Table of Contents1. Smoother Animations2. Expanded Color Palette3. Live Updates4. Enhanced Typography5. Awesome, Evolving VisualsLook for Android 16's Release in June Google I/O is days away, meaning a stable release of Android 16 is right around the corner. Naturally, Google hasn't revealed the upcoming operating system's full scope of updates and improvements, but it gave the world a glimpse via an Android Show: I/O Edition stream. The most eye-catching addition is Android 16's Material You interface overhaul, Material 3 Expressive, which will bring more customization options to Android phones than any Google OS before it. Here are the five features I'm itching to try when Android 16 releases in June.(Credit: Google)1. Smoother AnimationsThe first thing I noticed during the Android 16 reveal was the smooth, bouncy animations across the user interface. The UI elements tangibly interact with one another, so swiping a pill notification makes adjacent pills subtly react, too. These little interactions permeate the entire OS, popping up when you adjust the volume slider, dismiss apps, or perform other actions. They're satisfying to see in action, and they add a level of polish I haven't seen in previous Android versions, including the excellent Android 15. Oxygen OS on OnePlus smartphones is renowned for its superbly slick and smooth animations compared with the base Android OS (which OxygenOS is based on). Google appears to have taken inspiration from it by making eye-catching animation a core aspect of the Android 16 experience, and I'm very excited to get my hands on it.(Credit: Google)2. Expanded Color PaletteAndroid's color suggestions offer excellent customization options that let you mix and match elements on the Home and Lock screens. These suggestions are generally quite good, but their color schemes are notably muted. Material 3 Expressive eases off the desaturation by giving you a much more vibrant palette for personalizing the UI. However, Google is also updating the system to ensure a clearer distinction between primary, secondary, and tertiary tones, so a dark surface is paired with appropriately light text label colors, for example. This means you'll have more creative freedom to customize colors when Android 16 hits compatible phones later this year. (Credit: Google)3. Live UpdatesAndroid 16's Live Updates will make it easier to track real-time progress from apps like Google Maps or Uber Eats. It places an app's status alert in an easy-to-access pill at the top, similar in style to the Dynamic Island notification feature on iPhone 15 and newer Apple headsets. You can also pin Quick Settings and other controls to it for swifter access. Lastly, Notifications now feature a cool, subtle background blur effect that gives your phone's screen more depth, making it easier to navigate. Recommended by Our Editors(Credit: Google)4. Enhanced TypographyThis may sound initially underwhelming, but Material 3 Expressive is overhauling Android's typography by introducing new type styles to make the OS more legible and attractive. These updates are available to developers to utilize, which means you should see Android apps leveraging the visual options soon after Android 16 arrives. Of course, these changes also apply to Google's apps, so we should see the improvements as soon as Android 16 drops.(Credit: Google)5. Awesome, Evolving VisualsAs mentioned earlier, Material 3 Expressive introduces new animations that make the Android 16 experience far more polished than any OS update preceding it. A major factor in this is the motion physics system. The lively, energetic interactions are all heavily influenced by a spring system, which attributes values to motion behavior. They directly control damping, initial velocity, and stiffness, and can be used in a variety of situations, such as button effects, gestures, and transitions. This system creates a unified foundation for Android 16's visual components, but also gives developers the tools to customize apps and icons in a much more dynamic fashion. This means that these visual touches will only get better as Material 3 Expressive matures and developers adapt to the new tools. It's a promising new future for Android, at least visually. Look for Android 16's Release in JuneAndroid has stronger UI customization features than iOS, thanks to its Material You design language. Instead of a singular, standardized design, it gives you the tools to customize colors and visual elements on your Android device. These are just a few little details that caught my eye, but these changes add up to a big Android visual shift. Material 3 Expressive should roll out on Pixel devices later this year, following the stable Android 16 release in June.

Like other famous structures of similar dimensions, the 48-story Transamerica Pyramid, a revolutionary ‘70s modernist skyscraper and San Francisco icon, has a bit of history buried beneath its ground floor. [Photo: Nils Huenerfuerst/Unsplash] A recently unearthed time capsule, buried in 1974 and discovered during a recent round of renovations, offers a picture of San Francisco’s past. The site of the structure—then a parking lot—was initially part of the original shoreline of the city that reeked of historical significance, from the city’s growth as a shipping and banking capital. The capsule even contains a recipe for Pisco Punch, a cocktail that was invented at the nearby Bank Exchange Saloon, site of the city’s original stock exchange.  [Photo: courtesy SHVO] Part of an exhibit in the building lobby opening May 18, the time capsule’s contents are timeless: pictures of the building’s steel frame beginning to stretch skyward, or vintage news clippings and images of the city after its last ’60s flowering. But within the cylindrical steel capsule, which looks a bit like a large propane tank, there’s also a narrative about building in America, and how that’s radically changed in the last 50 years.  [Photo: courtesy SHVO] The battle over the permitting and construction of the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco from 1969 to 1972 offers a flashback to a different time in development, real estate, and construction. The tower was proposed and built in just three years, a sprint compared to the time it takes today to build a signature part of a city skyline. Construction alone for the One World Trade in New York City took eight years; the Comcast Tech Center in Philadelphia, which had issues with cracks in some of the steel frame, took five years; and the St. Regis in Chicago took four years. An analysis of high-rise buildings by Construction Physics found building speeds decreased significantly over the past century, in many cases extending the time it takes to finish by roughly 50%. [Photo: courtesy SHVO] Buildings are more complex and require more permitting today, including complicated environmental review processes. This time-consuming process of development has led to backlash against what opponents call stifling building regulations. It has also led to more engagement from architects around code reform issues including elevator rules and exit stairs, and the formation of the abundance agenda, a center-left push by pundits like Ezra Klein to get the nation building fast again.  “The pace of the approval and the construction here is unbelievable,” says developer Michael Shvo, who paid $650 million to acquire the Transamerica Pyramid in 2020, at the depths of the COVID office freeze.. “The ​​Mayor was very determined to get this thing approved, and Transamerica was very determined to get a building built, and with all the controversy, once they got the green light, they ran as fast as possible. They built it in two years, we couldn’t do that today.” [Photo: courtesy SHVO] A more humane debate Transamerica was then a massive business conglomerate with interests in banking, financial services, and insurance. According to former public relations staffer John Krizek, who worked for Transamerica during the pyramid’s construction and ultimately created the time capsule, the back-and-forth between protestors and developers at the time was more humane, more respectable, and more amusing.  The conversation around the Transamerica Pyramid was, at the time, a larger debate about images, architecture, and aesthetics. The tower was not just a unique shape, but would tower above the skyline. It was to be the city’s tallest building, and wouldn’t be surpassed until 2018’s Salesforce Tower.  [Photo: courtesy SHVO] Artists and community members protested the building for aesthetic reasons, and general distrust of large corporations. Posters passed around the city at the time proclaimed “San Francisco Gets the Shaft” or “Artists Against the Icicle.” The city’s then planning director called the pyramid, designed by architect William Pereira, “inhumane.”  [Photo: courtesy SHVO] During early street protests in front of the company’s office, Transamerica execs sent secretaries to bring ice tea to the protestors lining up outside. During another protest, Krizek and his colleagues printed up fake fortune cookies at a nearby Chinatown bakery, frantically stuffing messages like “Transamerica–Not a square outfit” or “People who protest pyramid seek Che-ops publicity.”  Krizek recalled that the company was determined to break ground in December 1969. The building plan was announced in January of that year, and there was a tax break worth approximately $750,000 expiring at the end of December. Since Krizek and his coworkers knew that as soon as the company was given approval to build, there would be an appeal, they planned to move fast and break ground before paperwork was filed. To head off any challenges, they staged a tractor and truck near the site and sent someone to pick up the approval during the midday lunch break; they were able to get a time-stamped photo of someone digging at site while those opposing the project saw their appeal delayed as staffer enjoyed their lunch. “The emotions around this building, I’ve never seen this for any other building in the world,” says Shvo. “The debates today are more practical; this structure will block my view or cast a shadow. You can’t say that about this building, it was a pyramid designed to let the light down to the street level. It didn’t block views, the only thing people could complain about was this idea of the Manhattanization of San Francisco.” Originally, Pereira’s design was meant for a new building for ABC in New York City. The network passed on the project, deeming the design too futuristic, and went with another architect’s vision. Today, the Transamerica Pyramid stands as an icon in San Francisco, with 80% of the space leased in a challenging office market. The building ABC picked instead? It’s since been demolished. 

Are you building a cooperative multiplayer game with Unity? We’ve got the perfect on-demand resource for you: A four-part webinar series from the Multiplayer team – now available on YouTube. This series dives into the Boss Room sample game to explore how you can build a production-ready multiplayer game with Unity and Netcode for GameObjects.Creating multiplayer games isn’t just about using the right APIs. The first episode in the series covers best practices and provides advice when introducing a chaotic tech like the internet between your players when developing a multiplayer game.In the first episode, we cover:What is Netcode for GameObjects (NGO) and Unity Gaming Services (UGS)?NetworkVariables vs RPCs and reasons to choose which for each featureAuthority and why we chose server authority for most of our gameplayMovements and alternative models like Client Authority for dealing with lag, and optimization tricks for pathfinding-based movementsBasic game implementation and how we used State (netvar, network list) and RPCsEpisode two covers the implementation of character abilities in Boss Room and how to approach ability implementation in your game.We dive into:The general flow of implementing server-driven abilitiesReliability and what it means for RPCs to be unreliableMelee attacks and the anticipation of animation issuesTank shield functionality and interaction with the environmentArcher powershots and Area of Effect (AOE), which require tracking inputs over time on the client side onlyMage firebolt and bandwidth useThe general architecture of our ability systemWe also look at:Dynamically spawned objectsSpawning static in-scene placed objectsSpawning destroyable in-scene placed objectsLessons learned around zombie imps when late joiningCustom spawning logic like pools and how to integrate them with NGOIn the third session, we cover a few more game implementation details before diving into making your multiplayer game resilient to players.We explore:Physics interactions, objects and parenting, scenes and scene managementUsing Relay and Lobby to take your game online and why you can’t use NGO for joining playersCharacter selection screen syncing between players using NGO and custom serializationMaking your game resilient to players coming and going, and reconnection flows, late join support, disconnection, and timeoutsHandling race conditions and various tests to performIn the fourth and final session of the series, we explore game development best practices for multiplayer games.This episode covers:Bandwidth optimizations and tools to profile, optimizing NetworkTransforms, and other tipsDebugging tools like network condition simulators, stats monitoring, and custom debug flowsProject architecture (action system, player architecture, etc.)The future of Boss RoomWatch the series? Share your feedback so we can plan even better sessions in the future.If you’re ready to dive into your next multiplayer project with Unity and Netcode for GameObjects, here are some helpful resources to get you started:Learn more about Netcode for GameObjectsExplore our samples: 3D Boss Room, 2D Galactic Kittens, Bitesize SamplesRead the documentationGot questions or feedback about multiplayer game development in Unity? Feel free to join the discussion on Discord or in the forums.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" A new, integrated building by Sasaki now replaces the old science building at the Frederick Gunn School and brings a range of learning environments together. Titled the Center for Innovation and Active Citizenship, the building honors the school’s founder’s vision as an educator, abolitionist, advocate for the outdoors, and innovator in curriculum and student development. The new building, which integrates seamlessly into the campus established in 1850, introduces a contemporary expression while maintaining the scale and integrity of its surrounding context.The architects reinterpreted the local typology of a contemporary farmhouse for the new building and organized the program into three pavilions. This approach allowed different functions to be distinguished while also reducing the building’s perceived scale in relation to neighboring historic structures. The wooded and rocky nature of the site, along with the vernacular architecture of the campus and surrounding region, inspired the project’s materiality. The architects focused on a simple palette, uniform colors, and treated materials. The landscape around the building was also redesigned, introducing new circulation paths connecting the campus’s two primary open spaces. Outcroppings of rock and mature trees defined the building footprint and were left untouched during construction. Trees that had to be felled were reclaimed and used to create interior seating and custom tables for the project.The program of the building allows cross-pollination of different activities, as spaces transition from purpose-built areas like physics, biology, and chemistry labs to flexible spaces like shared flex classrooms, the Entrepreneurship Center, and the Center for Just Democracy. The sensible approach to massing, program relationships, and landscape was also carried through to the building technologies, as it minimizes environmental impact through the use of solar photovoltaic panels and a geothermal well field, which provides the majority of heating and cooling. Furthermore, by utilizing a highly efficient envelope, the building sits very near Net Zero status. Nicknamed “The Lizzie,” the Center for Innovation and Active Citizenship is now utilized as a hub for the campus community, as its open and flexible learning environments allow students and faculty to turn ideas into action.The new center, and the surrounding landscape not only provides a dynamic addition to the campus, but also provides spaces for students to receive a cutting-edge experience and become future leaders and model citizens. Opening its doors to the students in January 2024, The Center for Innovation and Active Citizenship is now a bustling hub that fulfils, and carries Frederick Gunn's vision to the future.Project factsClient: Frederick Gunn SchoolArchitect: SasakiArea: 24000 ft² (2230 m2)Location: Washington, CTMEP: BR+A Consulting Engineers Inc.Structural Engineer: RSELandscape Engineer: Future Green StudioEngineering & Consulting: Haley & Aldrich, Studio NYLCivil Engineer: Tighe & Bond Inc.Acoustic Consultant: AcentechLighting Consultant: LAM PARTNERSCompletion year: 2024Top image © Jeremy Bittermann, Courtesy -  Sasaki All images © Jeremy Bittermann.

May 13, 20256 min readDeep Math from String Theory Appears in Clashing Black HolesResearchers have shown that abstract mathematical functions from the frontiers of theoretical physics have a real-world use in modeling gravitational wavesBy Ramin Skibba edited by Lee BillingsAn illustration of two black holes about to merge and emitting copious gravitational waves. Chris Henze/NASA/SPL/Getty ImagesA decade ago astrophysicists at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), operated by the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, managed to detect subtle ripples in spacetime called gravitational waves, released by a pair of black holes spiraling into each other, for the first time. That impressive discovery—which earned the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics—has since become commonplace, with researchers regularly detecting gravitational waves from myriad far-distant celestial sources.And as the numbers of gravitational-wave observations have increased, physicists’ careful modeling is revealing new details about their mysterious origins. Some of the most intriguing gravitational-wave events, it turns out, could arise not from catastrophic collisions but rather from near misses. Furthermore, these cosmic close calls might be best understood using concepts derived from string theory—a notional theory of everything that posits that all of nature is fundamentally composed of countless, wriggling subatomic strings. This arguably marks the first linkage to date between a core mathematical aspect of the arcane theory and real-world astrophysics.At least, that’s the conclusion of an international team of researchers that applied geometric structures inspired by particle physics and string theory to the behavior of black holes when the colossal objects closely pass and deflect each other. Such interactions between black holes or neutron stars (compact remnants of exploded massive stars) can be studied through the deflection angle, the energy released through the near miss and the momentum of the objects’ recoil—all of which may be discerned in gravitational waves. The team’s results were published in the journal Nature on Wednesday.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Black Holes as ParticlesIn their study, the researchers used an obscure class of abstract mathematical functions to solve the formidable equations involved in determining the radiated energy from a near miss. “You need these new functions, which, in math and mathematical physics, have been studied intensively but, to date, have not appeared in any real physical observable. That’s what makes it quite interesting,” says Jan Plefka, a theoretical physicist at the Humboldt University of Berlin and a co-author of the new study. Those obscure functions, known as six-dimensional Calabi-Yau manifolds, had never been shown as directly relevant to descriptions of real astrophysical phenomena before.In the years since LIGO’s initial detection, two additional major gravitational-wave observatories, Europe’s Virgo and Japan’s Kamioka Gravitational-Wave Detector (KAGRA), have come online. Together, they form the international LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration and have amassed detections of nearly 300 gravitational-wave events over the past decade, mostly from colliding pairs of black holes. Also called black hole “mergers,” such events are the cacophonous moment when these dense gravitational behemoths smash together to form a single, larger beast. Plefka and his colleagues are studying different interactions known as “scattering” events, which occur when paired black holes slip by each other, usually in prelude to their eventual coalescence. During these close encounters, the clashing gravity of the black holes causes each to accelerate past the other, generating a significant gravitational-wave signal, but the objects are sufficiently separated to avoid merging.It’s no coincidence that this resembles elementary particles deflecting each other. “You can use the techniques developed for the scattering of microscopic objects to describe this scattering of macroscopic ones,” Plefka says. Considered from far enough away, well beyond the event horizon—that pivotal region within which neither matter nor light can escape—a black hole can be modeled as a particlelike point with mass and spin, albeit one that generates gravitational rather than electromagnetic waves.On that basis, Plefka and his colleagues applied techniques from quantum field theory that are more typically used to analyze the behavior of elementary particles. “We’re building on decades of work that has been done to make predictions for collider experiments,” says Gustav Mogull, a particle physicist at Queen Mary University of London and one of Plefka’s co-authors.Closer to Complex RealitiesThe team’s goal was to bring its numerical approximations as close as possible to mirroring reality—which, of course, tends to be more messy. To do that, Mogull, Plefka and their team toiled to crank up the complexity of their calculations. In this work, the researchers incorporated five levels of that complexity—to what is known as the fifth post-Minkowskian order of precision—for describing the scattering angles of black hole pairs, their radiated energies and their recoils.This is where the Calabi-Yau geometric structures, normally associated with string theory, come in. In string theory, Calabi-Yau geometries involve the compactification of higher dimensions. Here, they are not merely abstractions but instead emerge from the researchers’ calculations of black hole scattering. It’s perhaps ironic that string theory, notoriously derided as untestable, has given rise to mathematical structures of relevance to measurable physics far from the rarefied realm of strings.A visualization of two black holes scattering off each other and emitting gravitational waves, which are rendered in shades of blue (darker shades correspond to higher energies). This visualization was computed with the aid of advanced mathematical functions known as Calabi-Yau manifolds.Mathias Driesse/Humboldt Universtität zu BerlinAny mathematical function is associated with some kind of geometry, Mogull explains—and as the function increases in complexity, so, too, does its geometry. In the case of something basic, such as the sine or cosine functions used in trigonometry, that geometry is a simple circle. Elliptic functions, on the other hand, imply a doughnut-shaped geometry called a torus, which is also a Calabi-Yau onefold. It turns out that the functions Mogull, Plefka and their team developed for black hole scattering are associated with Calabi-Yau threefold structures, which involve six-dimensional surfaces. “I don’t think the appearance of Calabi-Yaus was that unexpected within our community. I would say this represents confirmation of something that people had suspected but was yet to be verified,” Mogull says.To demonstrate the utility of their approach in their study, Plefka, Mogull and their colleagues compare their approximations of black hole scattering angles to other, presumably more precise ones that were derived from numerical simulations. Such simulations can be time-consuming to run, even on state-of-the-art supercomputers—hence the search for accurate approximations. The team’s highest-order approximation closely matches the results of supercomputer number crunching for cases of black holes that gently deflect each other across great distances. But when the black holes come closer to a head-on collision, the team’s calculations begin diverging from the numerical simulations.Such work may seem to be a purely academic exercise, but in fact, the research could prove vital for making new discoveries. Signals from scattering black holes and neutron stars should be within reach of the next generation of gravitational-wave detectors that are set to come online in the late 2030s. These detectors, which will also need a new generation of models called waveform templates to discern true gravitational-wave signals from a sea of cosmic and terrestrial noise, include the proposed Einstein Telescope in Europe and Cosmic Explorer in the U.S. The latter, like LIGO, is supported by the National Science Foundation, and so far these kinds of gravitational-wave projects have avoided being directly targeted by the Trump administration’s aggressive proposed cuts to federally funded science.The work’s prospect for enhancing our understanding of gravitational-wave sources excites scientists who are gearing up for this new wave of detectors. They include Jocelyn Read, a physicist at California State University, Fullerton, who works with the Cosmic Explorer project. “Next-generation facilities can measure nearby signals with exquisite fidelity,” she says. (Here “nearby” means “within a few billion light-years.”) “So having very accurate and precise predictions from our current theories is definitely needed to test them against those kinds of future observations,” Read adds.Yet she also urges caution when assessing the significance of Plefka, Mogull and their colleagues’ work. “If they’re talking about implications for gravitational-wave astronomy, there are a few more steps that are needed,” she says. And their team has competitors, too, including some who have been deploying numerical simulations of their own.These kinds of approximate methods could eventually inform the waveform templates that are so crucial for filtering out noise in upcoming gravitational-wave detectors, Plefka says. Geraint Pratten, a LIGO physicist at the University of Birmingham in England, agrees. “I think it’s a heroic calculation by the group. It will provide a lot of insight into how we can structure next-generation waveform models,” he says. Pratten adds that more work will need to be done to move past the new study’s limitations. For example, the paper focuses on black holes without spin and those that undergo “unbound” scattering, which means that they deflect each other and never meet again. In reality, most, if not all, black holes are thought to spin, and usually scattering events precede an eventual merger.But in any case, he believes some gravitational waves from black hole and neutron star deflections will eventually be detectable, such as through observations of globular clusters, where these dense objects are packed together in a small space, cosmically speaking.For Plefka, Mogull and their peers, this macroscopic version of quantum field theory is still a young field, and there are many new types of astrophysically relevant calculations that they and others can do. These esoteric Calabi-Yau structures, formerly on the frontier of theoretical physics, could be just the beginning. “You’ve had this whole new class of mathematical functions—these theoretical things that had appeared in string theory,” Mogull says. “And we’re saying, ‘Look, this is tangible. This [radiated energy from scattering] is something you can try to detect, try to measure. This is real physics now.’”

Today we have the fourth dev release of the Godot 4.5 cycle, following hot on the heels of Godot 4.5 dev1 released in March, the Godot 4.5 dev2 released earlier in April and the Dev3 release the end of April. These releases add new features and improvements to the Godot engine leading up to the final Godot 4.5 release. These are pre-beta releases and obviously are not supposed to be used for production work. There is also a new Godot Engine asset bundle showcased in the video, the Godot StarNova Bundle on Gumroad but be sure to use the code SN40 at checkout to save $40 off! In Godot 4.5 Dev4 the following are the highlight new features: Progress on initial C# support for web platforms Embedded window support on MacOS 3D physics interpolation moved to SceneTree Variant can now be exported Stackable outlines/shadows on Label Specular occlusion from ambient lights Key Links Godot 4.5 Dev 4 Release Announcement Interactive Changelog Godot Web DotNet Update You can learn more about the Godot 4.5 dev4 release and see several of the new features in action in the video below. In addition to the Godot StarNova Bundle, there are also Unity and Unreal Engine bundles, which can be converted to work with Godot and other engines and tools. The SpaceNova and StarNova Unreal Engine as well as the Unity SpaceNova and StarNova bundles. Use code SN70 and SN40 for each bundle respectively to save a huge amount. Using GFS links to purchase the bundles helps support us (and thanks so much if you do!). If you are looking at using the Unreal or Unity assets in another game engine, be sure to check out the following conversion guides:

Electronic music icon Don Diablo is known for pushing the boundaries of music, visual arts and live performance — and the music video for his latest single, “BLACKOUT,” explores using generative AI, combining NVIDIA RTX-powered and cloud-based tools in a hybrid workflow. Set inside an industrial warehouse, the video features Diablo performing in front of an immersive, AI-generated environment — blending stylized effects, a cinematic mood and personalized elements. The image creation and experimentation was done locally on a desktop powered by a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 GPU, while the final animation was rendered using Kling AI, a cloud-based generative video tool. This hybrid approach gave the team creative control and high-fidelity results. CTRL + ALT + Create With RTX All image-based work in the music video — including stylization and identity modeling — was performed locally using ComfyUI, a visual, node-based interface for building and customizing generative AI workflows. With minimal setup, the team could launch preconfigured workflows and experiment freely with different models and techniques. ComfyUI offered speed, ease of use and support for a wide range of open-source tools — enabling fast iteration and distinctive visuals that aligned with Diablo’s creative direction. Diablo wanted the visuals to reflect his identity — not just serve as decor. To achieve this, a custom model was trained on a facial dataset of Diablo, using low-rank adaptation in the FLUXGYM user interface. The resulting model was then loaded into ComfyUI and integrated into a Stable Diffusion pipeline for stylized image generation. An identity-embedding node ensured consistent facial features across frames, as well as stylistic cohesion. Once the imagery was locked, the team turned to Kling AI in the cloud to animate the visuals into dynamic scenes, harnessing the tool’s advanced physics and cinematic capabilities. This workflow, all running locally on an RTX 5090 GPU, enabled faster iteration, precise visual control, tighter feedback loops and full creative autonomy. It showcases how creators can use local RTX-powered tools — as well as cloud-based platforms for pre-defined workloads that require more compute — to quickly and easily produce high-impact content on their terms. “Working with these new AI tools literally feels like stepping into my own mind,” said Diablo. “We were able to creatively raise the bar, shape the visuals in real time and stay focused on the story. AI is a powerful tool for creativity.” Creative Workflows, Powered by RTX AI Watch the full “BLACKOUT” music video to see how the team brought their creative ideas to life with RTX AI. Artists and developers are already using generative AI to streamline their work and push creative boundaries, whether exploring concepts, designing virtual worlds or building intelligent apps. With RTX AI PCs, users can access the latest and greatest models and tools, as well as powerful AI performance. Learn more about the NVIDIA Studio platform and RTX AI PCs. Each week, the RTX AI Garage blog series features community-driven AI innovations and content for those looking to learn more about NVIDIA NIM microservices and AI Blueprints, as well as building AI agents, creative workflows, digital humans, productivity apps and more on AI PCs and workstations. Plug in to NVIDIA AI PC on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X — and stay informed by subscribing to the RTX AI PC newsletter. Follow NVIDIA Workstation on LinkedIn and X.

The world is a better place with more creators in it, and this roundup is proof. Keep reading to discover the latest news about games made with Unity and find out how the community is using Unity.April saw no short of activity from games created with Unity.To start, Free Lives brought some fresh air with Terra Nil’s release, and Endnight Games’s terrifying Sons of the Forestearly access launch has us hungry for the full release. Next, Riot Forge launched the highly anticipated The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story, and Sankari Studios released KATOA, a game leading to real-world ocean conservation efforts, for Earth Day.Rounding out creator milestones for the month were RavazSydney, who put out the official announcement for The Explorator, and Black Salt Games’s fishing horror DREDGE, which was released to rave reviews. Finally, a whole new batch of mystery cases came to players’ doors with ColePowered Games’s early access launch of Shadows of Doubt.On our end, we were thrilled to announce the 2023 Unity for Humanity Grant winners this month. We were also honored to have been chosen as “best” in three categories at this year’s PocketGamer awards.We share new game releases and milestone spotlights every Monday on the @UnityGames Twitter account. Be sure to give us a follow and support your fellow creators.Keeping the fun going, April showers bring… #UnityTips! Tuesdays are always dedicated to tips on Twitter, and last month was no exception. One great resource that was shared was @alexandermeye’s huge water shader tutorial (see below).Some additional highlights included @SunnyVStudio’s super useful tip to convert Screen space to World space, and @NickyBoccuzzi’s takeover of the @UnityGames Twitter to share some animation tips.Keep tagging us and using the #UnityTips hashtag to share your expertise with the community.We continue to be stunned by what Unity creators make week to week, and you certainly kept the amazing projects coming in April. If we missed something that you shared, be sure to use the #MadeWithUnity hashtag next time.On Twitter, @TinyDodoGames had a nice technique to keep the monsters at bay (see above), and @pointnsheep got us in the mood for a sword fight. We also took a peaceful vacation on @OneiraGames’s colorful coral island.On Instagram, @MajorMcDoom displayed some adorable penguin VR, and @Cyanilux showed us how to add milk to our tea. We also got to practice our mid-air combos with @DivineStudi0s and @DevFatigued had us jumping around.We’re so excited to continue the #MadeWithUnity love, so keep adding the hashtag to your posts to show us what you’ve been up to.Coming out of GDC, April was all about playing and making games on Twitch. To start, we kicked off a Scope Check Let’s Dev series – catch parts one, two, and three in the archives now. Next came a Let’s Play session with ColePowered Games’s just-released Shadows of Doubt (see above).Don’t forget to follow us on Twitch and hit the notification bell so you never miss a stream.Did you know that the Unity Asset Store has an Affiliate program? If you’re a content creator and love talking about assets, you might be a great fit. Check out this video from YouTube’s @samyam and learn how you can make income from the Asset Store without creating assets.Taking things to social media, here’s a roundup of some of our favorite creator showcases from Twitter in April:Sim-Cade Vehicle Physics | Ash DevSuper Chick | SURIYUNDon’t forget to tag the @AssetStore Twitter account and use the #AssetStore hashtag when posting your latest creations. And keep your eyes peeled for upcoming sales (hint: this month).Last but not least, here’s a non-exhaustive list of Made with Unity titles released in April. If you see any on the list that have already become favorites or think we’ve missed a title, share your thoughts in the forums.Wall World, Alawar Premium (April 5)MINDHACK, VODKAdemo? (April 5 – early access)Curse of the Sea Rats, Petoons Studio (April 6)The Voidness – Lidar Horror Survival Game, Steelkrill Studio (April 6 – early access)Blocky Dungeon, SquareAnon (April 6)Cynthia: Hidden in the Moonshadow, Catthia Games (April 10)Soundodger 2, Studio Bean (April 10)TRON: Identity, Bithell Games (April 11)Fabledom, Grenaa Games (April 13 – early access)Hunt the Night, Moonlight Games (April 13)MEATGRINDER, Vampire Squid (April 13)Trinity Fusion, Angry Mob Games (April 13 – early access)Beyond the Long Night, Noisy Head Games (April 17)Disney Speedstorm, Gameloft (April 18 – early access)The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story™, Digital Sun (April 18)KATOA, Sankari Studios (April 22)Shadows of Doubt, ColePowered Games (April 24 – early access)Re:Fresh, Merge Conflict (April 24)The Last Case of Benedict Fox, Plot Twist (April 27)Unboxing the Cryptic Killer, Eleven Puzzles (April 27)If you’re creating with Unity and don’t see your project on the list, submit it here for the chance to be featured.That’s a wrap for April! 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