Fur
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AI is making more realistic CG animal fur
Creating realistic animal fur has always been a vexing problem for 3D animators because of the complex way the fibers interact with light. Now, thanks to our ubiquitous friend artificial intelligence, University of California researchers have found a way to do it better. "Our model generates much more accurate simulations and is 10 times faster than the state of the art," said lead author Ravi Ramamoorthi. The result could be that very soon, you'll see more believable (and no doubt cuter) furry critters in movies, TV and video games.
Crapgadget CES, round seven: Because everything looks better in fur
This furry case was unfortunately un-priced. But nothing exudes premium more than the combination of faux pomeranian tail and leopard print.
A pink moonkin for the Raid for the Cure raffle
Serthida has posted a set of pictures that serve as a perfect reminder of the Raid for the Cure coming up this weekend: she's finished the pink moonkin plushie that they're going to be giving away in the raffle (with the winner chosen from donations to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation). We've collected them in an easy-to-browse gallery below for your perusing pleasure. As you can see, she says she used the same pattern as the other plush mookin she made, though of course it's all done up in pink fur from this fabric site. "The horns, beak, claws, and feet," she tells us, "are made of fleece, and inside each leg there is a packet of plastic pellets to give it some additional weight." It's all handsewn, as doing it with a machine is apparently tougher with all of that fur flying. And she says that "the eyes are some pearly buttons I found at the craft store. They just looked neat." Neat indeed; while it's weird to see a pink moonkin, the idea definitely works for the cause. Don't forget -- Raid for the Cure is going down this coming weekend, November 14th, on the Kael'thas realm. %Gallery-77905% [via BBB]
PETA to hold WoW rally to protest seal slaughter
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/PETA_to_hold_WoW_rally_to_protest_seal_slaughter_2'; Following a trend set by Ron Paul supporters and scientists who held a conference in WoW, PETA's busting out the digital chops to protest the slaughter of Canadian seals. As the in-game rationale goes, the Alliance has many times asked Warchief Thrall to stop the senseless killing. However, motivated by the sizeable and profitable fur-trade, Thrall has so far refused to take action. The Horde has continued in their efforts to farm seal fur.This is where you come in. There's a small team of four Horde seal-killers harvesting their prey in the Howling Fjord. You can join PETA in saving lives by hooking up with other activists, and stopping the Horde seal hunters cold in their tracks. This is taking place on Saturday, Aprill 11 at 1pm EST on the Whisperwind server. The PETA group doesn't have any registration requirements, but you do need to be able to access Northrend content to get there.By holding an in-game event to help promote awareness of the seals' plight, PETA may find themselves on the list of WoW's most notable political contributions. The World of Warcraft reaches entire demographics that might otherwise be inured to political commentary, so it's a pretty good move on their part. PETA's blog does not directly reference any in-game equivalents to PETA, but you can imagine any activists in attendance will make a few jokes about being the legitimate P.E.T.A.'s Little P.I.T.A.
PETA's fur-hating, law-skirting, super-cute animal game
Spurred on by the apparent success of anti-KFC game Super Chick Sisters, PETA is once again entering the Flash-based interactive activism arena with Bloody Burberry: The Fur Fighters. This time, the action focuses on controlling cute animal critters who are trying to raise awareness of the cruel, fur-coat-selling ways of the Burberry clothing stores. They complete this goal by freeing caged bunnies, protesting at fashion shows and spray-painting coats, all while avoiding some shadowy, black-clad security agents.You might think a game that encourages spray-painting private property might be a little irresponsible for an activist group, but an in-game disclaimer notes that it's all right because the animal characters are "not subject to human laws." It's like the ultimate diplomatic immunity! This gives us an idea for a crime spree involving trained penguins that the courts can't touch ... but perhaps we've already said too much ....
Takeshi Shimada speaks of Wii dev tools
Development time on the Wii is already fairly quick, due to its architectural similarities to the Gamecube and general lack of difficult-to-corral horsepower hidden within magic-seal cores (you have to unlock them with the level 7 key). Takeshi Shimada, a Nintendo employee who works on toll packages for developers, spoke about some of the upcoming projects he had in mind.In addition to updated handwriting and speech recognition software for the DS, Shimada is working on a host of tools for the Wii. First off is a Wii emulating technology for high-end PCs to mitigate the slow "loading time" of putting recent code and assets onto a Wii unit itself (if this ever gets leaked ... ). He's working on some "fur-shaders" (which might apply also to grass or carpet textures) and other graphical tools, and finally, an advanced text-to-speech system that seems to be all the rage these days.What does this mean to you? Hopefully, prettier fur. We salute you, Shimada-san!
Mooooo! New animal-themed PSP faceplates coming soon
Talismoon, the same company that brought us the Evolve line of PSP face plates, is gearing up to do something we haven't seen before - fur-themed faceplates. Yeah, you read that right. Cow and leopard-themed PSP faceplates with a fur-like finish will be available soon for $15 a hide."With the Talismoon upcoming range of Evolve 'Wild Jungle' edition for the PSP and Xbox 360, gamers will be treated to extreme levels of comfort thanks to a soft 'like fur' finish, as well as refreshing and unique new look," a press release stated. "Both sets of faceplates for PSP and Xbox 360 will come complete with everything needed for a pain-free install, and each fur faceplate pattern will be unique. Initial stocks will consist of a 'cow' or striking 'leopard' fur finish." I'm not totally sure I want my PSP feeling like a cow when I'm playing a game of Warhammer, but this is just so bizarre, I'm going to have to buy one anyway.[Via PSP-Vault]
