Tech Check

Z-brush

2009-09-24T02:39:00.002+05:30

ZBrush Overview

ZBrush is a digital sculpting and painting program that has revolutionized the 3D industry with its powerful features and intuitive workflows. Built within an elegant interface, ZBrush offers the world’s most advanced tools for today’s digital artists. With an arsenal of features that have been developed with usability in mind, ZBrush creates a user experience that feels incredibly natural while simultaneously inspiring the artist within. With the ability to sculpt up to a billion polygons, ZBrush allows you to create limited only by your imagination.

Designed around a principle of circularity, the menus in ZBrush work together in a non-linear and mode-free method. This facilitates the interaction of 3D models, 2D images and 2.5D Pixols in new and unique ways.

ZBrush gives you all of the tools needed to quickly sketch out a 2D or 3D concept, then take that idea all the way to completion. You can create realistic renders directly in ZBrush with lighting and atmospheric effects, or with the many powerful export options you can easily prepare you model for 3D printing or use within any other digital application.\Because ZBrush users are enabled by its powerful software processing, you can sculpt and paint with millions of polygons with out having to worry about purchasing expensive graphics cards. It is for this reason why ZBrush is used by everyone from art enthusiast to major film and games studios.Leave technical hurdles and steep learning curves behind, as you sculpt and paint with familiar brushes and tools.

Free NOD32 Antivirus 4 trial

2009-09-22T07:16:00.001+05:30

· ThreatSense technology - a single optimized anti-threat engine for analyzing code to identify malicious behavior, such as viruses, spyware, adware, phishing and more
· Unprecedented heuristic analysis capable of discovering new malware threats as they emerge
· Powerful virtual PC emulation technology enables unpacking and decryption of all types of archives and run-time packing
· Able to clean active malware running in memory
· Protects at multiple infiltration points, including HTTP, POP3, SMTP and all local and removable media
· Removes infections from files that are locked for writing (e.g., loaded DLL file)
· Prevents infected files from being opened and executed, and warns on creation of infected files
· Automatic execution on system startup
· Supports multiple Terminal Server environments
· Supports scanning of mapped network disks

Windows 7 Release Date

2009-09-10T06:39:00.000+05:30

The Windows 7 testing period is now over with the Windows 7 RTM released in July

Windows 7 Release Date is 22nd October 2009 - click here to read the latest Windows 7 News. Subscribing will ensure you get the latest news as it happens.

You can now Pre-Order Windows 7, with some discounts available off the full price.

In the meantime to learn more about the new features in Windows 7 then check out the Windows 7 FAQ. You can also:

Check out the latest Windows 7 News, Windows 7 Screenshots and Windows 7 Videos
There are also Windows 7 Wallpapers and Windows 7 Themes you can download for any pc

Windows 7screen short

2009-09-09T22:19:00.003+05:30

3ds Max 2010

2009-06-17T03:25:00.003+05:30

Create stunning 3D models in less time with Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2010 software. This full-featured 3D modeling, animation, and rendering solution is used to produce top-selling games and award-winning film and video content. It’s the tool of choice for quickly generating realistic characters, seamless CG effects, jaw-dropping games, or top-quality film and television content. Enhanced toolsets let you create your 3D environment the way you want, manage complex scenes, and take advantage of improved software interoperability and pipeline-integration support.

Software Requirements

Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2010 software requires one of the following 32-bit or 64-bit operating systems:

Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional (Service Pack 2 or higher)
Microsoft® Windows® Vista (Business, Premium and Ultimate)
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional x64
Microsoft® Windows® Vista 64 bit (Business, Premium and Ultimate)

3ds Max 2010 software requires the following internet browser:

Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 6 or higher

3ds Max 2010 software requires the following supplemental software:

DirectX® 9.0c* (required), OpenGL® (optional)

Norton Internet Security 2009

2009-06-17T03:22:00.001+05:30

Key Benefits

Proven fastest and lightest security suite available**—Spend more time using your computer and less time waiting for your security software to perform. [More Info] Take the Performance Challenge and see for yourself.
NEW Pulse updates for up-to-the-minute protection—Delivered every 5 to 15 minutes to detect and eliminate new threats.
NEW Intelligence-driven for faster, fewer, shorter scans—By leveraging a unique online intelligence system, Norton™ Insight technology targets only those files at risk.
Stops viruses, worms, spyware, bots, and more—Keeps your system protected against all types of malicious threats.
Prevents virus-infected emails and instant messages from spreading—Feel secure while you keep in touch.
Blocks browser exploits and protects against infected Web sites—Surf the Internet with confidence.
IMPROVED Blocks online identity theft—Buy, bank, and browse online wherever and whenever you want.
IMPROVED Secure network connections—Monitor your home network and more safely connect to Wi-fi networks.
IMPROVED Blocks threats and hackers—Two-way firewall automatically makes security decisions for you.

System Requirements for MAYA 2009

2009-03-18T03:25:00.002+05:30

At a minimum, the 32-bit version of Maya 2009 software requires a system with the following hardware:

- Windows: Intel Pentium 4 or higher, AMD Athlon 64, or AMD Opteron processor
- Macintosh: Intel-based Macintosh computers
- 2 GB RAM
- 2 GB free hard drive space
- Qualified hardware-accelerated OpenGL graphics card
- Three-button mouse with mouse driver software
- DVD-ROM drive

At a minimum, the 64-bit version of Maya 2009 software requires a system with the following hardware:

- Windows and Linux: Intel EM64T processor, AMD Athlon 64, or AMD Opteron
- 2 GB RAM
- 2 GB free hard drive space
- Qualified hardware-accelerated OpenGL graphics card
- Three-button mouse with mouse driver software
- DVD-ROM drive

Maya Unlimited 2009

2009-03-18T03:21:00.005+05:30

The ultimate version of Maya software Autodesk Maya Unlimited is the choice of digital artists who are looking to make their 3D projects stand out. Maya Unlimited includes all the functionality found in Autodesk Maya Complete and provides professional artists and animators with additional industry leading innovations such as Maya Fluid Effects, Maya nCloth, Maya Hair, Maya Fur, and Maya Live for the creation of superior digital content.

The SuperPack includes Maya Unlimited 2009 for Mac and Windows, Autodesk CleanerXL for Windows, 1.5 Toxik 2009 for Windows, and MotionBuilder 2009 for Windows.

Autodesk Maya Unlimited contains everything in Autodesk Maya Complete, plus:

Maya Fluid Effects
Simulate and render a huge variety of atmospheric, pyrotechnic, viscous liquid, and open ocean effects. Maya Fluid Effects overcomes one of the greatest barriers in computer animation.

Maya Fur
Easily create realistic fur, short hair, wool and grass on NURBS, subdivision surfaces, or polygonal models. Incredibly realistic styling and rendering of short hair and fur, with Maya Artisan Brush Interface for painting fur attributes.

Maya nCloth
As the first Maya module built on the Autodesk new Nucleus technology, Maya nCloth functionality lets you quickly direct and control cloth and other material simulations in entirely new ways. Maya nCloth objects can be as stiff, viscous, or flowing, and as tightly or loosely woven as you desire. Rapidly create cloth-on-cloth simulations--such as a shirt over pants--with believable influences and collisions. Bend, stretch, shear, dent, or even tear your Maya nCloth fabrics with ease. Beyond cloth, Maya nCloth lets you create deformable plastic and metal simulations, inflatable objects, as well as rigid-body and fluidic-type effects.

Adbrite is genuine money making place

2009-03-18T02:36:00.001+05:30

AdBrite, dubbed “the Internet’s ad marketplace,” has allowed advertisers to target keywords and choose specific sites to advertise on since inception. The network changed from a simple marketplace to a much more powerful one when AdBrite 2.0 was launched in November of 2006.

This latest version of the site gives advertisers a number of ways to setup a highly targeted ad campaign. Adbrite determines demographic data for visitors to network publishers via a cookie and reverse IP lookup. They grab U.S. census data based on the zip code of the visitor, which gives them data on ethnicity and income level. Adbrite also looks at Comscore data for each site that user visits, which gives them reasonably good age and gender data. Once a user visits enough sites, Adbrite has a very good idea of the age, gender, ethnicity and income level of that particular user. Advertisers can then choose to target their ads to certain users.

In addition to text and banner ads

Adbrite offers a few other interesting ad formats. Interstitial ads are full page ads that take over an entire page when a visitor first comes to a website. Another ad format is the Inline ad, which pops up over page content when a highlighted keyword is rolled over.

InVideo is AdBrite’s intriguing video ad format. This embeddable video player (similar to YouTube), allows video publishers to insert their logo (as a watermark) and AdBrite ads into any video. Anyone who takes the content and embeds it on their own site will show the same video, with the same ads and watermark. All click backs on the video go to the original site.

Lastly, in March of 2007 AdBrite launched BritePic. They describe BritePic as “the IMG tag on steroids.” By changing the embed code, web publishers can add a caption, watermark, zoom, share, resize and an advertisement, if they choose to.

Download GTA IV Released for PC

2008-12-15T07:35:00.001+05:30

the official news is that GTA 4 definitely will be released on PC. But even that’s not the only damn great news today! These are the most official news ever published about GTA 4

TuneUp Utilities 2009 Released

2008-12-15T07:25:00.001+05:30

With TuneUp Utilities, your system will be faster, more comfortable and more secure. All important aspects of system configuration, security, cleanup and maintenance can be accessed through a modern graphical interface.
TuneUp Utilities will optimize the performance of your PC, solve problems and help you easily customize your computer to suit your needs.
TuneUp Utilities helps both beginners and experts to make Windows meet their needs in a way that is better, easier and safer. All important system options are explained in an easy way and can be turned on or off at the click of your mouse. TuneUp Utilities will then make the necessary changes in the registry or boot files automatically. We place a high value on system stability, so that Windows won't stop working reliably. And most changes that you make can be undone in TuneUp Rescue Center - easily and safely.

Photoshop CS4 – 3D Painting

2008-12-13T16:38:00.001+05:30

The primary enhancement from which users benefit is, of course, Photoshop's new GPU-aware nature. This allows the program to share tasks with the graphics card, speeding up several intensive operations, such as panning, zooming, canvas rotation and several others. These actions are offloaded to the GPU, speeding things up.

Where “Extended” is concerned, Photoshop CS4 allows users to paint directly on 3D objects, or texture them with 2D images. Animating 3D objects is also possible with CS4 Extended, and, if the user wishes to create more realistic renderings, a new ray-tracer is included. Last, but certainly not least, users can edit light, or compile DICOM image stacks into three-dimensional models (aimed at medical personnel), to mention a few of the tweak-able parameters.
“Photoshop is about delivering cutting-edge innovation that really pushes the boundaries of digital image editing,” said Kevin Connor, vice president of product management for professional digital imaging at Adobe. “This version is no exception with some stunning new imaging technology that complements our work to bring more control, simplicity and speed to everyday tasks. By streamlining the most popular workflows for the professional, technical or home user, Photoshop CS4 brings new levels of accessibility to the gold standard in digital imaging software.”
Photoshop CS4 ships in October for $700. Photoshop Extended will cost $1,000.

Now MAAC in meerut

2008-09-30T06:36:00.002+05:30

Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC) is the academic and training wing of Maya Entertainment Limited (MEL), a leading computer animation and visual effects studio for film and television in India . MEL was started in the year 1996 by Ketan Mehta, the internationally acclaimed producer-director (credited with the making of Bhavani Bhavai, Holi, Mirch Masala,Maya Memsaab, Sardar and The Rising.

Sony's announces a its lightweight VAIO TT notebooks

2008-09-23T21:11:00.000+05:30

When it comes to the next generation of thin and light notebooks, Apple's MacBook Air along with Lenovo's ThinkPad X300 and X200 series notebooks have been getting all of the attention. Sony is looking to turn a few heads of its own with its new lightweight, ultra-thin VAIO TT Series notebooks.

The VAIO TT uses a carbon-fiber chassis and a sharp 11.1" (1366 x 768), LED-backlit XBRITE-DuraView LCD screen with 100% color saturation. Due to its lightweight and compact construction, the VAIO TT weighs in at a mere 2.87 pounds and is just 1-inch thick.

As if its slim and trim design weren't enough, Sony is also using Intel's new Montevina platform. Processing power comes from an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor SU9400 running at 1.4GHz while the machine is backed with 4GB of PC3-6400 memory. The graphics subsystem is built around an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD which can share up to 1.3GB of system memory. An HDMI port is included for HD output to a television or widescreen monitor.

Networking options abound with the new VAIO TT. The notebook comes with a built-in GbE port, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Intel WiFi Link 5100AGN, and a Sprint Mobile Broadband card is available as an option.

When it comes to storage, the notebook can be equipped with dual 128GB SSDs running in RAID-0 mode or an optional Blu-ray drive.

"This engineering marvel packs the power of HD technology into an ultra-light, ultra-portable notebook," said Mike Abary, senior vice president of VAIO product marketing at Sony Electronics.

Sony's VAIO TT starts at $2,000 with a 160GB HDD and DVD burner while stepping up to the model with built-in Blu-ray will set you back $2,700. Going for the VAIO TT will a single 128GB SSD rings up at $2,750. Opting for dual SSDs will likely push the price well into the $3,000 range.

via[dailytech]

Helium Leak Shuts Down LHC For Two Months

2008-09-23T21:00:00.000+05:30

After last week’s transformer failure, a new hardware malfunction has stopped the LHC dead in its tracks. This time, the electrical link between two of the particle accelerator’s massive 30-ton superconducting magnets has failed, causing a magnet quench event. Due to having to warm up the section of the tunnel containing the magnet in order to conduct repairs, and then cool it back down to its -271°C operating temperature, these repairs will take at least two months.

Technical setbacks have plagued the Large Hadron Collider ever since it was started on September the 10th, including a transformer failure which shut down its cooling plant, which was only repaired on Thursday. Immediately afterwards, on Friday, during a test, one of the bus bar connections which linked cables between the magnets failed, and melted thus causing roughly a ton of liquid helium to leak into one of the tunnel sections. The fire brigade had to be called to handle the situation. "It seems to be a badly made connection – but this all has to be confirmed once we have had the chance to take a look at it," said James Gillies, director of communications at CERN.

The rather large dipole magnets that are used to steer protons around the Large Hadron Collider’s circular tract, are superconductive. What this means is that scientists have taken advantage of a property of matter by which its electrical resistance is lowered to naught when cooled very close to absolute zero. This allows much more current to be passed through the magnets, giving them much more force in steering the supercharged particles, which can run at up to 7 terra-electron-volts.

Non-superconductive magnets simply would not be strong enough to handle the proton beams, which would steer off-track, hitting the collider pipe walls. These particles, at such energy levels, can melt through several feet of steel in nanoseconds, so you don’t want those out of control.

Getting the magnets to and out of such low temperatures however – colder than outer space – takes a while however, and were it not required to use superconducting magnets, the repairs would only take a few days. This way, it will at least take two months, dangerously narrowing the window of opportunity in which to conduct the collision tests. This is because the LHC facility shuts down during the winter to save on energy costs. If they don’t get the problem fixed by then, there won’t be any collision until 2009.

CERN physicists are not very worried though, and are calling this an expected setback as the LHC, which is arguably the most complex machine ever built, has been in construction for 20 years and has so far cost more than $8 billion, and such hitches have been very probable since the beginning.

"If you keep an eye on the big picture, we've been building the machine for 20 years. The switch-on was always going to be a long process," said Gillies, who went on to say that "A year or two down the line, this moment will be a distant memory, and we'll be running smoothly."

Google chrome

2008-09-18T20:33:00.000+05:30

With all the buzz going around about Google’s recently launched browser, you probably would have downloaded Google Chrome. If you are using it and planning to use it in the future as well, why not give it some ‘facelift’ time to time just like you give to your Operating system. Below I am going to share five Google chrome themes I found here. Try them and tell me If you liked them or not. Click on the theme image of your choice to download.

BSNL WLL Unlimited internet@Rs.250

2008-09-12T08:27:00.000+05:30

This facility is only available, who are using WLL phones.
Plan Details:
monthly rent (for internet only) : Rs.250/-
Phone Rent:Rs.120/-
then you will get arond Rs.370 as your bill + your outgoing call charges.
Bandwidth speed:144Kbps.
I got this connection from 02/11/2007 and the speed is amazing...

Xbox 360's 120GB Hard Drive Drops to $149 [Xbox 360]

2008-09-12T07:48:00.001+05:30

To match the epic price slash Microsoft inflicted on its Xbox 360s in early September, the company's now offering the 120GB hard drive accessory for $30 less, dropping the cost from $179 to $149. In...

add comment
send to a friend
Explore : Gizmodo, Microsoft Xbox, Video Games, Xbox, Xbox 360
[via wiko]

Real player

2008-09-10T17:23:00.001+05:30

Ten years ago, the Web was full of static content. The 1995 debut of RealPlayer changed all that. Streaming audio and video in a free media player was a bold step forward into making the Internet a viable entertainment platform, and RealNetworks was there. Today the software plays almost every media format, and the online music store sells tunes compatible with most MP3 players--even the iPod. RealPlayer hasn't always been at the head of the class, but it was there first, and it keeps adapting to the developing world of online media.

Maruti to launch concept car 'A-star'

2008-09-05T16:24:00.002+05:30

India's top car maker, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, plans to launch A-star model in the local market as scheduled in October and start exports from December or January, a senior company official said on Thursday.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 8.0 and Kaspersky Internet Security 8.0 have more improvements and features.

2008-08-30T06:53:00.001+05:30

* Integrated protection from all Internet threats
* Integrated antivirus protection: 1) Hourly automated database updates, 2) Preliminary behavior analysis, 3) On-going behavior analysis. New!
* Real-time scanning for email, Internet traffic and files
* Personal firewall with an IDS / IPS system. Improved!
* Protection from leaks of confidential data. New!
* Parental Control. New!
* Protection from spam and phishing
* Automatic database updates

Additional Features
* Protection from viruses, Trojans and worms
* Protection from spyware and adware
* Protection from all types of keyloggers. Improved!
* Detection of all types of rootkits. Improved!
* Protection from viruses when using ICQ and other IM clients
* Rollback of malicious changes on your PC
* Self-defense of the antivirus program from being disabled or stopped
* Tools for creating a Rescue Disk
* Free technical support

Sony Ericsson Teams with Windows Mobile

2008-08-28T07:23:00.000+05:30

Handset maker Sony Ericsson has introduced its answer to the iPhone, a business-oriented phone with a QWERTY keyboard, that teams up with Windows Mobile, according to News.com blogger Ina Fried.

Sony Ericsson’s new CEO Hideki Komiyama told The Wall Street Journal this is just the beginning of products planned to boost the company’s presence in the United States. He said the company will add hundreds of U.S.-based engineers over the next couple of years as it further develops its U.S. strategy and offerings
via[IT businessEdge]

Ind vs SL: 4th ODI

2008-08-28T07:09:00.000+05:30

Cricketers celebrate the victory over Sri Lanka in the 4th one day international between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Wednesday, August 27, 2008. India clinched the five-match one-day international series on Wednesday beating Sri Lanka by 46 runs with still one match left.

Maya Version 8.5

2008-08-26T07:00:00.001+05:30

Autodesk Inc. has announced Autodesk Maya 8.5, the latest version of its Maya 3D animation, modeling, and rendering software. Now shipping, Maya 8.5 gives artists enhanced creative control, enabling faster completion of complex animations and simulations.

(1/22/2007)

Maya Nucleus features technology developed by Autodesk's Academy Award-winning Principal Research Scientist Jos Stam. This unified simulation framework allows artists to create elements that interact, in a 3D animation, with other dynamic objects such as fluids, cloth, and rigid bodies.

Maya 8.5 includes Maya nCloth, which is the first module of Maya Nucleus. With Maya nCloth, artists can direct and control a range of simulations, including cloth, plastic, metal, and other materials. Believable cloth-on-cloth simulations with complex cloth collisions, such as a cape over a jacket, can be created more easily. A unique air-pressure model enables artists to use any geometry -- whether a closed, sealed volume such as an inner tube, or an open volume such as a balloon -- to create an inflatable object with internal and external pressure.

Python scripting is also new in Maya 8.5. This open-source programming language helps accelerate facility-specific custom script development and plug-in prototyping, extending and automating Maya production pipelines. Python scripting offers a powerful alternative to Maya software's native scripting language, MEL, while featuring the same deep level of integration with the Maya command engine. Python scripting gives scriptwriters the ability to efficiently manipulate, customize and automate the software.

Maya 8.5 is available as a Universal application release for Intel- and PowerPC-based Macintosh computers (announced separately), as well as on the Microsoft Windows and Linux platforms. The software includes a number of new artist-driven features and performance optimizations.

Mozilla Announces Best New Firefox 3 Extensions

2008-08-24T18:59:00.002+05:30

Mozilla just wrapped up its Extend Firefox 3 contest and, after reviewing over 100 entries, its team of judges has announced the winners for Best Add-ons, Best Updated Add-on, and Best Music Add-on. In the Best New Add-on category, the winners were Pencil by Dương Thành An, Tagmarks by Felipe Tassario Gomes, and HandyTag by Rémi Szymkowiak, while the Best Music Add-on category was won by Fire.fm from Jorge Villalobos and Jose Enrique Bolaños.
Continue reading »
vai [readwriteweb]