Collective #499

/0 Comments/in /by

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tympanus/~3/Y9Oi7foSo2g/

C499_wotw

Inspirational Website of the Week: greeeg

A seamless web experience with great animations and shapes. Our pick this week.

Get inspired

C499_tbl

30 years on, what’s next #ForTheWeb?

Sir Tim Berners-Lee reflects on how the web has changed our world and what we must do to build a better web that serves all of humanity.

Read it

C499_Elementor

Our Sponsor
Meet The #1 WordPress Popup Plugin

Build Popups in the same place you build your website, so your site design remains consistent and you are able to get more conversions.

Check it out

C499_ratio

Designing An Aspect Ratio Unit For CSS

Rachel Andrew writes about the exciting new aspect ratio unit for CSS, how it was designed and how it will work.

Read it

C499_acccolor

How to design an accessible color scheme

An article by Katie Riley on building a more accessible color scheme for Envoy.

Read it

C499_colourise

ColouriseSG

An amazing tool that lets you colorize black and white images with deep learning.

Check it out

C499_cost

The Value of Inconvenient Design

An article by Jesse Weaver where he investigates at what cost technology makes seemingly inconvenient tasks easier.

Read it

C499_collab

Radicle

A peer-to-peer stack for code collaboration. Currently in alpha.

Check it out

C499_kvstorage

KV Storage: the Web’s First Built-in Module

Philip Walton explains what built-in modules are and introduces the asynchronous key/value storage module called KV Storage.

Read it

C499_acctest

Accessibility Insights

A powerful accessibility tool for creating simple tests or in-depth audits of websites.

Check it out

C499_noise

Cube World

Tibix created this demo as part of the “Art of Noise” series, a collection dedicated to canvas animations using Perlin and Simplex noise.

Check it out

C499_cssasprogr

If statements and for loops in CSS

Peter-Paul Koch takes another look at CSS as a programming language and shows the analogues for if statements and for loops.

Read it

C499_jsless

A JavaScript-Free Frontend

Matt Reyer shares how he uses as little JavaScript as possible when rebuilding his app Slimvoice.

Read it

C499_send

Firefox Send

In case you didn’t know about it: Firefox Send lets you share files with end-to-end encryption and a link that automatically expires.

Check it out

C499_equaljs

JavaScript “loose” comparison step by step

A tool that will help you understand how == works in JavaScript.

Check it out

C499_react

A Complete Guide to useEffect

A very thorough guide to useEffect in React by Dan Abramov.

Check it out

C499_branded

Branded

A free tool to create and maintain style guides. By Muno Creative.

Check it out

C499_particles

Particles Field

A fantastic particles demo by Ricardo Mendieta.

Check it out

C499_stuff

Stuff

A simple alternative to Facebook events. With distribution of invitations and collection of RSVPs.

Check it out

C499_airfrance

Questions in the Sky by Air France

A promo game implementation for Air France.

Check it out

C499_colorsjs

How to manipulate CSS colors with JavaScript

Adam Giese takes a look at CSS color notations and shows how to manipulate the values with JavaScript.

Read it

C499_harrypotter

Harry Potter Movies Quiz

In this project Dmytro Barylo is experimenting with localStorage, SVG animations and vue.observable.

Check it out

C499_svgfiltereffect

From Our Blog
Image Distortion Effects with SVG Filters

Three distortion effects powered by SVG filters that are applied to an image when hovering a link.

Check it out

Collective #499 was written by Pedro Botelho and published on Codrops.

How to sculpt a human nose in ZBrush: 4 easy steps

/0 Comments/in /by

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreativeBloq/~3/up1bGXy_RXw/sculpt-a-human-nose-in-zbrush

Human noses come in all shapes and sizes. However, it's important to know the basics of anatomy to sculpt a more believable nose. In this ZBrush tutorial, we'll walk through how to sculpt a realistic human nose in four simple steps.

First off, it's necessary to understand how a nose works. If we were to explain a nose in its simplest forms, we would most likely divide it into three parts that we see at first glance: bridge, tip and nostrils (also known by some as wings). However, as artists, we need to dig a little deeper. We also need to consider what lies beneath the skin. 

Let’s focus on the part of the nose that sticks out of the skull, and defines how skin wraps around it. Without going into surgical level of detail, we can break it down into a few more smaller parts (see step 3): nasal bone, dorsal hump, cartilages (lateral, septal, lesser and greater alar) and dense soft tissue. They go by many names, so do not be alarmed if your resource shows an alternative.

The best 3D movies in 2019

Grab a mirror and take a look at your own nose. Gently poke and press it with your fingers to feel how the nasal bone and cartilage connects and all the pieces work together. 

For practice, you may want to try learning how to draw one before moving on to sculpting exaggerated and rough forms, clearly highlighting the edges and particular parts of the nose. It will help you remember how it is built and what it is supposed to look like. Try not to dwell on getting the angles absolutely perfect. Humans are not perfect creatures. Get the general shape right and enjoy the process.

01. Create a simple base

Start by breaking the nose down into simple geometry

From Project > Misc, bring up the Brush3DTemplate, mask out a rough shape and pull it out with the Move brush. Ctrl+click and drag on the canvas to unmask. Mask out the edges of the plane to avoid pulling them in the process. If you struggle building the initial shape, start by blocking out four planes. Everything around us can be broken down into simple geometry, so imagine the nose being made of four polygons stuck together. 

02. Activate Sculptris Pro Mode

Use the Clay brush with Sculptris Pro Mode activated to start shaping the nose

Now we have a base, we can block out the position and size of the nose. The best way is to use the Clay brush with Sculptris Pro Mode activated – bear in mind that it will not work on a tool with subdivision levels. In this mode it is easier to practise and build forms without having to worry about subdividing the mesh, as Sculptris Pro Mode helpfully changes tessellation based on the size of the brush. 

03. Add secondary shapes

Sculpt of a nose with anatomical references

Use anatomy references to help sketch out detail

Using the DamStandard brush, sketch out the deeper creases and add more structure around the bridge of the nose. Draw on rough borders of the cartilages to identify secondary shapes. Let’s not forget the dorsal hump – the place where the nasal bone and cartilages connect. Use clay and move brushes to reshape the nose. Make sure to check the shape from all angles to see if the silhouette works well.  

04. Finalise the shape

Get the general shape right and enjoy the process

All noses are different, so we have a lot of flexibility as to how we can model it to look. If we are aiming to achieve a more broad or skinny nose, you can try to exaggerate some of the structure ever so slightly. When you are happy with the shape, unmask the plane, go to ZRemesher, click on FreezeBorder and press ZRemesher. Repeat the process to achieve lower polygon density. 

This article originally appeared in 3D World issue 243; subscribe here. 

Read more:

The best 3D modelling software3D art: 27 stunning examples to inspire youCheck out these unbelievably realistic 3D portraits

SitePoint Premium New Releases: Swift, Icon Design, and Vue

/0 Comments/in /by

Original Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/sitepoint-premium-new-releases-swift-icon-design-and-vue/

We’re working hard to keep you on the cutting edge of your field with SitePoint Premium. We’ve got plenty of new books and mini-books to check out in the library — let us introduce you to them.

Hands-On Full-Stack Development with Swift – Packt

Build full-stack shopping list apps from scratch for web and mobile platforms using Xcode, Vapor, and Swift. Increase developer productivity by creating reusable client and server components. Develop back-end services for your apps and websites using Vapor framework.

Read Hands-On Full-Stack Development with Swift.

An Introduction to Data Visualization with Vue and D3.js

Learn how to visualize data in your Vue project with charts and graphs, to better convey and communicate information. In this tutorial, you’ll do so using the D3.js library, which combines powerful visualization components and a data-driven approach to DOM manipulation.

Read An Introduction to Data Visualization with Vue and D3.js.

The Icon Handbook

The Icon Handbook is the only resource that guides you through the complete process of designing icons – from deciding on the correct metaphor, drawing clear and understandable symbols, and implementing in your websites and apps.

Read The Icon Handbook.

How to Build a Reusable Component with Vue

In this tutorial we’ll teach you how to build a reusable modal component using Vue. We’ll guide you through creating a simple authentication modal, creating a component out of it using Vue and then lastly, creating a skeleton modal component which can be copied and reused.

Read How to Build a Reusable Component with Vue.

Build a Basic CRUD App with Vue.js, Node and MongoDB

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to build a simple CRUD app, a tool to help students of a foreign language learn vocabulary, using Node, MongoDB and Vue.

Read Build a Basic CRUD App with Vue.js, Node and MongoDB.

And More to Come…

We’re releasing new content on SitePoint Premium almost every day, so we’ll be back next week with the latest updates. And don’t forget: if you haven’t checked out our offering yet, take our 7 day free trial for a spin.

The post SitePoint Premium New Releases: Swift, Icon Design, and Vue appeared first on SitePoint.

Freitag introducing their newest line of 100% recycled PET Bags

/0 Comments/in /by

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/abduzeedo/~3/u4L2WW0yheA/freitag-introducing-their-newest-line-100-recycled-pet-bags

Freitag introducing their newest line of 100% recycled PET Bags
Freitag introducing their newest line of 100% recycled PET Bags

AoiroStudioMar 14, 2019

You just gotta love when companies go out of their ways to create sustainable products made of 100% recycled material. Some time ago, we have a featured the brand Freitag on ABDZ. Now they are back with their latest line of bags, Tarp on PET (aka ToP) blends their storied truck tarps with recycled plastic bottles. How cool is that? Made to last, they are introducing bags going from your lightweight backpack to a roll-top shoulder bag. All made of soft, light, and flexible thanks to a textile made from PET bottles dyed with a water saving process.

FREITAG fell in love with truck tarps in 1993, and still feels pretty much the same as the very first day. But now, after more than 25 years, the Zurich bag manufacturers are looking beyond their beloved truck tarps; as rugged and unique as they are, there are certain criteria the tarps simply can’t meet. The ToP products are just as unique as every bag from FREITAG

Links
Shop Now
F610 CINNAMON

The new multipurpose drawstring bag: simple and expandable like a lightweight backpack, and robust and handy like the one-off FREITAG carrier bag.

F600 CARTER

The new top-loading backpack with the big flap for an easier commute.

F640 ROLLIN

The doubly recycled roll-top shoulder bag with additional volume opening up at the top.

F645 PHELPS

The cross-body bag with a concealed truck tarp accent, that can also be worn around the hips.

Freitag introducing their newest line of 100% recycled PET BagsFreitag introducing their newest line of 100% recycled PET BagsFreitag introducing their newest line of 100% recycled PET BagsFreitag introducing their newest line of 100% recycled PET Bags

About Freitag

A Zurich-based company known for its recycled truck tarps, is now expanding its bag line by launching four new and innovative ToP products (Tarp on PET). They will be made from individual, used truck tarps combined with a flexible, robust and lightweight textile of 100% recycled PET plastic bottles.


Creating A Startup with Digital Marketing Tactics

/0 Comments/in /by

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Designrfix/~3/MURyH8w01os/creating-a-startup-with-digital-marketing-tactics

When a text message arrives on your phone about the upcoming sale at your favorite store or an e-mail about a contest with a raffle of your favorite product pops up in your inbox, and when you buy a product in a store because your favorite blogger advertised it, the excitement you feel isn’t accidental. […]

The post Creating A Startup with Digital Marketing Tactics appeared first on designrfix.com.

Master Adobe CC with this bundle

/0 Comments/in /by

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreativeBloq/~3/Oc8eL2-osBI/master-adobe-cc-with-this-bundle

If you've ever dreamed of launching your design career, listen up! The entire Adobe Creative Cloud can be yours with the Pay What You Want: Adobe CC A-Z Lifetime Bundle. And at a pay what you want price, you just pay what you're willing – if it's less than the average price, you'll still be going away with something, but if you beat the average price, you'll take home the entire bundle.

You can become a pro in all things Adobe with this handy bundle. Master tricky software like Photoshop once and for all – a non-negotiable if you want a career in design. Even if you've never opened up Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop CC: Your Complete Beginner's Guide will transform you into a pro.

Get Adobe Creative Cloud here

You'll also pick up the necessary skills for Adobe Illustrator CC with Adobe Illustrator CC: Essentials Training, Adobe Illustrator CC 2018 Master Class and Adobe Illustrator CC: Advanced Training. There are also courses in Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Adobe InDesign CC and Adobe Premiere Pro Video Editing.

Become skilled in the Adobe Creative Cloud with this bundle, available at a pay what you want price here.

Related articles:

The 18 best Adobe Illustrator pluginsVoice prototyping added to Adobe XDTop-class Photoshop tutorials to try

The best graphic design tools in March 2019

/0 Comments/in /by

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreativeBloq/~3/FnF2deJJxRg/the-best-graphic-design-tools-in-march-2019

This month’s round-up of the best new graphic design tools showcases a new flagship smartphone released to huge fanfare alongside a slick, slimline stylus quietly slipped out by Wacom. The two tech launches are widely different in approach, but both products offer designers exciting new creative possibilities.

As usual, we’ve also curated the best new books and brushes for streamlining your creative process: you'll find some brilliant new resources below, for all fields of interest. Read on for this month’s best new tools for graphic designers.

And if you'd like a comprehensive look at the more standard tools every creative should own, then don't miss our ultimate guide to graphic design tools.

Samsung Galaxy S10 product shot

Boasting a vibrant and bright 6.1-inch Infinity Display, faster Wi-Fi 6 and HDR10+, and a triple-lens rear camera that takes ultra-wide photos, Samsung’s latest flagship takes the single hallmark features of other handsets and crams them into one innovative phone. 

The new Samsung Galaxy S10 camera phone might just be a game-changer for creatives. There’s more screen real estate to play with, and it’s been crowned the most colour accurate smartphone display ever by leading display authority DisplayMate – so if you’re working on the go (aided by the all-day battery), your creative apps will thank you. 

Meanwhile, that triple rear camera gives you a 12MP regular lens, 12MP optically zoomed telephoto lens and a brand new 16MP ultra-wide lens (plus a single 10MP camera with dual auto-focuses on the front). As you’d expect, it isn’t cheap. But this is easily Samsung’s best-ever smartphone, and we want one. 

The best Samsung Galaxy S10 deals

Now You See It book cover

A new Kindle version of Pentagram partner Michael Beirut’s 2017 Now You See It has been released this month. The book is a follow-up to his best-selling Seventy-Nine Short Essays on Design, and offers a collection of over 50 engrossing bite-sized articles written by Beirut over the last decade. Covering everything from design history, practice and process to baseball, pop culture and design hoaxes – as well as celebrating leading design figures like Alan Fletcher, Massimo Vignelli and more – Now You See It is a deep, insightful and often humorous depiction of how design shapes our world. “Like a mentor in a book” is how one reader describes it. If you liked Beirut’s How To, you’ll like this too. 

For more great reads on design, don't miss our graphic design books roundup.

Buy Now You See It from Amazon for $34.36 / £18.52

Wacom Pro Pen slim stylus in its holder

Japanese drawing tablet giant Wacom has quietly released a new version of its Pro Pen stylus, with a thinner form factor that’s more akin to the Apple Pencil. Like the Pro Pen, it has 8,192 levels of pressure senility, tilt-response and – says Wacom – it’s virtually lag-free. Right now, it’s only officially available in the US, but we’ll let you know as soon as it’s on sale in the UK too.

Buy the Wacom Pro Pen Slim stylus from Amazon for $79.90

iPad showing a chalk lettering composition

The Procreate Chalk Lettering Bundle contains 50 Procreate brushes to help you create realistic-looking chalk effects and lettering. Inside are eight lettering chalk brushes, six half effect brushes, one script brush, five pattern brushes, nine grids and more – everything you need to add authentic chalk effects to your designs. Bear in mind that these are Procreate brushes – they won’t work in Photoshop or other apps.  

Buy the Procreate Chalk Lettering Bundle for $15

The Fundamentals of Typography, 2 edition, book cover

Authors Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris introduce the core principles of typographic theory and practice in the second edition of The Fundamentals of Typography. Packed with new case studies from leading design studios and thought-provoking exercises, the book offers insight into the use of type both past and present, inspiring typographers and designers to push their practice further in print and online – and it speculates on the future too. It’s a useful addition to any new designer’s bookshelf. 

Buy The Fundamentals of Typography, 2nd edition for $33.49 ($36.95) / £28.27

Hand-drawn llama illustrating the different brushes in the Essential Hand Drawn Brush pack

There are 20 hand-drawn Photoshop brushes in this pack from Pixelbuddha. Including everything from pencil and pastel textures, sponge and splatter marks through to lettering brushes, strict lining and more, this versatile bundle aims to have you covered whether you’re creating illustration work, editorial, commercial images, social media posts or more.

Buy the Essential Hand-Drawn Photoshop Brushes for $12

Walter Gropius: Visionary Founder of the Bauhaus

The charismatic and controversial founder of the Bauhaus – Walter Gropius – was at the centre of European modern art and design from 1910 to 1930, until Hitler made his situation untenable. In this riveting biography, Fiona MacCarthy draws on new research to re-evaluate Gropius's work and life, while exploring his intellectual and emotional life. Moving, vivid and described as a masterpiece by commentators, this long-awaited biography argues that Gropius’ visionary ideas still influence the way we live, work and think today.   

Buy Walter Gropius from Amazon for $25.57 / £19.25 (£30.00)

The Liner Brush Pack cover image

This premium collection of 15 mid century-inspired Procreate brushes has been designed to make creating realistic pen and ink line art a breeze. It includes classic and dribbly inkers, pencils, charcoal, chalk, fillers, washes and more to give your illustrations energy, movement and that magical mid-century hand-drawn feel. A must-have for Procreate artists interested in mid-century illustration.

Buy The Liner Brush Pack for Procreate for $15 

Read more:

The best laptops for graphic design10 of the best 4K monitors for designersThe best external hard drives for creatives

The best laptop cooling pads in 2019

/0 Comments/in /by

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreativeBloq/~3/v1zgbdD8KFc/best-laptop-cooling-pad

The best laptop cooling pads might seem like an easy find, but search results reveal a surprising amount of choice. Why? For artists and designers using these devices for long periods of time, a laptop cooling pad is essential. Cooling a laptop allows the processors to push harder and perform better, without crashing. The challenge is finding the best cooling pad for your device, which means considering size, number of fans, power, noise, portability and more. Confused? Fret not, we've got you covered. Scroll down for our pick of the best laptop cooling pads available right now. 

First, let's take a look at the different specs you'll be dealing with. Size is a big issue. You don't want to buy a pad that's not large enough for your laptop as it won't cool it enough to offer any real benefit. Number of fans presents a similar issue, although this is more a question of power efficiency – some single-fan units can still push out a lot of cooling power. Noise is a big factor for anybody that thinks a whirring pad is going to get on their nerves (especially if this is for movie binging stints without headphones). Portability is a must for anyone using their laptop on the go, so keep that in mind when comparing size to power.

Our current favourite laptop cooling pad, which incorporates all of the above, is the Cooling Master NotePal X3. It's affordable, powerful, good looking and even comes with LED lighting – all that plus it's easy to buy from most countries via major retailers, meaning you get that peace of mind too. But while that's our pick, you might need something more specific for your needs. Read on to find the best for you.

The best laptops for graphic design

Cooler Master NotePal X3

The Cooler Master NotePal X3 is a beast of a cooling pad that is capable of chilling laptops up to 17-inches in size. This is done using a single, giant 200mm fan that is able to spin at up to an impressive 850 RPM. That speed can be controlled using a physical scroll wheel found on the side of the pad – this allows you to find the balance between noise and chilling efficiency. The LED lighting can also be controlled here allowing you to turn it off if you need. The pad is charged via USB but does offer a pass-through port meaning you can charge your phone while using this excellent cooling pad at the same time.

Tree New Bee TNB-F003

The Tree New Bee TNB-F003 cooling pad is a highly affordable way to get an active platform that cools your laptop. This unit features dual fans and handy clips that pop up to hold the laptop in place even when propped up on the legs at an angle. Made from ABS plastic and metal, the mesh layer is strong, grippy and able to transmit the air freely for the best cooling effect on the laptop, which can be up to 15.6-inches in size. 

Tree New Bee TNB-K0025

The Tree New Bee TNB-K0025 cooling pad is a high-end option for those that want the best without pricing being and issue. While the mesh metallic top layer will draw away heat, the four fans circulate cooling air to the laptop that can be between 15.6 and 17-inches. There are also two anti-slip pads, dual legs to prop the laptop up, dual USB ports and fan speed controls. All that makes this ideal for designers that want to keeping pushing their laptops' limits without the worry of a crash due to overheating.

TeckNet Quiet Laptop Cooling Pad

The TeckNet Quiet Laptop Cooling Pad offers a whopping five fans that work at up to 1,200 RPM yet do so very quietly. The result is a super chilled laptop that can be run to its limits, for watching or editing a 4K and HDR movie, say, all while the fans remain quiet enough to avoid affecting the experience. The dual USB allows for power while still offering space to charge a device. Also the ergonomic design allows for two angles, with grips for stability – meaning maximum viewing comfort, again, ideal for movie viewing sessions.

Cooler Master Eergostand III

The Cooler Master Ergostand III is a laptop cooling pad designed for adjustability, making it ideal for designers that need to move their laptop for the best viewing angle. The super large 230mm fan is ultra silent and works in conjunction with a six-angled stand. Everything comes apart for easy cleaning to ensure maximum airflow and cooling efficiency. The four port USB hub makes charging other devices easy and everything is easily accessible, further enhancing this pad's ability to go easy on your neck and back.

Deepcool N9

The Deepcool N9 isn't the slimmest cooling pad you can buy, but it is the best slimline option for the features we think you're going to need. Not only will this support laptops up to 17-inches with its metallic and grippy two anti-slip baffle platform, but it'll cool them powerfully with its speed-adjustable 180mm fan. You can enjoy four USB ports and six angle options for ideal viewing. All that is crammed into a unit that's slim enough to take anywhere, making it ideal for pros on the move that don't want to scrimp on power or settle for anything but the perfect viewing angle.

TopMate C5

The TopMate C5 laptop cooling pad is the best for gamers who want maximum power out of their machine and maximum cooling to keep it from crashing under the strain. Thanks to a whopping 2,500 RPM from the five fans, which somehow still remain relatively quiet, this cooling pad is ideal for high-powered gaming laptops specifically. The downside? It won't manage larger 17-inch laptops, but for up to 15.6-inch devices it offers multiple angles and kickers to hold the laptop in place. A dual USB hub allows for device charging and there's also a blue LED light so you know when that quiet fan system is active. 

Game Lab Vortex E-Sport LED Cooling Pad

The Game Lab Vortex E-Sport LED Cooling Pad offers a great combination of affordability and power that makes this a top option for gamers that want to get a powerful cooling pad on a budget. You get four fans capable of an impressive 1,400 RPM, all while staying quiet, as well as LED lighting. The brightness and power of all that can be controlled using a scroll wheel. Stands allow you to prop this cooling pad up for perfect viewing angles while ABS legs hold the laptop in place on the heat dissipating metallic mesh plate. Ideal for gamers, designers and general users alike.

Read more:

The best laptop bags: top laptop backpacks, sleeves and casesThe best video editing software for designersThe best computer for graphic design

CorelDRAW for Mac finally arrives

/0 Comments/in /by

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreativeBloq/~3/EmcxFqDNhKo/new-coreldraw

Earlier this week, Corel launched the new and improved version of its graphic design package, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2019. As well as boasting new features, CorelDRAW is now also available on macOS once again.

Long-time followers of Corel might remember that the graphics suite used to be available on macOS before it was put to rest way back in 2001. Now it's been specially rebuilt and retooled by Corel to provide a "true native Mac experience" that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the previously Windows-exclusive release.

On top of this, Corel has also rolled out a slimmed-down version of the suite called CorelDRAW.app. This alternative version of the vector art app is designed to be accessible from any web browser and aims to make it easier for creators to work on and share projects while out and about. 

This all indicates that Corel is upping its game as it fights to compete with the likes of Serif and Adobe (see our list of the best alternatives to Photoshop here).

Work in progress illustration on CorelDRAW of a series of bearded man heads

Work on assets while on the go with CorelDRAW.app

With this new release, you can fire up CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2019 on macOS and find an interface that has been built to support Mac elements such as Dark Mode and the Touch Bar.

"CorelDRAW has built its reputation as a leading graphics suite that's focused on professional results, output, and ease of use," says senior director of products at CorelDRAW and Productivity, John Falsetto.

"When it comes to delivering outstanding projects every time, designers deserve real choice. With 2019, we're bringing the power of CorelDRAW in a truly native experience to the Mac, delivering the high-end tools professionals need."

The CorelDRAW.app is the standout new feature accompanying the macOS launch. With this web-accessible version of the suite, users will be able to access files saved to the cloud as well as resave to .cdr. This is a convenient way to share assets, especially vector images, with clients and colleagues.

We’re bringing the power of CorelDRAW in a truly native experience to the Mac

John Falsetto

Other new features include the pixel workflow, which sharpens blurry images for use on the web. Illustrators managing lots of objects will find their workflow streamlined thank to the Object Docker interface, which makes it quick and easy to select assets. When paired with the new text-search function, the Objects menu can also allow creators to search by certain criteria, such as colour fill and line type.

Topping off the release is the non-destructive effects stack. This feature makes it possible to apply a series of effects to an object, all of which can be tweaked without affecting the object in question.

Screenshot of eyes being colour-corrected in CorelDRAW

Search by colour fill with the new Object menu search.

If you're interested in buying CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2019, it's available for both Windows and macOS for $499/ £599.99. Windows users who've already got a previous version of the software can upgrade for $199/ £299.99. A free trial is also available for designers looking to try before they buy.

Related articles:

Corel Painter 2019 reviewStep-by-step: How to mimic oil paint in Corel PainterCreate portrait art in Corel Painter

Create an Automated Scoreboard that Senses Your Score with a Raspberry Pi

/0 Comments/in /by

Original Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/create-an-automated-scoreboard-that-senses-your-score-with-a-raspberry-pi/

Patrick Catanzariti using his mini-basketball loop with scoreboard

On an impulse just before Christmas, I bought myself an NBA “over-the-door” mini basketball hoop. I wasn’t sure what I’d do with it, but having a basketball hoop for my office seemed like a good move. In the end I decided to experiment and bring some connectivity to it by hooking it up to a Raspberry Pi to give it a scoreboard display. Here’s how that went, with step-by-step instructions if you’d like to try to adapt and improve upon it!

This tutorial isn’t intended to be used as a step-by-step “do exactly as I did” style guide — my hope is that you’ll take this concept and use it for all sorts of other ideas. Add a virtual scoreboard that counts how often people come into your office. Or go with a different sport (maybe a mini soccer goal tracker?). Or use an entirely different sensor but track hits on it visually with a Raspberry Pi! There are so many potential applications of this technique. Try stuff and let me know how you go!

What You’ll Need

In order to be able to follow along and make something similar, here’s a list of the parts I used (or their equivalent for the things I had around my lab already):

Raspberry Pi 3 B+ — I used an older version of this from 2015, if you’re going to buy one, get a newer version like this!
A MicroSD card with NOOBS — if you are looking to install this yourself and have an SD card ready to go Raspberry Pi foundation have a guide on how to do so here.
Spalding NBA Slam Jam Over-The-Door Mini Basketball Hoop — This is the mini basketball hoop I used. You could use a different one — especially if its net works better!
Raspberry Pi 3.3190G 7″ Touchscreen Display — This is my favourite display for the Raspberry Pi, it is a touchscreen, so you can interact with the UI without needing to connect up a mouse.
RS Raspberry Pi 7-Inch LCD Touch Screen Case, Black — To make the display look a bit nicer when all together with the Pi, I have my Pi in this black case.
HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Distance Measuring Sensor Module — I had a spare cheap clone HC-SR04 sensor around, but I’d recommend buying a good quality one. My one has occasional odd readings and is a bit temperamental.

One thing to note — if you don’t have a 7 inch display for your Pi, you could display the score on a nearby computer monitor too. Any device on your local network with a web browser and a screen would work!

The Code

Want to skip to downloading the code? It’s available on GitHub here.

What I put together

I hung my new basketball hoop up on a door with an ultrasonic sensor attached to the hoop to track when a ball goes into the hoop. Underneath is a Raspberry Pi powered scoreboard — I’d actually recommend finding longer cables so you can connect it outside of basketball falling range.

Patrick Catanzariti using his mini-basketball loop with scoreboard

Me testing out my connected scoreboard — with a customised Suns themed interface!

I’ll go over why everything is as it is below — along with some suggestions for those who might want to improve upon this base!

Languages we’ll be using

JavaScript – In order to follow along, you’ll need a knowledge of the basics, but we won’t have lines upon lines of code, things are actually pretty simple in the JS side of things.
Node.js – A basic knowledge of how to run npm and Node is needed to run our scoreboard server.

Setting up our Raspberry Pi

If you are completely new to the Raspberry Pi and haven’t set anything up yet, never fear! There are many guides out there for setting things up and it’s nice and straightforward. The Raspberry Pi foundation have a step by step guide for installing the Raspbian operating system using the NOOBS operating system manager. You’ll want to make sure the operating system is running before you get onto any of the other steps.

Touchscreen setup

I put together my connected scoreboard using a Raspberry Pi 3 with touchscreen. My touchscreen and case were already put together and screwed down tight as I’ve used this Pi 3 before for other projects, however if you are starting from scratch — it isn’t too hard to connect up. Newer shipments (like mine) actually have a bunch of it already assembled, with the adapter board already screwed onto the LCD screen, if that’s the case, half the steps are already complete! Instructions on how to assemble the screen are available online:

Official instructions — these are the instructions which come with the screen in case you lose them!
The Pi Hut have their own tutorial — they explain the details of the process too.
ZDNet’s look at the touch display with case — they’ve got a good amount of detail and tips for setting up the screen and case to use in various situations.

Case setup

When it comes to putting the case around the LCD screen and Raspberry Pi, that process is also quite easy with the case I have. I already had mine together, however the general steps for this are:

Make sure you’ve already got your microUSB card inside the Raspberry Pi and are happy with how it’s running! Annoyingly with a lot of cases, you can’t get the card out once the case is in place. My case linked above is one of those… so make sure the card is all good before you lose access to it!
Place the Pi with screen into place inside the case
Arrange the ribbon cables and cables coming from the GPIO so they aren’t in the way
Make sure the holes for your USB ports and such are on the correct side of the bulkier part of the case and line up nicely.
Once everything is lined up nicely, screw in the four screws to put it all together!
Turn it on! If you find that the screen comes up upside down, don’t worry, it’s a side effect of the case manufacturers lining up the power to come out of the top. When I mounted my scoreboard though, I mounted it with the power coming out of the bottom, so this wasn’t an issue for me. If it is an issue for you:

Run sudo nano /boot/config.txt to open the config for the Pi
Then add lcd_rotate=2 to the end, this will rotate the screen around.
Press Ctrl X and the Ctrl Y to save your changes.
Restart your Pi and when it loads back up it should be the right way around!

Running Node.js on our Raspberry Pi

Conveniently, Raspbian has Node installed by default! However, it is a rather old version of Node. You can check which version is installed on your Pi by opening up the Terminal and typing in:

node -v

I’ve got version 8.15.0 installed on my Pi. You can upgrade by running the following commands:

sudo su –
apt-get remove nodered -y
apt-get remove nodejs nodejs-legacy -y
apt-get remove npm -y
curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_5.x | sudo bash –
apt-get install nodejs -y

After running all of those, if you type in that version command again, you should see a better version:

node -v

You can also check npm is installed correctly by running:

npm -v

With node running on our device, we’re ready to get a scoreboard Node server running!

The post Create an Automated Scoreboard that Senses Your Score with a Raspberry Pi appeared first on SitePoint.