Software
Spiral Graphics Releases 4th Free Texture Collection
Spiral Graphics, best known for its Genetica Texture Editor for Windows, has released the fourth free texture collection. Genetica is most used by 3D modeling professionals, but also by 2D illustration artists.
What makes Genetica unique is that it uses presets to generate textures, thus making a resolution-independent format. This make possible to render textures up to 3000×3000 px, with the possibility of embedding effect maps.
This fourth release includes a collection of textures, both in JPG and GTX (Genetica) format. GTX files are useful with Genetica Viewer which is distributed free. There are a variety of adjustments that can be made with Genetica Viewer, such as color changes, re-randomizing a texture or zooming it while maintaining seamless edges.
The Genetica Viewer and texture collections can be downloaded from the Spiral Graphics site.
Corel releases Painter Essentials 4
Corel has just releases the 4th version of its natural media graphics program, a new version which prides itself with improved functionality and a great number of new features.
If you are not familiarized with this application suite here’s a brief description :
Corel® Painter™ Essentials 4 is the simple-to-use home art studio that makes it easy for you to sketch, paint and turn your photos into paintings.
Even though the graphic design field is dominated by Adobe, they still don’t have an application dedicated to the area of natural media graphics, and this is where this new release from Corel comes in. Corel already offered Painter for this design field, a tool useful for a wide range of users such as illustrators, photographers and concept artists. However not everybody requires the full functionality of Painter. And this is exactly what Painter Essentials is, a semi-professional, lower priced, cross-platform version of Painter.
New in this version is the support for both Windows Vista and Mac universal binary. Other new features include : the Brush Drawer for easier brush selection, a Magic Wand for color selections, many new brushes that includes RealBristle, said to reproduce the natural movement of the artist’s brush down to the individual bristle level, a new and improved Interface, and a new Brush Ghost.
For more information see the Corel Painter Essentials 4 website.
Free PHP Top Sites Script
Ever wanted to start your very own “top sites” website ? Well now you can do that very easy actually with Aardvark TopSites PHP script. If you still don’t know what I am talking about you can check the demo here.
Here’s a list of features this script offers :
- Most important : It’s free
- Members ranks can be shown on their button.
- New: Stat Buttons, allowing you to customize your buttons and display all kinds of stats on them
- 6 different ranking methods
- New: Rank daily, weekly, or monthly
- Customizable categories
- Fully customizeable skins: make your topsites look however you want!
- Member login and lost password retrieval
- Multiple languages : Arabic, Bosnian, Czech, Danish, English, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Macedonian, Norwegian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish
- Ad breaks
- Visitors can rate and review members
- Advanced stats and graphs
You may download the script here.
CrazyLeaf Design Toolbar
CrazyLeaf Design has launched its very own toolbar. I won’t bore you with too much details, just a small list of features :
- Google powered search box
- Double click search
- Hand-picked links (interesting design links)
- Pop-Up Blocker
- Design, technology and fun feeds
- Built-in communication system (chat)
- Internet Radio
- Weather
- Email Notifier
- Design, Tutorials and useful links
- Support for Gadgets (Internet TV with stations from each country, Games, To-Do Lists, World Clock, Unit Converters, Live Weather and many more)
You may download the toolbar here.
Advanced image resize algorithm
This innovative resizing technique allows users to “smart” rescale images without the apparence of artefacts. The technique uses smart image recognition and uses algorithms to identify the least important areas of pictures and manipulating them accordingly.
If you can’t see the video click here.
