![]() Unreal Engine 4.25 already supports next-generation console platforms from Sony and Microsoft, and Epic is working closely with console manufacturers and dozens of game developers and publishers using Unreal Engine 4 to build next-gen games. The demo also showcases existing engine systems such as Chaos physics and destruction, Niagara VFX, convolution reverb, and ambisonics rendering. To support vastly larger and more detailed scenes than previous generations, PlayStation 5 provides a dramatic increase in storage bandwidth. To build large scenes with Nanite geometry technology, the team made heavy use of the Quixel Megascans library, which provides film-quality objects up to hundreds of millions of polygons. Numerous teams and technologies have come together to enable this leap in quality. Lumen erases the need to wait for lightmap bakes to finish and to author light map UVs-a huge time savings when an artist can move a light inside the Unreal Editor and lighting looks the same as when the game is run on console. Artists and designers can create more dynamic scenes using Lumen, for example, changing the sun angle for time of day, turning on a flashlight, or blowing a hole in the ceiling, and indirect lighting will adapt accordingly. The system renders diffuse interreflection with infinite bounces and indirect specular reflections in huge, detailed environments, at scales ranging from kilometers to millimeters. ![]()
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![]() ![]() You’ll want to crank up your HDTV’s contrast, and then slowly dial it back until you can just barely perceive a difference between what appears to be “all white” and the next-lowest value. Slowly increase the value until you can just barely see the black bars with the lowest intensity values on your grayscale test.Ī similar test using the highest-intensity values (approaching pure white) is used to set your HDTV’s proper contrast. To start, pull up your calibration disc’s grayscale bars and manually adjust your set’s brightness all the way to its lowest setting. We used the Digital Video Essentials HD Basics Blu-ray disc to generate the test patterns for our calibration, but you can also use a typical calibration program you might find on the disc of one of your favorite movies. « For a visual guide to accompany our walkthrough, check out the video. To make matters worse, the disc is not accompanied by any paper guide on how to use it. But the Spears & Munsil 4K calibration disc features confusing and complicated test patterns and data images with absolutely zero on-screen instructions (or voice narration) to make picture setting adjustments. Calibrating an HDTV sounds difficult on paper, but it’s a relatively simple process that gives you maximum control for setting up your picture exactly as it was intended to appear. Past calibration discs for High-Definition TV. ![]() Take on your friends and earn valuable status points. Each environment features two tracks – one for Classic Sonic and one for Modern Sonic - designed to showcase the unique features of both Sonics. New and exclusive environments for the Nintendo 3DS include an unlockable ‘special stage’. Master Classic Sonic’s famous Spin Dash and Spin Attack and utilize Modern Sonic ‘s ‘Sonic Boost’ as you complete the all new tracks. ![]() Take on some of the most notorious characters from Sonic’s past as you fight for ultimate supremacy. Once you complete each level and ‘free’ Sonic’s captured friends, you’ll get to go back and take on more challenges with them at your side. Also, these environments are presented in stunning new stereoscopic 3D for a whole new way to play! Iconic environments from gaming history come to life in beautiful HD for the ultimate Sonic adventure, each revisited, recreated and re-imagined with stunning results. ![]() Master the moves of each character as they race through each environment on their own specially designed track. Play as both Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic in the ultimate Sonic experience. SonED2 is a data editor supporting the 2D Sonic the Hedgehog series of games. While there, Sonic runs into some very familiar characters from his past including a younger, classic version of himself! Now they must defeat their enemies, save their friends, and find out who is behind this diabolical deed. Ryan Drummond performed the role of Sonic in Sonic Adventure and continued. Sonic’s universe is thrown into chaos when a mysterious new power comes into force, creating ‘time holes’ which take Sonic and his friends back in time. This in turn will convert the Tiberium crystals into usable resources, expressed as credits. Tiberium, the game's sole resource (except for the optional " Tiberium Spikes" and occasional "money crates"), is acquired by specialized "harvester" units which bring their cargo to a "refinery" structure. When a construction yard, drone platform, crane or foundry has finished building a new structure, the player can select a spot near to a pre-existing structure in order to place it, where the prefabricated building will then rapidly unfold in a distinctive manner. All available structures of the faction chosen by the player are constructed on-site at so-called " construction yard" or "drone platform" buildings - which typically begin as large-sized vehicles or aircraft capable of deploying themselves into the aforementioned construction yards or drone platforms - or alternatively at the supporting "crane" and "foundry" structures. Tiberium Wars gameplay typically requires the player to construct a base and acquire resources, in order to fund the ongoing production of various types of forces with which to assault and conquer the opponent's base. The development of Kane's Wrath was mostly done by BreakAway Games under supervision from EA Los Angeles. The game was expanded in February 2008 with Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath expansion pack on the Windows and Xbox 360 platforms. The game is the first Command & Conquer title since Tiberian Sun: Firestorm in which each of the singleplayer campaigns is canon, occurring simultaneously and forming one connected storyline. With the odds tipped in the Brotherhood's favour this time, GDI field commanders rally their troops and begin to combat Nod's second re-emergence, trying to restore lost hope. The Brotherhood of Nod launches a worldwide offensive against the Global Defense Initiative, abruptly ending seventeen years of silence and crippling GDI forces everywhere. Tiberium Wars takes place in the year 2047, at the advent of and during the Third Tiberium War. The direct sequel to the 1999 Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun and its Firestorm expansion pack by Westwood Studios, Tiberium Wars returns the Command & Conquer series to its roots in the Tiberium story arc of the franchise, once again featuring the factions of the Global Defense Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod, and also introducing a previously hinted extraterrestrial faction known as the Scrin. Inscribe your place in history with the blood of GDI.Ĭommand & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars is a real-time strategy video game developed by Electronic Arts Los Angeles for the Windows, Mac OS X and Xbox 360 platforms, and was released internationally in March 2007. The Empire's futuristic units can transform into alternate forms, and they specialize in naval warfare.Go ahead my son, push the button. * A New Threat From the East : The deadly Empire of the Rising Sun is a technological terror, with designs influenced by a mixture of anime, science-fiction, martial arts and robot culture. * Ready your Man Cannons! : Armored War Bears, and Anime-inspired psychic school girls join your favorite Red Alert units like Sonic Dolphins, Tesla Troopers, Attack Dogs, and the ever popular Tanya. Gain strategic advantages by controlling resources in the seas and mounting three-pronged attacks from all directions. ![]() * Command the Seas, Conquer the World : Experience Gameplay as for the first time in the series, waging war on the water will be every bit as important as dominating by land and air. * Star-Studded Storytelling : Command & Conquer's trademark live-action videos return in HD, with over 60 minutes of footage featuring the largest cast in the history of the Command & Conquer franchise. The Empire of the Rising Sun has risen in the East, making World War III a three-way struggle between the Soviets, the Allies, and the Empire with armies fielding wacky and wonderful weapons and technologies like Tesla coils, heavily armed War Blimps, teleportation, armored bears, intelligent dolphins, floating island fortresses, and transforming tanks. The time travel mission goes awry, creating an alternate timeline where technology has followed an entirely different evolution, a new superpower has been thrust on to the world stage, and World War III is raging. The desperate leadership of a doomed Soviet Union travels back in time to change history and restore the glory of Mother Russia. Doesn't this look really fun?!Īs you play through Ratchet & Clank, you'll collect bolts which are used as your primary currency for buying new weapons, or extra health and ammo. The Combustor, for example, becomes the Magma Buster, which fires three projectiles with each shot, rather than just one. Reach level 5 with any of these weapons and its name/appearance will change, indicating that something extra cool has just happened. Kill enough enemies with your Combustor and it'll start doing more damage use your Groovitron enough and its effect will start lasting longer. As you use a weapon, it levels up and gets better at whatever it does. Not only are you rewarded a rush of endorphins for doing so, but Ratchet & Clank is also really into weapon upgrades. ![]() Instead, the challenge comes from trying to find the most entertaining method with which to defeat your enemies. With the very occasional exception, the combat isn't meant to be difficult. Really, though, Ratchet & Clank is eager for you to have as much fun with its weapons as possible. That's gameplay.Įach weapon has an ammo capacity to think about, largely to stop you from spamming your most powerful weapons in every boss fight. You can transform an enemy into a sheep, then make them dance. Perhaps my favourite of the novelty weapons is the Groovitron, which forces almost every enemy in the game to dance. Ratchet may begin the game by whacking enemies with his wrench, but by the end you'll be transforming your opponents into sheep or pixelated versions of themselves. Outside of creating fun ways to traverse game worlds, another defining Insomniac trait is its passion for nonsensical weaponry. These parts of the game tend to involve significantly fewer explosions. Sometimes you'll need Clank to go where Ratchet can't. This is a celebration of the Ratchet & Clank series, but more than that, it's a celebration of everything that Insomniac has accomplished throughout the studio's history. We're talking high-speed rail grinding, magnetic boots and a jetpack section that will feel very familiar to those of you that played Into the Nexus. Ratchet & Clank begins rather straightforwardly, relying on straight-up running and jumping, but as you progress through each area you'll see that Insomniac has folded in the expertise acquired from its many years making some great 3D platformers. There are plenty of ways to do just that. I don't often relate to Ratchet, what with him being an anthropomorphic cat-alien, but I do understand his longing to explore this particular galaxy. Ratchet & Clank is one of the most attractive games I've ever played, with each planet (even the ice one) demanding you take a few moments to step back and breathe it all in. It's not just the cinematics that impress. Many are likely to be reused on the big screen, where for my money, they can stand proudly next to the biggest names in animation. ![]() The cinematics scattered throughout - and there are plenty of them - look incredible. Regardless, the spectacle certainly proves this franchise has the chops to merit a full CGI film. Ratchet & Clank is meant to complement the movie, rather than simply repeat its narrative, although it's unclear exactly how that's going to work. If you've played the original you'll recognise many of the locations and the general direction of the story arc, although this time around it's being narrated by the somewhat unreliable Captain Qwark. ![]() Along the way, the pair collect a variety of progressively more over-the-top weapons and gadgets, perhaps visiting different planets in the process (one of which will definitely be an ice planet). Ratchet then wears Clank like a backpack and the two of them go about saving the galaxy. With each childish joke or fourth-wall-breaking nod aimed at its reboot status, I felt my cold heart warming towards this series that I thought I'd grown out of. It might be a movie tie-in heavily reliant on player nostalgia, but it's hard to hold on to any cynicism. Everything about Ratchet & Clank, from the outrageous weapon designs to the goofy dialogue, is intended to make you smile, and more often than not it works. That sense of fun is pretty infectious too. ![]() It's also a day that I never saw coming." "This is a day that I will never, ever forget. ( Reuters: Jonathan Brady )īut the "new Queen" of Barbados is arguably Rihanna, who expressed surprise when crowned a national hero. We can be our own hero and inspire others with our determination to do what’s right.The singer was honoured at the Presidential Ceremony marking the birth of the new Barbados republic. We don’t need to be Harriet Tubman or Susan B. When we lose hope that a woman will ever be given the honor to be placed on a dollar bill or elected for president we will speak up until we’ve done all we can to make it happen. We will not wait for the day all women are paid equally, we will fight hard and strive to make it happen. ![]() So when we “feel like hope is gone” and that we will never be seen as equals to men we shall refer to this song and find the strength deep within us to take a stand. It tells us to pick ourselves up and fill our hearts with hope that we can achieve anything we want to. We need to be our own heroes and stand up for what we believe is right.Īnd the following song, sung by yet another inspirational woman, Mariah Carey from my point of view has everything to do with being your own hero and finding strength in yourself. We will in our lifetime probably always be thought upon as a minority. They are still, in a sense, discriminated against.Īnd there will more than likely be no one to save us when we are faced with such discrimination. ![]() Anthony was a women’s right activist and anti-slavery petitioner who in 1872, was arrested for voting, a right only men had at the time.Īnd despite their hard work and efforts, women are still taken advantage of today. She went silent for 5 years straight because of these inexcusable acts. Instead, 7th President Andrew Jackson, a slave owner and practically the complete opposite of Harriet was given the space he was in my opinion, undoubtedly unworthy of.Īnd another wonderful woman, Maya Angelou, a civil rights activist, poet, and singer was taken advantage of, many times by her boyfriend by being sexually abused. However, she wasn’t permitted a spot on the 20 dollar bill arguably due to both her gender and race. Her heart was in the right place but still, she was attacked both verbally and physically.Īnd Harriet Tubman saved hundreds of people from slavery in the south by traveling back and fourth 100 miles 13 times and helped construct the underground railroad. She was a highly intelligent young lady in Pakistan who was unable to go to school in response to her gender and thus spent much of her life fighting for those rights. And because of these problems, our society has failed to accept many wonderful people for these meaningless reasons. but the discrimination based on race, religion, and beliefs have been major problems as well. Not only has sexism been prevalent in the U.S. was formed in 1776 to the year women were able to vote in 1920. In the U.S., it took us a disgraceful 144 years from the year the U.S. But the fact of the matter is, those events weren’t that long ago. At least, that’s what many people believe. In early society, women were simply pushed aside and not given the opportunity to go to school or even vote. The present scenarios will always start at sunset. Select the weather profile, then select the time acceleration of your choice, and run. copy the content "AC_Launcher" folder into the "/assettocorsa/" root directory and overwrite. copy the content of "CM_Launcher" folder into the "/assettocorsa/content/weather" directory of Assetto Corsa, and overwrtite. drop the content of "CM_DL_EDITION/weather/" in the weather directory of Assetto Corsa (and overwrite if required)Ĭhoose the folder associated to the profile-folder (Quality/Balance/Performance) that fits best your PC, then: Then if you have performance issues, scale down, otherwise you may want to scale up.Įach Profile-Folder splits in two subfolder respectively for installation on system with standard Assetto Corsa launcher (AC Launcher) or Content Manager launcher (CM Launcher).ĭowload the archive, and then extract the content on your PC. if you have a mid-high end PC (such as mine) or you are in VR with and high-end PC (1080 in SLI or equivalent), you should choose QUALITY profile-folder if you have a mid-low end PC, or you are in VR, I recommend you to start with BALANCE profile-folder Here you'll find three subfolders which correspond to three peformance profiles (QUALITY/BALANCE/PERFORMANCE): LEGACY EDITION, contating weathers for both CM and AC launcher users. CM_DYNAMICLIGHT EDITION, containing scenarios requiring CM and Dynamic Light add-on In the archive (.rar) you will two main folders Sunrise Misty takes place very early in the morning with few slowly moving clouds and a mild haze covering a cold sun and nicely blending into the environment Sunrise Clean takes place very early in the morning, the light is neutral and the colour of the sky blends from light blue to orange at the horizon F1ByNight a variation of CityByNight optimized for Formula cars CityByNight similar to Moonlight, but the night is not as deep as in the Moonlight scenery, the light is slighlty warmer and the clouds are at lower altitude MoonGaze it is half way between MoonRise and Moonlight, and not only beacuse of the position of the moon which is placed roughly 45° on the horizon Moonlight takes place at deep night (12pm - 1 am) with a strong Moon (not visible, since it is placed at the zenit) projecting a fair amount of light (in the cold spectrum), stars and few clouds at high altitude MoonRise takes place when the evening blends into the night with a rising Moon and few clouds and stars EveningEve takes place just after the sunset with the sky blending from blue to orange, few clouds and some vanishing star SunSet a dawn with warm colours and few clouds on the horizon ![]() ![]() HazyMoon, scenario starting at sunset and ending at sunrise with Moon, clouds and a bit of haze ![]() With a Premium account you can configure Spotify as the preferred music streaming service. Whereas with the free account, you need to connect a smart phone or a laptop to the Echo device using Bluetooth and play the music on the smart phone or on the computer. You Need The Smart Phone or Laptopįirst of all, with the Premium account you don’t need a smart phone nor a computer to play music, but you can play Spotify directly on your Echo device. Limitations Of The Free Spotify On AlexaĪs I mentioned before, with a free Spotify account, you cannot do all the things that you can if you have a Premium account. I will explain the process for both options: using your smart phone and using your computer or laptop. In the following sections I will explain with as much detail as I can, how to play free Spotify on Alexa. I am constantly updating the tool as soon as I confirm when a new product is compatible with Alexa. Check it once you are done with Spotify if you are interested on it. The tool lets you specify which Echo device you have. For that reason, I created a tool that helps you check that compatibility. The problem is that it can be difficult to understand how compatible the Echo is with other products and with other applications like Spotify. However, you can still play, pause, stop and skip a song using your voice.Īlexa and the Echo are great products. You won’t be able to do everything you can do with the Premium account in terms of the commands that you can say. Then, you will be able to listen to the music on the Echo speaker. ![]() ![]() You will have to pair the two devices and play the music in your phone or computer. To do it, you just need to have the Spotify app in your smart phone or computer, and connect it with your Echo device using Bluetooth. Very soon I realized that maybe it was not going to be possible without a Premium account.Ĭan you play free Spotify on Alexa? Yes, there is a way to use Spotify with Alexa even if you don’t have a Premium account. The very first thing I did after I opened my new Alexa Echo was to try to play music. ![]() ![]() ![]() The company has long list of completed projects on the UT campus, including the Cryo-Electron Microscope and X-Ray Crystallography Lab in the Norman Hackerman Building, and Computer Lab Renovation at the McCombs School of Business. He is a Vice President at HDR Inc., a global architectural, engineering and consulting firm where he manages the company’s traffic engineering program in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana and oversees the firm’s Central Texas Business Operations.Īlumni Image #1: Image Caption Title #1: UT Life Sciences LIbrary - Austin, Texas Image Caption #1: Committed to furthering the field of architectural engineering, Flynn founded Flynn Construction, Inc., a diversified general contracting firm with expertise in commercial building construction. Passionate about enhancing the transportation system, Rashed Islam has been instrumental in implementing innovative, congestion-relieving ideas in Central Texas, some of which are the first of their kind in the state. ![]() He also led master planning efforts for several Central Texas cities and has provided professional traffic engineering and transportation planning services to many signature Austin development projects including Mueller, Domain, Hill Country Galleria, and Crestview Station TOD. Alumni Image #2: Image Caption Title #2: Mueller Redevelopment - Austin, Texas Image Caption #2: Islam was Project Manager for this mbitious effort to redevelop Robert Mueller Municipal Airport into a mixed-use urban village in the heart of the city. A Vice President at HDR, Inc., he is developing sustainable multimodal transportation infrastructure solutions to meet 21st century safety and mobility challenges. His work has set the standard for other companies both nationally and internationally and is a leader in advancing the field of forensics engineering related to building systems and closures.Īlumni Image #1: Image Caption Title #1: US 290 and WIlliam Cannon Continuous Flow Intersection - Austin, Texas Image Caption #1: Islam developed the innovative concept of Continuous Flow Intersection for this once-notorious intersection which is the gateway to the Texas Hill Country. with branches in four cities who contributes to standards development with insight gained by analyzing building failures. To pursue original research, the created The Durability Lab, a testing center at Pickle Research Center, to study the durability of building components, identifying factors caused in premature failure.ĭavid Nicastro is the founder and CEO of a building-failure analysis firm, Building Diagnostics, Inc. Alumni Image #2: Image Caption Title #2: The Durability Lab - Austin, Texas Image Caption #2: Nicastro stays informed of technological advancements and industry developments through his professional society committee activities and relationships with both contractors and manufacturers. The firm prides itself on years of successfully analyzing and remedying construction failures: from historical structures to highrise commercial office towers, residential properties, hospitals, and institutional facilities. And he not only investigates failures but designs remedies for problems - in fact, he and his company, Building Diagnostics, Inc. Alumni Image #1: Image Caption Title #1: Texas State Capitol - Austin, Texas Image Caption #1: Nicastro is one of the most respected forensics engineers in the area of cladding and exterior envelope analysis in the country. ![]() Reading the descriptive text of existing packs can help you get a feel for typical pack sizes and price points. These frequently contain unusual or value-added content like plugin presets, MIDI files and even preloaded performance templates for your DAW. At the other end of the scale, you have the more extensive, comprehensive genre-focussed collections, such as “ Noisefactory Construction Time Vol. Tighter packs are popular impulse downloads – for example, “ Extraordinary Kick Drums Vol 1”. ![]() Just keep in mind that quality over quantity should be of uttermost importance. “ Trxgt Hat126 Raw Tekjakk” from the same collection follows the same naming convention, but without key information as it’s a non-tuned instrument loop.ħ. How many loops and hits do you need to make a well-rounded sample pack? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, with quantities varying by publisher, pack genre, and purpose. Cmin – The musical key of the sound – this one is in C minor.In this case, the title is highly descriptive, telling the user exactly what to expect, although titles can be abstract too. 90s Organ – A given title for the sound.126 – The tempo of the loop in beats per minute.Trxgt – An abbreviation of the sample pack’s name and the company who made it: TRX Machinemusic’s “Analogue Ghettotech”.The Analogue Ghettotech Tools Vol.1 pack on contains a loop labeled “ Trxgt Bass126 90s Organ Cmin”. Let’s take a look at a few examples of how this works. Sample filenames typically include title, tempo and key information, to help producers easily slot them into their tracks. File-naming conventions must be adhered to, though they can differ between providers. Test all loops by looping them in your audio editor – if you hear clicking at the loop points, add short fades (5-10ms) or crossfades (adjust by ear) to correct this.Ħ. If they don’t, undesirable digital clicks can occur, rendering the samples of limited use. This helps maintain reasonably consistent volume throughout the pack it also allows easy integration of elements into DJ sets or mixes in which mastered (i.e., peaking at 0dB) tracks are incorporated.ĥ. All loop points must be checked to ensure they use zero crossings. However, all samples in a collection should peak at 0dB, or as close as possible. However, certain non-tempo-dependent elements (noises, textures, environmental recordings, etc) can be of any length.Ĥ. ALL elements should be normalised to 0dB! For audio engineers, this part of the process may well be deemed a cardinal sin, as the combined output level of multiple normalised loops could exceed 0dB, creating digital overload. Anything beyond four bars would rarely be acceptable for rhythmic loops. On occasion, four-bar loops are acceptable, but only if warranted (e.g., a chordal progression that lasts four bars). Even if creating a deliberately lo-fi sound, the finished samples must be in these formats, so that end users have access to broadcast-standard loops.ģ. If in doubt, leave it out.Ģ. Loops and one-shots (e.g., percussion hits, synth stabs, FX sounds) are usually supplied in 44.1kHz 24-bit WAV or AIFF format. Selling a retooled James Brown breakbeat, for example, is legally dubious. Here are some fundamentals you will need to know:ġ. All sounds used in creation of loops and hits for sale should be 100% royalty-free. These guidelines remain fairly consistent between resellers. When a producer begins to make a sample pack, they will first be supplied with guidelines that specify exactly what the company expects to receive. Interested in joining the ranks of the sample-making glitterati? Read on to find out how.īefore you begin the process of sample-pack creation, it’s crucial to be familiar with production standards and conventions. Successful sample-pack production is a combination of effective workflow, process and curation, and while each sound designer has their own approach, there are some universally enduring conventions. Many have proven intriguing masterworks in their own right, their sonic DNA giving rise to entire genres. Spanning beats and basslines, to vocal hooks and weird modular bleeps, the most memorable sample collections are far more than simply a “musical skeleton” for building tracks upon. While the sample market has traditionally been driven by a select handful of sound design studios, newer platforms like afford increasing opportunity for highly talented producers, musicians, engineers, artists, sound designers, and labels to create inspiring sound inventory. Why sell the cake when you can sell the cake mix too? Native Instruments provides the ultimate guide to putting together your own sounds and sample pack, ready for retail. 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