, forests of kelp - "the sequoia of the sea," both organism and habitat - once grew in underwater canopies so tall and thick that they could be seen from space. But along with another underwater vegetation - eelgrass, a flowering marine plant in more tidal regions - these vast underwater landscapes have seen their once-Olympian numbers decline by as much as ninety percent in just the past few decades. Researchers at University of Washington hoped Hummel's structures of woven hemp could provide a means to anchor the vegetation and allow them a chance to regenerate.Leo's parents, Jeff Hummel and Beatrice Gandara, can't recall exactly how Leo's fascination turned to coral. But in 2021, Leo traveled to Koh Tao to take diving classes with New Heaven Reef Conservation. After countless hours bending rebar in his parents' basement, New Heaven helped him deploy his first full-sized design in 2022. Hummel hoped the reef's shape - a hyberboloid - provided an ideal combination: structural stability, interlacing strands that rendered it a single conductive object, and a woven structure that could be easily modified to accommodate different forms of marine wildlife."Because it was algorithmically driven, he could theoretically change these structures to have the openings be bigger or smaller," Marks explains. By customizing these openings to the local biome, the reef "would attract different types of fish and wildlife that need a certain amount of space, or hiding, or nesting."Although Leo started his deployments at New Heaven, he would later forge a relationship with another local diving organization, Black Turtle, which invited him to weave his reefs and teach classes on their construction in the beginning of 2024. His colleague, Sandra Rubio, described him as an amazing teacher whose passion inspired his students."Whenever we work in coral restoration, one of our main problems is getting the tools we need," Rubio explains. "Sometimes we have to weld, or cut metal, or cast concrete. And we don't really know how to do all these things! So he created this specific design for us to simplify this process, and to be able to create really complex structures without spending a lot of time or having a lot of knowledge about it."Much of Hummel's original design files, in Rhino or Grasshopper, remain on his as-yet-inaccessible computer at his parents' house. But Hummel would also document his creations with posts to his Instagram, @seaweaverreefs, which allowed him to add his own geometric color commentary."It broke my heart to do it but I have mostly switched from 12-symmetry to 10-symmetry weaves," he once explained in a post from January 2024, alongside a photo of a thin metal Star of Goliath nestled inside a decagram. "For a variety of reasons, but mostly because when working at scale, that change ends up saving a lot of material. The structure's stability is still many times overkill so that's unaffected, and only total weirdos who count rotational symmetry will even notice. Good thing I don't know any of those ??."One of the driving forces behind Hummel's dedication to SeaWeaver, meanwhile, was not just to perfect its design, but to ensure its accessibility to the low-resource coastal communities most at risk. Compared to other established artificial reef companies that have patented their designs, Hummel's designs could be woven by anyone, in just a few hours, and with everyday construction material."A lot of motivation for the paper [presented at DRS]," his father says, "was to leave a trail that made it clear that this was his intellectual property, and not something that could be patented in some predatory manner." In the wake of Hummel's passing, his parents maintained his online presence so that future researchers could learn from his work - which they described as "more than a technique: it's a philosophy of ecological intention and social equity." But amongst those who remember Leo, one of the most consistent themes was not his capacity to weave beautiful patterns, but the genuinely decent nature of his character."It's really rare to meet someone as talented and, for lack of a better word, almost obsessive [as Leo]. You meet people that do these deep dives into their work, and they're oftentimes not the best people in terms of how they treat other folks," Marks recalls. "But Leo was just a really, really good person."Last year, while in town for his memorial, Hummel's college a cappella group made sure to visit the Seattle Aquarium. There, unmarked, is one of Hummel's original experiments from three years prior: a nondescript patch of eelgrass, anchored by a weave of hemp. It's the only bundle of eelgrass that has survived, for years, in the entire aquarium."I had the feeling that Leo is like these artists that, when they die, their work gains value," Rubio says. "Sometimes, when someone passes away, they become a legend."Learn more about Leo and Seaweaver at Leohummel.com

Five, six... nine? 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 9 first drive: Efficient, for a big one Hyundai's biggest EV is designed for American roads and built in Georgia. Jonathan M. Gitlin – May 20, 2025 9:00 am | 15 Spot the elliptical shapes on the new Hyundai Ioniq 9. Credit: Jonathan Gitlin Spot the elliptical shapes on the new Hyundai Ioniq 9. Credit: Jonathan Gitlin Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Hyundai provided flights from Washington to Savannah and accommodation so Ars could drive the Ioniq 9. Ars does not accept paid editorial content. SAVANNAH, Georgia—Hyundai's massive new Metaplant factory in Georgia is actually painted a subtle shade of green, not white, but you'd need someone to point that out to you. It's a shining example of the latest in car manufacturing—bright lights and white walls inside, knee-saving wooden floors on the production line, recaptured waste energy and solar—you name it. Hyundai even uses dog-like robots to check some welds. The vast facility is responsible for North American production of the electric Ioniq 5 and, now, the all-new Ioniq 9 SUV as well. That Hyundai would make a three-row SUV with its class-leading electric powertrain was a no-brainer. The E-GMP platform, with its class-leading 800 V powertrain, was designed for medium to large EVs, after all. In 2021 it debuted the Seven concept, which explored the idea of a living room on wheels. I'm not sure why the nameplate skipped a couple of digits, but the production Ioniq 9 tries to keep as true to that theme as possible within the confines of real life. Although they look quite different from one another, a common design language called "parametric pixels" ties together the Ioniq 9 with its smaller siblings the Ioniq 5 SUV and Ioniq 6 sedan. Creases catch the light even with the matte-gold paint of our test car, like the line ahead of the rear wheels that calls back to the collar on a traditional Korean garment. As ever, there are some other wonderful names for the design language: my favorite is "aerosthetic lounge," but when you look at the images, also think of words like "teutonic," "boat tail," and "integrated." When you hear the shape was inspired by a pebble, it makes sense that the drag coefficient is a slippery 0.27. Inspired by a pebble, don't you know? Jonathan Gitlin Inspired by a pebble, don't you know? Jonathan Gitlin I think this is my favorite angle. Jonathan Gitlin I think this is my favorite angle. Jonathan Gitlin Inspired by a pebble, don't you know? Jonathan Gitlin I think this is my favorite angle. Jonathan Gitlin At 199.2 inches (5,060 mm) the Ioniq 9 is couple of inches longer than the gas-powered Hyundai Palisade, but the EV's more space-efficient powertrain means the Ioniq 9 offers 9 inches (230 mm) more wheelbase, which translates into more room on the inside. The primary beneficiaries of that are whoever sits in the middle row, especially if the Ioniq 9 is in the six-seat configuration, which swaps the middle bench for a pair of captains' chairs. These even get ventilation, like the front seats. Space all the way in the back is average for the breed. There's more headroom than a Rivian R1S, but less legroom, and like most three-row SUVs, that third row is really for small children or occasional use. There's no acoustic glass back there, so its a much noisier place to sit, and the space is better utilized as cargo volume. If you need to put two adults in a third row and it must be electric, the Volkswagen ID. Buzz is your best bet, or at least it was until someone noticed the rear bench was too wide for just two seatbelts, sparkling a recall. But I digress. Seven adults could get up to a lot of work in one of these things. That's how many 100 W USB-C ports Hyundai has included, three up front then two for each of the other rows, although by my maths it would be hard to sap more than a couple of miles of range by simultaneously recharging 16-inch MacBook Pros on a road trip. For gadgets needing alternating current, the Ioniq 9 can provide 120 V V2L and is also capable of powering a home (V2H) or even returning energy to the grid (V2G), although those two will require a Hyundai bidirectional charger. The Cylon/Knight Rider effect is mainly an artifact of the digital camera and the LED lights. Jonathan Gitlin The Cylon/Knight Rider effect is mainly an artifact of the digital camera and the LED lights. Jonathan Gitlin I wonder if Hyundai will make an Ioniq 9 N? Jonathan Gitlin I wonder if Hyundai will make an Ioniq 9 N? Jonathan Gitlin This is very Range Rover. Jonathan Gitlin This is very Range Rover. Jonathan Gitlin I wonder if Hyundai will make an Ioniq 9 N? Jonathan Gitlin This is very Range Rover. Jonathan Gitlin With the electrons flowing from grid to car via a level 2 AC charger, expect to take about 9 hours and 40 minutes to charge from 10–100 percent at 11 kW. For best results DC fast charging, seek out a 350 kW fast charger. You'll need the included CCS1 adapter, but you'll charge from 10–80 percent in 24 minutes. The adapter is required because the Ioniq 9 is one of the few non-Tesla EVs to leave the factory with the NACS charging port. Using a Tesla Supercharger to charge an Ioniq 9 doesn't just put more money in Elon Musk's coffers, though, it also takes a while—41 minutes in total. Only the $58,995 Ioniq 9 S is available with a rear-wheel drive powertrain. In this case, one with 215 hp (160 kW) and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) and a range of 325 miles (539 km) from the 110.3 kWh (gross) battery pack. All other trims feature twin motor all-wheel drive, but you give up little in the way of range. The $62,765 SE and $68,320 SEL offer a combined 303 hp (226 kW) and 446 lb-ft (605 Nm) and 320 miles (515 km) of range, and the $71,250 Performance Limited, $74,990 Performance Calligraphy, and $76,490 Performance Calligraphy Design use a more powerful front motor to generate a total of 442 hp (315 kW) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm), and a range of 311 miles (500 km). The Ioniq 9's interior loses some of the charm of the concept. Hyundai The Ioniq 9's interior loses some of the charm of the concept. Hyundai Yes, that is a NACS port. Jonathan Gitlin Yes, that is a NACS port. Jonathan Gitlin We were only able to test the Ioniq 9 in six-seat configuration. Hyundai We were only able to test the Ioniq 9 in six-seat configuration. Hyundai Yes, that is a NACS port. Jonathan Gitlin We were only able to test the Ioniq 9 in six-seat configuration. Hyundai This curved panel is common across a lot of Hyundai and Genesis cars now. Hyundai The center console has wireless charging, among other features. Hyundai Lots of storage, and the lid on top opens both ways. Hyundai Leg rests! Hyundai There's 21.9 cubic feet of cargo with the third row in use, or 46.7 cubic feet with it folded flat, and 86.9 cubic feet with both rows flat. Jonathan Gitlin While a short first drive is not the best place to evaluate an EV's range efficiency, driven day to day in Eco mode, I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to easily exceed 3 miles/kWh (20.7 kWh/100 km). Other drive modes include Normal, which uses the front motor much more often and therefore is markedly quicker than Eco; Sport, which has quite a lot of initial throttle tip-in and will head-toss your passengers if you have any; Terrain, first seen on the Ioniq 5 XRT; and Snow. The ride is quite firm on surface streets but less so at highway speeds over seams and expansion gaps. As you start to corner faster you can expect to encounter understeer, but since this is a three-row SUV weighing between 5,507-6,008 lbs (2,498-2,725 kg), one has to wonder what else was expected. At sensible speeds, it's easy to see out of and place it on the road, and if you're stuck in a tailback with a couple of grumpy children in the back, it's a calming enough environment to keep you from being over-stressed. Hyundai has wisely priced the Ioniq 9 between the related Kia EV9 (which also uses the E-GMP platform) and EVs from premium OEMs like the Volvo EX90, Mercedes EQS SUV, or the aforementioned Rivian. Jonathan M. Gitlin Automotive Editor Jonathan M. Gitlin Automotive Editor Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica's automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC. 15 Comments

Adobe Premiere Pro earns its status as industry-standard video editing software thanks to its familiar nonlinear editing interface, excellent performance, unmatched ecosystem of tools, and powerful capabilities. The massive application benefits from straightforward import and export experiences, while AI-powered auto-captioning, text-based video editing, and many other features keep it on the cutting edge. Premiere Pro earns our Editors' Choice award for professional-level video editing software. If video editing is more of a hobby for you, check out our Editors' Choice winner for enthusiasts, the less-expensive yet feature-packed CyberLink PowerDirector.Pricing: Subscription RequiredPremiere Pro is available by subscription only. It costs $22.99 per month with an annual commitment or $263.88 per year up front. A month-to-month option with no commitment goes for $34.49 per month. A free trial lasts just seven days.You can also get Premiere Pro as part of the complete suite of Adobe Creative Cloud professional applications that includes After Effects, Illustrator, Photoshop, and the rest. That costs $59.99 per month with an annual commitment, $659.88 per year up front, or $89.99 on a month-to-month basis. Business customers pay more for either package, at $37.99 per person per month for the single app or $89.99 for the whole suite. The Business version adds collaboration options, enhanced support, and management features. Education users pay less, starting at $19.99 per month for the whole suite for the first year and then $34.99 per month after that.Premiere's subscription pricing means the immediate dent in your pocketbook isn't as noticeable compared with when you had to plunk down $1,000 all at once to buy a perpetual license. A subscription model also means that the app gets regular updates with improvements and new features. For comparison, Apple's Final Cut Pro carries a one-time cost of $299. DaVinci Resolve charges $295, though you should first try its very capable free version. The nonprofessional programs for consumers who enjoy creating dazzling videos without the steep learning curves hover around $99 for a one-off purchase. That's what you pay for Adobe Premiere Elements. Pinnacle Studio Ultimate lists for $129.99, while CyberLink PowerDirector Ultimate costs $139.99 one-time or $74.99 per year for a subscription. A less-expensive tier of editors runs about $70 one-time, including Corel VideoStudio Pro and Filmora.(Credit: Adobe/PCMag)Can Your PC Run Premiere Pro?Premiere Pro runs on macOS 10.15 or later and Windows 10 (64-bit) version 22H2 or Windows 11. On Windows, it requires an Intel 6th-generation or newer CPU or an AMD Ryzen 1000 Series or newer, 8GB of RAM (16GB recommended), and a 1,920-by-1,080-pixel display. On Apple computers, Premiere Pro requires macOS 12 or later and an Intel 6th-generation or newer CPU, but also supports Apple silicon natively.When you install Premiere, you also get Adobe Media Encoder, which converts output to common formats for online and broadcast. It also enables batch processing and lets you keep editing during rendering processes.(Credit: Adobe/PCMag)What’s New in Adobe Premiere Pro?Adobe updates Premiere Pro every month or two with new tools, interface changes, and performance improvements. The biggest new announcements involve generative AI tools that can extend clips and search for media based on AI analyses. Here's a list of the important recent feature updates available for Premiere Pro (in order of importance):Generative Extend. This is the big AI-powered feature Adobe has long promoted. Available in the 25.2 release version, it lengthens your clip when you need to fill brief moments in your timeline.Media Intelligence. Premiere Pro indexes all your media with AI analysis, letting you later find any clips, sections of clips, or other media, based on images or sounds (including speech).Caption Translation. This feature lets you automatically translate either auto-generated or imported captions into a choice of 27 languages. Automatic Raw and Log Footage Conversion. Premiere Pro recognizes all major raw and log formats and automatically converts them to the color space you're using. Three new wide-gamut color spaces make everything look better on-screen.Support for MKV. The open-source codec has long been popular among file sharers. Premiere Pro users can now play and edit this content.Content Credentials Support. This important initiative allows creators to maintain ownership of their work and lets them tell AI bots not to train using it. Read my take on the initiative.Dynamic Waveforms. I was surprised that Premiere Pro didn't already have this feature since it has long been available in other video editing apps. It just means that dragging the waveform up or down in the timeline makes it larger or smaller.More Sample Media. This is great for learning how to use new features. Once you start up the app after the recent update, you see a project that shows you how to use Generative Extend.Previous recent updates of importance include:Audio Auto-Tagging and Enhanced Speech. Premiere Pro can detect and tag ambient audio, dialogue, music, and special effects. The app surfaces relevant controls for these sound types in the Essential Sound panel. The AI-powered Enhance Speech tool automatically cleans up unwanted audio noise.Automatic Transcription and Text-Based Editing. Premiere Pro can transcribe spoken audio in your clips and lets you edit—that is, split, merge, move, or delete—segments of video based on the transcription. Background Auto-Save. You can set Premiere Pro to auto-save in increments down to a minute. This works in the background without interrupting your work. A Dashboard for background processes shows your saves and other activities. A Recovery Mode lets you restore your project after a program crash or revert to a previous project state.Free Stock Sound Effects. Previously, Premiere Pro inexplicably didn't offer any stock sound effects, only background music. You now have many choices, including car doors slamming and explosions.Motion Graphic Template Views. The Essential Graphics panel is gone (you use the Properties panel for many of its functions), and there's a panel called Graphics Templates.Productions. Premiere Pro now uses a three-level nested hierarchy for editing: Productions, Projects, and Sequences. Productions comprise sets of Projects, which in turn can contain multiple timeline Sequences. You can move or copy media between Projects within Productions by dragging and dropping it.Interface and Ease of Use: Continual ImprovementsPremiere Pro has an attractive, flexible interface, and I'm a fan of Adobe's simplifying changes over the years. The startup view helps you quickly get to recent projects, start new projects, or search for Adobe Stock footage. The dark program window makes your clips the center of attention. It now has just three main modes (in addition to the Home screen): Import, Edit, and Export. A button or menu choice in Edit mode has a good selection of workspace layouts for Assembly, Editing, Color, Export, and more. You can pull off any of the panels and float them wherever you want on your display(s). It's also possible to create content bins based on search terms.By default, the editor uses a four-panel layout, with the source preview at the top left, a project preview at the top right, your project assets at the lower left, and the timeline tracks along the lower right. You can add and remove control buttons to taste; Adobe has removed a bunch of elements over the years for a cleaner interface. Since many editors rely on keyboard shortcuts like J, K, and L for navigating through a project, fewer buttons and a cleaner screen make a lot of sense. It's a very flexible interface, and you can undock and drag around windows to your heart's content. Here's another helpful feature: When you hover the mouse over a clip in the source panel, it scrubs through the video.(Credit: Adobe/PCMag)Premiere Pro is touch-screen-friendly, letting you move clips and timeline elements around with a finger or by tapping buttons. You can also pinch-zoom the timeline or video preview window. You can even set in and out points with a tap on thumbnails in the source bin. When you click on a media thumbnail, you get a scrubber bar and can mark in and out points right there before you insert the clip into your project. Premiere gives you several ways to insert a clip into your sequence. You can click the Insert or Overwrite buttons in the source preview monitor, or you can just drag the clip's thumbnail from the media browser onto the timeline or the preview monitor. Holding Command (or Ctrl on Windows) makes your clip overwrite the timeline contents. You can even drag files directly from the OS's file system into the project.The media browser also has tabs for Effects, Markers, and History, the last of which can help you get back to a good spot if you mess up. Markers, too, feature improvements, with the ability to attach notes and place multiple markers at the same time point. Markers can have durations in frame time codes, and the Markers tab shows you entries for every marker in a clip or sequence. Clicking on a marker entry jumps you right to its point in the movie.Any device that can create video footage is fair game for import to Premiere Pro. The software can capture from tape, with scene detection, shuttle transport, and time-code settings. It also imports raw file format from pro-level cameras like the Arri Alexa, Canon Cinema EOS C300, and Red Epic. The software supports resolutions of up to 8K. Of course, you can import video from smartphones and DSLRs. For high-frame-rate video, the program lets you use proxy media for faster editing.You can apply color labels to your clip or open the Metadata panel to view and apply tons of XMP information about a clip, but there's no simple keyword tagging capability. Productions, Projects, Sequences, Libraries, and Bins are available to organize your media.If you’re moving up from the consumer-level Adobe Premiere Elements, you can import your projects, especially since they use the same .PREL file format. But you still might lose some effects, even things like image filters and motion tracking. A project consists of one or more sequences, which in turn contain your clips. There are sequence templates for HDR, high-resolution, and social videos.Semantic Search With Media IntelligenceOne thing that has been missing from the editing interface is a permanent search box for finding commands, content, or help; other major apps, including Adobe’s Photoshop, include this. The Home screen has a search box, but its results are sometimes unhelpful. (Credit: Adobe/PCMag)However, you can now search for any of your media with the Media Intelligence search tool. It's in the top-right corner of the program window, a standard magnifying glass icon with the universal "spark" elements that designate the presence of AI. As you might expect, the tool had no problem coughing up clips with your search text in their captions or metadata. And it did a fine job finding clips with eye close-ups or water bodies. But, for some reason, it couldn't find clips based on color. I searched for "yellow" and "orange" to see if it could find my clips with those colors prominently in the background, but it found nothing. Trimming Project Clips: All the Options You Could WantPremiere Pro has four edit types that sound like they belong at a water park—Ripple. Roll, Slide, and Slip—along with a Razor tool for splitting clips and a Rate Stretch tool for speeding up or slowing down a clip to fill a specific length of time. You can easily access all of them at the left side of the timeline. The cursor shape and color give visual cues about which kind of edit you're dealing with. One welcome capability is that you can make edits while playback is rolling.(Credit: Adobe/PCMag)With the Ripple and Rolling edit tools, holding down the mouse button while moving a clip edit point (or double-clicking on an edit point) opens a view of both clips in the preview window—a helpful touch. If you double-click on the edit point, it switches to Trim mode. This shows the outgoing and incoming frames, with buttons for moving back and forward by one frame or five, and another to apply the default transition.As with Adobe Photoshop image layers, layer support in Premiere Pro lets you apply adjustments. These affect all tracks below them. You create a new adjustment layer by right-clicking in the project panel. Then, you drag it onto a clip on your timeline and start applying effects.Generative ExtendAs mentioned, Generative Extend is the feature Adobe is most excited about. It makes use of the emerging field of generative video AI courtesy of Firefly. As its name suggests, this feature lets you extend a clip, though just by up to 2 seconds. You can extend audio by a more practical 10 seconds, however. Perhaps that short video time limit signifies that Adobe intends this as a pro video editor tool rather than something that can generate full AI videos with deepfake potential.The feature adds a new basic editing tool to the toolbar along with Razer, Ripple, Slip, and the rest. Below is how it looks in the interface. When you hover over it, you see a tooltip explaining the new feature.(Credit: Adobe/PCMag)You might also notice a white gap in the timeline above. You can use the Generative Extend tool to drag the clip to the left or right and fill the empty space. When you do this, a timer shows you the progress—it's not an instantaneous operation and requires sending the clip to Adobe's servers. After using the tool, you first see an "Uploading" message on the clip, then "Generating," and finally "AI-generated." After it showed this last message, my clip didn't appear extended in the timeline. Instead, I saw a placeholder image from Adobe telling me that it was generating the AI clip. After a few more seconds, my test clip was extended to fill the gap and showed realistic motion. You can see the added frames below as the playhead crosses the section marked AI-generated:The result in my test is pretty convincing, but I wouldn't trust it to extend a clip of a person speaking. Other video AI generators go much further. For example, Sora can create up to 15 seconds of video and lets you describe what you want to see. That's even possible with the consumer-minded Filmora.Adobe's Firefly can extend clips, too, but it requires you to spend credits each time. Generative Extend is free for a limited time in Premiere Pro, but Adobe doesn't specify when the free lunch ends. You can see the list of credit costs and how many each account type gets on this intimidating FAQ page. Generative Extend can produce frames at up to 4K resolution, but those cost more credits than lower-resolution ones. Transitions and Effects: Abundant OptionsEnthusiast-level video editors tend to have a huge number of transitions, so it might surprise you that the professional-grade Premiere Pro includes just 47 (you can install plug-ins for more). Many professionals find a lot of transitions tacky, so when they want to add a fancy transition, they build one in After Effects or buy polished ones from third parties.Premiere Pro has all the video effects you'd expect—colorizing, keying, lighting, and transforming. You can apply an effect just by double-clicking. A search box makes it easy to find the effect or transition you need.The Warp Stabilize feature (originally from After Effects) is very effective at smoothing out bumpy video. This feature now works quicker than before. In testing, it got through a 1:33 (min:sec) clip from a moving tram in 2:38, smoothing out all but the biggest shakes. You can adjust the amount of cropping, make the borders auto-scale, and tweak the smoothness percentage. A cool option is No Motion, compared with the default Smooth Motion. Using it with Stabilize Only (as opposed to adding Crop, Autoscale, or Synthesize Edges) resulted in a weird (and unusable) zooming in and out with rotation in my test, so be careful with the settings you use. The result with default settings is noticeably smoother than with Final Cut Pro in testing.Color AdjustmentsThe Lumetri Color manager in Premiere Pro brings the program in line with Photoshop for video. These tools give you a remarkable amount of color manipulation, along with a great selection of film and HDR looks. Black point, contrast, exposure, highlights, shadows, and white balance adjustments are available—all of which you can activate with keyframes. It includes Faded Film, Saturation, Sharpen, and Vibrance adjustments, too. The curves and color wheel options are impressive and include a Color Match feature with face detection and comparison views. There's also a very cool Lumetri Scope view, which shows the current frame's proportional use of red, green, and blue.Recommended by Our Editors(Credit: Adobe/PCMag)You can opt to apply any of these effects only in masked areas, which you can create from polygons or by using a pen tool. For motion tracking, however, you need to look to After Effects, so those masks won't automatically track, say, a face.(Credit: Adobe/PCMag)Auto Color is something we've seen in photo editing software for many years, but Adobe claims the tool analyzes an entire clip using its patented Sensei AI technology to improve contrast, exposure, and white balance. Unfortunately, it works only on a per-clip basis; it would be nice if you could apply it to your whole sequence, that is, the group of clips and overlays that comprise your digital movie. The above screenshot shows Auto Color's adjustments, which you can then tune to your taste. In testing on several clips, this tool improved both the color and the lighting in testing with several clips but occasionally pumped up saturation too much. Unfortunately, Premiere lacks video noise reduction features like those in CyberLink PowerDirector and DaVinci Resolve.Auto ReframeA good chunk of today's video content ends up on social media, which means different aspect ratio formats. Auto Reframe uses Adobe’s Sensei AI technology to identify what's important in the frame and then crop to 16:9, square, vertical, or custom aspect ratios to match the output device or service. You can use the tool on individual clips or entire sequences.(Credit: Adobe/PCMag)You can either drag the video effect onto a clip or choose Auto Reframe from the Sequence menu. Then, you can choose the output aspect ratio, motion tracking, and whether you want clip nesting.Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and Vimeo, as well as broadcast outlets, all have different spec requirements, so the feature saves video producers the work of having to custom edit for each. At the very least, Auto Reframe gives producers a starting point; its Nested option means you can adjust what it creates to taste.Apple has a similar tool in Final Cut Pro called Smart Conform. It’s nearly identical to Auto Reframe. Smart Conform also bases the crop on your project aspect ratio setting rather than creating new aspect ratio versions to taste. One thing I prefer about Final Cut’s feature is that it lets you see how the effect worked by showing the full frame outside the automatically cropped area.Collaboration: Excellent FeaturesPremiere Pro lets you use Creative Cloud Libraries to store and organize assets online, and the Team Projects feature lets editors and motion graphics artists using After Effects collaborate in real time. When you create a project, you simply choose Team Project and designate team members. When you're happy with an edit, tap the Publish button so the other members see it. Any Premiere user can sync settings to Creative Cloud, enabling editing from different PCs and locations. (Credit: Adobe/PCMag)These collaboration features also mean you can go to any machine running Premiere and see your workspace when you sign in. Getting this kind of collaboration and workflow capability in Final Cut Pro requires third-party extensions. Similarly, consumer-targeted products like PowerDirector don't have any collaboration features to speak of. Premiere Pro also has a Share button for Team projects, which lets you invite collaborators to your project via email.Frame.io IntegrationAdobe acquired Frame.io in 2021, and Premiere Pro subscribers now get a Frame.io account with 100GB of online storage for five projects. That's separate from the 100GB of Creative Cloud storage. After removing the Frame.io panel from Premiere Pro in favor of a plug-in, Adobe has reinstated it in the current version, with choices for Legacy, V4 Comments, and V4 Preview.(Credit: Adobe/PCMag)Note that you need a Version 4 frame.io subscription to use the new features. The upgrade process isn't as simple as it might be, either: you have to wait for an email from frame.io for it to finalize. In its favor, the newer version of the service adds features like connected comments, metadata, and user permissions. You can attach comments to specific time codes in the sequence, which is a big help to editors. You can't simply log in to your frame.io account with your Adobe account through Creative Cloud, however. Multi-Camera Editing: Powerful Tools Multicam support in Premiere Pro can accommodate an unlimited number of angles, limited only by your system capabilities. Final Cut Pro lets you work with only 64 angles, though most projects won't need more. In Premiere, you select your clips and choose Create Multi-Camera Source Sequence from the right-click or Clip menus, and then choose a syncing method. The program does a good job of syncing clips based on their audio, which is helpful for DSLR-shot clips that have no time codes. As in Final Cut, a Multi-Camera Monitor lets you record angle changes as the composite video plays, either by simply clicking on the angle's tile or the corresponding number. You can then adjust the cuts with the normal editing tools. Adobe adds an option for multicam editing preference: Ripple trim adds edits to keep both sides in sync.Titles and Captions: Ample SupportAs you might expect, Premiere Pro has a wealth of text options for titles and captions. It can import SRT or XML files. For titles, you get a great selection of fonts, including Adobe TypeKit fonts. You can set crawling, leading and kerning, opacity, rolling, rotation, texture, and more. As in Photoshop, you can apply strokes and shadows to any font. Stroke styles let those with very particular typographic needs choose the type of caps the strokes have, including bevel, miter, and round. Advanced text animation, however, once again falls to After Effects. For comparison, enthusiast-level programs like PowerDirector and Pinnacle Studio build in a good selection of title animations.(Credit: Adobe/PCMag)Automatic TranscriptionsOne of the coolest recent features in Premiere Pro is Transcribe Sequence. This feature uses speech recognition technology to produce a text panel from spoken words in the sequence. It can impressively separate multiple named speakers. You can then jump to the place in the timeline by tapping on words in the panel, and pauses are marked with [...], letting you find and remove them easily. The panel lets you edit the text and combine or separate text blocks, and its CC button automatically creates a caption track using the transcription. (Credit: Adobe/PCMag)The caption editing panel lets you redistribute words among the captions, each of which becomes a separate timeline clip. You can split or merge caption clips and edit the style of all the separate caption clips at once. Then, you export to an SRT or text file or burn the captions into your video project.Automatic Caption TranslationOne welcome new feature is AI translation of captions in 27 languages. This works either with auto-generated captions or imported caption files. Click the translation icon in the Captions panel, and you get a choice of source and target languages. You can also drop down more choices to reveal time and character limits for generated timeline entries. When Premiere Pro finishes processing everything, you see a second caption track in the timeline right above the previous one. This lets you display more than one caption language at once. In my testing, the feature worked quickly and accurately. Keep in mind that Premiere Pro sends data to Adobe's servers for processing.(Credit: Adobe/PCMag)Text-Based Editing: A Whole New Streamlined ApproachAn extension of the auto-transcription capability is the option to edit based on the transcripts. You can select text in the transcription panel and move or delete it, and Premiere Pro adjusts the video clip accordingly. The program lets you automatically highlight filler words (um, ah) or pauses and then delete them all at once, which can be a huge convenience for interviews or expository videos. One issue I have is that the skips are abrupt. Adobe should include an improved version of the Morph Cut transition (similar to Final Cut Pro's excellent Flow transition) in the Text-based Editing interface to fix this. Unfortunately, the current version of Morph Cut caused artifacts in my video. (Credit: Adobe/PCMag)DaVinci Resolve now offers text-based editing capabilities, too, though Apple has yet to announce them for Final Cut Pro.360-Degree VR Video Editing: Decent SupportPremiere Pro lets you view 360-degree VR footage and change the field of view and angle. You can view this content in anaglyphic form, which is a fancy way of saying you can see it in 3D using standard red-and-blue glasses. You can also have your video track the view of a head-mounted display.(Credit: Adobe/PCMag)The program, however, couldn't open my Samsung Gear 360 stereoscopic footage unless I converted it to an equirectangular format (this is the only VR format Premiere supports). Corel VideoStudio, CyberLink PowerDirector, and Pinnacle Studio can all open the footage without this conversion. You can't see the spherical view alongside the flattened view as you can in those apps, either, but you can easily toggle back and forth between these views if you add the VR button to the preview window. Helpfully, Adobe’s tool lets you tag a video as VR so that Facebook and YouTube properly recognize it.Audio Editing: Deep OptionsPremiere Pro's Audio Mixer shows balance, pan and VU meters, clipping indicators, and mute/solo controls for all timeline tracks. You can use it to make adjustments as the project plays. Premiere Pro automatically creates new tracks when you drop an audio clip in the timeline, and you can specify types like standard (which can contain a combination of mono and stereo files), mono, stereo, 5.1, and adaptive. Double-clicking the VU meters or panning dials returns their levels to zero.The audio meters next to your timeline are resizable and let you solo any track. The program also supports hardware controllers and third-party VSP plug-ins. If you have Adobe Audition installed, you can round-trip your audio between that and Premiere for advanced techniques such as Adaptive Noise Reduction, Automatic Click Removal, compression, Parametric EQ, and Studio Reverb.(Credit: Adobe/PCMag)For background music, you get a large selection of clips from Adobe Stock (some of which are free). A relatively new Free switch lets you see only those clips you don't need to pay for. The program now has a full selection of sound effects, such as car door slams, crowd cheers, and explosions. You find these within the Essential Sound panel, which also lets you designate your audio tracks as Ambience, Dialog, Music, or SFX—either manually or via the AI-powered Auto Detect tool. (Credit: Adobe/PCMag)Switch to the Browse tab to find audio stock, which you can filter by mood or search by term. None of these auto-fits your project length automatically, but you can use the Remix trimming tool to do that. Professionals will likely have a full Creative Cloud subscription, which lets them get sounds through Adobe Audition. The SFX clips include detailed options—not just "car door slam," for example, but specific options like a 1941 Cadillac or 1975 Ford F150 Pickup. The recent Enhance Speech tool does a remarkable job of removing background noise when you are editing a piece shot in a noisy environment. Essential Sound provides another very useful capability: auto-ducking for ambient sounds, which pulls back background noise during dialog or sound effects.Export: Many Output OptionsA clear Export mode button lives at the top of the editing interface, in addition to the Quick Share button at the top right. The simplified Export interface in Premiere doesn't mean you can't go into every little detail about the file you need to render. You now see a list of common output targets along the left—Media File, YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook—along with Adobe's own Behance and Creative Cloud online services. Importantly, you can export to as many as you want with one press of the Export button by toggling several choices. You can also send your rendering job to Adobe Encoder if you want to batch render and get back to editing in Premiere Pro without waiting for the export to finish.(Credit: Adobe/PCMag)The categories in the middle section of the interface (in the above screenshot) all allow for fine-tuning, thanks to drop-down arrows. For example, click on Video here, and you can set not only the frame size, frame rate, and aspect ratio but also the bit rate, color space, and time interpolation. For the rest of us, the updated interface thankfully hides those brain-hurting settings.Premiere Pro gives you most formats you want, and for more output options, Adobe Encoder can target Blu-ray, DVD, Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, and many other devices. Encoder lets you batch encode to target multiple devices in a single job, such as mobile phones, iPads, and HDTVs. Premiere can also output media using H.265 and the Rec. 2020 color space, as can Final Cut. However, Final Cut requires you to buy the separate Compressor 4 add-on ($49.99) for this functionality.(Credit: Adobe/PCMag)The Quick Export option lets you tap the share icon at the top right, and you can produce the project with minimal fuss using a choice of seven preset formats: Match Source—Adaptive High, Medium, or Low Bitrate; 4K, 1080p, 720p, and 480p.A new option during export is to embed Content Credentials metadata. If you use AI generation tools in any of your project's assets, you see a simple check box called Export Content Credentials, which attaches the credentials to the exported content. Anyone can then check the credentials on Adobe's Content Authenticity site's Inspect page.Performance: Fast Render SpeedsPremiere Pro takes advantage of 64-bit CPUs and multiple cores. For render speed testing, I have each program I test join seven clips of various resolutions, ranging from 720p up to 8K. I then apply cross-dissolve transitions between them and note the time it takes to render the project to 1080p30 with H.264 and 192Kbps audio at a bitrate of 16Mbps. The output movie is just over five minutes in length. I ran this test on a Windows 11 PC with a 3.60GHz Intel Core i7-12700K, 16GB RAM, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, and a 512GB Samsung PM9A1 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD.Premiere Pro sits near the top of the leaderboard, with an impressive time of just 35 seconds. Premiere periodically auto-saves your work, in case you forget to save explicitly. If you do encounter a crash, it presents you with a Reopen button in a red warning message upon restart.