Microsoft has launched their re-branded rich internet application (RIA), Microsoft Silverlight, in direct competition with Adobe Flash. Considering Adobe’s current domination of the marketplace it will be interesting to see what type of an impact Silverlight is able to make; while it’s a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in, Linux and Apple users will be more apt to take a pass on installing the plug-in then the already ubiquitous Flash. Competition in this market is always welcome and we look forward to seeing how the market for RIA will continue to evolve. More information is available on Read/Write Web.
Occasionally you run into a free utility that makes complex tasks so easy that you ever wonder how you did without it. Virtualdub is a linear video processor that has been highly optimized for speed. The authour Avery Lee is, in his own words, “very impatient” which means that a lot of effort has been expended to make this application one of the fastest available for the tasks it performs.
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Favicons are the tiny 16×16 icons that sit next to you website in the address bar or favourites/bookmarks of your browser. They must be saved in the Windows icon format, one that is not directly supported by Photoshop out of the box. Get the plugin to save .ico files from Telegraphics and create your own favicons. The plugin is a free download for both Mac and PC.
When dealing with 3D computer graphics a small handful of names have dominated the landscape. Alias Maya (now owned by Autodesk, what a pity…), 3D Studio MAX and Softimage. Over the years that have a been a handful of small open-source projects that have come and gone but never gained any real credibility in the professional world.
Blender has changed that by offering a number of high level features in an open-source package. With an advanced modeler, rigging capability, animation, rendering and shading, as well as advanced dynamics, particles, fur, fluid simulation and scripting support with the Python language.
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