In my self-inflicted weekly reports for Autodesk I always included a “link for the week,” some graphics-related or -unrelated tidbit I found of interest. Did you pick up on the “d” in “included”? Out of the blue I was laid off from Autodesk three weeks ago (along with ~1149 others, 13% of the workforce), and it’s fine, no worries.

But, it meant that I had collected a bunch of links I was never going to use. So, here’s the curated dump, something to click on during the holidays. Not a sterling collection of the best of the internet, just things that caught my eye. Enjoy! Or not!

• One of the better animated illusions I’ve seen. No, the grid lines all stay straight.
• There are wonderful, detail runthroughs of engines out there:
  • Long, detailed one about GTA V.
  • The same author has one for DOOM (the new one) and Metal Gear Solid V.
  • Here’s one about Unreal. And another series on Unreal.
  • All sorts of details about World of Tanks.
  • Screen space GI in UNIENGINE.
• How one person does various special effects in Unity.
• Bitcoins are perfect for Siberians to mine: wealth and heating.
• Someone made a site for public domain (free to reuse without attribution) images, footage, audio, and 3D models.
• 507 mechanical movements, many animated.
• The tongue user interface clearly deserves more attention, addressing an under-served segment of potential clients.
• I love instant-on WebGL/three.js demos – no messing around with intros or loading or installation. Examples: one, two.
• 6 second science. I can’t say I learned all that much, but some of these are great.
• Some interesting tidbits on using video games to train AI. Though I think no AI could crack the brutal and unforgiving Bubble Hit: Pony Parade.
• In honor of Star Wars.
• Looking for a job and don’t like computer science trivia tests? Here’s a crowdsourced site collecting companies that do not use them. I love brainteasers (and now have more time for the MIT Mystery Hunt), but it seems a poor way to hire people.
• MeshLab in three.js. All sorts of MeshLab operators that you can apply to various objects. Tough interface, but nice to see someone going in this direction, instant use vs. installing it.
• Crazy talk. Though her office sounds insane, having “loud music piped through a PA system.”
• Making images using other media is a common idea. Here’s one: Mandela
• Robotic controls can be amazing.
• Small bugs can cost money. Long ago I worked on satellites, and it’s so easy to go wrong, I’m amazed anything ever worked. I recall one satellite failing because the melting point for the plastic for one small component was entered incorrectly. Here’s a typical story (and no, I wasn’t involved).
• I almost hear the bounce.
• Super-weird animation – the joys of image manipulation.
• One last plug for This Is Colossal, a site showcasing all sorts of odd and worthwhile art. One example I like that I haven’t posted before. And another. One more. Honestly, a tiny sampling.