5 Free Alternatives To Popular Paid Windows Apps

www.slashgear.com: If you have noticed, recently it seems like every software that used to be available for a one-time fee is now only accessible through monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, or annual subscriptions. This has led to "subscription fatigue," as these subscription bills quietly drain our wallets.

Vibe Coding Is Killing Open Source Software, Researchers Argue

www.404media.co: Thanks to vibe coding, a colloquialism for the practice of quickly writing code with the assistance of an LLM, anyone with a small amount of technical knowledge can churn out computer code and deploy software, even if they don't fully review or understand all the code they churn out. But there’s a hidden cost. Vibe coding relies on vast amounts of open-source software, a trove of libraries, databases, and user knowledge that’s been built up over decades.

Robe launches major RoboSpot software updates

LightSoundJournal.com: Building on the momentum of recent technical milestones such as the integration of sACN and RDM Net support, combining the recent v7.4 “New Year, New Features” release with the previous v7.3 “Operator’s Picks” update, these software enhancements directly address feedback from lighting designers and operators worldwide, delivering unprecedented precision, customization, and workflow efficiency.

CadQuery Comes Of Age

Hackaday: For those that haven’t seen it before, CadQuery is a python library that allows you to create 3D models, and export them as STL as well as STEP, so making models for your KiCAD project is an option too. Unlike OpenSCAD, however, CadQuery is much more design–intent focussed.

The Basics of Sound Design (+ Essential Software)

Pro Audio Files: The notion of sound design as we know it has evolved over the last several decades to include musical, gaming, theatrical as well as cinematic applications. Dan Dugan, of the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco, was the first person to be called a sound designer.

Augment3d helps drive-in opera happen at high speed

et cetera...: San Diego Opera used creativity and all the tools at their disposal to stage a full run of the opera classic La Bohème recently. Presented as a drive-in experience in the parking lot of a local sports arena, the opera came together under tight constraints. Luckily for the lighting team, ETC’s suite of lighting tools on the Eos 3.0 platform, including the Augment3d visualizing software, was there to give a high-tech assist to this classic opera.

Trello is redesigning its project management platform for a remote work future

The Verge: Productivity app Trello, a virtual whiteboard-style platform for organizing and managing projects, is announcing a major redesign today in addition to new features for helping businesses manage third-party integrations. The platform is getting a visual overhaul, both to its logo and the illustrations it deploys across its website and apps. It’s also getting multiple new ways to both customize cards and view your workload beyond the core whiteboard column view.

Martin Audio Unveils New Constant Curvature Array & 3D Prediction Software

ProSoundWeb: Martin Audio has unveiled the company’s first constant curvature array, TORUS, as well as new 3D prediction and optimization software, DISPLAY 3. Both were formally showcased for the first time online at a “virtual” launch event.

2021 Sci-tech Oscars

fxguide: The Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards honor those whose discoveries and innovations have contributed in significant and lasting ways to filmmaking. This year’s ceremony recognizes 55 individuals and two companies for their contributions to a wide range of fields and disciplines. Each year there are types of scientific innovations that are acknowledged and this year a well-deserving group has been chosen, modern production management tools.

Next Major ZerOS Release

Techie Talk: Zero 88 has announced the next major release of its ‘ZerOS’ software platform – ZerOS 7.9.8 – which powers the award-winning FLX and FLX S lighting control consoles, along with the recently announced ZerOS Server.

10 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know Fusion 360 Can Do

Fusion 360 Blog: One of the best problems we have on the Fusion 360 team is making sure you all know about the shiny new features and functions we put into each update. Oftentimes since so much gets packed into each release (here’s proof), features can easily get forgotten about or overlooked. I work here, and it even happens to me from time to time! (Editor’s note: is that just your bad memory, Paul?). To help add to your Fusion 360 toolkit, improve your workflow and perhaps even spark some new ideas, we’re kicking off this series of things you (probably) didn’t know Fusion 360 can do.

Candid communication in virtual teams is possible

www.fastcompany.com: If you thought you and your coworkers had trouble expressing themselves and sharing constructively before you scattered to your home offices to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, get ready for a full-on communication breakdown.

How to keep your Zoom chats private and secure

Sound & Video Contractor: With Zoom’s default privacy and security features lacking, here are some quick and dirty tips from David Nield at Wired to stay safe and protected.

Keep in mind, these are not sufficient for sensitive professional meetings. But if you just want to cut down on trolls and have a little more control of your WFH/ life from home space, here are some tweaks.

Layout Tools in AutoCAD: Tuesday Tips With Frank

AutoCAD Blog | Autodesk: Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll confirm I’m a big fan of AutoCAD’s Express Tools. Not only are they major time savers, but they also serve as inspiration for this AutoLISP coder. I’ve written about numerous tools, but today I’m going to focus on a particular group: the Layout Tools in AutoCAD.

How Previs Has Gone Real-Time

VFX Voice MagazineVFX Voice Magazine: Previs studios have always had to work fast. They are regularly called upon to fashion animatics quickly and make numerous iterations to suit changing scripts and last-minute inclusions. Often this also involves delivery of technical schematics – techvis – for how a shot could be filmed. And then they tend to regularly get involved after the shoot to do postvis, where again it’s necessary to deliver quickly.

New VFX Tools, and How VFX Pros Are Using Them

VFX Voice MagazineVFX Voice Magazine: Visual effects artists are regularly faced with the prospect of having to learn new tools. Of course, this takes some investment in time and money. But it can also reap rewards from having a new set of skills and ways of achieving VFX imagery at the artists’ disposal.

VFX Voice has identified four tools now available for artists to check out, and spoken to professionals about how the different pieces of software are being used in production right now.

Illuminating the Path Ahead for Real-Time Ray Tracing

VFX Voice MagazineVFX Voice Magazine: Critical in simulating the realistic physical properties of light as it moves through and interacts with virtual environments and objects is ray tracing, which can become cumbersome at render time, especially with complex imagery. A huge technical and creative effort has been made by the likes of NVIDIA, Unity Technologies, Chaos Group, Epic Games and The Future Group to be able to translate the pixels representing the paths of light within real-time.

How to find keyboard shortcuts for Zoom

The Verge: When you’re in the middle of a Zoom video meeting at home and your cat suddenly decides to start bawling for its dinner, you’ll want to mute your audio in a hurry. In that case, you have a choice: you can either reach for your mouse or touchpad and start searching for the “Mute” button or you can use a quick keyboard shortcut to cut off that noise immediately.

Waves eMotion LV1 Live Mixer Chosen for Tyler, the Creator’s Igor Tour

LightSoundJournal.com: Monitor engineer Christian Murphy aka “Murph” (Run The Jewels, Mike Posner) chooses tools from Waves Audio, including the eMotion LV1 Live Mixer and Waves plugins, for the Igor tour by GRAMMY®-winning hip hop artist Tyler, the Creator.

AutoCAD 2021 Is Here: See What's Inside

AutoCAD Blog | Autodesk: AutoCAD 2021 is full of new features built for the way you work and automation to boost your productivity in the process. A subscription to AutoCAD including specialized toolsets gives you access to seven industry-specific toolsets, such as Architecture and Electrical, which can automate tasks and save you hours, even days, of valuable time. Check out our productivity studies to learn more.