GodotGodot is a cross-platform video game engine and integrated game development environment. According to the Godot Documentation section, "It provides a comprehensive set of common tools, so users can focus on making games without having to reinvent the wheel." All the assets that define a game (scripts, scene descriptions, level information, music, graphics files) are stored in a special folder structure that was designed to work well with version control software like Apache Subversion, Git, Mercurial, and so on. Users are able to weave these assets together into an interactive experience using the built-in visual editor. Game logic can be written in Godot's GDScript, C#, C++, or a flowchart-like visual script. The built-in debugger allows users to explore or even modify the state of a game as it runs. Finished games can be deployed to nearly any platform--iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, xBSD, HTML5, and more. Complete documentation, including several tutorials, walkthroughs, and API references materials, can be located under the Learn menu entry. The Download section on the Godot website offers installers for Windows, macOS, and Linux machines. Most Linux/xBSD distributions also include a Godot package in their official repositories.
Color Oracle (Color Blindness simulator)Color Oracle is an easy-to-use app that ensures a user's content is accessible to individuals with color vision impairments. In other words, the app assists creators in making "graphical work [that] is readable by the widest possible audience." The free simulator is compatible with macOS, Windows, and Linux. The Usage tab demonstrates how the simulator works. First, a user's art is converted into a palette. Then, the platform administers a "full screen color filter," to the designer's palette (separate from the software used). Finally, users can toggle between the included forms of color vision impairments to visualize what the palette looks like to other viewers. This allows creators to adjust their palette to ensure it is accessible and aesthetically pleasing to anyone who encounters the work. The Manual tab provides simple instructions for each operating system. For additional resources on accessible design, check out the Design Tips and Links sections.
Data Color PickerA free offering that is part of a larger for-fee UI course, this palette generator is a handy online tool that quickly creates a set of colors especially designed to make any data visualization, such as pie charts, bar charts, and maps, more effective. Data Viz Palette is similar to Happy Hues (featured in the 04-17-2020 Scout Report) and other online color pickers out there in that users can select criteria, quickly generate a set of colors, and then either copy the color hexcodes or export as SVG for use in a project. Options include palettes, single hue, and divergent, with three to eight colors. It is also possible to click into the color blocks presented and change the range of colors, for example, from blues to golds. A bonus feature of the site is that, unlike some other color pickers, Data Viz lets users see what their colors look like on a dark or light background. However, the platform does not check for accessibility. Users should be careful about the potential to generate a color palette with very dark colors on a very dark background (and vice-versa), resulting in a lack of contrast that might be difficult for some viewers to perceive. Other online tools, such as web accessibility contrast checkers, can help out there.
Happy HuesHappy Hues is a fun color resource perfect for website designers or any project requiring a color palette. The resource offers a curated collection with about 17 pre-selected color schemes. Visitors can explore these different schemes by clicking the "Try changing the palette!" button at the top of the site, or by selecting palettes along the left-hand side of the site (accessible by selecting "Toggle palettes") to bring up a page for that palette. On each palette page, users can click the "Toggle section colors" button to bring up that palette's hues, with color names provided in hex code for easy use. As users scroll down the landing page, the resource begins by introducing visitors to basic color concepts, including: hue, tint, and saturation. Next, the site delves into the psychology of color, discussing the ways primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) make people feel. For example, red is described as "a very emotionally and visually intense color that can actually have a physical effect on people by raising their metabolism, respiration, heart rate," while yellow is associated with a wide range of feelings from "happiness" to "anxiety." Secondary colors (green, orange, and purple) get similar treatment, as do the neutral colors white and black. Happy Hues was created by designer Mackenzie Child in 2019, using the free website builder Webflow.
Creating Graphics and Effects in FusionIn addition to a fully fledged audio workstation with Fairlight, DaVinci Resolve also includes a complete motion graphics, VFX and compositing application in the Fusion page. Here Ollie introduces us to working with Fusion, and shows us how to perform basic composites, motion titles and a complete green screen key with tracking.
The Definitive Guide to Davinci Resolve (16 partsThe Definitive Guide to DaVinci Resolve is Blackmagic Design's official training course for people wanting to get a basic overview of the editing, motion graphics, color correction and audio tools in DaVinci Resolve. Presented over more than eight hours, Ollie Kenchington, a Blackmagic Design Certified Trainer, guides you through the fundamentals of this incredibly powerful program which prepares you for Blackmagic Design's own certification exam. The course also includes a bonus module that takes you through the additions to Davinci Resolve 16.
Game Changers: Inside the Video Game WarsThis is the untold story of the personal battles that gave rise to the multibillion-dollar video game industry. Brought to life by Academy Award winning director Daniel Junge, this documentary is a tale of brilliant innovations. Distributed by A&E Television Networks.
Inside PixarWhen it comes to animation, few do it better than Pixar and Disney. They are the dreamers and doers with multi-billion-dollar imaginations. Bloomberg Television takes you behind closed doors to see how this powerhouse makes movie magic.
Introduction to Color Correction and GradingIn this episode Adam gives an introductory explanation and overview of both color correction and color grading including an explanation of color profiles and RAW camera formats.
The Math Code: ShapesTo some, Jackson Pollock’s art is a chaotic mass of paint, but those who love his work may be reacting to the fact that the splatters are actually fractals, and thus mirror the patterns of the natural world. In this program, Professor Marcus de Sautoy explores recurring shapes found in nature and the geometric principles that unite them. He reveals that the stones of the Giant’s Causeway are six-sided for the same reason that honeycombs are, and explains why soap bubbles are spheres—except when they’re dodecahedrons. In addition, a Pixar cofounder shows how Mandelbrot’s theories were used to create the first virtual worlds. Produced by the Open University. Part of the series The Math Code. (60 minutes)
Motion GraphicsAdam shifts focus to cover motion graphics and color in this module. We cover basic text titles through to quick, yet impactful 3D motion and advanced motion tracking in After Effects.
NintendoFrom Super Mario to Donkey Kong, Nintendo was a game changer. But with the industry's dramatic advancements, this iconic juggernaut was hit with a series of flops. Inside The Storm: Back from the Brink interviews ex-employees and game experts, revealing the secret to Nintendo's survival.
TEDTalks: Joy Buolamwini: How I'm Fighting Bias in AlgorithmsMIT grad student Joy Buolamwini was working with facial analysis software when she noticed a problem: the software didn't detect her face -- because the people who coded the algorithm hadn't taught it to identify a broad range of skin tones and facial structures. Now she's on a mission to fight bias in machine learning, a phenomenon she calls the "coded gaze." It's an eye-opening talk about the need for accountability in coding ... as algorithms take over more and more aspects of our lives.
10 Things to Know About (Series 2): Virtual RealityFrom entertainment to tourism to sex, 2016 is the year virtual reality has finally broken into the mainstream. But could it also be the future of healthcare and even used to validate or question historical testimony? Jonathan, Aoibhinn and Kathriona put on their headsets and journey into the virtual world… Jonathan experiences the world’s first VR rollercoaster in Alton Towers and meets technology journalist Adrian Weckler and tries out some of the latest Irish VR technology and apps. Ever wondered what it’s like to work in emergency trauma? RCSI’s Donncha Ryan has developed “VR Hospital” – the world’s first virtual reality experience that places their students in an emergency room where they take control and make life or death choices for their patient. The stressful, immersive environment simulates conditions experienced by young doctors and Kathriona tries out the technology which will be used by students as part of their basic training. Does she have what it takes? And Aoibhinn travels back to 1916’s Battle of Mount Street Bridge where, despite of being outnumbered 100 to 1 by a force with better weaponry and more training, 17 Irish volunteers managed to hold back 1750 British soldiers for a full day. She meets Alan Kearney from the Defense Forces and Prof Susan Schreibman from Maynooth University who are mapping streets, assessing troop patterns, and experimenting with bullet trajectories to recreate the battle in a virtual world to determine whether the contested facts can stand-up to scientific scrutiny… Meanwhile, in Weird Science, Fergus reveals that spending lots of time playing computer games might not be such a bad thing after all…
3D Photo Editor Reveals Hidden Parts of ImagesA PhD student developed a photo editing tool that can take an object from a typical photograph and allow users to flip it, turn it and move it any which way they want.
3-D Wall of Virtual RealityVR has come a long way in the past decade and developers are constantly working on new ways to enhance VR user experiences. Gone are heavy headsets and chunky sluggish graphics – now, step inside a fully immersive VR chamber that has about 100 times the resolution of traditional virtual reality.
