#Structural Framing Software

[steelsmartsystem]

Boost Your Structural Engineering Projects with SteelSmart™ System

When designing and analyzing structural systems, having the right tools is crucial. The SteelSmart™ System offers a comprehensive suite of software solutions tailored to meet the needs of engineers working with cold-formed steel and light steel framing. Let’s explore how these innovative tools can transform your next project.

Streamline Your Workflow with Cold-Formed Steel Design Software

For engineers specializing in cold-formed steel design, CFS Software is a game-changer. This powerful tool simplifies complex calculations and ensures compliance with industry standards, making designing efficient and cost-effective steel structures easier than ever. From beams to trusses, CFS Software empowers engineers with precision and speed.

Simplify Light Steel Framing Design with LSF Software

Light steel framing projects demand accuracy and versatility, which LSF Software delivers. Designed specifically for light steel framing applications, this software provides a user-friendly interface and robust capabilities to analyze and optimize your designs. Whether you’re working on residential or commercial buildings, LSF Software is an indispensable tool.

Explore Structural Framing Software for Comprehensive Solutions

The SteelSmart™ System’s Structural Framing Software is your one-stop solution for all your framing design needs. This cutting-edge software integrates advanced analysis techniques with intuitive features to help engineers design robust and reliable framing systems. With Structural Framing Software, you can tackle projects of any scale with confidence.

Elevate Floor Framing Designs with CFS Floor Framing Design Tools

Floor framing is a critical component of any building project, and CFS Floor Framing Design tools are here to make it easier. These specialized tools are designed to optimize floor framing layouts, ensuring maximum efficiency and safety. Whether you’re working with single or multi-story buildings, these design tools are essential for achieving flawless results.

Why Choose SteelSmart System?

The SteelSmart™ System stands out as a leader in structural design software. By offering solutions tailored to cold-formed steel and light steel framing, it provides engineers with the resources they need to succeed. With an emphasis on accuracy, efficiency, and compliance, these tools empower professionals to take their projects to the next level.

Ready to revolutionize your design process? Explore the full range of SteelSmart™ System software solutions today and see the difference they can make.

[steelsmartsystem1]

Unlock the Power of SteelSmart Systems: Your All-in-One Solution for Structural Framing

Discover how SteelSmart Systems' cutting-edge Structural Framing Software, LSF Software, and CFS Software can streamline your design, fabrication, and construction processes. Improve accuracy, reduce costs, and enhance productivity with SteelSmart’s innovative solutions tailored for steel fabrication, light steel framing, and cold-formed steel projects. Explore the full potential of your business today!

For more information https://steelsmart.blogspot.com/2024/11/unlock-power-of-steelsmart-systems-your.html

[frameprox]

Make Use Of Light Gauge Steel Design Software Without Having 3D Modeling Skills

Did you know? Now you no longer need to have a thorough understanding of CAD design or acquire specialized 3D modeling abilities. With your basic knowledge of evaluating architectural dimensions and structural standards, you can easily enter your data into our light gauge steel design software program. After that, FrameProX instantly generates detailed shop drawings along with comprehensive cost calculation, for constructing the particular wall.

[osakanone]

Exotic doctrine theory: Grappling & Booster-fu

Source of the song is "If you Dare", anime is Orguss 02 episode 1

When all conventional means of machine combat are forclosed, only unconventional means remain: This is what seperates the aces from the jobbers, bitches: the capacity to improvise.

A fighter pilot will jam the WEZ, that's weapon engagement zone: the minimum arming range of a missile before it will hurt both the enemy and yourself -- but what about mech pilots?

You get up in their BAZ; the Ballistic Attack Zone, with the tip of the barrel behind you. How do you stay safe up close like this?

You ever seen any soft-bodied octopus or starfish get into a crab?

They have hard bodies and are all soft underneath, like a mech. They're not impervious.

Why? Any hard body is made of levers:

Drive any joint to its limit and you have an instant fulcrum to rip at the inner structures and shatter the outer form.

But then what?

No blades? No pile bunkers? No problem.

Ground talons. Rollers. Grappling hooks. Joints.

The sheer fucking mass and density of your armour plating.

Your whole body is a weapon.

Some of you make 3:1 against your mass with your boosters.

That's a lot of energy and if it has nowhere to go very bad things happen.

Some of you can do this with neural implants but you've got biofeedback out of the wazoo to contend with, which is why so many of you go twinkly eyed with overload daze out when you lock up with an opponent.

The smart among you are already running a specialist grips and inceptors in your cockpits, so you can dip out of the feedback when you need to and you're TAZ compliant: that's TORSION, ASPECT and ZONE controller, so named for the work of a Dr Senerchia, a fighter who deserved better than they got, and a treasure to us all.

So what does that mean to you?

A mixture of special software, and a pair of extra thumbsticks for your index fingers on your grips above the triggers.

Those of you familiar with loaders or cargo-work will find it familiar.

The rest of you: they're there to override and guide cueing information based entirely on brutal trial and error that'll make the size or weight of your frame irrelevant in CQB.

You can't rely on fixed solvers and playback to do the work for you with some existing motion-plan: You need to invent a new one on the fly using all of your fine control inputs.

So how is this relevant to you?

A Class A heavy support is fucked against a Class F attacker surely with the height difference and loadout, right? That's fifty tons of mass and nine meters of stature apart.

But watch an A slam its talons into the dirt, wrap the F with its wire anchors, and then perform a boost suplex, knock its barrels under the deflection plating of the other guy and follow-up up with a full sabot alpha-strike at point blank.

Any trainer worth their salt will teach you this shit.

You should know how to grapple with your sisters, and to practice regularly in and out of the cockpit. You need to get familiar with how bodies roll across eachother in motion.

You get lucky and you'll get some special training with oxytocin boosting mucus membrane massage and carotid restraint to simulate g-loc until you see stars to keep it memorable.

Have fun out there.

Class dismissed.

[lonestarflight]

AU Space Shuttle Enterprise

Circa 1985 to 1987

From my Alternative History Post (link) this is how the Space Shuttle Enterprise evolved from the 4th operational orbiter in 1985 to the prototype unmanned shuttle.

More History on the Shuttle:

• April 1983: Enterprise is returned to Palmdale for her disassembled and rebuild.

• As a weight saving measure her mid-fuselage is returned to Convair for a complete rebuild to bring it inline with OV-103 and OV-104.

• to further lighten her frame, her aft-fuselage is rebuilt with similar materials as her sisters.

• Engineers at Rockwell suggests rebuilding or replacing her wings as well but NASA doesn't have room in the budget.

• May 1985: at long last, Enterprise is rolled out and joins the fleet. She weighs slightly less than Columbia. Her main issue is her wings are heavier and weaker than the other Orbiters.

• September 1985: STS-21 is Enterprise's first mission

• 1987: During the Shuttle hiatus following the Challenger Disaster, she went through a mini refit that saw her exterior markings change. (NASA in this timeline returned to the Meatball logo sooner than in the OTL)

Circa 1988 to 1993

• April 1988: STS-30 is Enterprise's first launch following the hiatus.

• December 1993: following STS-61, Enterprise is retired due to being the oldest in the fleet. Endeavour takes her place in the fleet.

• June 1994: Enterprise is flown to Dulles Airport, Washington DC, and is given to the Smithsonian for eventual display when the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is built. NASA retains the option recalled her if needed.

• 1998: NASA studies modifying the Shuttle-C software to work on the Space Shuttle and potentially using Enterprise as a reusable Shuttle-C. The reasoning behind this option this configuration would be a cheaper alternative to the X-33 program. However, while the shuttle could be retrofitted with the software, the shuttle would have less cargo capacity than the X-33 and still required use of expensive legacy launch facilities (ie VAB and LC-39). The study ends with only the software in a beta state.

• December 2003: Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is opened with Enterprise being one of its major exhibits.

• November 2003: the Shuttle-C software is used to return STS-118 Columbia to Earth and with critical damage to her structure (mainly her port wing and some internal damage from a collapsed landing gear).

• May 2004: NASA recalls Enterprise to replace Columbia.

• August 2004: initial plans are to return her flight, unmodified. However, NASA develops the Shuttle-C software further and changes it's name to A.S.Tr.O.S (Autonomous Space Transport Operating System).

• New wings! Enterprise is fitted with new wings which are of a modified design and lighter and stronger than the wings of her sisters. With other upgrades and modifications, she is slightly lighter than her younger sisters.

• Some within NASA joking refer to her as Enterprise-A, as a reference to Star Trek.

• September 2006: to commemorate the 30th anniversary of her unveiling to the media, Lockheed-Rockwell rolls her out of their Palmdale facility to rechristen the Shuttle. In attendance, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, Nichelle Nicholas, Walter Koenig, Christopher Doohan and Rod Roddenberry.

- when asked by the media, Leonard remarked she is still a sight to behold and is glad she will continue her mission of exploration.

Enterprise A (unmanned)

• July 2006: to test the A.S.Tr.O.S. during a return to earth and landing, a new series of Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) were conducted with NASA's 747 SCA (N905NA) at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base. 15 flights are flown to put the software in the real world, with two astronauts on board to step in when needed. Barring some higher than normal landing speeds, the software passes all of its objectives.

• It should be noted, while the rebuilt Enterprise is mainly used as an unmanned orbiter, this is a misnomer. It is more accurate to call her a hybrid shuttle. NASA has the option to convert her back into a manned shuttle if desired or needed.

- This nearly was used in 2015 during STS-154. Space Shuttle Atlantis was after conducting maintenance/upgrades on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the crew was unable to disconnect the shuttle from the telescope. CTS-48 Enterprise was already on LC-39B for a cargo mission to the International Space Station. All that was needed was to remove supplies from the payload bay and reinstall the seats in her crew space. Fortunately, this rescue wasn't needed as the Astronauts conducted an unscheduled EVA and manually disconnected the Shuttle from the HST.

• November 2008: first flight of Enterprise-A (CTS-11)

• When Columbia was given a cosmic restoration for her display, the first set of wings from Enterprise was used to replace her damaged one.

• 2019: Enterprise is retired for the final time following CTS-74.

• 2020: Enterprise is on display at Space Center Houston with the restored Star Trek Galileo Shuttlecraft prop.

Original artwork by bagera3005: link, link, link

[earthstellar]

A lot of mini-bots (and quite a few other bots) have what might be considered neurodivergent traits (or have been confirmed as such), and I wonder if certain frame types or classes --or Cybertronians in general-- might have physically type-specific processor structures which allow for greater diversity of thought, and if some frame types or spark types might be more or less likely to have or develop neurodivergent traits

We know the Quintessons fucked with the Well of All Sparks in the Aligned Continuity which had unknown effects, and in IDW 1 given the spark as the core of a person's individual spirit (for lack of any better phrasing), it would make sense for Cybertronian sparks to imbue individual personality etc. while the processors are physical hardware with software flexibility to permit and adapt to those unique aspects of self

For example, in the continuities where spark development influences protoform development and therefore what type of frame a bot might ultimately have, it is still simultaneously possible to alter a frame to some degree with armour changes, mass manipulation, etc. (and in most continuities, alt-modes can be altered as well, to at least some degree within the range of someone's core specs)

But the processor and spark are the two things that generally (although we have seen some exceptions to this) cannot be physically altered without incurring significant damage-- Making them some of the few constant components in a species designed to physically change

Sparks have significant individual variation in terms of the personality etc. that evolves from each unique spark, so perhaps processors have some physical elements designed to best accommodate a certain frame type, while also allowing for individual experiences and perception etc. to form unique thought pathways for each individual -- This would allow for any Quintesson or Functionism-related frame alterations or requirements, while also still enabling a spark to produce a unique person as it forms and as experiences accumulate

Sort of like genetics vs epigenetics in human beings; Some things are physical and structural, but some things are informed by environment, experience, etc.

It's interesting that we do seem to see a lot of mini-bots specifically who might fall into a neurodivergent category or exhibit behaviours or thought process that might reasonably fall under the category, but of course it's not universal so there is still greater variation

Although characterisation varies from series to series, here's a couple examples:

Cliffjumper tends to have impulse control problems that are sometimes similar to ADHD impulse control problems, and he sometimes has difficulty prioritising or hyperfixates on one aspect of a situation, leading him to reach the wrong conclusion or focusing on the slightly wrong thing; He also struggles to manage frustration. This could all be related to something similar to executive dysfunction, as it commonly manifests in humans with ADHD.

Bumblebee seems to be conflict-avoidant to some degree in most continuities, and aside from that being part of his friendly nature and kind disposition, it might also hint at something similar to rejection sensitive dysphoria, or a greater sensitivity and emotional response to perceived interpersonal conflict or perceived failure. Some versions of Bumblebee have particularly struggled when faced with high stakes/high risk of failure scenarios, and he has a tendency to internalise blame, directing it towards himself even when a failure is not necessarily his fault or even truly a failed mission. This is often comorbid with Autism and ADHD in humans, but it can also exist on its own.

It's not just mini-bots; Misfire canonically has ADHD in IDW 1, Geomotus in IDW 2 is Autistic and his neurodivergency is even highlighted by other characters, and so on.

So all of this (and how it might work) varies from continuity to continuity, but I just like thinking about how neurodivergent bots do exist, and how that happens and how it manifests and how it is perceived by others and by society at large is interesting

In IDW 2, neurodivergency seems to be viewed in a more understanding and positive light. But in IDW 1, neurodivergency may be viewed in a more ableist way under the Functionist system, and in the Aligned Continuity, perhaps neurodivergency is seen as a potential indication of Quintesson alteration of the Well or of the individual themselves (this would depend on a bot's age).

We don't have too many details on Cybertronian medicine in general, but it's interesting to think about!

It's 8 AM I'm gonna go have a tea now lol

[ethanswgstblog]

Blog Post #7

What role does community play in Spier’s transformation?

Community plays a crucial role in Zeke Spier’s transformation by providing both support and a framework for action. As he becomes more involved in activism, the people around him reinforce his beliefs and help him channel his frustrations into organized resistance. The author notes that "Spier found solidarity among activists who shared his convictions, offering him both emotional reassurance and tactical knowledge" (Elin). This suggests that radicalization is not an isolated journey but one deeply embedded in collective struggle, where individuals draw strength from their peers to challenge existing power structures.

For the software mavis beacon, do you think it was ethical for the software developers to take pictures of the woman and put them later for much time

I believe it was unethical for the developers of Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing to use the woman’s image for so long without ensuring her continued consent. While she may have initially agreed to the photoshoot, she likely didn’t anticipate her likeness being used for decades. If she wasn’t fairly compensated or given the option to revoke permission, that raises serious ethical concerns about exploitation and informed consent.

From my perspective, people should have control over how their image is used, especially in commercial products. If the software developers had been more transparent and allowed her to renegotiate her involvement, it would have been a much fairer situation. This case makes me think about how digital rights and image usage should be handled more ethically in today’s world.

How does the internet contribute to the globalization of white supremacist movements

The internet plays a crucial role in the globalization of white supremacist movements by allowing individuals across different countries to connect, share ideologies, and organize. Unlike previous eras, where white supremacist movements were often confined to specific regions, the digital age has facilitated a transnational network of extremists. The text highlights this by noting that "Stormfront’s tagline from the beginning has been ‘white pride worldwide,’ a motto that speaks to the global vision of the site’s creators as well as to the current reach of the site" (Daniels, p. 41). This demonstrates how online platforms serve as hubs for uniting white supremacists beyond national borders, strengthening their collective identity and influence. As a result, these digital spaces not only spread racist ideologies but also provide tools for recruitment, organization, and mobilization, making white supremacy an increasingly globalized phenomenon.

In what ways does the framing of white supremacy as a response to globalization limit our understanding of its impact on society?

Framing white supremacy primarily as a response to globalization rather than as a racial ideology limits our understanding of its deeper societal impact. By emphasizing economic anxieties and cultural displacement, such interpretations risk downplaying the role of systemic racism and historical white privilege. The reading critiques Castells’s analysis, stating that he "mistakenly takes the patriot movement as the ideal type for all other white supremacist organizations" and in doing so, "misses the extent to which the Internet figures in the formation of a global white identity that transcends local and regional ties" (Daniels, p. 45). This suggests that reducing white supremacy to a reaction against globalization ignores its roots in deeply ingrained racial hierarchies. Understanding white supremacy as a structured and historically persistent racial ideology allows for a more comprehensive analysis of its continued presence in society and the ways it adapts in the digital age.

Elin, L. (n.d.-b). The Radicalization of Zeke Spier. Cyberactivism: Online Activism in Theory and Practice. 

Seeking Mavis Beacon Documentary

White Supremacist Social Movement Online And In A Global Context by J. Daniels

[antstafer]

After weeks of waiting and troubleshooting, I finally got Toon Boom V3 working with pen pressure! ♥️ For those that didn't know, this is the exact version they used to make the show and the movie around 2004-2007.

We wanted to replicate the show's linework to a T for Ask Drakgo, and while we've gotten close, I don't think you can get any more precise than finalizing frames in the exact same software they used back in the day to bring them to life. Finding such an old copy of ToonBoom was proving not only to be dangerous, but incredibly difficult as well. Fortunately we found someone who happened to have an old copy laying around back when they used to work in the industry, and sent it our way.

I tried to get it working in a VM as well as on my main work desktop, but this old version of TB has no idea what to do with modern Wacom drivers/Windows in general. You also can't use a tablet with pen pressure inside a VM due to it having to essentially 'take control' of the hardware, which means you can't actually use it. So I ended up purchasing an old Intuos 3, downloaded some XP Wacom drivers, and BAM. We got dat sweet pen pressure goodness. While animating in this thing likely won't be happening (I love Krita too much 😔), I am definitely going to see how lining and coloring goes with this. Still figuring out the layer structure.

[alondrasthoughts]

Blog Post (Due 02/13/2025)

How can we apply the digital divide theory to today’s education system? 

The digital divide theory refers to the gap between the haves and the have-nots in relation to access to the internet and digital technology (Everett, 2002, pp. 130). Using this idea, we can apply it to today’s education system by looking at which communities lack the proper resources like technology to educate children properly. This theory recognizes that there is a gap between those who have access and those who do not. Highlighting this problem helps unfold the fact that each school offers a different amount of access to technology. There are some schools who may afford it and others who do not. This is important when talking about allocation of funding because each child should receive an equal number of resources to succeed.   

How does biases affect the development of new technology? 

As new technology is consistently being produced it’s important to understand what goes behind its creation. Technology codes are a tool to facilitate and are filled with biased information that can take years and long process to erase and update (Benjamin, pp.23-24). These codes are the bases for creating technology and the creator’s own biases can affect the development of them. When a person is creating an app, website, or software in general they have vision for the said technology. If the person has certain biases the structure will reflect this and be created around it. When thinking about how technology should be created it’s important for the creators to not include their biases and if they do an investigation should be held. This is to protect the users from any harm that could have caused the modern technology to their lives in any aspect. If there’s no regulation serious harm can be produced, and difficult consequences follow.  

How can the emergence of recent technology contribute to the biases that exist today? 

In today’s world, there’s a lot of biases across the board and technology can be a tool to promote and spread such biases. “Tech advances (...) could not exist without data produced through histories of exclusion and discrimination” (Benjamin, pp. 30). The data used to create technology have roots of being biased and is used to this day to create technology. If we want to live in a world where race, gender, sexuality, etc. is not a problem when accessing basic things such as the internet, then the data collection needs to be updated. If we are using old data for current day use, we need to make sure it fits today’s climax. This would create better environments for everyone and create a precedent for “cleaner” technology where there’s no exclusion or discrimination at its foundation.  

How can intersectionality frames potentially help companies? 

Intersectionality allows us to see things in an institution and help unfold a person’s identities (Dr. Kimberle Crenshaw, 2019). A company can use the frames of intersectionality to get a better scope of their target market. A person is not defined but just one identity, they have multiple ones that shape who they are. Understanding the overlap of identities can get companies to view their marketing in a different light. This can open the door for their target market to widen more if done correctly and appropriately.  

[anheliotrope]

Prison Architect has offputting aesthetics to me. This includes Prison Architect 2.

I know, I know, everyone has issues these days. Developers can't just make a game and not have people talk about structural social issues and oppression, yadda yadda. And I know the devs working on Prison Architect were explicitly thinking about how people might react or judge them over the game.

I think it is extremely exhausting for people who want to explore game design spaces to have to put a lot of effort into avoiding being framed as insensitive and problematic. We've reached such levels of this that for some people Minecraft is fundamentally dislikable because it instantiates a colonialist fantasy and makes people think this is okay, normal and unremarkable. I really don't agree with that take.

That being said, that doesn't mean that I don't feel disappointed by Prison Architect's aesthetics. The games look very generic! It's as if it's signaling that prisons are just like any other thing. We have Theme Park, Theme Hospital and now we have Theme Prison. Which in fact is the opposite of what the creative director, Chris Delay said was their intent!

Chris Delay, creative director at developer Introversion Software, told me that it deliberately picked the darkest part of prison life for the first chapter of the game. “It would be very easy to think of it as building a hotel or something,” he said. “Right from the very start, we knew we had to let the player know that this was a different experience, he has to think differently about it.”

(Also very funny last name for anyone in game development)

The aesthetics suggest the idea that the game has a neutral take on prisons. I am sure the developers didn't mean to say anything about anything. The game is trying to be inoffensive. But then you can also read the description of the game on Steam:

Only the world's most ruthless Warden can contain the world's most ruthless inmates.

Uh oh, sisters! This doesn't sound very focus on rehabilitation!

And well, there's a sort of good reason for that. The concept of prisons in game design will whispers into the ear of any mildly creative designer... inverted tower defense... Well, not necessarily tower defense specifically, but you know! Rather than building up your fort to keep people out, you do it to keep people in! It's interesting! For your inverted defense design to be validated, you need rowdy inmates.

---

Oh, jumping to a different thread in this topic. Prison Architect has you executing people the state tells you need to die. Of course I don't need to phrase it like that. Of course, the context of this is a western republic, so it's one of the less bad than if you're doing it in the context of Nazi Germany, but hmm... I just don't think the neutral aesthetics of the game combine well with me executing people.

Worth noting that you do have to research death row as a technology, it's not just thrust upon you.

Interestingly enough, if you execute death row inmates that were actually innocent, you will get fined. Do it three times and it's an instant game over. The moment you execute someone, you know if they were innocent. Which sounds a bit funny. All of it sounds a bit funny, because it's such an garbled idea of how the justice and penal system could work. I don't think this misinforms anyone, but does make the in-game prison appear (artificially?) more just. Ultimately, as far as I can tell, it's just a gameplay mechanic to force you to keep death row inmates around for longer, which provides a challenge.

---

And you know what, going back to the Steam description -- I do feel moderately motivated about the idea of containing some bad sons of bitches. By adding any amount of fantasy into the setting, you can have that, the fantasy that you're sure these people need to be here and stay here. But Prison Architect occupies this... diffuse position. The inmates are analogues for modern real world inmates, with all of their nuance. But they also look like very abstracted human beings and are mechanically simple. It's just kind of a straight forward game overall. The real world theme of Prison Architect implies nuance, but its mechanics don't really model that nuance.

Prison Architect's game design direction, at least in some sense, prefers that inmates be a problem that needs to be suppressed violently. And that's fine! This is the mechanical direction that I want the game to explore. I just think that if you make Gulag Simulator it should not have the aesthetics of Sims 2. Prison Architect is doing something like that but much less egregious.

And to be clear, I don't know that I care much about how this is problematic. Rather it's just that it feels... a bit spiritually impoverishing? There is the absence of something, a void. It's just kinda boring! Man, sorry to whoever had to draw all that shit, you did an OK job, okay? I just complain a lot on the internet.

We should strive for a balance between treating the medium very seriously and "it's just a video game".

---

But yeah there's so many other ways this could have been themed. And I understand why it was themed this way, it has the widest appeal, or rather the narrow anti-appeal. A lot of other takes would alienate more people. Boring them is a less bad outcome. And the current aesthetics are pretty flexible, you can project on them.

Anyway, here's a bunch of alternative themes that visited my mind:

Butcher Bay: You play as a corporation in the business of containing, exploiting and/or rehabilitating inmates through your private prisons. The theme dispenses with any pretense that you are benevolent. You're trying to find ways to maximize long-term profit. Maybe that's putting your prisoners through a program that gives them a useful skill and you a cut of their earnings once they get out, maybe it's something more violent. Of course, you get to set up big monitors that flash demotivational messages! Hey, I'm sure the other corporations are much worse?

Maxsec Dungeon Keeper: It's Dungeon Keeper, but instead of keeping heroes out, you keep heroes in. Bonus points if you brainwash and corrupt them to join your side! How evil! But is it actually unethical if they're having more fun now?

Bleeding Hearts Penitentiary: Your focus is to ensure good social outcomes for your inmates. Society might be crapsack, but your institution is the Mother Teresa of prisons -- well, minus the deeply objectionable parts of Mother Teresa. The prisoners are rendered in a high detail way, borderline fantasy, but still somewhat grounded. It could even look like everyone is out of a dating VN. You really want your roguish purple-haired murderer to repent and do well in life! Your relationship to the inmates is both that of antagonism but also they borderline feel like your own unruly RPG characters.

Supervillain Supermax: You don't need supervillains per se, they could just be your average level 12 D&D character. Ultimately they're very dangerous, they're superpowered and they've caused a lot of trouble and now you need to contain them. Better make sure you have a fallback for when the pyrokinetic's suppression collar malfuctions!

Moonscorch Reality Failure: OK, this one is kind of cheating, very tenuous relationship with the prison system. Everyone in your facility isn't there because they've done something wrong, but rather it's about what they are. They all look like normal people and at least most of the time, they are. But unfortunately, each and every one of them is also a potential reality breach that under certain conditions will trigger and cause them to morph into monsters, warping reality around them into a nightmarish landscape, which may or may not relate to their individual neurosis. Suffice to say, this is very bad. These poor fuckers can't even die anymore! Your job is to contain them and make their life be somehow tolerable. Your job is especially to avoid cascade triggers and do very good damage control. You may set the psychiatric-care-allegory dial anywhere from 0 to 10. Personally, I was just thinking 0, since I didn't consider that until finishing writing this paragraph. But other values could also be really interesting.

[steelsmartsystem]

Advanced Solutions for Efficient Structural Framing Software by Steel Smart System

Steel Smart System offers advanced Structural Framing Software designed to streamline the design and analysis of cold-formed steel structures. Their innovative software enhances accuracy and efficiency, allowing engineers to create robust structural systems with ease. With a focus on precision and user-friendly tools, their solutions empower professionals to optimize their projects. Explore how it can elevate your construction projects. Visit their website to learn more and discover how their technology can meet your needs.

[steelsmartsystem1]

Steel Smart System provides cutting-edge solutions for the steel construction industry. Our offerings include Structural Framing Software, Metal Stud Design Software, Cold Formed Steel Smart Software, and Cold Formed Steel Design Software. Enhance your design efficiency and accuracy. Discover more at Steel Smart System.

[sercphs]

@abyssmalice asked:

There is no good way to broach this topic with Seth, as far as Tonia knows. During the quiet moments on this journey, she contemplates the best way to bring it up, her mouth sometimes opening to discuss - before she clamps it shut, or otherwise changes topic. But the desire to say something remains and, well.

At some point, she'll be too frustrated to find a better way to word things. Like right now.

"—Do you want me to turn your M.I.N.D. off?" Tonia sits on a large piece of rubble, elevating her to a height where her feet don't touch the ground. "Like, I'm not talking about killing you or that Construct thing where you go into hibernation for routine system maintenance or whatever that is. I mean like, actually turn you off, for a little bit."

As a childish sort of distraction, she starts to restlessly swing her legs. "Like, normally I wouldn't be able to do that, but with the virus technically infecting your frame, I could probably bypass your programming and force a temporary shutdown if I wanted to. Maybe. I think. A-Anyway, the point is - if you want to literally turn your head off for a little bit like, super-completely, I can probably do that!"

A pause, as she glances off to the side. Her voice is a much more quiet mutter when she speaks again, "...It might help with the nightmares... if you want..."

⠀⠀⠀⠀Unusual questions posed in unusual circumstances has long become expected of interacting with Tonia. Be it about his sword or about what they're doing next - she has a knack for asking questions straight out of nowhere with no relevance to anything.

⠀⠀⠀⠀So it is that her question - one that could be construed as something very hostile - is given ample pause while he pulls apart a deceased construct. His sword rests comfortably at his side as careful and diligent efforts to precisely deconstruct the mostly in-tact but decidedly deceased construct are carried out.

⠀⠀⠀⠀The question is greeted with a calm silence, her companion continuing the work at hand for a few moments as she speaks, proposes her idea. Solitude for a bit, perhaps. To be devoid of self - to be truly turned off for a bit before being reactivated. Something that could, in theory, be nice.

"That will not be needed."

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀A simple response.

"For me, it would be little more than a blink between deactivation and reactivation. It might resolve some underlying issues within my M.I.N.D.'s structure from continuous runtime, but the issues I face are... Beyond just hardware or software issues."

⠀⠀⠀⠀Pop. The panel comes off, and he carefully starts pulling some components out. Good to keep replacements and spares on hands - as well as things that might be useful for upgrading himself. Babylonia keeps making better and better constructs after all.

"I... Appreciate the thoughts. The concern. But... This is not something that can be so easily amended. In time, perhaps, there will be solace. An answer at the end of that long dark. But it will not come from the lie of silence."

⠀⠀⠀⠀He pauses again, turning his gaze on Tonia.

"The cure for nightmares is resolution. It is something I hope to find in our travels."

[osakanone]

have you any thoughts on soft body robots

Awesome username and yes absoloutely.

They break down into two major types:

Hollow, and membrane which form a kind of spectrum.

From hollow-types we begin with cloth-likes. This is your BMW Ginas, and your space-frames and monocoques (I love that word, it feels so good in the mouth to say).

Maestro, please:

Absurdly light, lithe, software defined, able to change shape in wild ways like some absurdist high fashion statement of skin and effect. Delicate like a bird. An olympic athlete without a wasted ounce of fat. A coathanger robot. Spartan. A puppet of cloth, metal and intention, like a scarecrow or a kite.

It would be brutal were it not potentially so fragile, for the impact forces are imparted entirely into the body's frame beneath which must deform to endure any crash or crumble the world speaks to those shapes. It is the butterfly, and the humming-bird of this branch of engineering. If you need a lifting body and you can some how distribute the fluttering forces across the surface with shape memory alloy stiffness in the cloth you have a self-definable prehensile wing. You have created the answer to almost every aerodynamic concern imaginable, forever.

And so, we go even further beyond in this metaphor.

We go to the true thoughts of softness now.

We find the ounce of fat we did not before. We find the blubber. The charm. The plush padding of privilage of our touch, of function and personality. The trembling doughy forms of gellatine flooding, filling those synthetic cloth or plastic or flexible metallic hulls.

The functional practicality here is simply beyond measure, and likely won't be understood in our lifetimes while we chase hardened hulls. Soft robots are dreamily suited to working with humans for we ourselves are largely soft robots of protein self-assembly systems, clumsily physics-enfolding some interpretation of our genetics through the pachinko machine of probability, space and time.

Looking upon the true soft robotics, we see thusly, a spectrum: gas and baloon like and perhaps even buoyant to float like a fairy -- to sloshing fluid to dense sticky gellatine, we find all the places of impact we need.

Bulbous, enduring, reflective of forces. A thing able to deal with the world and simply bounce, care free. Perhaps to tear, and spill, but always to knit and in bleeding become so much more than a body.

The factors of the structure deforming in ways no exoskeletal form is able to do so give dexterity simply unimaginable.

If the filling itself is prehensile perhaps like some bizzare synthetic echo of forms like those seen in molluscs, we run into a machine which isn't using tiny magnetic tubes to turn but an enormous mass which is structural and acting as a container perhaps for fuels in micro-pockets to prevent unwanted combustions or the spread of flames.

That is to say, the blubber energy dense like our own, powerful, like the non-beach-muscle bodies of non-magazines who achieve real work like mothers, brothers and beer-bellies and forms of joy of all in between.

This form is is fire-proof. It is shock resistant to a level no fragile ceramic metallic machine can really imagine.

And it is still lighter, than that metallic machine which by comparison now, is crystal, practically glass by comparison.

What else would you like to know?

I'm good for another round if you are.

[chaifootsteps]

My first time in here, but lurked for a while. Had to chime in about Viv's spiel about rigged animation. Rigged animation IS beautiful, but what has been shown in Hazbin doesn't look great, nor is it really "rigged" in the same sense as other shows. It's a hybrid. It has tweening for some parts, but overall it is frame-by-frame 2D animation. This is also the case for Helluva Boss, but actually done well. For Hazbin, either the animators/boarders are inexperienced with the software or this medium specifically, maybe both, but some shots just really don't flow well. Especially considering this show is using Toon Boom Harmony, I don't feel like this show is being handled by an experienced animation studio who can use this program to its full potential. I know for a fact, this program has the potential to handle the complicated and pattern-heavy designs that Viv creates with relative ease if approached with planning and structure, yet there are so many instances where shortcuts, cheats, and time-savers possible in the software could have been clearly used, but just aren't for some reason.

Rigged animation is some of my favorite and can really look beautiful if you know what you are doing with it. Think of shows like Hilda, My Little Pony, Dead End, Bluey, even Bob's Burgers which is also by Bento, have beautiful smooth rigged animation. But so many shots of Hazbin Hotel just look choppy by comparison, and not in a good or intentional way. I'm sure the animators themselves are great. But the overall product shown so far just doesn't look smooth, no matter how you excuse it. There are mistakes that are consistent with what I was doing as a new learner of animation and its software, or under heavy stress and very little time to correct mistakes. These just should not be present in an Amazon funded show. Helluva Boss evidently has more time and care put into it due to it having less strict deadlines, and the animation quality is even more consistent with Season 2, but the fact the Hazbin Hotel budget clearly went more towards the replaced voice talent and not on the animation is infuriating. Not to mention disappointing.

It's incredibly disappointing, and even moreso with this insight. Thank you for explaining it.

[thewakingcloak]

The State of Things Present

this post was available for patrons a week early! please consider supporting me over on patreon!

I kept trying to make this post fancier and better and more engaging, and then I realized I was doing that thing where I make myself too overwhelmed to actually finish and post it. The other thing was I kept gunning for a once-a-week posting, and uh… yeah that's not sustainable. So here we go!

The Ghost of Spacefarer Present appears before you He whispers, very quietly, yet in a voice that resonates: "Time to resurrect the Spacefarer"

Ok so the spacefarer (me??) was very tired, but he's awake now and doing things!

Life status

We moved! My wife and kids and I packed up and headed some miles south of our previous house. It was a risk for sure. We didn't know how things would pan out. We really needed to get away from our old environment, our old town, our old house. We loved that house, and we'd said so to each other many times even as we were halfheartedly searching for a new one. But at some point that house had become too burdened with bad memories and traumas, not to mention that after the pandemic, we had no more real roots there. Everyone had moved away, the communities we were involved with had disbanded or changed. And anyway, my wife would be starting a new teaching job down south.

We were fortunate enough to find a new house we loved, and fortunate enough to be in a position where we could actually make the move. I'm aware this is a privilege, given the economy and the market, and so I can only express my thankfulness and consider it a blessing, especially as we healed through our grief.

I have an improved office now! This is where I work on my day job (software/web dev) and my unday job (Studio Spacefarer). With my genetics stacked against me, but also with my desire to be able to keep up with my kids and be there for my family, I collected a standing desk, a walking pad treadmill thing, and an ergonomic keyboard. I'm walking or at least standing most of the day now, which has made a surprising difference already.

I was gonna post a wider view of the office, but my 3yo son ran up while I was taking pictures and started "working" (mashing the keypad), so this is automatically the better pic. Them's the rules.

Anyway, in short, we made it, and it hasn't been a smooth ride the entire time, but it has been well worth it. I've been able to get back into gamedev, which has been a huge boon to my mental health too.

Speaking of… (ghostly drumroll)

Game status!

The good stuff. Here's where I'm at presently with Episode III!

The game is completable from start to end (definitely NOT feature complete)

Jumping, swimming, and dashing all work like a charm and are super fun

Three enemy types have been added, including custom A* pathfinding for the sea monster

Two new collection mechanics (one is heart containers, the other will be a small surprise)

Depth sorting and fake-3D, as mentioned previously, which lets me do lots of fun effects

Day/night are now on a new system, and cave darkness is now a thing (I tried to implement this in PD2 but couldn't figure it out)

Palette swapping for night and lighting effects now uses GameMaker's built in layer effects

Much of the game is now decorated

Updated the game's palette to be more pleasing

Better borderless windowed mode, frame toggling, etc. (I'd made a post about a third party plugin I used to do this previously, but not long after that, GameMaker added an official setting to be toggleable at runtime, so I switched to that… much easier lol)

New audio library which has been a MASSIVE boon (Juju's Vinyl)

New flexible debug/inspector mode which allows me to change values on the fly more easily

State machine rewrite using structs instead of data structures--extremely flexible and less  error-prone (in fact the data structures here were the #1 cause of crashes in Episodes I and II)

Save system rewrite, also using structs instead of data structures (thus fixing the #2 cause of crashes in the first two episodes)

Adjusted the way walls get displayed in interiors--will make a post on this later

Lots and lots and lots and lots of bug fixes

Post end status!

I'm not exactly sure how to wrap this up lol, but y'all can be encouraging me, if you have the emotional space to do so! There's still a lot left to do on PD3, and it can be very daunting at times.

Next post up will be looking forward to the future of Studio Spacefarer. I'm very excited about this! Keep an eye out!