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Intel fixed nine high- and medium-severity flaws in its April security update, which could enable privilege escalation and denial of service attacks. View the full article

In the last few weeks many cancelled events, from concerts to conferences, have been replaced by virtual ones. And in the process, many are realising that moving events online isn’t just about damage control; it actually brings benefits of its own. “For a start, the reach can be much greater,” notes Olga de Giovanni, global PR and communications manager at marketing and media consultancy Ebiquity. “Our initial webinars, for example, attracted five to 10 times as many participants as we’d typically get, and we reached an international audience too.” Vinda Souza, VP of global communications at Bullhorn, is also enthused by the possibilities of virtual events. “The fact there’s virtually no barrier to attendance, other than internet access, means there’s capacity to invite way more people,” she says. “Those who couldn’t otherwise afford to travel, be away from their computer, leave overnight and be away from their family, or have mobility concerns, can now attend.” So how do you make your event a success? In this article, we gather the best advice from both veterans and those who’ve recently joined the party. 01. Make it relevant With so many virtual events taking place right now, you need to work hard to grab people's attention The first point might be obvious, but it’s worth stating: any event you organise needs to take account of the strange circumstances we all find ourselves in right now. Dan Peden, strategy director of marketing agency Journey Further, offers a typical example. “We had a number of brand-facing events in Manchester, Leeds and London planned in over the next few months but have had to completely rethink them,” he says. “There’s no point offering advice that brands can’t action in the current climate,” he reasons. “So our first online performance marketing masterclass instead focused on how we're helping leading brands navigate the Covid19 crisis. It went down really well, and we have more planned in for the next couple of months.” Neil Davidson, CEO at communications agency HeyHuman, tells a similar story. “People are heading towards ‘peak webinar’,” he says. “So when we organised our latest online event, which replaced a face-to-face event we’d had in the diary since the start of the year, our first question was: 'Is the content applicable right now, and is it future-gazing?' If not, don’t bother; you’re just adding to the pile. So our event focused on how neuroscience can help brands connect with customers, during and after the pandemic. It was something all brands, no matter what position they’re in, could learn from.” That doesn’t mean, of course, that every virtual event has to be about the pandemic and its effects on society; just that it has to take it into account. For example, running an online music festival doesn't address people’s concerns about Covid-19, but it does address their need for entertainment and distraction while under lockdown. 02. Get the timing right People are busy, so don't make your event run any longer than it needs to How long should your event last? Of course, that will depend on the context and the audience, but in general, an hour is a good ballpark to aim for, says Rob Dennis, PPC specialist at Liberty Marketing: “Any longer and people start to lose interest,” he says. If you’re hosting multiple events, you should soon get a feel for how long your audience’s attention will last. “Our first masterclass was 60 minutes long with talks from three different speakers,” says Dan Peden. “However, to keep people engaged we now think it’s best to keep events to around 30 minutes. Moving forward, we’ll be doing more focused events with just one speaker.” Emma Robson is head of events at Ingenuity London, which recently launched Virtual Connect, an online ‘speed dating’ event for brands and agencies. She advises: “Keep individual sessions concise: anything more than an hour could be a bit of a drag. Looking at a computer screen isn’t the same as seeing someone in the flesh, so take attention spans into consideration.” Also think carefully about when your event starts. “For instance, anything too close to lunch could summon the wrath of a small child, so give enough time either side of lunchtime to allow people to be settled into their work,” Emma recommends. 03. Differentiate your event Roger Sanchez was among the DJs taking part in Defected Records' Virtual Festival 3.0 While you want your event to be current, don’t just copy what others are doing. “For example, Coldplay’s Chris Martin live-streamed singing from his living room, and now everyone’s doing living room gigs,” says Alex Wilson, head of content at brand experience agency Amplify. “Instead, think about how you can differentiate from the ‘wall of same’. The way you do that is the same as before: lean into the insights of your audience, look at the best solution to the problem, and be creatively brave, to ensure you’re leading from the front.” James Kirkham, chief business officer at Defected Records, pushes a similar line. "It isn’t enough to merely stream and assume you’ll cut through; there are too many competing events,” he points out. “So consider what it’s unique about you, convey the essence of who you are, and find a way to get super-personal with those viewing. For example, when we put on our virtual music festival, we created a set of ‘House Rules’ for those watching and dancing along at home, intended to help convey the spirit of the brand and add a layer that made it feel like a truly Defected event.” 04. Brief your speakers carefully Panellists at the World Media Group webinar: advertising and the COVID-10 Pandemic If your event involves talks, then don’t think that just picking speakers and topics is all you need do. You still have to brief those speakers carefully; in fact, even more so than you would for a physical event. That’s a lesson recently learned by Belinda Barker, director of the World Media Group, which hosts regular events for the marketing, creative and publishing industries. The Group recently held its first virtual event; a webinar with 10 industry experts discussing whether advertising is appropriate at a time of crisis. “A webinar doesn’t have the natural flow of a live event, so it’s vital to keep speakers brief and on point," she advises. "For Q&A sessions, for instance, I'd suggest scripting some of the questions in advance to make sure that speakers are aware and fully prepped for them. And remember that virtual audiences are far harsher critics, because it’s much easier to turn off an app than it is to walk out of a room full of people.” Also, just because people are good at speaking at physical events, don’t assume those skills are instantly translatable. “Too often there’s a mistaken belief that people will learn how to do live events through osmosis,” says Richard Robinson, managing director of Econsultancy. “This dangerous falsehood is akin to asking an army of stage actors, who normally feed off the audience and energy of the room, to seamlessly step onto a film set and shoot an Oscar-winning movie." Anyone new to speaking at a virtual events needs to rehearse, rehearse and rehearse again, he stresses. If that includes you, you'll need to: "Master the tech, make sure you’re fluent on the platform, and the computer it will run from. Find a stable and quiet area to present, and consider the unexpected like other people living in your household, especially children and animals who take no prisoners. Lastly, be aware of the power of your gestures: rolling eyes, eyebrows and other mannerisms that may detract from your delivery.” "Not everyone knows how to use FaceTime and how to frame themselves," adds Jon Pearson, who's recently been running a virtual comedy night called Comedy Virtually LIVE. "So I'd advise people to look directly down the lens of the camera, even if they're on video call, because you look strange on screen." 05. Choose your platform wisely Erica Freas of Specialist Subject Records says Instagram Stories works well for hosting gigs online When it comes to software, you’re spoiled for choice in terms of what to use to host your virtual event, as you’ll see from our sister site’s round-up of the best videoconferencing services. But how do you choose between them? “Before you decide on an off the shelf tech platform for your virtual event, pay close attention to your users and the devices that they are most likely to be using,” advises Jason Anderson, digital director at experience agency Avantgarde. “Not all tech solutions play that well on mobiles, and some are more suitable for informal gatherings amongst friends rather than corporate events. Privacy and data security are important: the recent issues with Zoom and its invisible sharing of data with Facebook and others is a prime example. Make sure your chosen platforms meet your security, GDPR and data requirements.” Aside from formal videoconferencing tools, social media platforms can also offer a great platform for hosting virtual events. Erica Freas of Specialist Subject Records, for example, has been coordinating virtual gigs on Tuesdays for the past month via Instagram Stories. “We've had between 150 and 5,000 viewers depending on the band, and it's been a really nice touchstone for the music community,” she says. The company opted for Instagram Stories because it was the most simple, low barrier way to organise the event at the last minute, she explains. “YouTube Live requires verification, and none of us uses Twitch. We looked at applications that let you stream from multiple sites at once but those cost money. Instagram Live was something we already had access to, and it alerts your followers that you've started a stream, so it catches more people than those who were paying attention to the upcoming event. “Once we clocked that we could let the performers into our account and everyone could stream back-to-back through @specialistsubject, we knew we were done," Erica adds. "It's so fun and seamless to have musician after musician pop up in our stream. A downside is that to watch you have to have an Instagram account, but they are free. I have a handful of friends, some in their 60s and 70s, who downloaded the app just to come to the show.” 06. Consider specialist services Hopin allows you to build in chat functionality that enables meetings and networking during the event While there are many free services, you may find it's worth paying for a platform that will make your event look and feel more professional. Imagen's Plan B, for example, is selling itself as a ready-made solution to deliver content to registered attendees online as a consequence of event cancellations. CMO Helen Aboagye outlines some of the benefits. “For imminent events, many video assets, scripts and presentations will already have been completed,” she says. “Imagen’s Plan B offers the ability to immediately create a branded portal to host video presentations, interviews and clips, enabling you to easily repurposing these assets for your virtual events. Access to this content can be controlled on a very granular level, so VIPs or sponsors can access premium content that is invisible to standard delegates, for example. In addition, the platform is browser-based, so any attendee with a desktop can participate, while any speaker or contributor can upload assets for approval from any computer too.” Hopin, meanwhile, is marketing itself as an online events platform that allows attendees to learn, interact, and connect with each other. “Content is only half of a good event experience, connections are the other half,” says founder Johnny Bourfarhat. “For an online event to replicate an offline event, there needs to be a way to meet new people serendipitously. Hopin does this with an automated one-on-one matching system in the event for networking meetings, like a Facetime chat. “Speakers may have a back and forth with your attendees in a controlled way,” he adds. “We do this through our moderated sessions. And to prevent people from feeling ‘lost in the crowd’ and losing interest, you can create different spaces where they can meet people in the way they prefer, whether that's broadcasting, one on one, or in a group.” 07. Make attendees feel involved Letting attendees hold meetings makes a virtual event feel more like a physical one, says Dave Bradley of Real Steel Presenting the right content is only one part of your event. If all you do is stream content in one direction, there’s no real incentive for people to keep watching, so you need to find ways to make people involved and engaged. Dave Bradley of Steel Media was keen to pursue this when he recently organised Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #1, a virtual event for the games industry that's going to take place again in June. "Our live conferences are well known for being places to meet and do business, so we wanted to continue that into the virtual event as best we could," he explains. "The 'meeting' system we’ve used enables you to search for individuals based on the job they do, or what they are looking for - a games developer in need of a publisher, for instance - send them a message, and automatically schedule a Zoom call. "There’s evidence that this feature has been heavily used," he adds. "We can see that literally hundreds of meetings per day – thousands in total across the week – were arranged. We encourage people to meet at our events through all our marketing shout-outs and this event was no different. One thing the meeting system also includes is a Digital Expo. To replace the exhibition hall, with its booths and tables, we created a space where people can post portfolio pieces, links to game trailers, samples of their work, descriptions of their services and so on. This proved to be very popular, with over 200 display pages published there." Don’t forget about social media, either. “Social can be a major aspect of in-person events and can be just as useful for virtual events too: you just need to adjust your approach accordingly,” says Corie Leaman, director of IT Nation Events at ConnectWise. “So in our case, we still create hashtags and look for ways to communicate with our audiences, but now we’re asking different questions – about participants’ views, locations and lunches – because we know this encourages engagement. It’s also important to find a dedicated moderator and a platform able to support chat and Q&As, so that your moderator can guide the conversation and focus on relaying information between speakers and attendees." Meanwhile, Erica Freas says that encouraging interaction between audience members at virtual gigs has happened naturally on Instagram. “Whenever someone new joins the stream at our online gigs, their Instagram handle pops up in the scrolling comments, so you do get a lot of recognition and chat, just like at a real show,” she explains. “We can't see each others' faces but we can talk to each other, welcome each other, make jokes and ask questions across the platform." 08. Remind people it's happening Given the multiplicity of virtual events happening right now, it’s easy for people to forget they’ve signed up for one. So don’t take anything for granted, says Jason Anderson. “Don’t forget the pre- and post-event communication,” he says. “You still have to engage your audience with pre-event marketing, to ensure they sign up and actually turn up, while post-event analysis through scores such as NPS can provide great feedback and insight.” 09. Expect technical challenges Internet connection issues can play havoc with timing, warns Jon Pearson of Comedy Virtual Live Technical problems are the bane of every virtual event, and they’re only more likely to occur at the current time, with unprecedented demands on the broadband network. “Glitches are always likely to crop up, so be prepared,” says Emma Robson. “For instance, we found out that you can’t host two different events or meetings at the same time on our choice of platform. This meant a frantic call to our agency selection manager was needed so he could move his meeting onto another platform, and we could start our event. Wifi is also famously temperamental, so it’s helpful to have another team member on standby to jump in when your signal falters. When this happened to my colleague, I had to reclaim myself as host and take over temporarily.” Also, don’t assume that attendees are well-versed in using videoconferencing technology: this may be the very first time they’ve used it. “So if there’s a ‘mute all’ option, make sure that’s activated as people join,” adds Emma. “This will help avoid the confusion of people talking over one another, and to help create a more seamless process.” Rob Dennis adds: “If you’re doing a screen share like I had to do, then ensure your laptop is in Do Not Disturb mode, so that you don’t receive any notifications while you’re in screen share!” It’s important to understand the limitations of a virtual event, too. For instance, Jon Pearson of Comedy Virtually LIVE notes that “Timing is essential, and any lag on the internet will ruin punchlines.” Erica, similarly, has learned that “Singers can't duet across a shared stream: the lag is unbearable.” It’s also worth asking yourself: do I actually need video? “For our event, we found it more natural to turn off the video once we got going," says Neil Davidson, CEO at transformative communications agency HeyHuman. “It’s not a physical audience to begin with, so we focused on great slides: they should be well-designed and pointed, rather than animated. I’ve been burnt by too many dodgy home Wi-Fi connections!” 10. Generate a sociable atmosphere Most of these tips have been focused on public-facing events, but what about organising social events for your colleagues online? With all of us stuck home remote working, getting together for drinks and a chat can be an invaluable way of keeping up morale and motivation. But it can be tricky to organise a group chat that feels less like a meeting, and more like a social occasion. “So consider including activities that get everyone involved,” suggests Heather Delaney, founder of Gallium Ventures. “Games for teams can be a good way to keep a fun and consistent flow, keeping staff connected without it feeling like an awkward conference call.” She adds: “It’s great to set a start and finish time for your internal event, in order to allow any late arrivals a window to when they might have missed the boat. Obviously virtual drinks with friends or colleagues has the likelihood of running over any calendar invite, but at least you offer those with prior commitments a way out without scrutiny.” View the full article

Mastering pencil shading techniques will only be achieved through regular practise. This is because different pencils create marks that are noticeably different from one another, which means that understanding which pencil does what is extremely important. My best advice to learn shading is to go out and experiment with multiple pencils and explore different methods, in this article I'll share my insight to help clarify this learning process. My goal is to inspire you to try shading with intent and create drawings by employing a range of shading techniques. Need some new tools? Here's a rundown of the best pencils around. Plus, you can widen your technical expertise further with this guide to pencil drawing techniques. Which pencils should you use? I used HB mechanical pencils for a long time when I changed my focus from digital to traditional art. However, once I started working with regular pencils, there was a clear execution difference that I wasn't able to produce with mechanical pencils alone. Since then I've discovered techniques on how to produce different textures, tones and results that I combine to create my pieces. It wasn't just the different HB hardness pencils that showed me the clear difference, such as shading with a 4B versus a 4H. I learned that the tip of the pencil also gave vastly different results. For example, a more rounded tip gave a larger, softer result and was more efficient to work with. 01. Choose your pencils carefully Having a duller-tipped pencil will produce larger areas while shading. They'll also create more of a textured look the higher you go up the B scale I recommend having a few solid pencils at hand that you can use in your work with full knowledge of the results they'll produce. There's a noticeable difference when working with different pencils on the HB scale and how sharp or dull the tip is. Test and see how some will produce dark texture while others create consistent mid-tone smoothness. Going higher on the H scale will produce lighter yet smoother, buttery looking results. Using a small tip mechanical pencil will create precision, but often will smooth out the paper texture when shading to create a more matte look 02. Create different types of shading The different methods create wildly different results Every artist will find the shading method that works best for them and I tend to use a few while drawing. I primarily work with circling, but I've experimented with all of these methods and more to help me create my best results. Each method produces a distinct result and depending on what type of art you want to create, you'll want to find which is best for you! Hatching and stippling often create an underlying presence of texture and roughness. Circling and using a blending stump creates clean, gradual smoothness. 03. Get to know your values when shading The simple sphere example shows a clear and easy-to-understand separation of values from a singular light source and the shadows it creates Take the time to understand how lighting works and the values it creates to shade properly. Do studies, find references and resources that provide this insight, and then apply that knowledge in your practice pieces. There's a range of value to work with, not just dark and light. Understanding how lighting works will drastically influence your shading execution and consistency in your work 04. Practice helps to provide insight You can see how I build up the values slowly, creating a foundation that I can confidently make darker marks on top of Now that I've been working with a handful of pencils with each drawing, I know when to switch over to another for a particular result. It's traditional and effective to start with a lighter H pencil and then gradually work darker into the B scale, to punch out the values and contrast. Higher B pencils tend to be harder to erase and that's why I normally start with a 2H pencil in my work 05. Discover which shading techniques suit your style While neither method is wrong, in time you’ll find which technique works best for you. This is why I recommended experimenting Here's an example of two different types of shading methods. The left half has a softer realism finish with gradations on the paper texture done with a circling method and a slow build-up of value. The right half was done primarily with hatching and creates a crisp bold finish. This article was originally published in ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Subscribe to ImagineFX. Read more: How to draw perspective The 12 best drawing books How to draw: The best drawing tutorials View the full article

Apple is all about augmented reality right now, from touting the power of the new iPad Pro's LiDAR Scanner, to highlighting various AR apps (more on these later). As with any new technology, it can be easy to question what it's actually useful for. But a new concept video has arrived demonstrating how AR could work with the Apple Card to give the user information about their balance and transactions – and it looks pretty darn exciting. Volodymyr Kurbatov's concept video (below) shows the user swiping the Apple Card as one would an iPhone, while information appears alongside it. A few rotations of the card change the date from balance to recent transactions, and even allow the user to set a new credit limit. "This is a future I could look forward to!" says one commenter, and we agree – it's one slick-looking concept. Apple sale: Cheap MacBook Pro deal is not to be missed Something that isn't clear from the video, however, is what AR device is needed to view the information. "How would the device work? Embedded in my eye or my brain?" asks one YouTuber. Kurbatov doesn't elaborate, but there are various possibilities. According to Cult of Mac, iOS 14 might include a built-in augmented reality viewing app, and there are even rumours that Apple is working on a set of AR glasses. Either way, Apple is clearly doubling down on its AR efforts, so something like Kurbatov's concept could very well become a reality. The Ikea Place AR app In a dedicated augmented reality page on its website, Apple extols the virtues of the technology. "Imagine if the line between the virtual and the real simply didn’t exist," it says, which somehow manages to sound both inspiring and terrifying. Fortunately, Apple's current examples on the page are a little less dystopian – such as the IKEA Place app (which lets you see how furniture might look in your room). Apple also claims that the new iPad Pro's LiDAR scanner offers "cutting-edge depth-sensing capabilities" which make the tablet 'the world’s best device for augmented reality". Time will tell what this technology actually allows us to do in the future, but for now, we're happy to sit back and enjoy cool creative concepts like this one. Related articles: New Apple gadget is not what we were expecting New Apple Pencil could get dramatic redesign Is this what iOS 14 will look like? (We really hope so) View the full article

The Gigabyte Aero 15X is an Nvidia RTX Studio laptop featuring the tried-and-tested combination of the six-core Intel Core i7-9750H and GeForceRTX 2080 graphics card. It's a thin and light design, with our review model boasting 32GB of memory and a 1TB PCIE 3.0 SSD. This internal specification is more than capable of both high-end 3D design tasks as well as games. But is it capable enough to deserve a spot on our round up of the most powerful laptops? Let's take a look. The stand-out feature of the 2019 version of this laptop is the advanced 4K HDR AMOLED display. OLED display technology presents extremely bright and colourful images, and is generally touted as being more advanced than the LCD screens in typical IPS panels, capable of deeper blacks and better overall image quality. That said, while the OLED display in the Gigabyte Aero 15X presents a very sharp picture with superb image quality, the colour-accurate displays hardly look bad in laptops that use traditional IPS technology, so we’re not so sure the OLED advantage is quite the deal breaker you might imagine. Thankfully the Gigabyte has retained a physical Ethernet port, joining the three USB-A and USB-C ports. We’re pleased to see an SD card reader as well, which is not something you get these days on every laptop. The Aero 15X's OLED display presents a very sharp picture with superb image quality One area we weren’t keen on was the design. The garish and bright default cycling RGB pattern over the keyboard backlight might be delightful for teenage boys who are looking for a loud and brash gaming laptop, but we actually found it quite distracting and harder to type on. Thankfully, however, this can be disabled with the Gigabyte Fusion software. Similarly, the overall design feels like a step down from the metal exteriors of other laptops. We prefer the all-metal unibody of the Razer Blade 15 and the more roomy trackpad. We also found the Gigabyte Aero 15X to be quite noisy, emitting a very low hum when running 3D tests, despite the 71-blade dual fans inside it. This article originally appeared in 3D World issue 255; subscribe here. View the full article

There's talk a new Apple gadget could be released at the end of this year, but, for once, the chat isn't about new iPhones. This time speculation surrounds AirPower, Apple's wireless charger pad that it appeared to have unceremoniously ditched plans for last March. But now, just over a year later, rumours suggest that AirPower might be about to be resurrected in time for the launch of the iPhone 12. Apple sale: Cheap iPad deal is not to be missed According to Jon Prosser of Front Page Tech, Apple engineers “haven’t given up yet", and are currently prototyping a new version of the gadget. In a tweet last week (below), Prosser revealed a leaked image of what is known as "C68," a prototype of the newly-revived wireless charger. According to Prosser on Twitter, the photo "was taken in the home of an employee" who obviously wants to remain anonymous (hence the photo looking like it was taken with a potato). Prosser's tweets reveal that the AirPower successor will include an A11 chip to help manage the distribution of power. A report from Wearable suggested the original version of AirPower was allegedly prone to overheating when charging an Apple Watch, as it requires more power than other devices. Based on the leaked image and specs, Prosser has shared his own mock-up (below) of what the new Airpower could look like. According to the render, it looks very similar to the original, albeit with the charging cable connecting to the side of the mat instead of the top. It also appears to have retained the headline feature of being able to charge three devices at once. Apple's original design (above) and Jon Prosser's new render (below) While the resurrection of AirPower is good news for Apple fans, its leaked price isn't. Prosser's tweets suggest we could be looking at shelling out $250 for the thing. Yikes. Still, there aren't many wireless chargers out that that can charge three devices at once, so perhaps it'll be worth the cost for Apple fanatics in possession of an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods. If the new AirPower does land at the end of 2020 as Prosser suggests, it may even arrive in time for the iPhone 12 (check out this amazing render of what that phone could look like). The world is a strange place right now, and only time will tell what Apple products manage to make it out this year – but we don't think the new iPad Pro and MacBook Air will be the last we see from Apple in 2020. Read more: New Apple Pencil could get dramatic redesign Is this what iOS 14 will look like? (We really hope so) Apple WWDC 2020 moves online View the full article

Microsoft issued 113 patches in a big update, unfortunately for IT staff already straining under WFH security concerns. View the full article

While Adobe's regularly scheduled security updates were light this month, they fixed "important" severity vulnerabilities. View the full article

Cybercriminals aren't sparing medical professionals, hospitals and healthcare orgs on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic when it comes to cyberattacks, ransomware attacks and malware. View the full article

The product update email is a unique type of newsletter. Although it seems that it does not differ from others, it is a collaboration between marketing and product teams. Along with delivering information about the improvements that secure trust in …View the full article

The brand new logo for Warner Bros.' new reboot of Frank Herbert's Dune has been released, and it closely matches the controversial title treatment that leaked back in January – with one key difference. Along with the first image from the movie (featuring Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides), the new logo first appeared on the film's official Twitter page last night. The logo uses the four U-shapes in different orientations that we first saw in photographs from a French convention at the start of the year. Back then, the design proved contentious, with many concerned that the leaked logo appeared to read 'DUNC' rather than 'DUNE'. However, that widely-shared concept (below) was in fact a fan rendering based on photographs from the convention, and was missing an all-important lens flare inside the 'E'. Thankfully, said lens flare is present and correct in the new, official logo. Phew. Looking for ideas? Check out our guide to finding logo design inspiration. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Dune is slated for release on 18 December this year. According to its official synopsis, film "tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people." An all-star cast features, alongside Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac and more. You can read all about the original leaked logo drama (and enjoy a brilliant pasta-based take on it) here. We're excited to see how Villeneuve makes his stamp on the sci-fi franchise, and, most of all, we're relieved to know that this December, we won't be queueing up to watch 'Dunc'. Related articles: Is this the new Cadbury logo? Iconic logos reimagined for the age of coronavirus The 10 best logos of all time View the full article

If you live in EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) regions and have been thinking of signing up to Adobe CC, you're in luck. Today Adobe has launched an amazing deal that knocks a whopping 39% off individual Creative Cloud subscriptions. As an example, this means UK creatives will now pay just £30.34, rather than the usual £49.94 – a saving of almost £20 each month! The price reduction applies to the complete Adobe Creative Cloud suite, which encompasses over 20 different apps. That includes all the big players – photo editing favourite Photoshop, digital artists' go-to Illustrator, video editing software Premiere Pro, web prototyping tool Adobe XD and motion effects creator After Effects. You'll also be able to explore the new additions to the Adobe family, tablet-based art app Adobe Fresco, and Photoshop on iPad. Just in case you need some extra encouragement, remember that when you buy Adobe's full All Apps package you're also getting 100GB of cloud storage (with the option to upgrade to 10TB) and premium features like Adobe Portfolio, Adobe Fonts, and Adobe Spark. The programmes are fully integrated, so you can switch between them (and jump from one device to another) seamlessly. Built-in templates help you jump-start your designs, while step-by-step tutorials will help you sharpen your skills and get up to speed quickly. This deal is valid until 23 April, so if you're in EMEA regions and want to save big on Adobe's entire suite of creative software, grab it now. If you live outside where the deal applies, here are the best Adobe CC prices in your area: Related articles: Top-class Photoshop tutorials to hone your skills The 13 best alternatives to Photoshop The best web hosting services for designers View the full article

The popular video-sharing apps’s use of HTTP to download media content instead of a secure protocol could lead to the spread of misinformation on the platform. View the full article

As we all continue to adjust to the 'new normal' of social distancing, parents and guardians will be wondering how to keep kids busy with schools closed across the world. Various creatives and companies have offered free resources to keep little ones' minds (and hands) busy, and now Apple has joined their ranks with a worksheet of 30 free activities for kids. Shared by Apple's Education team on Twitter (below), the resource suggests various daily activities, including "17. Write a love letter to the planet", "8. Storyboard your daily routine" and "13. Record news interviews'. Every activity is designed to be completed with built-in features of the iPad or iPhone (naturally). Some of the instructions are a little vague ("28. Use your voice"), but fortunately the next three pages offer a more detailed description of the activity and the apps it involves. Juggling work as well as kids at home? Check out our guide to working from home more productively. Certain activities are likely to keep kids busier for longer than others. We can see families making a whole day out of recording news interviews on Garageband, especially as Apple suggests trying different vocal effects ("an alien giving the weather in outer space"), whereas "25. Have a laugh" simply involves asking Siri to tell you a joke (which, let's be honest, isn't guaranteed to bring the house down). We're nitpicking, though – it's great to see Apple offering free support for parents and kids during isolation. “We know parents out there are juggling a lot in this challenging time,” says Apple CEO Tim Cook, and this activity sheet offers "fun ways to keep kids everywhere creating". And with Apple also producing millions of protective face shields for healthcare professionals, the company appears to be doing its bit. And these exercises don't just have to be for the kids. As Apple's worksheet says, "these activities can easily be tailored for the whole family". You can download the activity pack from Apple's website. From online drawing lessons to free software, the creative community is continuing to pull together to offer support to those stuck at home. Take a look at our list of the best free resources currently on offer. Related articles: Illustrator gives free drawing lesson to inspire kids stuck at home This artists' activity pack will keep you busy for days iPad Pro 2020: All there is to know about Apple's new tablet View the full article

We're living through weird, unprecedented times right now, and dealing with it all isn't easy when you're expected to be creative for a living. You might be struggling with having to work from home, facing uncertainty over your job, or simply be overwhelmed by everything that's going on. Of course you may be taking it all in your stride and using the current lockdown as an opportunity to try new ideas and play around with experimental design. But if you're just not feeling it, some design exercises can help fire those weary synapses and keep your skills honed, ready for when things start getting back to normal. We've found this selection, covering everything from serious design challenges through to fun creative games; try them out next time you're tempted to just reach for another box set. 10 essential desk exercises for designers 01. Icon studies Ramp up your reductive skills by crafting the perfect icon CreativeLive has a great set of exercises aimed at improving your drawing skills for graphic design; our favourite is based around creating effective icons. A good icon needs to be instantly recognisable, capturing the distinguishing characteristics of your subject within a tiny space. CreativeLive suggests picking an animal or common object as your subject and trying to depict its neutral, universal aspects, trying a few versions from different angles to see which is the most recognisable, and combining different aspects to achieve the best silhouette. 02. The Bézier Game Can you do this one with nine nodes? Bézier curves are an essential part of the graphic design toolbox, but executing them perfectly – especially when you're just starting out with Illustrator – isn't always easy. If you're having trouble with those pesky handles, The Bézier Game will help you get a better feel for creating commendable curves. Not only does it walk you through the process of making curves that bend in exactly the way you want, it also challenges you to think about your process and create your shapes using as few nodes as possible. 03. DEX There's a whole stack of briefs to tackle at DEX If you're after a regular challenge, the Graphic Design School has something for you in the form of its weekly design exercises, or DEX. They're free and provide an assortment of tasks that'll keep your skills ticking over across the design board. Each exercise gives you a brief as well as a tutorial video to help you meet your goal – the latest at the time of writing challenges you to create beautiful type design editorials for print and web – and hooks you up with resources as well specifying design constraints and how long you're allowed for each exercise. 04. How Low Can Your Logo? Unleash your inner branding monster Here's a fun site that's the absolute antithesis of most design exercises. At How Low Can Your Logo? you're encouraged to throw away all your design inhibitions, forget everything you've learned and go all-out to create a truly terrible logo, working from a horrible brief from a dreadful startup. There are actual prizes to be won for the most awful logos, and the judging panel includes design luminaries such as Jessica Hische and Michael Bierut. Do your worst! 05. Deconstruction 99designs has some great design exercises; this one's all about deconstruction Some days – maybe more so at the moment – you're just not feeling creative and you need something to fire up your inspiration glands. If that's you right now, over at 99designs they've put together a set of six fun creative thinking exercises for designers that are guaranteed to get your mind nicely stimulated. Our favourite is based around deconstructing content: take a word and start chopping bits out of it to create a design; it's easy to do and can generate impressive results, and you can follow up by taking a similar approach to patterns, photographs and other imagery. 06. KernType There's nothing quite so satisfying as some perfectly-kerned type Careless kerning can ruin your typography; here's a fantastic way to polish your skills and produce text layouts that are a lot easier on the eye. KernType's a browser-based game that presents you with a series of badly-kerned words; the first and last letters are fixed in place, and your job is to shift the other letters around to try and find that sweet spot where everything's beautifully balanced. Each challenge is marked out of 100 – if you think your solution is better-looking than the game's, there's an option to share it – and at the end you'll be given a final score, which you'll probably want to go back and beat later on. 07. Hue Test Test your colour vision (or the quality of your monitor) Finally, give your colour perception a bit of a workout with Hue Test. It's easy to play; you're presented with rows of coloured blocks, and you have to rearrange them so that the hue flows smoothly from beginning to end. Getting it exactly right, though, involves a lot of swapping blocks around and squinting at the screen. At the end you're presented with an evaluation of your colour vision; bear in mind, though, that if you don't score as well as you'd hoped it could be that your display's not up to scratch, in which case be sure to check out our guide to the best 4K monitors. Related articles: The best mindfulness apps in 2020 6 of the hottest gadgets for designers Pencil drawing techniques: Pro tips to sharpen your skills View the full article

Oracle will detail 405 new security vulnerabilities Tuesday, part of its quarterly Critical Patch Update Advisory. View the full article

What will probably be the most significant event of our lives has just been thrust upon the world. And while we don't yet know when things will return to some form of normality, there will no doubt come a time when future generations will ask “What did you do to help?” Right now, countless creatives are facing a titanic struggle to survive, with some in dire need of funds to meet their basic human needs. Yet at the same time, many are actually doing all right. In fact, some whose jobs or freelance contracts remain in place will probably be financially better off, due to the lack of spending opportunities during lockdown. To help those who have lost out during lockdown, a number of creatives have set up crowdfunding campaigns over the last few weeks, many of which we've listed here. If you’re in dire need yourself, we also explain how to apply for help through these funds, where direct approaches are encouraged. These campaigns have largely sprung up spontaneously, and this by no means a comprehensive list. All the ones we have found are in the US and UK, but if you’ve started a crowdfunding campaign that’s not been featured, please let us know on Twitter via @creativebloq and the #crowdfunding hashtag, and we’ll do what we can to help you amplify your campaign. Jump to US Britain and Ireland 01. Manchester Artists Coronavirus Hardship Fund "Many workers face economic uncertainty, while bills, childcare costs, rent and livelihoods demand so much," notes Laurence Young on this crowdfunding page This fund has been set up by Laurence Young, a freelance theatre director and maker. It is providing £200 hardship funds for artists, practitioners and creative freelancers who cannot work during this time or who have been affected by cancellations or other impacts. These will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Those in need can apply via email, and Laurence says: “No questions asked, no proof needed. If this fund speaks to you, we want to help.” 02. London Artist & Creatives Coronavirus Fund Set up by agency co-founder Josh Akapo and illustrator and designer Denzel Kessie, this campaign aims to raise £200 hardship funds for London's struggling creatives. These are being distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and those in need can apply via a Google Form. At time of press, applications were currently closed, but the more money they raise, the faster they’ll be able to reopen applications. “ We will get past this,” says Josh, “but let's try and do so with as little bad as possible.” 03. Wales Artists and Freelancers Coronavirus Fund Wales Arts Review has launched this crowdfunder to help people struggling to make ends meet due to the cancellation or postponement of project. It has been handing out £300 hardship funds, on a first-come-first-serve basis to freelancers in Wales. Editor Gary Raymond says: "Now, in these difficult times, it would make for a powerful gesture to just alleviate some of the pressures many now face paying bills and putting food on the table." 04. Northern Ireland: Bread and butter fund Coronavirus NI artists The work of Abbie Spallen, this fund has been sharing sums of £200 with out-of-work Northern Irish freelancers. “No big forms to fill in,” she says. “None of that malarky. It's not a huge amount. But it will buy bread and butter. Well, maybe Flora.” At time of press, applications were currently closed, but there will be a second round as soon as possible. 05. Ireland Artist Emergency Relief Fund Set up by Niamh Ferry, this crowdfunding campaign has been providing financial relief to Irish artists experiencing lost income related to COVID-19. Small grants of up to €500 are being paid on a first-come, first-served basis to affected artists and groups. 06. Scotland: Wan Mair Tune Fund "This is a community based endeavour that will operate in good faith, discretion and transparency," says Meghan Meghan Tyler is organising this fundraiser for Scottish arts practitioners and creatives affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. It has been distributing £200 to up to freelance artists and creatives on a first-come, first-served basis; those in need can apply by email. “For those of you who had a good year, or have a sexy salary and a bit to spare, please give what ye can,” she says. “And for those of you riddled with anxiety, hang tight. We can do this together.” 07. South West Creatives Corona Virus Impact Fund Launched by theatre director Jay Crutchley, this fund aims to provide £200 hardship funds to artists, practitioners and creative freelancers who cannot work during this time or who have been affected by cancellations or other impacts. These will be distributed on a first-come, first served basis: details of how to apply will be published soon. 08. East Midlands Artists Corona Virus Impact Fund Founded by Rafia, a freelance producer based in the East Midlands, this emergency fund exists to support the artists/freelancers/self employed workers who work in arts and culture through sums of £200 distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. If you’re in need, you can DM Rafia on Twitter, who says: “It can be for rent, childcare, groceries etc - there will be no questions asked.” 09. West Midlands Artists Coronavirus Emergency Fund This campaign is being organised by Amahra Spence, who’s worked as an artist and in the creative industries for 12+ years. The idea is to provide £200 hardship funds for any artists, cultural workers, practitioners and creative freelancers who cannot work during this time or who have been affected by cancellations or other impacts. Those in need can apply via email or Twitter or Instagram DM. 10. South Yorkshire Creatives Covid-19 Hardship Fund Created by Linda Bloomfield is organising this fundraiser for creatives who “fall through the cracks” during the current turmoil. The idea is to supply amounts of between £50 and £200, “very quickly for rent, bills, a food shop, transport or petrol, access support, childcare or anything else,” she says. “Please get in touch, and don't be shy. First come, first served - let's look after each other.” Those in need can apply by email: “You don't need to tell us much - just what's happened and how much you need to get you through in the immediate term.” 11. Hull Artists Coronavirus Fund by Middle Child "We're going to keep the fundraiser running and see how far we can get," say the organisers of this campaign. "Each new milestone means we can help support more freelance Hull artists in this uncertain time." Jamie Potter, Emily Anderton, Matthew May and Rozzy Knox are organising this campaign, which aims to provide £200 hardship funds for any artists that cannot work during this time. These will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, with no questions asked. 12. Norwich and Norfolk Artists’ Hardship Fund Jack Lowe is organising this fundraising appeal on behalf of Curious Directive, a small theatre company in Norwich that manages a social enterprise co-working space for freelancers. It aims to provide £100 donations to those in need, which will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, with no questions asked 13. Coronavirus North East Creatives' Hardship Fund Set up by Daneka Etchells and David Loumgair, this fund aims to provide amounts of £200 to creatives who are living and working in the North East, and who require urgent financial assistance due to hardship, loss of employment and additional challenges. “The transparency of this fund could result in individuals exploiting this,” they say, “but we are hoping that honesty will prevail and that this money will go to the people who need it the most.” 14. Liverpool Artists Coronavirus Fund This fund has been created by Luke Barnes, a writer across theatre, film and television, and wishes to provide £200 hardship funds for any artists that cannot work during this time. These will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis with no questions asked. “Artists are the back bone of the city and we need to look after them,” says Luke. “They already live precariously lives to make this city better and we need to help them not go into poverty because of something out of their control.” USA 15. NYC Low-Income Artist/Freelancer Relief Fund This campaign has received support from everyone "from drag queens, to performance artists, to musicians, to theater and dance makers, to freelancers". Could you join them? Shawn Escarciga and Nadia Tykulsker, two artists in New York City, have launched this money-raising appeal to support other artists and freelancers who are taking financial hits as a result of Covid-19. Having received 500 applications, they are currently pausing further requests until more funds can be raised. 16. Jersey City Feed The Freelancers Isabella Olaguera, a freelance first assistant director for the film industry, has set up this crowdfunded initiative to distribute groceries to non-union freelancers, who are treated by many companies as sub-contractors and are thus overlooked by the majority of programs providing aid. 17. Philadelphia Relief Fund for Artist and Freelancers This campaign organised by Aaron Ricketts is setting out to raise at least $25K. The plan is to send out one-time payments of $500 to artist/freelancers to help cover the cost of things like rent, utilities and groceries. Application for funds will become available soon. 18. Chicago Freelancer Fundraiser Daniel Fansler, an event professional working in the events industry, has set up this fund to help event professionals and music industry freelancers. “I hope you find an extra $10 or $20 in your pocket, and can help out my fellow freelancers and music business folks,” he says. “They work their asses off to help you enjoy some of the most bad ass event in the country.” 19. LA Freelancers Relief Fund This fund is focused on "emergency situations for those who are not able to have their basic human needs met" This fundraiser set up by Vanessa Rene goal aims to support Los Angeles freelancers and artists with emergency financial support, childcare financial support, as well as resources for those whom have been impacted directly by the COV-19 crisis. If you’re in need, you can apply for support via a form on the campaign page. 20. Phoenix Freelancers COVID-19 Relief Fund Alex Leiphart has launched this fundraiser for creative freelancers in the Phoenix community, with priority to those that have lost considerable income or are struggling to make ends meet. View the full article

Millions around the world will know Cadbury for its silky smooth chocolate, but there's no doubt the company logo is just as famous. Based on the signature of founder William Cadbury, the instantly recognisable purple script logo first made an appearance on the company's transport fleet in 1921. Simplified over time, in 1952 the decision was taken to make the cursive design the face of the brand. By 1960 the logo had been simplified somewhat, but it has remained virtually the same ever since. Until now. Maybe. A recent news story from news.com.au reported that the company has changed its logo for the first time in over 50 years, with a design that nods back to Cadbury's original 1921 signature. Rumours are that Cadbury Australia is set to roll the new look out to coincide with the launch of a new chocolate bar, Marble. Digital designer Lee Barguss also tweeted about the potential new logo design: People drew car logos from memory and the results are hilarious It's a brave move for any big brand to make logo changes, but who knows, maybe this will pay off and see Cadbury make it our list of the best logos of all time? But why now? The same article from news.com.au reported a Cadbury company spokesperson saying: “The new elevated packaging includes a redrawn wordmark, new iconography and typography, making the look and feel more natural, authentic and high quality. The revitalisation of the Cadbury wordmark drew inspiration from the hand of founder John Cadbury himself to create a beautifully crafted signature with a more contemporary feel.” So far there's been no official word from Cadbury as to whether any of these rumours are true, but, honestly, we're hopeful they are. The proposed new thinner wordmark looks way more refined, with the added loop in the 'b' helping it flow more seamlessly. In our humble opinion, this smooth, more cursive design seems a much more fitting option for the brand it represents. Whether Cadbury is in fact planning to use it, however, remains to be seen. Read more: Sony's PS5 DualSense controller is here – and it ain't pretty Is this what iOS 14 will look like? (We really hope so) Logo design: Everything you need to know View the full article

While right now might not seem like the best time to be splashing a load of cash on a new MacBook Pro, if you're in need and your budget allows it, Best Buy's one-day sale is not to be missed. The 24-hour event sees huge savings across a range of popular devices, but the one we're most excited about knocks a staggering $1500 off the 15-inch MacBook Pro. That's the biggest discount on this model we've ever seen. And means the powerful laptop, which features an Intel Core i9 processor, 32GB Memory and a whopping 1TB SSD now costs just $2649.99! The MacBook Pro is one of the best laptops for graphic design. A popular choice among creatives, this device his powered by six-core Intel Core processors, and boasts a brilliant, colourful Retina display featuring True Tone technology to view your design work in all its glory. If you're looking for a cheaper model, or a different device, be sure to check out our round up of the best Apple laptop deals or, if it's a tablet you're after, don't miss our round up of the best iPad deals and cheap Apple Pencil deals. Not in the US? Here are the best new MacBook Pro prices in your area: Best Buy has some incredible deals on other devices too, including headphones, tablets and TVs. Here's our pick of the best offers for creatives currently available: Outside the US? Here are the best offers on these and similar devices in your area: View the full article

The majority of us will be spending Easter at home this year, and so will be looking for ways to be entertained. Music is, of course, one great way form of entertainment, providing the answer when you need a soundtrack to blare out out while you dance around your living room, or something soothing to help you get to sleep. If you're not happy with your current music system, or aren't yet signed up to a digital service, then Amazon Music could be ideal for you. (And don't forget to get a pair of the best noise-cancelling headphones too.) The best thing about it is that right now there's a free Amazon Music Unlimited trial for three whole months, so you can experiment with it, find out if all your favourite tunes are there (spoiler, they probably are) and then either continue the subscription, or cancel it without having spent a penny. Win win! Did we mention there are 50 million songs available? You can cancel at any time, but if you choose to keep the service once those free three months are over, then Amazon Music costs $9.99/£9.99 a month (or $7.99/£7.99 for Amazon Prime members). Which is still a bargain when you consider how much music you get access to. If you'd also like to spend the weekend lost in a good book, Amazon Kindle Unlimited is also currently free for two months to new customers too. The online library holds over a million books, magazines and audiobooks, which is sure to keep you entertained for hours. You don't even need a Kindle to get access, you can download books directly on to your PC, Mac, iOS or Android devices. Want Alexa to handle your new playlists? Or a Kindle to enjoy your new book? Amazon is currently offering big discounts on its device range – you can find all the best prices right here: View the full article

If you live in the UK, Germany or France and having been thinking of signing up to Adobe CC, you're in luck. For the next 48 hours, you can save a whopping 40% off individual Creative Cloud subscriptions. For creatives living in the UK, this epic discount equates to a monthly saving of almost £20! The offer is open to artists and designers residing in Germany and France too. Just follow the links below. And be quick, this amazing offer ends on Monday 13 April. Get 40% off Adobe Creative Cloud - Germany Get 40% off Adobe Creative Cloud - France The price reduction is exclusively for readers of Future Publishing's brands and applies to the complete Adobe Creative Cloud suite, which encompasses over 20 different apps. That includes all the big players – photo editing favourite Photoshop, digital artists' go-to Illustrator, video editing software Premiere Pro, web prototyping tool Adobe XD and motion effects creator After Effects. You'll also be able to explore the new additions to the Adobe family, tablet-based art app Adobe Fresco, and Photoshop on iPad. Just in case you need some extra encouragement, remember that when you buy Adobe's full All Apps package you're also getting 100GB of cloud storage (with the option to upgrade to 10TB) and premium features like Adobe Portfolio, Adobe Fonts, and Adobe Spark. The programmes are fully integrated, so you can switch between them (and jump from one device to another) seamlessly. Built-in templates help you jump-start your designs, while step-by-step tutorials will help you sharpen your skills and get up to speed quickly. This deal is valid until 13 April for Creative Bloq readers, so if you're in the UK and want to save big on Adobe's entire suite of creative software, grab it now. If you live outside the United Kingdom, here are the best Adobe CC prices in your area: Related articles: Top-class Photoshop tutorials to hone your skills The 13 best alternatives to Photoshop The best web hosting services for designers View the full article

The bug -- rated 10 in severity -- potentially affects large numbers of corporate VMs and hosts. View the full article

File organization for designers can be tough since we work on so many different projects, with a variety of clients and teams. Each client has their own way of project management, too. It can be a lot to handle if …View the full article

Autodesk has released Maya 2020: the latest update on its 3D modelling, animation, visual effects and 3D rendering software. I've been using Maya for almost two decades now. I remember the days when you needed a Silicon Graphics machine to run it, which was expensive enough, but coupled with the price of a Maya licence you had to spend a small fortune. I'm not sure if the unobtainable price made it a more desirable application, but everyone I knew wanted to work with it. Thankfully, prices dropped over the years and now Maya is much more affordable, although many still think it's too expensive, especially when compared to other applications like Blender and Cinema 4D (both of which appear, along with Maya, on our guide to the best 3D modelling software). Since its early days, Autodesk has released updates annually. These usually saw new tools and features being added to its arsenal; these features were welcome additions, but were often aimed more at higher-end animation and simulation work. Over the past few years, maybe even longer, we have seen a shift in the direction Autodesk have taken with the updates. They are now more focused on improving existing systems and implementing features voted on by the community. This has transformed Maya into a much better, all-round application which continues to evolve and improve in a more focused way. With Maya 2020, Autodesk continue this trend of listening to their users to implement much-needed quality-of-life features. They also enlisted Blue Sky Studios to help mold the animation tools, which have also seen a huge upgrade in this release. Maya 2020: Features and performance Autodesk boast over 60 new animation features, with the biggest being improvements to the animation cache playback. Originally introduced in 2019, cache playback allowed animators to view their work in real time with little or no need for constant playblasts. This was the idea anyway, but it came with limitations. The first was a lack of dynamics support, so it couldn't be used alongside these systems. Image planes still relied on legacy systems, so they were slow and hogged memory, and it wasn't as efficient when used with dense geometry. These issues have all been addressed and make for a smoother experience. Dynamics support is included, using a new layered evaluation system. nParticles, nCloth and nBodies are now supported, with nHair, Bifrost FX and muscle systems coming later. High-resolution geometry or subdivision surface models that used Smooth Mesh were not efficient enough in 2019. They used a lot of memory and were slow to cache. In 2020, the base mesh is stored while smoothing is now handled on the GPU. Speaking of the GPU, another big update this year is Arnold 6 with full GPU rendering support, based on the NVIDIA OptiX ray-tracing engine. This has been in beta for a while but it's nice to see a full release. I've been using this more and more since I installed 2020 – it's so fast, although I am running an NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 so I'm not sure how it would run on lower-end cards. I no longer need to render to see model and shader updates, as they are visible in the viewport in, almost, real time. Finally, Maya has the ability to retopologise the densest of models On the modelling side of things, Autodesk have given us Remesh and Retopology tools. "It's about time!" I hear you scream. When combined, these tools will enable clean, quad-based topology but it has limitations. As good as the resulting models are, there are no options to dictate edge flow, so for game art there would still be a lot of clean-up needed. Animators can now see past and future movement with the new ghosting preview tool It seems Autodesk are now taking full advantage of the GPU as it's being used on many other tools to help speed up workflow. The Proximity Wrap tool, which is new to Maya, is an advanced version of the Wrap tool. It too uses the GPU to help calculate how the influenced geometry manipulates the surface model, making for smoother interactions. I'm looking forward to experimenting with this on future facial rigs and custom muscle systems. With Maya 2020, animation has seen significant improvements, as has rigging While we are on the subject of rigging, another new addition I am personally excited about is the introduction of matrix-driven workflows. These are a series of nodes and attributes that make rigs cleaner and less cluttered. With the offsetParentMatrix attribute, constraints could be used less and less, meaning the art of rigging is more streamlined. The one issue I do have with the new rigging tools is they aren't backwards compatible. I have many clients who still use Maya 2017 and 2018, so for me, these shiny new nodes aren't an option just yet. Should you upgrade to Maya 2020? There is so much to be excited about with this release, and I haven't even covered the modelling and speed improvements. All in all, Maya 2020 is an essential upgrade if you're an animation studio. With all the new updates, it could save you a lot of time on your projects. This content originally appeared in 3D World magazine. Subscribe to 3D World here. Read more: 9 of the best free 3D apps View the full article

If you're anything like us, your mind has a tendency to wander at the best of times – not least while working from home. From Netflix and WhatsApp, to checking the contents of the fridge (again), it's hard to stay vigilant against the thousands of distractions begging for our attention. A wandering mind isn't always a bad thing for creatives, we might add, but if you need some focus right now, you're in luck. Not only is there an abundance of scientific research into how to avoid distraction, but a handy infographic (below) translates the science into nine easy steps to follow to help you stay focused. Check out our roundup of the best infographics – or if you want to create your own, take a look at our pick of the best infographic tools. Still with us? (There's nothing new in the fridge, we promise.) From simply grabbing a coffee to trying a hand yoga trick, Headway Capital's infographic is full of simple techniques to keep your mind focussed on the task at hand. Don't forget to check out our guide to working from home more productively if you want more healthy stay at home tips. Related articles Infographic reveals 50 huge logo design secrets 62 of the best infographics 6 ways to avoid distractions while working from home View the full article