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Coding means different things to different people. When it comes to finding the best laptop for programming, there are a few things to consider. The heart of programming in any language is not particularly demanding – you’re only writing lines of text, which any computer should be able to manage. However, it’s always nice to have some horsepower under the hood. More memory will mean today’s heavyweight Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) such as Visual Studio will run buttery-smooth, and it becomes easier to make changes when working with complex website layouts that have huge amounts of background code. Large, complex programs compile faster with a faster processor. And while burning the midnight oil for hours when working on a large project, comfortable ergonomics make a big difference, so you’ll be grateful for a great keyboard and decent screen. The best keyboards for designers What’s more, if you think your new idea is going to be the next big hit on Apple’s App Store, you need a laptop running MacOS to use Xcode, Apple’s IDE that’s used exclusively to develop applications for the iPhone, iPad and Mac. Similarly, if you’re considering working with game development, within an environment such as UnrealEd or Unity as part of your project, you can’t ignore graphics performance either. Here’s our pick of the best laptop for programming, suitable for a range of budgets. Using a larger 15-inch laptop such as this Dell XPS 15-9570 rather than a 13-inch model for coding makes plenty of sense. It gives you space to lay out windows in your IDE, or see a full-sized GUI for a high-resolution phone or tablet app. In code view, it means you can fit as much text as possible onto a single line, so it’s easier to run through your application. There’s enough space to split the screen, with code on the left and a preview of your app or webpage on the right, which will save some serious time when reloading your work. In addition to the large 4K screen, the XPS15 offers strong performance. Compilation times will be accelerated if you opt for a six-core model, and the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti gives this machine some 3D grunt in game design tools as well. For more information, take a look at our sister site TechRadar's Dell XPS 15-9570 review. Despite dated stereotypes of programmers being stuck in bedrooms and offices, many coders see the profession as highly sociable – whether it’s working together on group projects, or attending one of the numerous workshops and conferences that exist all over the country. In that case, you might prefer an alternative to the larger laptops we’ve suggested and instead, put portability at the top of your wish list. The 13-inch Asus Zenbook UX-430 is an ultraportable option – weighing just 1.25kg and measuring 15.9mm – without a massive price tag. However, even though the Zenbook is slim and well priced, it has a specification that’s still great for coding work. While Apple’s MacBook and the now-ancient MacBook Air are the most portable Apple laptops in the range, the 13-inch MacBook Pro received a tasty update this year that makes it our first choice for working with Xcode to develop apps for iOS and MacOS when on the go. Quad-core eight-generation Intel CPUs are now an option, delivering across-the-board performance improvements, making this MacBook both portable and powerful. While it might weigh slightly more than the aforementioned MacBook models, the performance boost will be worth it when running taxing processing tasks, such as heavy-duty coding projects. And since Macs can run Windows just fine via bootcamp or in a virtual machine such as Parallels, you’ll be able to use your Mac to develop apps for any platform on Earth. For Android developers, a Chromebook might seem a natural choice for the best possible integration with Google’s software and services, with full support for running Android software natively. However, Chromebooks are designed to be highly affordable, with available features and performance suffering to bring the price down. While a cheaper Chromebook can still work fine for those who are new to coding (especially children just learning coding skills, for example), the Pixelbook has been designed to compete with the bigger boys in laptops. It still runs ChromeOS, which supports Google’s Android Studio development tools, but the hardware is right up there with a standard Windows laptop. As of writing, full Linux support is in beta as well. You get a dual-core Intel Core i7, 8GB or 16GB of ram and up to a 512GB SSD, with a high resolution 12.3-inch QHD display, delivering 2,400 x 1,600 resolution. It also folds down into a tablet, as per 2-in-1 Windows devices, used in conjunction with an excellent stylus. The brushed aluminium design is absolutely unrivalled by the cheaper Chromebook models as well, with a very comfortable chiclet-style keyboard, and plenty of ports. Rounding off our pick of the best laptops for programming is the ThinkPad p1. With this model, Lenovo has taken the kind of computing experience most of us assume is only possible with a desktop workstation housed in a large box under a desk, and not only made it portable, but squeezed it into a form that in thickness, is close to an Ultrabook. It’s the only laptop of this size that offers professional-grade Xeon processors, with up to six cores, an Nvidia Quadro P2000 graphics card and up to 64GB of memory. You can stuff it with up to 4TB of nVME SSD storage, and opt for a 15.6-inch 4K display that’s not only touch-sensitive, but colour-accurate too. It’s a great general-purpose workstation, capable of all kinds of visual design work and heavy lifting processor-intensive tasks. Of course, it works great for coding as well. That’s partly thanks to Lenovo’s excellent keyboard design, but in general, the ThinkPad P1 is superbly built, including a semi-rugged chassis that can survive light knocks, a very healthy selection of ports, retaining two original USB Gen 1 ports, as well as two newer, Thunderbolt capable USB type C ports and HDMI. Make no mistake, if it’s raw performance you want, this is the laptop to go for. Read more: 10 web skills that pay The best laptop deals for 2018 The best mouse of 2018 View the full article

A lack of authentication in Apple's Device Enrollment Program could allow attackers to scoop up Wi-Fi passwords and VPN configurations. View the full article

When it comes to online art classes, it really is true that you get what you pay for. Invest in high-quality tuition, delivered by leading professionals, and you'll soon find your ability as an artist improving by leaps and bounds. In this post, we've brought together 10 excellent art classes that we reckon are worth every penny. Number one on our list is Drawing Essentials with Glenn Vilppu, in our view the best online art class you can access right now. That's because it drills down into the fundamentals you need to master before you can develop your skills. And it does so in a way that speaks to a beginner as much as an experienced artist. How to choose the right online art class for you When it comes to choosing the right art class for you, there are a number of factors you need to take into account. These include what skill level you currently have: beginner, intermediate or advanced, as not all classes will be relevant to your level. It's also worth checking who's teaching the course, and what their credentials are. That said, just because they're university-level tutors may not mean their classes are any good, or vice versa if they're not; so it's always worth checking out the reviews and testimonials on their site. (If they don't have a section for these, that in itself should set off alarm bells). The best pencils: colouring, drawing and sketching More obviously, different art classes require different media. So check what materials you'll need, as this could significantly affect the overall cost of taking the course. It's also worth seeing whether videos are downloadable, whether course work is provided, and whether there's an option to get feedback on your work from the tutors. (That's unlikely to be the case if you're going for one of the cheaper classes, of course, but once you're moving into the hundreds of pounds, it's probably something something you should expect). If you can't find what you're looking for here, be sure to check out our other quality how to draw tutorials, covering a variety of subjects. Here are 10 of the best online art classes around... 01. Drawing Essentials with Glenn Vilppu Glenn Vilppu is a big name in art education, and for good reason; his six-week drawing class is the best of the best Pros: Covers fundamentals; critiques available Cons: Expensive; time commitment required One of the world’s most famous art teachers, Glenn Vilppu instructs professionals at animation, game and film studios worldwide, as well as universities, art schools and private art academies. And the one problem he constantly comes up against is that many students walk into the class without knowing the fundamentals, such as how to hold a pencil correctly. So this six-week course attempts to fill those knowledge gaps, and is aimed not just beginners but any artists, even professionals, who have never studied formally. At $600, it’s not cheap, but bear in mind you won’t just be passively watching video lectures. The aim is to replicate the experience of attending a real-life art class; so you get your work critiqued weekly, alongside group discussion and the opportunity to get answers directly from Vilppu. You’ll also be able to see critiques of the other students as well, as would happen in a regular live class. Once you're done, Vilppu also offers some world-class figure drawing classes on his site. He strongly recommends you don't jump ahead, and take this class first, however knowledgeable you think you are. 02. Drawing and Sketching for Beginners by Robin Slee Robin Slee's introductory course is a great way to dip your toe into the water Pros: Cheap; feedback offered on work Cons: Only for total newbies; videos not downloadable Right the start of your journey, and want to know what all this art stuff is really about? This introductory-level class on Udemy is a great place to begin, and at $19.99, it's far from a huge financial commitment. Tutor Robin Slee, a self-taught freelance digital artist and illustrator, is keen to get you started on the right track, and covers fundamentals like how to hold a pencil correctly and how to make marks. That might sound childishly basic, but these are not actually intuitive things (as we mentioned in the previous entry, even experienced artists get them wrong), so it's pretty useful to nail them at this early stage. And Slee's instruction is clear, simple, jargon-free and easy to follow. The course consists of over three hours of video content, segmented into 25 modules, accompanied by practical exercises for you to download. There's also a dedicated Q&A section where you can post your questions, ask for feedback, or share your results from the course. 03. Draw and Paint Online: Beginner's Art by Peter Stanyer Peter Stanyer offers high-quality, interactive art tuition at a very affordable price Pros: Covers fundamentals; feedback provided Cons: Requires time commitment; not the cheapest Internationally renowned artist, author and tutor Peter Stanyer has taught art for over 20 years at many different levels in further and higher education. Aimed both at complete beginners and more experienced artists who enjoy recreational drawing, his online art classes will teach you the techniques you need to draw with confidence. All the fundamentals are covered here, including mark making, tone, colour, shape, composition, perspective and more. Requiring around 30 hours of study, this class involves a number of assignments made up of carefully structured, practical, drawing or painting projects. With personal tuition and feedback from Stanyer thrown in as well, this course offers excellent value at just £148. 04. How to Paint: Absolute Beginners Acrylics Course with Will Kemp Learn the foundations of working with acrylic paint in this three-and-a-half-hour online art class Pros: Low price; suitable for beginners Cons: No feedback; just 3.5 hours in total Are you someone who “dreams of becoming an artist but keeps putting it off until you have more time?” If that’s you, then this relatively short and snappy art class could be the kick up the backside you need. Over three-and-a-half hours, Will Kemp - an award-winning artist who’s studied in Italy, run his own art gallery and taught in museums and schools - explains the foundations of working with acrylics and why they're the simplest and most effective way for a beginner to learn to paint. You learn about setup and materials, colour mixing, pigment choice, brush-handling and palette-knife techniques, as well as gels and mediums. Once that's out of the way, you're then encouraged to complete three paintings (a still-life, a landscape, and a seascape) using three different colour palettes. This class is split over seven video lessons, which can be either streamed or downloaded. Kemp suggest you take time off for a “painting week”', in which you take a different lesson every day; alternatively, you might prefer to study one every weekend. He also includes downloadable reference material and although you won't get feedback on your work, at just £49, it's still a bit of bargain. 05. Mastering colour with Richard Robinson Struggling to get your colours right? Richard Robinson can help Pros: Tight focus; low cost Cons: No feedback; only two hours long Fine artist and teacher Richard Robinson asked his students to name the biggest stumbling block when it came to painting, and an astonishing 72 per cent said it was getting their colours right. So in this two-hour art class, which can be both streamed and downloaded, he explains everything you need to know, from how the brain sees and analyse colours, to the key to colour relationships. With 40 practical exercises to complete and 159 pages of printable lesson notes, this class is suitable for everyone from beginner to advanced. It's pretty cheap at just $45, but if you're still not convinced, you can ‘try before you buy’ by viewing the first chapter free on the website. 06. Figure Drawing Fundamentals with Stan Proko Learn how a body is shaped, how it moves, and then how to draw it realistically Pros: Great value; comprehensive instruction Cons: Feedback prioritised for premium subscribers Historically, art schools have always taught a systematic process for drawing people that can be applied to figures of any body type, set in any position. Running across 15 and a half hours of downloadable video, this class delivers exactly that. It's taught by Stan Prokopenko, an accomplished fine art painter who works for the Watts Atelier school in California and shares his knowledge with millions online through both free YouTube videos and more weighty, paid-for courses like this one. Aimed at both beginners and experienced artists looking for a refresher, this figure drawing class will teach you how to draw human figures by breaking down shapes into simple forms. You’ll learn about structure, gesture, balance, exaggeration, proportions, shading and more. And for just $89, you can't say fairer than that. 07. Painting portraits with Mark Carder Mark Carder has painted Presidents, so he's in a good position to teach you about portraiture Pros: No-nonsense style; videos are downloadable Cons: Not right for beginners; no feedback Mark Carder is a highly regarded artist who has painted commissioned portraits of two US Presidents and a US Secretary of State, among others. His online art class demonstrates and explains the process of painting portraits using a photo as your source material. Carder’s style is direct and to the point, with zero waffle and targeted advice throughout, covering how to photograph your subject, draw the face, blend fleshtones, work with a limited colour palette, match colours, and maintain a likeness throughout the process. Some of the specific techniques Carder outlines are a little unusual, and the class doesn't cover how to draw a portrait from life. But if that doesn't put you off, these eight hours of downloadable videos, aimed at intermediate and advanced artists, are top quality, well structured, and offer fascinating insights from an artist at the top of his profession; all of which isn't bad for $100. 08. Charcoal Drawing with Aaron Blaise Disney's Aaron Blaise offers you the benefit of his expertise and experience when it comes to drawing with charcoal Pros: Famous tutor; engaging style Cons: Not right for beginners; no feedback Aaron Blaise spent 21 years of his life as an animator on such films as Beauty and the Beast, Lion King and Brother Bear, which he co-directed. He’s now left the movie business, but Disney’s loss is the art world’s gain, as he’s turned his hand to teaching digital painting. And it turns out he’s very good at it. In this art class, Blaise creates a charcoal drawing of a lioness, in real time, across five hours and 30 minutes. He draws from a photograph, and you can download a high resolution version of this image, print it out, and follow along at home. Blaise’s commentary is insightful, informative and really helps you follow what he’s doing. He always strikes the right tone: always helpful, never patronising. You'll need some basic drawing skills to follow this class, so it’s not suitable for total beginners. But overall, this is a high-quality class for anyone wanting to get to grips with charcoal, wildlife drawing, or both; and £45 seems a pretty fair price. 09. Ink Drawing Techniques: Brush, Nib, and Pen Style Yuko Shimizu offers an invaluable insight into the secrets of ink drawings as part of a Skillshare subscription Pro: Comprehensive guide; short and to the point Cons: Requires Skillshare subscription; no feedback Yuko Shimizu is a Japanese illustrator based in New York City and a veteran instructor at the School of Visual Arts. In this online class, hosted on the Skillshare platform, she offers a detailed guide to essential inking and drawing techniques. Subjects covered include the differences between types of papers and inks; basic brush, nib, and ink techniques; Asian vs. watercolour brushes; and sketching and scanning essentials. In short, there’s a huge amount of ground covered in this 90 minute class, made up of 15 separate lessons, and everyone from the novice to the experienced inker will benefit. You can’t actually buy the course separately; you’ll need a Skillshare subscription to unlock it. But at just £7 a month you might fancy that anyway; and at time of writing there's a two-month free trial offer, with the option to cancel at any time. 10. Activate the canvas with Nancy Hillis Want to shift from representational art to something more abstract? Then this is the online art class for you Pros: Unique approach; potentially life-changing Cons: Expensive; no feedback given Fed up of making representational art, and want to walk on the wild side? This five-module, self-paced art class will guide you through your first steps in abstract painting. You'll discover how to experiment, loosen up as artist and unleash a brand new perspective on your art. In each module, Nancy Hillis, abstract artist and psychiatrist, walks you through a systematic process for reflecting on your inner landscape and mindset. Included are a written lesson and between three and seven video demonstrations that walk you through ways of “activating the canvas”. There are a few pricing options, but the cheapest one costs $197 and buys you one year of access to the class, which is suitable for both beginners and experienced artists; because it’s not really about technique but unlocking your creativity. In return, Nancy says, “You'll learn exciting ways to create bold, raw, immediate and alive paintings by activating the canvas intuitively.” Read more: 5 ways to improve your digital art skills How to paint like a 19th century master 18 watercolour techniques every artist should know View the full article

There are many ways to use your design and illustration skills to generate extra income, over and above picking up freelance work. For many creatives, profit isn’t top of the agenda when planning a side project. It’s a bonus, rather than the main goal. However, even if side projects don’t bring in extra income immediately, the boost to your graphic design portfolio can lead to work indirectly – or make money in unexpected ways further down the line. Here, we explore four ways designers have branched out and turned a sideline project into a big earner. Main image: Radim Malinic and Tamás Árpádi 01. Sell digital assets Diana Hlevnjak sells patterns and textures via Shutterstock and iStock, as well as her own site Diana Hlevnjak was working for a small web design firm when personal circumstances led her to relocate to another city. She managed to work remotely for a while, but times were tough and her contract was terminated shortly before the company shut down. Hlevnjak had been selling digital assets through stock libraries for some additional income, but there wasn’t enough to cover her costs. She focused all her efforts on the task to see how lucrative it could be. “I liked the fact I didn’t have to deal with sales, clients, meetings and similar tasks that introverts don’t like,” she confesses. “It also meant I could work from anywhere.” When she first started out, the returns were low, but gained momentum as she kept putting up more and more products on more and more platforms. Hlevnjak’s focus was on graphic resources such as patterns and textures, an area she’s passionate about. This is crucial, she argues, to stay motivated when building up a large portfolio of assets. I liked the fact I didn’t have to deal with sales, clients, meetings and similar tasks that introverts don’t like Diana Hlevnjak She watches trends across illustration and design, as well as fashion, interiors and architecture. “Last summer was big on monstera and cacti plants, which came from Scandinavian interior design,” she says. Although her work is still sold on Shutterstock and iStock, Hlevnjak points out that the volume of assets on the large libraries means things that are on-trend one month are soon buried beneath new trends. She has instead been focusing her efforts on more niche marketplaces such as Creative Market, where watercolour illustrations and textures tend to fare well, as well as her own website: Polar Vectors. The strategy has paid off: Hlevnjak has successfully managed to turn an occasional sideline into her primary earner. “As a freelancer, I am accepting less and less client work, and it’s become a minority of my revenue,” she reveals. 02. Teach a Skillshare course Online courses are a practical option if you have a busy schedule Following her success on the conference circuit and growing love of public speaking, Jessica Hische decided to turn her hand to teaching – and her hectic schedule meant an online course was the best option. “I haven’t been in a position to commit to teaching at a university – I’m hardly ever in one place for 15 weeks straight,” she explains. “Skillshare was a good in-between of an on-stage talk and a more intimate classroom. You can pour more into an online course than you can a one-hour talk, but it does scale, unlike in-person teaching.” You can pour more into an online course than you can a one-hour talk, but it does scale, unlike in-person teaching Hische’s first course was based on her Penguin Drop Caps book project, which was itself inspired by one of her best-known side projects: Daily Drop Cap. Although Hische was responsible for putting together the course content, Skillshare took care of all the “production heavy lifting”, including filming and editing. Her second course took a more general angle, focusing on the logo development, feedback and the revision process. “It’s been a very good source of income over the years, especially when it first launched and they had a different model for paying teachers,” she reveals. “Initially they sold tickets to each course and teachers made 75–85 per cent of the ticket cost, but a couple of years in they switched to a membership model that does revenue sharing based on class popularity,” Hische continues. “But not every teacher earns a lot from online teaching platforms,” she warns. “You do really need an audience that’s already interested in your work to take that leap to starting a class.” Take a look at Hische’s Skillshare courses here. 03. Speak at events Even if they don't pay, speaking opportunities can open plenty of doors A common thread evident with many of the creatives featured here is public speaking – not just as an income stream in and of itself, but also as a springboard to other opportunities. Jessica Hische, Jon Burgerman and Gavin Strange have all clocked up their fair share of design talks around the world. “I was first asked to speak about my work because of Daily Drop Cap,” recalls Hische, revealing yet another major opportunity spun off from that one killer side project. “After gaining a bit of experience, the demand snowballed. I was very nervous at first, but with a little practice it has come more naturally to me. I became a good speaker, and conferences are always on the hunt for strong female voices in their lineup,” she points out. “I try not to do speaking jobs unless I’m paid, or it’s for a good cause,” reveals Burgerman. “It’s work, so I need to be paid! Otherwise there are books and movies I’d rather be catching up on.” Conferences are always on the hunt for strong female voices in their lineup Jessica Hische While talks at schools, colleges and non-profits are rarely paid, full-blown conferences tend to offer a fee, plus travel and accommodation. “Fees range between $1,500–10,000, with almost all events that I enjoy talking at falling on the lower end of that range,” explains Hische. “The more you’re paid, the more likely it’ll be a very business-like conference, rather than a looser creative event.” She has several ways of figuring out the right speaking fee, including taking into account how much prep time is involved and how long she’ll need to be out of the office. Like Hische, Strange insists on transport and accommodation to be paid as a minimum, and always asks for a speaker’s fee for more commercial-focused talks for businesses. “Depending on the size of the festival, some pay and some don’t,” adds Strange. “Over the years I’ve become comfortable having that conversation. They’re nice bonuses to have, but I didn’t get into speaking for money,” he concludes. “It’s the joy and excitement of having the privilege to do so.” 04. Write a book Gavin Strange turned reams of talk notes into a book After almost eight years of writing talks – a totally new one each year – Gavin Strange ended up with a vast bank of written notes. After speaking at The Do Lectures he was handed a book by David Hyatt, co-founder of Do. “I loved it because it was so inspiring, but it was also formatted a lot like how I structure my talks,” he recalls. “For the first time ever I thought, maybe I can write a book?” He got in touch, and the rest was history. Working closely with Miranda West, editor and founder of the Do Book Company, his book – Do Fly – took shape. Although profit is never high on the agenda for Strange’s side projects, Do Fly provides him with some royalties every quarter, and has recently been licensed to indie publisher Chronicle Books to distribute in the United States. Appetite duly whetted, Strange is already thinking about his next book – and how it could be timed to coincide with turning 40 in a few years’ time. 05. Design products Jon Burgerman has transferred his designs onto a range of items Over the years, Nottingham-born, NYC-based doodle master Jon Burgerman has dabbled in a dizzying array of self-branded merchandise, from toys, prints, books and T-shirts to mugs, laptop sleeves and wallpaper. Of course, he had to start somewhere and learnt a few lessons the hard way: “Always make things in small batches first, and see how your market reacts,” speaks the wisdom of experience. “Don’t make a thousand T-shirts. Make 10. I think there’s a basement in Nottingham that still has a few boxes of my unsold T-shirts in it,” he winces. “Hand-make stuff to keep the manufacturing costs down for low runs,” he continues. “There are lots of print on-demand sites, so make some test pieces, show them to people, and see if anyone will buy them. Go from there. Dead stock can be costly!” Don’t make a thousand T-shirts. Make 10... Dead stock can be costly! Jon Burgerman Burgerman also advises thinking about distribution from the outset, however small-scale your operation. “It’s super-easy to make stuff, but how are you going to sell it? Where will people buy it? And how are you going to ship the stuff out?” he reels off. “It’s not fun spending all day and night packing up little toys into custom-made boxes, then waiting in a huge Post Office queue to send them out,” he adds. “Then there’s things like dealing with missing packages, and grumpy customers who want everything delivered the minute they place their order.” Ultimately, it all paid off for Burgerman – but his experiences are a cautionary tale for anyone keen to sell their own products online. Thinking of creating your own products? Take a look at our guides to how to succeed as a designer-maker and our business tips for selling design goods for more advice. This article was originally published in Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Buy issue 281 or subscribe. Read more: 5 questions to ask yourself before designing a T-shirt Top tips for boosting sales of your designs online 4 great online shop solutions View the full article

If you switch on BBC Two tonight for your daily dose of Eggheads, you'll notice that the channel is looking different. That's because today sees the launch of 16 new idents created by British and international animators. This is the first time in two decades that the channel has been given a complete refresh, and it's hoped that the new look, which has a touch of trompe l'oeil about it, will better complement its schedule. 14 magically meticulous design style guides Created in partnership between the BBC’s in-house agency BBC Creative and brand agency Superunion, the refresh involved collaboration with the likes of The Mill, Mainframe, and FutureDeluxe. Centred around a visual signifier whose curved shape suggests the number two, the new idents tackle the same brief in a range of creative ways, with animations including colourful blobs, furry scuttling creatures, and hypnotic swirling patterns. Check them out in the video below, complete with audio created by award-winning British composer and sound designer Alex Baranowski. These new idents do mean that viewer favourites, such as the fibre optic, paint splatter and neon strip light idents, have been retired to telly heaven. And while we can still relive them on YouTube, it's sad to see them go. Maybe they'd had their time, though. BBC Two is all about pushing the envelope and providing an alternative outlook, so these new idents feel like a perfect fit. Seen in action, the new idents wrap around programme footage nicely, and the array of styles helps to keep the rebrand fresh. "The new channel branding reflects this constantly eclectic and stimulating mix of programming and I am so excited to see it help define this next stage of the channel’s evolution," said Patrick Holland, controller of BBC Two. "BBC Two exists to bring complex subjects and stimulating content to big mainstream audiences," said Mark Tierney, BBC Portfolio head of marketing, specialist mainstream. "The branding challenge is how to package that content, in all its wonderful diversity, in a consistent and memorable way that helps audiences understand what BBC Two is. This project is one of those gift briefs that has an immediate effect on popular culture Laurent Simon "This set of new idents wraps all our programmes and our trails in clear, distinctive and flexible yet consistent branding which can adapt all the time to reflect the variety of our content." Laurent Simon, executive creative director, BBC Creative added: "This project is one of those gift briefs that not only allow for the best art and design minds in the country to come together - but also has an immediate effect on popular culture with millions of eyes seeing it every day." Superunion also feels this has been a "gift brief," with Stuart Radford, executive creative director and Katherina Tudball, creative director, saying: "It’s been a privilege to work with the BBC on one of Britain’s most iconic TV brands. Collectively we’ve developed a new approach to channel identity that continuously and seamlessly reflects the breadth of emotions evoked by BBC Two’s stimulating content. Our diverse range of idents allows artistic freedom to our collaborators (much like the channel does for its programme creators), all unified by the iconic curve of the numeral 2." New idents will accompany this initial batch soon, with animations from the likes of Aardman on the way. Related articles: Behind the scenes of the BBC Winter Olympics animation BBC starts rolling out new digital-friendly font Behind the scenes on the design of the BBC's new font View the full article

If you want to design 2D, 3D, or VR games, this is the place to start. With The Unity 3D & VR Game Development Bundle, you'll learn the ropes of Unity, one of the most popular game engines in the world. Starting from the introductory level, this training will get you to the level of a top-notch, experienced game developer in no time at all. You'll master the coding and scripting knowledge necessary to build one-of-a-kind games. You'll also learn how to make money as a game developer because let's face it – if you're doing something you love and making a living that way, it won't feel like work. Learn how to make the big bucks by building 177 games in all different types of formats. Get The Unity 3D & VR Game Development Bundle for only $39. Related articles: Create an atmospheric game environment 7 tips for the perfect 3D gaming portfolio Design a playable avatar for a video game View the full article

Like any adventure in life, there is no right or wrong way to embark upon setting up your own VFX studio. But to see how others have done it, we spoke to several people who have set up on their own in the world of 3D movies. Read on to discover their hints and tips and experiences, and prepare to be inspired, regardless of where you are in your career. 01. Start small and scale up The eighth series of Doctor Who presented Milk with the opportunity to create some of its biggest VFX to date There's no question that the majority of VFX studios are born when one or more senior artists depart an established studio in order to set out on their own. This is exactly how Milk VFX came about in June 2013. CEO Will Cohen explains: "When The Mill took the decision to close the Film & TV department, a small group of us seized the unique opportunity to set up on our own." Milk got started in London with just 40 people and three key projects, Sherlock series three, Doctor Who's 50th anniversary episode, and a TV adaptation of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. From there it has grown into a studio famed for its work across high-end film and television projects. In 2017 Milk VFX ranked at number 73 in The Sunday Times Tech Track 100 Within four years, the team had gradually grown to 150 people, and opened a second small studio in Cardiff, Wales. Today it has 250 artists onboard, and has also just announced a third studio space in Fitzrovia, London. When asked how the studio was able to establish such a sturdy reputation in the heart of the industry, Cohen puts it all down to the team's combined experience. "We were very fortunate with the contacts and track record we had between us. And then, the work we were able to secure helped us build our reputation for high quality. We went on to win our first BAFTA Television Craft Award for Doctor Who: Day of the Doctor – which was like a fairytale for us." 02. Save hard and spend smart Sound investment saw Milk land work on top films such as Hercules There's the small matter of reaching the end of your first year with money in the bank, which is a make-or-break time for any new business. "We were a self-funded enterprise, we didn’t start with millions of pounds," explains Cohen. "Two key decisions helped us: investing money and energy in branding Milk properly when we set up and later (in 2017) taking on the investment from the BGF and deciding to grow the business with a proper strategy." Cohen also states that ensuring the technical scalability of the business was also a crucial factor in their early success, particularly their investment in cloud technology. Lexhag also makes equipment, 3D prints props, helps design sets, builds camera rigs and more It was a slightly different journey for Alexis Haggar when he founded his VFX studio Lexhag in 2009. "Up until that point, I'd graduated from film school and landed in the special effects industry," he explains. "It was around the time that CGI was becoming more mainstream, no longer a luxury but a necessity for many productions. Regularly we'd talk about how CG would take over the FX industry altogether. At school, I had created my Art A-Level final piece in 3D animation, so I was kind of already up to speed with some of the professional software." Haggar continued to progress his career in SFX until he met Paul McGuinness, a BBC visual effects veteran known for work across practical and digital effects. "I worked with him for a few years, gaining lots of knowledge and experience in both areas and shortly after a brilliant stint of work with him, I decided it was time to set up Lexhag," says Haggar. From there he spent the entirety of his savings on the rental of a small basement in Soho. The rest, as they say, is history. 03. Focus on your niche A bustling studio can wait, the first steps involve starting small Despite not having a wealth of experience in the VFX industry, Haggar maintains that his combined experience gave him a unique edge. "If anything, I had more of a round view of the industry. My journey was about knowing the filmmakers and working with them to create their visions." "Obviously, knowing how to produce VFX shots and having a reliable core skill is also essential, and when you win your first job you'll more than likely be hiring others to work with you, and building a team." Early on Lexhag's reputation was built on projects that combined practical and digital effects, as well as Haggar's keen interest in the horror genre. It was this that led it to work on their first television series, Charlie Brooker's Dead Set. He continues: "It's a hugely competitive market, so anything that makes you stand out is good. Having a niche and doing something very well, that you can repeat, means you can create a more sustainable business." From once being a luxury, CGI has now become a staple in television and films The unfortunate side effect of having a niche is becoming pigeonholed, something Lexhag combat by consistently learning and experimenting with new techniques or technologies. "We're a creative problem-solving company, solving story-driven challenges. Our team is multi-skilled and we love using all our skills to create; we make CGI, we shoot elements, make equipment, we prototype physical ideas, 3D print and develop props, help design sets, build characters, design camera rigs and loads more," states Haggar. For those considering a venture similar to Haggar's, he has some sage advice: "It's hard work and you have to work smart. Be prepared to do a bit of everything, not just what you love. You'll need to be the type of person that can focus their efforts, and enjoy all aspects of running a business." "As boring as it sounds, having a good accounts system and delivery pipeline will be paramount to the success of your studio and most important of all, looking after your people." 04. Don't be picky (to start with) Rob Redman claims that anyone running their own VFX studio should be prepared to spend a third of their time doing admin For owner of Pariah Studios (and the editor of 3D World) Rob Redman, it wasn't necessary to go all in with his life savings. "I was a photographer for years and I was doing a lot of image editing, which then developed into 3D," he explains. "I started Pariah Studios as a freelance, 'on-the-side' thing. It didn’t become a limited company for years, but I started building up." Redman asserts that he enjoyed the creative freedom that this kind of organic growth allowed. "I had design and 3D and camera work all running together," he adds. Early on in the life of any studio, the freedom to pick and choose projects is going to be an unaffordable luxury. As Redman explains: "At first you don’t have a reputation, or if you do it’s within someone else’s company." "You won’t get much coming in to start with, so you take it all, it's only when you start getting more that you can pick and choose. Don't forget that in another couple of years, you've got to budget for newer gear and faster computers." 05. Choose a good location This burning landscape made by Milk for Altered Carbon isn't the best location to work in Cohen believes that experience and location are important to setting up a successful studio: "We found when we started that people really want to know who you are and what you’ve done, so that experience is crucial." He adds: "Location is extremely important in terms of talent pools and clients. Especially with London – though things have shifted a little over the last couple of years, there is a significant pool of talent in Soho/ Fitzrovia and it is, of course, the traditional film business location for clients and is still where they like to be – enabling them to walk around to the various companies." Despite having some clear advantages, there's always hurdles for any fledgling studio to clear. Cohen explains that convincing potential clients that they could handle large-scale jobs was one of the biggest challenges initially. "Keeping the order book full at the same time as keeping an eye on the jobs we are doing is still a challenge today," he adds. Working from one fixed location could become a thing of the past For Redman and Haggar, location is less of a concern in the contemporary VFX industry. "These days, remote working is common and many people work from around the globe. If you're based in the UK, Soho still has its benefits, but for how long, I'm not sure," states Haggar. According to Redman: "You can be in a log cabin in the woods somewhere, as long as you've got an internet connection and you stay part of the community, it doesn't matter." The means to start your own studio are now more readily accessible than ever, but that doesn't mean it's any easier. "It's easier to set up, but harder to succeed," says Redman. "As it becomes more widespread, you'll have 300 people trying to do the same thing that only ten people were doing a decade ago." With the insight of our experienced contributors, plus enough drive and creativity, you may have what it takes to set up your own VFX studio, so why not go and find out? This article was originally published in issue 237 of 3D World, the world's best-selling magazine for CG artists. Subscribe to 3D World here. Related articles: Will Brexit wreck the VFX industry? Black Panther's epic VFX Big VFX on a budget View the full article

Hackers see green field opportunities in vulnerable software supply chains. View the full article

Can a mobile phone really make a significant impact on your creativity? Watch any major handset launch video, and the claims made in this regard are lofty. But actually, when you take look at the world's best smartphones, they're packed with features that could genuinely make your projects easier, more sharable and even better. (Pair them with the best iPhone apps and Android apps for creatives and you're laughing.) So what's the best smartphone in the world right now? The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 gets our vote, thanks to its magnificent screen, dedicated S Pen and all around greatness. If it's within your budget and you're not bothered about the new iPhones, we recommend you make a beeline for the Note 9. The best camera phones you can buy 10 apps for endless design inspiration But there's a lot of choice out there. In this guide, we'll walk through the top contenders in all shapes and sizes, from a variety of manufacturers and budgets, and including Android and iOS options, to help you decide which mobile phone to buy. Of course, screen quality and processing power are considerations you need to make. But we'll also tell you the best camera phone to grab if fantastic photography is a greater consideration for you, or if you're buying on a shoestring. Keep reading to discover the best mobile phones right now. The world's best smartphones right now Right now, we think the best smartphone overall is the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. It's just so good in so many areas – and could be a genuine game-changer for your workflow. The colours and clarity on that massive screen will make your visual projects sing, and we love the extra functionality featured with the improved S Pen stylus that comes in the box. It means you can get so much more from your Note 9, especially on the move. The battery's been cranked up to an enormous 4,000mAh – very few other smartphones come close to this. All that RAM and state-of-the-art chipset means it'll handle pretty much any task you throw at it, including the brave new world of VR. Of course, the Note 9 isn't the cheapest option in this list of the best smartphones in the world (there are plenty of more affordable options below). And the price only escalates if you decide you want to upgrade to 1TB of onboard storage. But if you can stretch to this super-sized Samsung, you won't be disappointed. Huawei (pronounced hu-wah-wey, if you’re interested) has dramatically upped its game recently with its range of Android-powered smartphones – the Huawei P20 Pro being the best its ever produced. Boasting a Full HD display, all-day battery life and an incredible camera set up (triple Leica with 40MP sensor), the P20 Pro is really upping the competition for Apple and Samsung. Aside from its incredible camera, the phone's broad 6.1-inch screen is a real boon for seeing finer details in your designs and illustrations, or comfortably utilising the keyboard and CMS. Try as we may, it's a real struggle to pick fault with the Huawei P20 Pro – even the price is a lot friendlier than its direct competitors. If you saw us banging on about how good the Note 9 is, above, but balked at the cost, then the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is an easy sell. The newer iteration isn't a dramatic improvement on its 2017 predecessor – but it does make the Note 8 much more affordable. It's a big, bad brute of a phablet with fantastic cameras and the kind of processing power that wouldn't look weak in a cheap laptop. Snazzy features to help you get the most from the impressive dual lens main camera include live focus for instant bokeh, and potent optical and digital zoom. It might be superseded, but on a features-price ratio, the Note 8 remains one of the best smartphones in the world. If you've been scrimping and saving (or have a very generous equipment budget) for the latest, greatest Apple smartphone, then you may as well just go straight ahead and buy the iPhone XS Max. This 6.5-inch, $1,000/£1,000+ monster of a mobile is packed with more than 3 million pixels: it's scarcely believable. We've never seen a screen on a smartphone like it. The scope it gives you to work creatively, accurately and professionally on the go is unsurpassed. The new Bionic A12 chip promises staggering processing power, helping you render images faster and work as though you were on a laptop. And being an Apple iPhone, it has a couple of best-in-class cameras. There's just one thing to remember – it's pronounced "10-S Max". If you're spending this much on a phone, you'll at least want to get the name right when you're telling your friends about it. The last of the Plus models (for now at least), the iPhone 8 Plus is the newest big-screen Apple smartphone without an X in its name. While the screen remains largely the same as the 1080p iPhone 7 Plus, the camera on the 8 Plus is its real selling point. It’s a dual-camera affair, but unlike Huawei and Leica’s offerings, the iPhone 8 Plus camera is all about that 1x to 2x optical zoom. Build quality is better than anything out there (possibly excluding Samsung's phones) and features such as 3D Touch and Touch ID with Apple Pay make it a real winner. And of course, the depth and breadth of iPhone apps for creatives is always a swaying point. A 6.3-inch smartphone for around the £200/$200-mark should ring alarm bells – it must be terribly slow to use, have awful cameras or at least be downright ugly, right? Wrong, actually, and the Honor Play is proof. Notionally intended for gamers, that massive Full HD+ display and HiSilicon Kirin 970 chipset mean that it comes close to matching some of the world's best smartphones in those areas. The 16Mp dual lens main camera is well up to the job for Instagram-friendly shots (although low light photography does start to become a struggle), while its svelte dimensions and full-metal unibody cover mean the Honor Play has the look and feel of a flagship phone, too. All this makes it easily our top recommendation if you're looking for a cheap smartphone. If photography's your thing, look no further than the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus. Just a cursory read of some of the specs on board this best-in-class camera phone will give you an indication, starting with the 12MP cameras with adjustable f/1.5 aperture on the rear of the handset. Even in low light, the S9 Plus takes stunning snaps. It's equally impressive for video (we have a bit of a soft spot for the super slow mo 960fps function) and photos from the front camera are also excellent. Highly recommended. With so many makes and models available, it can be hard to stand out from the mobile phone mob. The Google Pixel 2 XL tries, and succeeds, by concentrating on camera functionality without costing you a fortune. It's hard not to be impressed by the photos you get with the f/1.8 aperture and 12.2MP sensor on the main camera, but give the 4K video capture and HDR+ feature a go and you'll be gobsmacked by the quality. It also packs in true OIS and zero shutter lag, and of course there's an array of compatible apps in the Play Store. Bear in mind that you'll be stuck with a bulky bezel that most other phones have now eschewed. But compare the price to some other phones on this list, and you may just be tempted to pick the Pixel 2 XL. Also read: The best laptops for video editing Sony has a rich heritage in camera tech, and the Motion Eye technology in the Sony Xperia XZ Premium is a continuation of that. For one, it features super-slow motion video – recording at 960 frames per second. Yes, 960! Next, there’s predictive capture, which basically starts buffering your shot a second before the shutter is pressed – and then gives you four images to pick from. Its 19-megapixel sensor also has intelligent exposure controls to automatically adjust light levels (there’s also manual focus controls), while 5-axis stabilisation should make for steady 4K videos. The other big selling point of the 2017 XZ Premium (its elder statesmanship means it's now a lot cheaper) is that it was the first smartphone to have a 4K HDR display, which means a delightful screen on which to play back your creations. Also read: The best laptops for graphic design Is iPhone XS the best camera phone for designers? The best camera for photography View the full article

Design Manchester is a city-wide festival of creativity and design, and encompasses over 40 talks, debates, films, workshops, exhibitions, fairs and parties all over the city. Its sixth outing is based around the theme of disruption, and there’s an awesome lineup of speakers confirmed, including Morag Myerscough, Anthony Burrill and Kate Dawkins. This year’s festival runs from 10-21 October, with workshops preceding the event on 6 and 7 October. “This year the festival celebrates the noise makers, the pioneers and the inspiring creators. The unapologetically smart and funny, the humble and inspiring. The ones with the business upfront and the party at the back” say the organisers. Read on for a taste of what to expect - for the full programme and tickets for all events visit the Design Manchester website. D(isrupt)M: Transformation by Design Morag Myerscough is part of the awesome speaker lineup The festival’s flagship event is the DM18 Conference, which takes place on 19 October and is hosted by Creative Review’s Patrick Burgoyne. There will be talks from artist and creator Morag Myerscough, graphic artist and print-maker Anthony Burrill, BAFTA-winning experience designer Kate Dawkins, DesignStudio co-founder Ben Wright, and Studio Dumbar creative director Liza Enebeis, Wolff Olins founder Michael Wolff, Matt Ipcar of Blue State Digital, and Kaye Dunnings, creative director of Glastonbury’s Shangri-La. As well as this awesome programme of talks, there will be separate areas hosting workshops, seminars, interactive installations, Q and As, craft and making. Buy tickets to the D(isrupt)M Conference The Great Debate: Should all schools be art schools? Experts will discuss the best way forward for design education Taking place in the evening of 11 October, key figures from the design industry will be exploring the tricky issue of design education. They’ll be discussing how we can improve our educational policies to meet the needs of tomorrow’s economy, and the best ways to create pathways so that all young people with talent can succeed. Talks and workshops A huge selection of lectures, talks, workshops and tours are lined up for the festival. There’s a little something on everything, from coding (CoderDojo) to designer-making (Salford Makers party and workshops at Islington Mill) to architecture (DM18 x RIBA lecture with architect and urban designer Sir Terry Farrell), to film (a screening of Sofia Olin’s Lost in Vagueness with director intro and panel discussion), to good old design (design critic Alice Rawsthorn discussing her book Design as an Attitude). Exhibitions Art fans are also in for a treat. There are exhibitions and show going on all over the city. The extensive programme includes Life on the Outskirts: Helen Storey in The Vertical Gallery at Manchester School of Art, Drawing the Modern: the work of Gordon Hodkinson in the Manchester Metropolitan University Special Collections Gallery and Breaking/Faking News: Patrick Thomas in the window of Fred Aldous. Fairs Its the ideal time to pick up some contemporary art (or a print) Finally, there's a chance to shop for handcrafted printed gifts and homewares from local independent makers. The DM18 x The Manchester Print Fair will run from 20-21 October at the Whitworth on 20-21 October, with over 50 stalls (plus workshops from G . F Smith). There’s also the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair – an annual showcase of cutting-edge craft and design from over 150 designer-makers – and the Manchester Art Fair, where over 120 galleries and artists will be selling modern and contemporary paintings, sculpture, photography and editioned prints at a range of prices. Read more: 45 awesome packaging designs 15 ways to stay motivated for longer The best software for digital artists View the full article

You're reading How to Create a Minimalist Website Design [YouTube Tutorial], originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! Today I will show you how to create a minimal style website using Slides framework. In this video tutorial, I will explain how to work with the Slides App, how to use the manual, how to use the examples and … View the full article

While there are a number of other CSS preprocessors to choose from, Sass has long been the most popular option in the web community (don't know what we're talking about? Read What is Sass? first). It's feature-rich, stable and powerful. What's more, the massive community of users mean support and advice are top-notch. In this article, we offer 10 top tips for getting more from Sass. 01. Nesting The ability to mirror the nested hierarchy style of HTML in CSS is arguably the biggest improvement that Sass brings as a preprocessor to plain CSS. It stops you from repeating yourself constantly, makes project maintenance easier, and is far more pleasant to read as you can see exactly what rule relates to which selector: 02. Reference symbol When nesting, you can use the & symbol to reference the parent element. This helps in two main ways. Firstly, you can neatly nest pseudo-states or elements: ... but also to combat pesky overwrite issues: 03. Variables All variables in Sass begin with a $ symbol followed by the name (without spaces): Which makes handling global values such as colours, fonts and breakpoints infinitely easier. 04. Object variables In Sass, variables can also be stored as an object for cleanliness. Here is a small object of variables for breakpoints: In order to retrieve a variable stored in this way, you can use a built-in Sass function called map-get to return one of the variables based on a key passed in as an argument. Here we'll use it to set the max-width value of a @media query: CSS does now have the var() function to be able to create simple variables with -- prepended, but the Sass preprocessor version is much more powerful. 05. Mixins Mixins bring the power of reusable code to CSS. Rather than having to go throughout a stylesheet and change a property multiple times, you can just handily change it inside a mixin: You can also set parameters for your mixins so that you can use the same styles but with slight adjustments based on your needs. You can even set default parameters for those arguments: 06. Functions Functions and mixins can often be interchangeable and accomplish the same result, but their purposes are slightly different. As with many things in programming, the answer is use logic: mixins are used more for includes, and functions are more for returning values. For example, the breakpoint-var() function we used earlier has a return not seen in mixins. 07. @extends This is brilliant for reducing duplication in your CSS, allowing classes to share a set of properties with one another. You can even extend multiple selectors in the same rule using a comma-separated list: It can also be great for simplifying the way you name classes: The only downside to this we would raise is the drastic increase in the size of your stylesheet if you use it constantly. 08. @import There's nothing more intimidating or headache-inducing than an overly large stylesheet, particularly if you're scouring through it for a particular part. Thankfully Sass allows you to separate your styles into multiple files, and then use @import to bring then in as and when you need them! The typical naming convention for a partial is prepending an underscore before the file name and then importing it with its name. For example, if we wanted to import separate styles for buttons, we would name the file _buttons.scss and then add: @import buttons;. Just like @extend, you can import multiple imports using a comma-separated list: You can import inside a selector – if it makes sense based on the contents of your partial: And your partials don't even have to be on the same directory level: This gives you complete freedom in architecting the layout of your styles. 09. Looping You can loop in Sass using three main rules: @for – Loop for a set amount of iterations, with access to the index on each loop @while – Loop until the check in place is no longer true @each – Loop through every item in a given list If you have experience with JavaScript (or most programming languages) you will have been exposed on some level to these principles and they can be just as powerful in your styling as they are there. For example, Bootstrap's entire flex-based grid system is built in Sass using all of these heavily. A simpler example could be looping five times to quickly created a staggered fade-in animation for items using nth-child: 10. Interpolation The @each loop works really well with a powerful feature called interpolation; a way of using the content of the values you're looping (syntax is #{VALUE}) in the output itself. So, if we'd like to set up our heading rules using an object variable with keys and fonts, we could do the following: This article was originally published in creative web design magazine Web Designer. Buy issue 276 or subscribe. Read more: An introduction to CSS custom properties 5 tips for super-fast CSS Explore the new frontier of CSS animation View the full article

In this article, I will offer some hints and tips on how to give bird feathers a more three-dimensional finish. For more tips, take a look at our article on how to draw animals. I'll be using the example of a drawing of an osprey – you can see the finished thing below. Hit the icon in the top right to enlarge the image For this artwork, I used Rembrandt soft pastels and a mixture of Derwent and Cretacolor pastel pencils on Canson Mi-Teintes Touch paper, which has a fine, sandpaper-like texture. I have accumulated a wide range of pastel pencils in various shades over the years, and use Derwent for its softer texture, while Cretacolor’s pastel pencils are harder and can be sharpened to fine point for the details. For most of my artwork, I like my paper to have a little ‘tooth’. However, if I’m creating a human portrait for instance, a more absorbent paper – such as Clairefontaine Pastelmat – is better, as it allows for blending to a smoother finish for skin. 01. Draw the outlines and add a base colour Blend the base colour with a polystyrene tool The first step is to draw the outline of the feathers. I work from photos to reproduce details as accurately as I can. Each feather has a base colour applied – I use the photograph to choose the range of colours I need. This base colour is then blended to create a smooth surface using a piece of polystyrene cut to a pencil shape. 02. Use three different shades One side of the feather will be darker than the other The second step is to chose three different shades (light, medium and dark) for the next layer. You need to study each feather to see where the light falls – one side will always be darker than the other. To give the striped effect to each feather, I stroke with the pencil from the feather edge towards the middle. Note the darkest parts are always under the feather. 03. Add highlights Add fine details with a very sharp pastel pencil The final step is to add highlights along the central quill using a white pastel pencil – I use Cretacolor white as it sharpens well and gives the best true white available. I then add fine details to the feather using very sharp pencils. I look at the photo again to capture the final touches and give a three-dimensional effect. Read more: Which chalk pastels should you choose? How to draw a wolf How to draw a face View the full article

Want access to thousands and thousands of premium vector designs? You probably need StockUnlimited Vector Plan: Lifetime Subscription. StockUnlimited gives you the ability to download 500,000+ vector graphics, making it the perfect one-stop shop anytime you need eye-catching visuals for a webpage, newsletter, blog, or website. Best of all, there are no hidden fees or licences you need in order to use them – enjoy them royalty free for both commercial and personal use. This one-of-a-kind content also stays fresh because brand-new designs are added all the time, so it's safe to say you'll never run out of content. Get StockUnlimited Vector Plan: Lifetime Subscription for only $34.99 – that's 94 per cent off the regular price. Related articles: 5 uses for stock images you might not have thought of Free tool lets you search for stock images in Sketch and Photoshop The 5 biggest myths about stock imagery in design View the full article

Beer branding is a hugely competitive sector, and achieving shelf stand-out in this area is no mean feat. The surge of small-scale craft producers shows no sign of waning, and these new breweries are keeping the big global brands on their toes. In an attempt to stay fresh and relevant, many of the biggest household names have enjoyed major rebrands in recent years, often emphasising the richness of their heritage in their respective countries to differentiate them further from these young pretenders. With this in mind, read on to discover four of the world's best logos for beer brands, which have all enjoyed recent rebrands to reawaken their heritage, plus why they're so successful... 01. Carlsberg Taxi Studio reworked all Carlsberg's key brand assets, including the logo, hop leaf, crown and signature of JC Jacobsen Launched September 2018, Taxi Studio's overhaul of Carlsberg, one of Denmark's best-loved brands, is designed with timelessness in mind – with a pared-back confidence that balances form and function in trademark Danish style. After extensive research into Carlsberg's 171-year heritage, Taxi found countless subtly different iterations of Thorvald Bindesbøll's original logo had been employed over the years. Drawing on 2.5km of archives, the agency worked closely with lettering specialist Tom Lane to craft a new logo that remains faithful to the brand's heritage, while being timeless enough to be fit-for-purpose in the long-term. While it retains the brand DNA of its predecessor, the new logo is more streamlined and elegant, and the various other brand assets – including the crown, hop leaf and signature of Carlsberg founder JC Jacobsen – were painstakingly re-crafted too. This included the shape and placement of the swoosh beneath the logo, which was reworked so that typography could be locked up beneath the logo for the first time in its history, enabling the branding system to work effectively across all of Carlsberg's many global variants. Sustainability was a key part of the brief, and in a market where rebrands often ride the waves of design trends and are obsolete within a few years, Taxi created a distinctively Danish aesthetic that's designed to last. 02. Budweiser JKR New York redrew Budweiser's original 1860 script logo, as well as hand-crafting the brand's other key assets Budweiser enjoyed a major global rebrand from JKR New York in 2016 that celebrated the quintessentially American beer's heritage, and reinforced it as a US icon. Every detail was hand-crafted: while the distinctive 'bow tie' logo was retained, JKR pared back to its purest red-and-white form, flattening it down and removing the gold detailing and 3D shadow effects. The original script logo from 1860 was carefully redrawn for timeless appeal, and is incorporated on cans and bottles (such as those above) in a simple navy blue form, accompanied by a crest and earnest written manifesto at the top of the label, an approach that evokes the spirit of the 19th century. Channelling the message that the beer is ‘brewed the hard way’, this includes the promise: "We know of no brand produced by any other brewer which costs so much to brew and age, [resulting in] a taste, a smoothness and a drinkability you will find in no other beer at any price." In 2016, limited-edition bottles and posters also featured the Statue of Liberty, as well as American Olympians and Paralympians from that year's Summer Games, to emphasise the beer's American credentials – and this proud association with its country of origin remains front-and-centre in Budweiser's branding. 03. Guinness The Guinness rebrand celebrates its heritage in an authentic way Another much-discussed 2016 project, Design Bridge's Guinness rebrand centres around an intricately detailed harp, and like the previous two examples, celebrates heritage and craftsmanship in a genuinely authentic way. Over the course of the brand's 250-year history, the Guinness harp had lost its depth and character, and Design Bridge set about breathing new life into the emblem. Historical letterpress labels found in the archives, making reference to Dublin's River Liffey, provided a useful starting point, as did industrial and architectural features of the Guinness Storehouse itself. Guinness' new identity is packed with heritage details, including wavy lines evocative of the Liffey, hand-drawn type inspired by the original labels, and metal-stamped lettering from inside the brewery. Design Bridge also collaborated with letterpress specialists to create a three-dimensional relief of the harp, adding an extra layer of richness to the rebrand. 04. Miller Lite Turner Duckworth's heritage rebrand of Miller Lite included special edition cans, such as this one for SXSW 2015 Miller Lite is the USA's third-largest beer brand, and has the claim to fame of inventing 'light beer' back in 1975. Following a dramatic decline in sales in the face of increasing competition, MillerCoors brought Turner Duckworth on board to for a radical rebrand, in a bid to attract new drinkers. The existing packaging didn't live up to the original promise of 'great tasting beer with half the calories', and felt like it was following rather than leading the sector. Inspired by the history of the brand, the agency redesigned its distinctive 1970s packaging in a contemporary way. Custom typography, a new monogram logo and a range of illustrated elements added depth and versatility, ensuring the design was fit for purpose in the modern world. The rebrand was immediately successful, reversing Miller Lite's fortunes and bringing its forgotten heritage to light. Related articles: The best logos of all time 6 best airline logos of all time (and why they work) 10 most-hated logos (and what they teach us) View the full article

Online ad industry moves away from once prolific ads that are now deemed insecure because of DOM-based XSS vulnerabilities. View the full article

A data breach targeting women's apparel giant SHEIN occurred between June and August 2018. View the full article

When you visit a website that's easy to use, the experience is more enjoyable for you as the user. That's what user interface (UI) design is all about – putting together a webpage's text, images, buttons, and tabs in such a way that it is intuitive to use and nice to look at. Want to get involved in UI design? Check out UI Design With Photoshop: From Beginner To Expert. This course teaches you all about Photoshop and the role it plays in UI. Through 17 chapters and 11.5 hours of content that you can access 24/7, you'll learn basic shortcuts, settings, and tools that are very useful in the UI designer's toolkit. You'll also master light and shadow concepts, as well as pattern and gradient techniques. Best of all, you'll be learning from an award-winning designed, Muhammad Ahsan Pervaiz. Check out UI Design With Photoshop: From Beginner To Expert for just $9.99. Related articles: Create slick UI animations The pro's guide to UI design Build a card-based UI with Foundation View the full article

Malicious apps can trivially thwart Mojave 10.14's new privacy protections. View the full article

Happy with your income? Yes? Well, jolly good, run along and check out some interesting 404 pages or something. For the rest of us, of course, the opportunity to earn a bit – or maybe a lot – more is always welcome, and if you're working on the web then there are plenty of things you can do to boost your income. Whether you want to simply make yourself a better prospect for a pay rise or promotion, or if you'd rather pull in some extra cash directly, there are loads of opportunities out there. We spoke to some experts and figured out the 10 best ways to start bringing in more money. Read on to find out how you could soon be coining it in. 01. JavaScript This might seem like a glaringly obvious place to start but we're kicking off with JavaScript for a good reason: decent JavaScript developers are in surprisingly short supply. If you can demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of vanilla JavaScript then you're immediately on a firm footing to find well-paying work. If you add some of the more popular frameworks to your armoury then you can start earning some serious money. James Huckle, head of technology at Mirum UK, suggests that you can get a long way on just React; however if React is all you know it's really going to limit your usefulness to an employer. "Someone who comes in and can only do React isn't a lot of good because if something goes wrong you've got to have someone with the skills to find out where the defect's coming in," he tells us. And that's where fully-fledged JavaScript developers can really make their mark. 12 common JavaScript questions answered If you set your mind to it, adding JavaScript to your skill set needn't take long. "One of our developers came straight off one of these 12-week boot camps and she's turned out amazing," says Jonathan Bradford from Kota. "There are great courses that you can do for next to nothing and if you get that on your CV then my eyes are going to light up because at the moment I'm dealing with people who only have limited knowledge of HTML, CSS and jQuery." 02. Project management Knowing the best project management tools can be a great help Sometimes you're going to have to step up if you want to maximise your earning potential and if you want more money and new challenges, a move into project management can give you both. Nowadays it's near-impossible to avoid project-management methodologies and it's about a lot more than simply shipping products on time and on budget – agile methodologies can shape the way a project progresses. "You definitely need a smart techie in the room able to organise the work, the crossover between the technical build team and the delivery management team," says James Huckle. "It's about understanding process, how creative crosses over into technology and experience of what those overlaps are, understanding how edge cases occur and how mistakes get made." Top tips for nailing project management "Companies know they need to shift cultures towards being lean, with small multi-disciplinary teams working at a faster rate," adds Kate Taylor client services director at Zone. "So agile project management is something where we're competing with more people and starting to see a better quality in the market than the last few years." 03. UX design "UX is definitely hardest to hire in at the moment," says Zone's Kate Taylor. "The market is so buoyant, it's really tough to get people and UX designers can command a high day rate as freelancers." Which is all well and good if you're a user experience designer, obviously, but even if you're not, the need for good design means that, whatever your job, if you can bring some design sensibilities to the table then you're increasing your value. After all, these days design is everyone's business. New skills in UX design "There are a lot of creative thinkers in all of the other disciplines who are experienced in working alongside clients and who know what good looks like," says Taylor. "The whole obsession we're seeing at the moment with just wanting a UX designer is short-sighted. The market's struggling to deliver enough people and a lot of those skills really do exist elsewhere, so you just have to be a lot more open-minded about how you approach those conversations and how you get to a solution." 04. Flexbox & CSS Grid layouts Add Flexbox or CSS Grid to your skill set to up your income The very nature of the web means that new techniques and technologies are evolving all the time. If you're down with the latest cutting-edge tools then you can be sure that your skills will be in demand – and along with that will come decent remuneration. Right now, the smart money is on flexible layouts and grid-based systems; over the past year they've been fully adopted by the major browsers and the benefits of using them are instantly obvious to anyone who appreciates great-looking responsive web design. So if you're prepared to invest time in figuring out how they work, you'll be adding a vital skill to your CV. Fashion flexible layouts with CSS Grid Should you go with Flexbox or CSS Grid Layout? Almost certainly both: Flexbox is built for layouts in a single dimension, while CSS Grid works with two-dimensional layouts and is therefore much better suited to dealing with more complex designs. With both systems under your belt you'll be able to provide clients with beautiful and sophisticated layouts, whatever their requirements may be. 05. WordPress Building WordPress sites can be a lucrative side income It's easy to overlook WordPress if you're a serious web developer but as a platform it's immensely popular, running 30 per cent of the web from the personal blogs that helped it make its mark, through to heavyweight news and corporate sites. And its benefits for agencies with an eye on the bottom line should be obvious: with an immense library of WordPress themes and plugins available, it's much easier to get a full-featured site up and running fast, as Kota's Jonathan Bradford attests. 40 brilliant WordPress tutorials "Learning WordPress doubled my salary when I was at an agency and I now own a WordPress agency," he tells us. "I used to approach small businesses and charge just under £1,000-£2,000 for a website with SEO. I could build this from a theme in a weekend." As Kota has grown, its relationship with WordPress has become more sophisticated, moving from themes to bespoke JavaScript. "The way WordPress is moving forwards now," says Bradford, "that's all going to be using headless JavaScript on the front end and really separating WordPress on the back end." 06. Testing "Developers don't really see QA as part of their job," says Mirum's James Huckle, and this can be a big problem when it comes to delivering working sites on time. "The definition of 'done' is one of the biggest challenges I have with midweight/junior developers," he continues. "Done is not when you say you've done the feature; done is when you've done it, you've tested it, someone else has tested it and the test has passed." And it's an awareness of the need for testing that makes you more valuable as an individual. "A good developer should know how to write unit tests in their code, so they can at least test their own code is working as per design," he tells us. "I'd expect developers to be able to write functional tests and I'd expect them to understand that it's their responsibility to work with QA to make sure whatever they develop gets into production in a way that is defined as done." 07. Soft skills Tech and design skills are all well and good but, like it or not, for a web business to succeed it needs people who can grease the wheels. The skills we're talking about here are generally referred to as 'soft skills' – the ability to communicate with teams, talk to clients or customers and ensure that projects get delivered on time. "I really hate the name 'soft skills' as it downplays the benefits," says Zone's Kate Taylor. However, even if the name makes it sound a bit fluffy and probably not your problem, the fact is that if you can master the soft skills, you'll become a much more attractive prospect for employers and you'll see many more opportunities to expand your career in different directions. Kate Taylor continues: "We're seeing a much greater requirement for the soft skills that you'd find in client services for candidates across the board." She points out that from a tech and project management perspective, these disciplines are becoming a lot more client-facing, particularly now that agile practices mean that client teams are being injected into projects. When you find yourself working shoulder-to-shoulder with the people paying the bills, an old-fashioned coder mindset won't get you far; agencies need people who know how to network, can build relationships, read the politics and who are strategically minded enough to spot opportunities and bring them to the agency. 08. Facebook Facebook ads can offer better money-making opportunities than Google's When you're all about the code or the design, demands such as marketing and SEO can feel like a bit of an unwelcome distraction. If you want to earn more money, though, they're a sure-fire way of boosting your income and the best place to take advantage of that right now is Facebook. For Jonathan Bradford of Kota, SEO and marketing were his route to escape from an agency job and set up his own studio. And while mastering Google's mysterious SEO algorithms is an obvious solution, Kota has found that Facebook ads represent a much better way to make money. He explains how he set up Facebook ads for Brazilian restaurant chain Presto's new outlet: "We put out an offer via Facebook ads that targeted a mile radius around Chelmsford and we got thousands and thousands of downloads from this advert." Facebook ads are easier to target than Google ads and Facebook's new commitment to transparency is making things even easier. "Soon you'll be able to see competitor ads and you'll be able to see the likes, tags and engagement," says Bradford. "For someone to add that to their skill set if they're working on the digital marketing side, once they've done a few they've got it on their portfolio and they can show you the result." 09. Side projects If you know stuff, share it in a conference talk It's all too easy to focus on the day job but if you want a competitive edge in the jobs market, then a strong portfolio of side projects can really help you stand out. "The people with more value are the people with more skills, more crossover and more collaboration," explains James Huckle. Basically, if you have a lot of skills across the board under your belt then you're a lot more useful – and you can command a bigger salary as a result. Of course, it depends on the side project. Your fledgling web comics might have some social traction but they're probably not going to give you much leverage in your pay negotiations. Rather, think about something like speaking at conferences – whether it's a big-ticket event or a local meetup. If you can do conference talks or even a bit of teaching, this demonstrates that you know your stuff and you have the confidence and communication skills to share your knowledge – a quality that's irresistible to employers. 10. Full-stack development Finally, the big one. The web industry is awash with specialists but to hold it all together there's always demand for multi-talented full-stack developers. In theory, if you're a full-stack developer you're at home at the front or back end. Realistically, though, you're more likely to be focused on one and this can make a big difference to how much you'll earn. Back-end work, with its requirements for heavyweight languages and systems that provide foundations for any site, is more valuable to employers, while the slightly less demanding front-end aspects, while still a vital link in the chain, don't attract the same high rates. Full stack isn't something you drift into; it requires a particular mindset. Kate Ganiukova at Hacker Noon describes the traits as an analytical mind, patience, love for learning, attention to detail, creative vision and discipline, and you'll need all of those to master the full set of skills – and to carry on learning fresh ones. If that's beyond you, it still pays to apply full-stack thinking in your work. As Jonathan Bradford points out: "The kind of developer we would like is someone who has a core mindset, is clever and, if they have a problem with code, by the next morning they'll have figured it out." This article was originally published in issue 309 of net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 309 here or subscribe here. Related articles: Let's talk about money 8 ways to make more money in 2018 4 money-making ecommerce redesigns to learn from View the full article

If you follow trends, it's hard to miss that VR is going through another revival. It's happened before, but this time it's slightly different because we have more access to powerful computers and graphics cards at home and in our studios. The best VR headsets for 2018 Companies like Facebook (Oculus) and HTC (Vive) have made VR hardware such as the Oculus Rift affordable – presuming you already own a high-end gaming PC. It didn't take long for creatives to start asking what's in it for them, and the call was answered with programs like Google Tilt Brush, Oculus Quill, Masterpiece VR, and the one we'll be using today: Oculus Medium. This article will show how to work up a 3D character design from an existing character sketch. You can, of course, work without the sketches and just free-form sculpt your ideas. Also see the video below to watch the process. Oculus Medium places you into an environment where you can use the touch controllers to spray clay into the air in front of you and then manipulate it into the shapes you need. There's a layering system so you can break the character down into poseable sections, and you can even take it to a painted, finished concept. The tool palette has a range of familiar tools like Move, Inflate, Smooth, Paint, Smudge, Cut and the basic Clay Adding tool. You can also make a shape, turn that into a stamp and then use that as your tool. 01. Use reference sketches Try a few different colours to see what looks best I always try to use good reference in my work. For this workshop I'm using a character sketch of a little creature I've called the Triplop. I sketch the initial design on my iPad, then produce a few different versions to see what works well as a design. I ink it, colour it and then save out a few PNG versions. 02. Bring the references into Medium Save your reference images then pull them into Medium Save the reference images to your Documents Folder (Look for the _import folder). Import the images from the Reference panel to Medium. It's the third button along when you pull down on the thumb stick on the Support Hand. Select the images you need, then in the scene click each one and move it into place. Use the Check button and attach it to your hand. 03. Work with the Mirror feature turned on Use the Mirror feature to save sculpting time To work symmetrically, go into the Control Panel (Yellow Button, Support hand) and choose Mirror. Every action you perform now will be mirrored across the work centre, including adding clay, painting, moving clay around and any deleting that needs to happen. Later on we'll turn Mirror off and place my Triplop into a range of more dynamic poses using the Move tool. 04. Begin defining the body shape Start off by sketching out the torso The character will be built on a few different layers, enabling you to pose it later. The default tool in Medium is the Clay tool and you add clay by pressing the trigger on the Tool hand (your dominant hand). Create a belly and chest area going up to the shoulders. Add in a little tail. 05. Introduce legs Add a new layer for the legs so you can adjust them separately Make a new layer that we can use for the legs. The layer system enables you to adjust parts separately, flip models, and increase and decrease the details level. Using the basic Clay tool, lay down clay for the thigh, calf and a basic foot. Hold the trigger on the support hand to access the Smooth tool and level out the surface as needed. 06. Add arms and hands Add the fingers joint by joint Add a new layer for the arms and add clay down from the shoulder to form the biceps, the elbow and hand. Then create each finger, joint by joint. Using the Smooth tool to get the volumes correct and then switch to the Move tool to tweak the form (push forward on the support hand to access the Tool palette). 07. Lay the foundation of the head component Lay out the head shape then start bringing in details Add a new layer and call it 'Head'. Use the Clay tool to lay down the ball of the head. Add volume for the cheeks, the frill at the back, the beak. Double-tap the gear icon on your Tool Hand and the clay turns red. Make two eye sockets. 08. Refine the shape of the creature's head Use the Smooth, Clay and Move tools to refine the head shape The most important part of the character is the head and facial characteristics, so I spend the most time on this section. Using the Smooth, Clay and Move tools, I make sure that the head reads from all angles and that the mouth and eyes look appealing and friendly. Don't worry about the eye shape until we add the eyes, because it's always easier once a sphere is in the socket. 09. Change the eye material Either use a different material for the eyes or adjust the material settings Create a layer for the eyes and use the gear settings icon to change the material. Try metal if that suits you, but the easiest way is to simply increase the specularity of the material to give a glossy effect. Then reduce the occlusion to reduce shadows. Turn on Mirroring and use the Clay tool to add simple spheres for eyes. 10. Give the creature bright blue eyes Paint the pupil and iris onto the eyeballs Now change to the Paint tool and paint with blue and black to create the pupil and iris. You can change your Clay settings to 'single' rather than continuous; this enables you to stamp down a single sphere rather than spraying constantly. The size of the sphere depends on the size of the brush that you start with. 11. Create teeth and horns Use a Cube tool to add teeth Add a new layer for the teeth and horns. To make the teeth, use a basic Cube tool (click the gear icon on the Tool hand). Draw it onto the character, ensuring it intersects with the upper jaw. Use the Smooth tool to improve the shape and the Move tool if necessary. The horn can be made by spraying the Sphere tool in an arc. 12. Paint the base coat Switch to the Painting tool to add the base coat To lay down the base coat, change to the Painting tool and pick a relevant colour. Apply that to all skin areas. Make the colour a little darker and then paint the recessed areas. Choose a few different colours to match your design and gradually build up the overall look that you're after. 13. Detail the surface Use a very small brush to give the skin surface a mottled effect To add smaller details make the brush very small, then hold your hand quite far back and 'pepper' the surface to generate a mottled effect. Add lighter and darker areas to give good contrast to the skin surface. Check there are no flat-looking areas; if you find some, add in some small details like wrinkles or light patches. 14. Final passes and poses Finish off by finding an engaging pose for your creature To pose the model, duplicate each layer (not the head) and delete either one side or the other. That way you'll end up with two legs, two arms and so on. Now by selecting each individual part you can move the parts around to achieve dynamic poses. If you need to go more extreme, use the Move tool set to a large brush. This article was originally published in issue 162 of ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Buy issue 162 here or subscribe to ImagineFX here. Related articles: 5 tips to improve your VR creations How to sculpt a character in VR 13 tips for making a VR gaming world View the full article

Is your Twitter feed is filling up with unexpected web comics portraying Bowser from Nintendo's Super Mario games as a princess? Are you at a loss as to why? Let us explain. How fan art can get you paid Sometimes the internet can delight us, sometimes it can terrify us, and on occasion it can do both at the same time. This trend definitely ticks the third box. Recently, Nintendo revealed that in the upcoming version of New Super Mario Bros. U for the Nintendo Switch, Toadette would have a special super crown that would transform her into Peachette, a Princess Peach lookalike. Fair enough. But of course this is the internet, and it didn't take long for people to ask, well, would the super crown work on other characters? Like, would it work on Bowser? And so the latest runaway meme storm kicked off. Over the past few days, it seems that everyone has been imagining and drawing their own versions of Bowsette, an unexpectedly sexy princess version of Mario's chelonian arch-enemy. Some might say it's getting out of hand (you can always browse the Twitter hashtag for the full spectrum of artwork on offer). Ignoring the overly pneumatic and lewd examples, though, there's been a lot of cracking fan art on show. Mind you, it's not all over-the-top cleavage shots. Well, okay, it mostly is, but there have been some other fun takes on the concept. Of course, why should Bowsette get all the fun? It was only a matter of time until eager artists started wondering what would happen if other Nintendo characters tried on the mushroom crown. But let's not take this too far, yeah? Related articles: How to create original fan art Nintendo announces animated Mario movie What designers can learn from fan art View the full article

Yesterday the leading name in the weight loss industry, Weight Watchers, revealed a slimmed down rebrand and new logo design that sees its name change to WW. But with the new initials not standing for Weight Watchers or the rebrand's slogan 'Wellness the Works', the revamp has left members and designers confused. 11 places to find logo design inspiration The decision to trim back the identity to just WW comes as part of a shifting focus for the company. Instead of concentrating on weight, WW wants to expand its focus to include health and wellness. The company's chief executive Mindy Grossman explained that its new logo, which sees two letter 'W's stacked in a purple circle, is emblematic of this gear change. "That marque represents our heritage and history and what we are going forward." But what is that exactly? So far 2018 has been a good year for the company formerly known as Weight Watchers, with big name backers like Oprah seeing its share price surge. However the recent rebrand has left a bad taste with members and designers. Critics have also been keen to point out that the decision to drop the word 'weight' could be to do with a backlash surrounding the word that was sparked by the controversial #wakeupweightwatchers campaign that targeted teenagers. On top of this, the name WW is not only awkward to pronounce, it's also confusingly close to WWF and WWE, two companies that already had to battle it out over who could lay claim to their preferred initialism. We also found that when said out loud, WW taps into the tongue's muscle memory, resulting in the urge to add 'W dot' at the end, or maybe that's just us. Related articles: 5 rebranding hurdles designers face today 5 small-client rebrands that attracted big attention Carlsberg: probably the best rebrand in the world? View the full article

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Buy Marmoset Toolbag: $189 (freelancers/academics) / $379 (studios) It doesn’t matter how big your pipeline is, how small your toolkit may be, or how experienced you are: chances are that if you’re into 3D art, there’s a copy of the real-time PBR renderer Marmoset Toolbag on your system. Where Toolbag 2.0 was all about showing off the model, 3.0 lets you dive into scene workflows with much greater ease, taking you from baking to animating, with shader, fog, lighting and rendering improvements in-between. This makes it very easy to achieve anything from good-looking portfolio renders to rapid character or look development output. The standalone viewer and direct upload link to ArtStation don’t hurt, either. New baker outputs Starting with the baker, the workflow is easy: simply click the Loaf icon in the menu, set up your high and low-poly mesh, tangent space options and cage settings, then define your output. As of version 3.04, Toolbag has image quality improvements and now supports multiple texture and material groups, enabling you to bake items with different UV layouts, although it doesn’t support UDIM yet. The baker output is on par with the likes of Quixel or Substance If you’re new to Toolbag, note that the materials of an item are ‘hidden’ in the group items in the object list on the left, and they’re not always visible. Also, if there’s a shared material group across groups, you may need to duplicate them in the baker for your bake. This is fine on simple models, but can quickly turn into a drag-and-drop pain on more complex models with lots of groups and materials. One solution could have been a search and select function similar to 3ds Max or other applications, and then with the ability to drag the results to the respective bake groups. Bar this, it’s a robust addition to Toolbag and its output is fully on par with that of other applications like Quixel or Substance. Shader improvements The native baker complements the new shaders: Toolbag now supports material groups in the UI, meaning your groups and material groups don’t need to have the same name any more, something that could get annoying in 2.0. In addition, Toolbag now comes with some excellent shader improvements, like custom shaders, tiling, material animation, Substance 2018 support and the updated SSS (skin) shader. The custom shader enables users to code their own shader setups by letting them override the native Marmoset ones. Based on HLSL and GLSL you can create and load the exact shaders and inputs you need for your projects and renders. The SSS overhaul in Toolbag 3 is a huge improvement over the 2.0 Skin Shader The SSS shader is equally easy to use, just remember to set up decent lighting to show off your shader and Marmoset’s new advanced translucency options. This is where the baker came in super handy: I’d forgotten to bake a thickness map, and now I did not have to switch apps to bake one out. Together with the ability to load SBSARs from the Extra tab and the fact that you can now animate your textures, the shader overhaul also opens for one of the main features of the 3.0 release: animation. Animation toolkit Whereas Toolbag 2 only had turntable options, version 3.0 came with an animation and keyframe editor in 2016. The latest version 3.04 improved on this, and now also makes animation life easier on users by allowing animated meshes to be stored in the TBSCENE file, as well as some serious performance enhancements. Keyframes are only applied to the currently selected object While a toolkit like this won’t ever provide the entire range of animation features like Max, Maya, Houdini, iClone and the like, it will let you animate small to medium scenes, and excels at it, meaning you can do anything from dioramas, interiors, exteriors and single to multiple figure animations. It’s pretty intuitive as well – you can import your animation or set one up from scratch, and if you’ve animated in any of the mainstream animation packages, you’ll feel right at home in the editor. It also has a cool little feature that lets you hook up your turntable to the animation you’re working on, in effect allowing for multiple turntables at various speeds in your scene. Add to that the fact you can now import TBSCENE formats into Unreal, a glTF exporter, lots of lighting and shadow improvements, not to mention fog, a shadow catcher and a good, standalone 360 WebGL viewer that works with anything from WordPress to ArtStation, and you have a crazy solid PBR rendering package at a fraction of the price of KeyShot or Clarisse. Despite its limited functionality compared to other applications, it should be taken into account that whatever Toolbag does, it does it very well. With this attention to detail and user requests, Marmoset Toolbag 3 is a steal. Toolbag is a staple in my day-to-day workflow. I’d have given it a 5 rating if it weren’t for some of the clunkiness in the baker UI. But with that speed, ease and long list of features, I’d heartily recommend it to anyone in need of a speedy and intuitive PBR real-time renderer. Buy Marmoset Toolbag: $189 (freelancers/academics) / $379 (studios) Read more: How to create a video game character View the full article