The dock, an iconic Mac feature, is used to launch apps, switch between them, and as a hub for displaying key apps and minimized windows while they're open. By default, the dock has a clean look and features a few apps that your computer thinks you might want to use. However, you can get a lot out of customizing your dock, like removing the icons for default Apple apps you don't use. You can also change its placement and its look. Here's what you need to know to do just that, plus a bit extra.Remove apps you're not going to use Credit: Pranay Parab You should start your dock tweaks by removing apps you're never going to use. To remove an app from your dock, right-click it and select Options > Remove from Dock. You can also ensure apps that are only in the dock temporarily (which appear on the right side of the dock, next to a separator) stay there by right-clicking them and selecting Options > Keep in Dock. Move apps around to make them easy to accessYour next step should be to reorder your Dock's apps, which is as simple dragging their icons where you want them. Note, though, that if you accidentally drop an icon outside of the dock, it'll be removed from your dock and you'll have to add it again.Change the size of the dockYou can also adjust your dock's size. Hover your mouse cursor over any of your dock's separators (those vertical dividing lines). The cursor will change to an arrow that points up and down. Drag it towards the top of the screen to make the dock larger or drag it downwards to make it smaller.Alternatively, you can adjust the dock’s size by clicking the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your Mac's screen and going to System Settings > Desktop & Dock and moving the Size slider.  Change the dock’s positionThe dock can be moved to either side of your screen, saving you precious real estate. To change this, right-click any vacant area in the dock and select Position on Screen. Pick Left or Right to align your dock vertically to your selected position. Center will place it back in the default spot.This option is also available in System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Position on screen.Automatically hide and show the dock Credit: Pranay Parab Some of us prefer to have a clean workspace, and if that's you, you can auto-hide the dock when it's not in use. It won't be gone entirely, but it'll only make itself visible when you move the cursor towards its location. This is also a good feature for those with limited screen space. Enable this feature by going to System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Automatically hide & show the dock. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Command-Option-D to toggle this setting on and off.Remove recently opened apps from the dockThe right side of your dock will show your most recently opened apps. If this annoys you, you can disable the setting by going to System Settings > Desktop & Dock and disabling Show suggested and recent apps in Dock. I prefer this feature on, to help me navigate commonly used apps, but if you're short on screen space, it could be useful.Move minimized windows into the app iconWhenever you minimize apps on your Mac, each window appears as a separate icon on the dock. This can cause the dock to fill up fast, automatically making it smaller. If you’d rather avoid this, macOS allows you to minimize windows directly into the appropriate app icon instead. Just go to System Settings > Desktop & Dock and select Minimize windows into application icon. To access a window that's been minimized into an app icon, right-click it.Hide indicators for open apps Credit: Pranay Parab If an app is open on your Mac, a small dot will appear near its icon on the dock. You can remove these open app indicators if you'd like. Go to System Settings > Desktop & Dock and disable Show indicators for open applications.Customize magnification of iconsWhen you move your cursor near any app icon on your Mac’s dock, it’ll automatically enlarge. You can change the level of this magnification effect, or disable it altogether by going to System Settings > Desktop & Dock.To enable or disable enlarging icons, use the slider below Magnification. Moving the slider all the way to the left switches off magnification, while moving it elsewhere will adjust magnification size. Fun tip: If you have this feature disabled, you can temporarily activate it on command by holding Shift + Control.Add folders to the dock Credit: Pranay Parab You can add browsable folders to your Mac’s dock, as long as the folder is in the Favorites bar in Finder. Open Finder and locate the folder you want to add and drag it to the Favorites bar in the left pane. Right-click any folder in the Favorites bar and select Add to Dock. Here's the fun part: you can use this trick to group a bunch of apps into a single dock icon, which is great when you have a few apps that you want to keep in the dock, but you don't need them every single day. The trick is to go to the Applications folder in Finder and move the apps to a new folder. Just give the folder a name, move it to the Favorites Bar, and add it to the dock. You're all set!Add spacers to the dockYou can go a little beyond the options macOS gives you and add a few spacers, or blank spaces, to your dock to help organize it. You can use these blank spaces for aesthetics or to group similar apps. To do this, you'll need to use your Mac's Terminal. Press Command-Space, search for Terminal, and open the app. Then, paste and run the following command to add a full-size spacer in the dock.defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array-add '{tile-data={}; tile-type="spacer-tile";}' && killall DockIf you want a smaller spacer, use this command instead.defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array-add '{"tile-type"="small-spacer-tile";}' && killall DockFor more than one spacer, simply re-run your chosen command. The good news is that this is the only time you'll need the Terminal. Once you have your spacer, simply drag it around to change its position in the dock, or drop it outside the dock to remove it.Change app icons to make the dock more visually pleasingYou can also customize the dock by simply changing various app icons. This can make it look more pleasant or help it fit a particular theme. The best way to do this is to open your favorite apps and see if they let you change their app icons. If not, check out my guide on replacing macOS app icons, which highlights both a built-in method and one third-party app that makes it easier to change app icons. For alternative icons, a good resource is macOSicons.com.Use third-party apps to access hidden dock settings Credit: Pranay Parab Your Mac doesn't always make it easy to find everything you can do with it. Sometimes, you need to run a few Terminal commands to access hidden features (such as the spacers I just highlighted), and even then, some features aren't user-accessible at all. For more control, consider trying Mac apps that unlock these hidden features for you, such as TinkerTool (free) or Supercharge ($11). I've written about TinkerTool before, and my colleague Khamosh Pathak has covered Supercharge. Both apps have a few useful options for tweaking your dock, such as the ability to remove the delay before macOS reveals your hidden dock, or dimming the icons of hidden apps. TinkerTool also makes it easier to add spacers to the dock, and it even allows you to lock the dock, so that the positions of icons and spacers can't be changed. Supercharge, meanwhile, has a feature that directly opens dock folders in Finder, instead of showing their contents right in the dock. Use a dedicated dock customization appIf your goal is only to tweak the dock and nothing else, you may be better-served by a dedicated dock customization app. This type of an app will allow you to make cosmetic and functional changes to the dock, but won't be useful if you want other systemwide tweaks. Two good examples are DockFlow ($5.60) and uBar ($30). DockFlow lets you create presets for your dock. You can think of it like creating various profiles such as work, gaming, education, social media, etc. For each of these presets, you can drop a few apps into them and quickly switch between them as needed. uBar, meanwhile, focuses on making the dock look like the Windows taskbar, which could be useful if you're moving operating systems. 

After the Nintendo Switch, the Steam Deck might be the most impressive gaming handheld of the last decade. It brings Steam games—most of which were initially designed to run on Windows PCs—to a remarkably designed portable device. The only problem? Battery life can be rough on some games. If you're struggling to stay charged, here are some tips to help you out.When it comes to your Steam Deck's battery life, you're going to notice a lot of variability, even from one game to another. AAA games that rely on high-end GPUs will typically guzzle power. On laptops or desktops, that's usually not as much of a concern, but on the Steam Deck—when those games run at all—they can burn through the battery quickly.So, while we have plenty of tips to get the best battery life, it's important to keep in mind some games will simply burn through your power no matter what. Fortunately, SteamOS is already pretty power efficient (at least compared to other operating systems), and there are several handy tools to help.First, learn what, exactly, is draining your batteryThere are a few common culprits for battery drain in games, and it's helpful to understand them before diving into solutions. This is because what works for one game with minimal performance impact, could make another game unplayable. With that in mind, here are a few key things that drain your battery:Your hardware settings. The display on your Steam Deck is always a pretty big battery drain, and turning down the brightness can help. Wireless radios like wifi or Bluetooth are always sipping power, even if you're not using them, so you can sometimes turn these off if you don't need them.Your refresh rate and FPS. Your Steam Deck has to update the screen dozens of times every second, and for some games it might be way more than necessary. 60 to 90 frames per second might be necessary for a fast-paced game like Doom Eternal, but it's overkill for Stardew Valley.Your processor's TDP. Thermal Design Power (or TDP) is a complicated metric, but it serves as a shorthand for how much power your processor is using. On the Steam Deck, you can limit this directly, which is a blunt way of saving battery, but it can help sometimes.The most useful tool to help you diagnose your biggest battery drains is the Performance Overlay. Press the three-dot menu button while in a game and navigate to the Performance section and you'll see an option to enable this overlay. There are several levels of detail, ranging from a simple frame rate counter, to real-time power consumption and temperature readouts. The Performance tab is also where you'll find several useful features we'll discuss (under Advanced View), so it's good to make friends with this tab.Dive into your game's display settingsWhile the Steam Deck has a lot of useful features for managing battery life, you're still going to find some of your best options in your game's settings. Most games have presets to lower graphics settings with one quick toggle—like switching from Ultra to Medium—and some have even more advanced settings.This is particularly important to keep in mind if you play Steam games on multiple devices. Some games will try to sync settings between them, which can lead to your game rendering at a higher resolution or frame rate than the Steam Deck is even capable of displaying.In general, here are a few settings you should take a look at:Resolution: The Steam Deck has a 1280x800 resolution, so unless you're using an external monitor, there's no reason to set your game to a higher resolution. Most games won't let you go higher anyway, but it's worth it to double check. You can also go lower for some games, if you don't need as much detail.Frame rate: Many games offer the ability to cap how many frames the game generates, even if your display is capable of showing more. This can have a substantial impact on your battery life, especially for games that need to perform a lot of complex calculations (like graphics-heavy shooters) for every new frame.Graphical presets: If your game has a preset slider, try starting on the lowest preset and working your way up to see how the game performs. The Performance Overlay can be a huge help here, to see how much power your system is drawing on different presets. If your eye can't tell the difference, but your battery can, drop the settings.You can play around to find the right balance for you, and it will vary greatly by game. In some games, you might want more graphical detail, but fewer frames per second, while others would benefit from the exact opposite. Try a few options to see what works best.Adjust your refresh rate and FPS in tandem with the Frame Limit sliderAs mentioned above, the number of times your game updates the screen per second can be a huge factor in battery drain. This is affected by both the screen's refresh rate (how many times the display physically updates the pixel you see) and your game's frames per second (or FPS, the number of times the GPU generates a new frame per second). To complicate matters further, your refresh rate can have an effect on your input latency, meaning it's important to strike a delicate balance.To simplify this, the Steam Deck has a slider called Frame Limit that can impose a limit on how many frames your game displays and strike that balance for you. It automatically adjusts your refresh rate to be evenly divisible by the FPS limit, avoiding unnecessary (and asynchronous) refreshes, while still maintaining the highest refresh rate possible to reduce input lag.It's a workaround that's placed somewhat late in the pipeline, and it's sometimes better to adjust your game's settings directly, but it simplifies a complicated process. If you'd rather adjust your display's refresh rate directly, you can toggle Disable Frame Limit and adjust the refresh rate from 45Hz to 90Hz directly. Keep in mind, though, you might still need to adjust some game settings to avoid generating frames your display will just throw out.Put a cap on your Thermal Design Power (TDP), if you mustTweaking your game's graphics settings can adjust your power consumption with scalpel-like precision. By comparison, the TDP limit is a hammer. But even hammers have their uses. By design, the TDP slider on the Steam Deck will put a hard limit on how much power the CPU/GPU can draw from the battery. You can't get much more direct battery savings than that.The problem is that games typically, you know, need power. And even games with really fine-grain settings don't generally ask the user to decide how much electricity to draw. For some, especially graphics-heavy games, putting a hard limit on TDP can cause massive performance drops or even game crashes.Less demanding games, though, can benefit from playing with this setting. A useful rule of thumb is that if the game you're playing is already struggling to maintain a consistent frame rate, try something else before touching TDP. But for games like Stardew Valley, where you're never really concerned with frame rate, you can experiment with lowering the TDP limit to 10W or even 5W to see how well the game performs.Of course, setting a TDP limit only matters if it's below what your game was using in the first place. This is another area where the performance overlay comes in handy. You can get a sense of how much power your system is drawing during your games, and use that to gauge how low you want your TDP limit to be.Don't forget per-game battery setting profilesOn top of all these settings, you can also set game-specific profiles to change your battery settings automatically based on the title you're playing. I can't recommend this feature enough, especially if you tend to play games with very different power demands. Few things are more annoying than forgetting you set a low TDP limit for a simple game, then launching a more demanding game that strains against that limit.To use this, it's one simple toggle on the Performance tab. Enable "Use per-game profile" and the Steam Deck will automatically create a profile for every game you use. You can disable this toggle to switch back to the default, if you ever decide you prefer one consistent profile.Keep in mind the profiles only account for the Steam Deck's settings itself, not any game-specific settings. But it's still a handy tool. It can be overwhelming to keep track of all the different buttons and knobs you can fiddle with to get extra battery life, but the Steam Deck manages to balance a ton of customization options with the simplicity of straight-forward, user-friendly tools so you can game longer.

Deal  When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Hisense U6 Smart Fire TVs are at their lowest prices ever Fiza Ali Neowin @Fiza_Aliii · May 31, 2025 14:48 EDT Ahead of Father's Day, Hisense is offering five variants of the U6 Series Smart Fire TV (2025 model) at their all-time low prices. The U6 Series offers a 4K UHD (3,840×2,160) resolution while its backlight system comprises approximately 1,000 mini-LEDs arranged in a Full Array Local Dimming configuration. Colour reproduction is achieved through QLED quantum-dot technology, enabling the display to render over one billion colours. Furthermore, the panel supports a wide colour gamut, which results in more accurate renditions of natural hues. A Total HDR Solution ensures compatibility with multiple HDR formats, including Dolby Vision IQ, HDR 10 + Adaptive, HDR 10, HDR 10 + Gaming, and HLG. At the core of the U6 Series is the Hi-View AI Engine, a chipset that handles advanced picture processing tasks. These include an AI-powered 4K Upscaler, AI Smooth Motion, and AI Sports Mode. Collectively, these features ensure that fine details are reproduced with greater clarity. For gaming, the TV offers Game Mode Pro, which supports a native 144Hz refresh rate and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) ranging from 48Hz to 144Hz. An on-screen Game Bar allows users to toggle VRR settings, monitor input lag, and access gaming presets directly. Connectivity options include four HDMI ports (two HDMI 2.1 and two HDMI 2.0), one of which supports eARC via HDMI 1, two USB ports (one USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0), an Ethernet (LAN) port and an optical digital audio output. Moreover, wireless connectivity comprises Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. The U6 Series runs on the Fire TV platform with Alexa built in, granting access to a library of streaming apps and voice control functionality. Audio is enhanced by Dolby Atmos, and the unit features a 2.1-channel surround-sound configuration. Additional capabilities include noise-reduction processing, closed caption support, a sleep timer, and parental control functions. 55" Hisense U6 Series Mini-LED 4K Smart Fire TV: $528.99 (Amazon US) 34% off 65" Hisense U6 Series Mini-LED 4K Smart Fire TV: $698.99 (Amazon US) 30% off 75" Hisense U6 Series Mini-LED 4K Smart Fire TV: $898.99 (Amazon US) 31% off 85" Hisense U6 Series Mini-LED 4K Smart Fire TV: $1,299.99 (Amazon US) 35% off 100" Hisense U6 Series Mini-LED 4K Smart Fire TV: $2,599.99 (Amazon US) This Amazon deal is US-specific and not available in other regions unless specified. If you don't like it or want to look at more options, check out the Amazon US deals page here. Get Prime (SNAP), Prime Video, Audible Plus or Kindle / Music Unlimited. Free for 30 days. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Tags Report a problem with article Follow @NeowinFeed

3D printer manufacturer Bambu Lab has issued a new update after an early fix was withdrawn. Termed a critical calibration bug, the company has acted swiftly to deliver new code to its many users. The Shenzhen-based company has now released firmware version V01.01.02.07 for its H2D 3D printer through its Public Beta Program. Rolled out on May 23, this update introduces a comprehensive set of new features, performance enhancements, and critical bug fixes designed to elevate print quality, expand hardware compatibility, and offer users greater control. The release builds on feedback gathered from earlier beta phases. The Bambu Lab H2D Laser Full Combo in a workshop. Image via Bambu Lab. Features and Improvements Firmware V01.01.02.07 adds native support for the CyberBrick time-lapse kit. It also expands the H2D’s onboard AI failure detection system, now giving users the ability to individually toggle detection functions for nozzle clumping, spaghetti printing, air printing, and purge chute pile-ups from the printer’s interface. Hardware compatibility has been further extended. The AMS 2 Pro and AMS HT systems now support RFID-based automatic matching of drying parameters and can perform drying operations without rotating spools. Additionally, the Laser & Cut module can now initiate tasks directly from USB drive files, improving workflow support. Performance updates include improved foreign object detection on the smooth PEI plate, better regulation of heatbed temperatures, enhanced first-layer quality, more reliable chamber temperature checks before printing begins, and improved accuracy of laser module flame detection. The update also enhances the accuracy of nozzle clumping and nozzle camera dirty detection, while optimizing the pre-purging strategy. A collision issue between the nozzle flow blocker and nozzle wiper—previously triggered during flow dynamics calibration—has been resolved. Calibration reliability for the liveview camera has also improved, and issues with pre-extrusion lines sticking to prints during layer transitions have been addressed. Bambu Lab H2D Launch. Image via Bambu Lab. However, two known issues remain in this beta release: detection of filament PTFE tube detachment is currently disabled, and users cannot adjust heatbed temperature via the Bambu Handy app. The latter is expected to be fixed in a future app update. This version replaces V01.01.02.04, which was briefly released on May 20 before being withdrawn due to a critical calibration bug. That earlier version caused the right nozzle to crash into the wiper during left-nozzle calibration, damaging the printer. The firmware also temporarily disabled filament detachment detection. Bambu Lab quickly pulled the update and advised users to revert to the previous stable firmware while working on a corrected release—now realized in version V01.01.02.07. Accessing the Firmware To access the beta firmware, users can opt into the Public Beta Program through the Bambu Handy app by navigating to the “Me” section and selecting “Beta Firmware Program.” Once enrolled, the update will be rolled out gradually. Participants can leave the program at any time and revert to the most recent stable firmware version. Bambu Lab recommends updating Bambu Studio Presets before installing the firmware to ensure full compatibility. Full technical documentation and the official changelog are available on Bambu Lab’s website. Bambu Lab Hardware Line: H2D and Beyond The new firmware update applies to the H2D 3D printer, Bambu Lab’s flagship desktop manufacturing system unveiled in March 2025. Designed for professional users, the H2D offers the company’s largest build volume to date—350 x 320 x 325 mm—and includes two new AMS systems with integrated filament drying. Dual-nozzle extrusion and servo-driven precision deliver high accuracy, while a 350°C hotend and 65°C heated chamber allow reliable printing with high-performance, fiber-reinforced materials. With a toolhead speed of up to 1000 mm/s and acceleration of 20,000 mm/s², the H2D is built for productivity without compromising quality. The Bambu Lab H2D’s digital cutter. Image via Bambu Lab. Bambu Lab’s broader portfolio also includes the X1E, released in 2023 as an enterprise-grade upgrade to its X1 series. Developed with professional and engineering applications in mind, the X1E features LAN-only connectivity for secure, offline operation, enhanced air filtration, and precise thermal regulation. An increased maximum nozzle temperature expands its material compatibility, making it suitable for demanding industrial applications. At its core, the X1E builds on the proven performance of the X1 Carbon, extending the system’s capabilities for use in sensitive or regulated environments. Take the 3DPI Reader Survey — shape the future of AM reporting in under 5 minutes. Who won the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards? Subscribe to the3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news. You can also follow us on LinkedIn, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content. Featured image shows Bambu Lab H2D Launch. Image via Bambu Lab. Paloma Duran Paloma Duran holds a BA in International Relations and an MA in Journalism. Specializing in writing, podcasting, and content and event creation, she works across politics, energy, mining, and technology. With a passion for global trends, Paloma is particularly interested in the impact of technology like 3D printing on shaping our future.

Cozy Games Free & Open-Source Godot Add-Ons / News, Resources / May 31, 2025 / Add-On, Godot The folks over at Cozy Cube Games have provided a GitHub repository that offers a fantastic collection of tools to enhance your Godot game development workflow. Here’s a look at 14 of the add-ons you can find there, all of which are available under the MIT open-source license and implemented using 100% GDScript. The repository consists of the following free add-ons for the Godot game engine: area_lights: Enhances lighting capabilities within your scenes. control_proxies: doodle_texture:  Create textures directly in Godot by doodling or sketching, perfect for prototyping and “sticky notes”. editor_relays: This add-on allows you to manage the Godot Editor from your application at run-time. gizmo_presets: Gain precise control over the visibility of Gizmos in Godot. Show/hide them all, or create and toggle your own custom presets. light_shafts: Add breathtaking volumetric light scattering effects, often known as “god rays,” to your scenes. lines_and_trails_3d: Easily create and manage dynamic 3D lines and trail effects for projectiles, movement paths, and more. manual_multimesh: Optimize your scenes by gaining more direct control over MultiMeshInstances, perfect for rendering many similar meshes efficiently. nine_patch_mesh: Create scalable 3D nine-patch meshes, ideal for flexible UI elements or environment pieces with repeating borders and centers. parallel_scene_views: Boost your productivity by viewing and interacting with multiple scene views simultaneously within the editor. preview_2d: Seamlessly integrate 2D and 3D workflows by adding a button to preview your 2D viewport directly from a 3D scene. procedural_texture_baker: Generate and bake unique procedural textures directly within Godot, saving time and adding variety. tile_path_3d: Effortlessly instance 3D objects along a spline path. Perfect for creating paths, roads, fences, and other repeating environmental details. transform_clusters: Once again, not really sure the use case on this one Key Links Cozy Cube Games Godot Add-Ons GitHub Repository Cozy Cube Games Homepage You can learn more about the Cozy Cube Games add-ons for the Godot game engine as well as see many of them in action in the video below.

Nacon enters the direct drive sim racing game - and hands-on impressions are positive On the back of securing the WRC license. Blog by Reece Bithrey Contributor Published on May 31, 2025 Nacon, new custodians of the WRC series, has gotten into the sim racing game with a new direct drive racing wheel and accessories under RevoSim branding it announced last year. The wheel base, rim, load cell brake and accelerator form the RS Pure bundle, which looks to compete with the likes of the Fanatec Gran Turismo DD Pro, Moza R9 V3 and Thrustmaster T598 at a upper-mid price point of £699. We went hands-on with the bundle at a recent press event in Paris and found it had some merit, though the direct drive (DD) space has become increasingly competitive over the years with the likes of Logitech and Turtle Beach joining the fray over the last couple of years. As well as the obligatory starter bundle of wheel rim, wheel base and pedals, there are a number of accessories, including a hybrid shifter that supports both sequential and h-pattern options, a clutch pedal add-on and a load cell handbrake for navigating tighter turns. The wheel base itself has 9Nm of torque, which is a touch more than the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race's 7.2Nm, although slightly behind the Logitech Pro Racing Wheel's 11nm of force. In addition, the rim itself is on a quick release, so it can easily be swapped out with the other options in the range - though third-party rims aren't supported as is sometimes the case. Here is a closer look at the pedal set. The pedal set is in steel and brushed aluminium for a solid construction, coming equipped with a 100kg load cell sensor for precise input. You can also choose how heavy, or light, you wish the brake to be with colour-coded elastomers supplied with the kit. I tested out the RS in a few different configurations at the Paris event, starting with a desk setup and a round rally-style rim in WRC Generations. That outing revealed some small issues with the pedals' ability to grip onto carpet, as I found they had a tendency to slide under harsh braking as I clung onto dear life at the mercy of a Group B Peugeot 205 T16. The force feedback was strong and informative, picking out the nuances of a rally stage with its hidden dips and crests, while pedal inputs were strong, although there was perhaps a little too much weight to the force feedback for my liking. I felt unable to flick the car into corners on a Monte Carlo rally stage as I wished to, although if the feedback wasn't necessarily set to be so high, this would have come easier. For the most part, though, I enjoyed my time with it, and the unit felt responsive with accurate feedback and a pleasant feel in-hand. I also used the bundle in a sim-racing cockpit, this time in F1 24 taking a few laps around spa. The heavier load cell brake pedal typical of F1 racing took some getting used to, requiring a lot more force to push the brake down all the way than I anticipated. However, I can certainly see the appeal of having such a heavy feel, so you can dial in advanced techniques such as trail braking. My lap times around Spa weren't necessarily the best on the day, but I could still feel the edges of kerbs and the car's movement to a good degree. There isn't a more Formula-style rim available just yet, but I hope that Nacon plans to add it for folks who want to go full-on with the immersion. It can make a bit of difference. And this is the main basis of the 'starter kit' as it were. General build quality from my initial impressions also seems excellent for the price point Nacon is targeting, with an all-metal wheel base alongside a metal wheel and plush synthetic leather rim. The main rims also have a good selection of buttons, and you can even control presets, force feedback and input mapping in an associated smartphone app. Compatibility is purely for Windows at the moment, although I heard rumblings at the event that Nacon was talking to Xbox and PlayStation for console compatibility. Nothing seems to have come from that yet, so I wouldn't bank on it being available any time soon - and it may come via new hardware rather than a software update. For what's on offer here, the £699 price tag for the complete bundle including rim, base and pedals is reasonably compelling - though we'll wait for our full review to deliver a final verdict on a wider range of racing scenarios, software support and the wider ecosystem.

💡 Better Lighting – Instantly improve your Blender renders [Now 25% Extended] 🚀 Check It Out: https://superhivemarket.com/products/... Struggling with flat or noisy lighting? Better Lighting gives you drag-and-drop presets designed by pros. From studio setups to dramatic cinematic looks—no guesswork, just great lighting. 👇🏽Coupon Code In the Comments 👇🏽 #b3d #BlenderAddon #LightingPresets #3DRendering #BetterLighting #BlenderTips (Feed generated with FetchRSS)

There is another game artists focused Humble Bundle, joining yesterday’s 3D Artists Tools & Brushes Bundle, this one is the Flipped Normals Extreme Add-Ons Bundle for Blender & ZBrush. This is a collection of add-ons for both Blender and Brush. It is important to note the following: Free lifetime updates are not included in the bundle purchase. All creators have included coupon codes in the bundle, so you can purchase directly from their shop at a discounted price to receive updates and full support. As with most Humble Bundles, the Flipped Normals Extreme Add-Ons Bundle for Blender & ZBrush is organized into the following tiers: 10$ Tier Fit Curve Blendshop – Layer-Based Compositing / Color Grading Tool – Blender 4.0+ Geo Sign 1.0 – Sign Generator Blender Addon Power Maps ZBrush Plugin Model Enhancer – ZBrush Plugin 20$ Tier Wrap Gen – Generate Fully Customisable Wraps (Blender 4.0+) Fit Lattice Real Cloud 1.0 – Cloud Creator / Blender Addon + 200 VDB Assets Power Shapes ZBrush Plugin ZBrush – Mask & Delete Plugin 30$ Tier Lazy VFX 1.0 – VDB Assets & Blender Addon Better Lighting V2 – Light Presets & Gobos Library Fluid Kit – Water Generator & Water Assets Library Lazy Forest V2 – Forest Generator Addon + Trees & Plants Library Physical Starlight And Atmosphere Physical Celestial Objects – Procedural Planets Physical Open Waters Spline Brush – Turn Splines into Brush Strokes Light Wrangler: Essential Lighting Add-On For Blender Quad Maker Power Modeler ZBrush Plugin Easy Mesh ZBrush Plugin Power Primitives ZBrush Plugin Power Text Brush Maker ZBrush Plugin Real-time Hair ZBrush Plugin Torn Pro – ZBrush Plugin UV-Pro Mastering UV Unwrapping – ZBrush Plugin ARMORED MIRROR Zbrush Plugin Geo-Scatter 5.5 Using links on this page to purchase the bundle helps support GFS (and thanks so much if you do!). You can access the  3D Artists Tools & Brushes Bundle here and the Flipped Normals Extreme Add-Ons Bundle for Blender & ZBrush here. If you’d like to see coverage of a specific asset in action in video form please do let me know on the GFS discord server.

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.

Devlog #9: A Little Bit of Polish posted in Sword and Quill Devlog Published May 26, 2025 Advertisement Hi, wonderful humans! It's time for another devlog.The Creature Collector Fest is over but the Next Fest is right around the corner! Juggling priorities gets harder and harder between improving the demo, working on the main game, making sure the Twitch integration works, adding Animons, capturing fixing wild bugs, marketing. I'm trying to use Codecks more consistently which definitely helps. Did you know I have an open board? You can check what I'm working on or what I have planned and even up-vote features you like to see most. You can find it here.With another upcoming event, the Access-Ability showcase, I've been prioritizing accessibility features like optimizing the UI for scaling to reduce cases where elements get pushed out of the screen. Next, I'm trying to tackle adding more options for photosensitivity. You can already disable screenshake but there's currently no option for reducing flashing lights. Time for PolishWith a little bit of time opening up, I managed to dedicate some of it to polish which felt incredibly good after weeks of very technical tasks. I improved the win screen that shows when you beat either the demo or the alpha and added animations to it (loving Tweens y'all!). Honestly, the win screen was all over the place before that with elements overlapping each other, text being cut off, and more abominations. Oof...At the end of last week,  I started working on preventing the UI getting pushed around when you or the enemy had too many dice. I added dynamic spacing between the dice that takes the amount and the width of the container into account and added a nice bouncy hover effect to make it easier to see when they are close together. Again, using Tweens, I scale the node up and down accordingly with the "elastic" curve for that nice swing effect at the end.I hope to find time to add more battle effects to tricks which are also in need of a lot of polish. Many attacks just reuse the tackle or jump attack effect but they deserve their own little identity. This might lead to refactoring the entire battle effect system which I implemented a while ago before I learned how to write better code. I'm currently creating a scene for each effect with the battle effect resource which has a drop-down for all sorts of effect types like animation, tween, particles, and so on. I can assign a target control and tell it what to do from self-defined presets, if the effect should target the player or opponent, and so on. I probably want to rework it to be similar to how I create tricks now, where I can add trick features as a sub-resource indefinitely to customize it however I want because – like with the old tricks – I cannot combine effects like tween and particles with the current battle effect system.A few smaller tweaks are the run menu on the map collapsing when not needed and the starter selection screen which now shows the Animon's quirk when hovering/focusing on it.Roadmap(?)Planning the next months is bleh (I hate planning!) but it's gotta be done. I already moved some feature back into the early access period to make sure I get the base game loop solid and working before that. Currently, I'm eyeing end of July for early access which is after the Summer Sale but before the gamescom. Until then, I want all three regions to have roughly the same amount of Animons and the difficulty curve more or less balanced (and of course zero bugs and full optimization which is a reasonable and realistic expectation). There's also a story-cinematic I have planned as an intro to give you a little bit of narrative context but we'll see if I get around drawing all that.A few features I have planned for the ea period are:Soulblaze mechanic: We all want it, we all love it: Evolution, transformation, digitize, super sayjan form, and what not. Soulblaze forms have been on the list since the beginning but I didn't want to add it until I was sure I have settled on the dice mechanics because they will be a big part of triggering it.Nuzlocke-mode: Adding the popular self-imposed difficulty challenge from Pokémon to the game. If you don't know it, it means that if one of your creatures gets defeated, you have to release it and you get to only capture one creature per region. The mode would take care of these restrictions for you, of course.  Co-op mode: I love co-op and there's not nearly enough games with it. Since Soulblaze is turn-based, it's possible to insert a 2-player mode but I'd have to figure out how to handle displaying 2 Animons per side and how to handle turns then. Do the player both plan their turn and they play out together or do they go one after the other? Maybe alternating with the enemy? Will think about this.Unlockable comic pages: Story is always important to me and I literally can't create a game without having a story in mind. While Soulblaze might be my least story-focused game so far, I still want it to contain lore and especially character stories. In that regard, I want players to be able to unlock comic pages while they play which they can read in the collection and don't worry, I'll add visual descriptions to those as well, of course!Keep in mind that those are features I wish to implement and not guaranteed (well, except for Soulblaze forms which... kinda have to be in there, y'know?). I don't know if I will have the time to implement all of these or that I don't run into serious technical issues that I can't solve. Solo dev means that your time is so split between everything that every mid to large hurdle can mean it has to be put on hold indefinitely. But I'll do my best and it also helps that I really, really want those features.Lore Sneak-PeekOver a decade ago the Observer arrived on Earth, a huge crystalline lifeform that appeared to be peaceful. A few years later, for unknown reasons, it shattered and fragments of it grew to became the Animons we know today. Bindshards are made from the outer shell of the Observer and are used to capture Animons because they naturally want to return to their original form, therefore binding easily with the material of the Observer.When exactly the Soulblaze was discovered is unclear but the first Animancers experienced alteration of the Animons' physical shape when they got really excited, scared, or angry. It happens when the soul literally ignites in a surge of energy. Humans, as they do, saw the power and tried to trigger the Soulblaze within themselves which did not go so great...  the results are, well, you have met some of the bosses, haven't you...? Previous Entry Accessibility in Games - Where do I start? Comments You must log in to join the conversation. Don't have a GameDev.net account? Sign up!