Unity 2021 Shaders and Effects Cookbook. Over 50 recipes to help you transform your game into a visually stunning masterpiece - Fourth Edition

John P. Doran

Shaders enable you to create powerful visuals for your game projects. However, creating shaders for your games can be notoriously challenging with various factors such as complex mathematics standing in the way of attaining the level of realism you crave for your shaders.The Unity 2021 Shaders and Effects Cookbook helps you overcome that with a recipe-based approach to creating shaders using Unity. This fourth edition is updated and enhanced using Unity 2021 features and tools covering Unity's new way of creating particle effects with the VFX Graph. You'll learn how to use VFX Graph for advanced shader development. The book also features updated recipes for using Shader Graph to create 2D and 3D elements. You'll cover everything you need to know about vectors, how they can be used to construct lighting, and how to use textures to create complex effects without the heavy math. You'll also understand how to use the visual-based Shader Graph for creating shaders without any code.By the end of this Unity book, you'll have developed a set of shaders that you can use in your Unity 3D games and be able to accomplish new effects and address the performance needs of your Unity game development projects. So, let's get started!

Microsoft XNA 4.0 Game Development Cookbook. This book goes further than the basic manuals to help you exploit Microsoft XNA to create fantastic virtual worlds and effects in your 2D or 3D games. Includes 35 essential recipes for game developers

Luke Drumm

Microsoft XNA attempts to free game developers from writing repetitive boilerplate code, allowing them to focus on producing enjoyable gameplay rather than tedious and complicated setup. The Framework has reduced the once steep learning curve for game development, transforming it into something more attainable, and this cookbook will help you to take full advantage of XNA to bring reality into your virtual worlds.Microsoft XNA 4.0 Game Development Cookbook is the perfect resource for propelling your game development capabilities from the simple 2D demo towards engaging and exciting, professional looking games. With a diverse selection of game-related topics covered, discover how to create rich 2D and 3D worlds filled with interesting characters, detailed scenery and dynamic special effects applicable to PC, Xbox 360, and Windows Phone 7 game play.There is no shortage of introductory texts available for XNA, a number of which are fantastic for getting started with simple 2D games, but Microsoft XNA 4.0 Game Development Cookbookù will help you take the steps to start producing games that have deeper gameplay, compelling graphics and that little bit of extra polish! The book's recipes will get you up and going quickly with the next level of game features such as 3D graphics, AI, and network play.With this practical cookbook to hand, even the more experienced developer will be better equipped to achieve high level tasks with XNA in a quick and efficient manner.

Mastering Articulate Storyline. Learn how to push Articulate Storyline to its limits and create breath taking stories by deepening your understanding of the product's capabilities!

Ashley Chiasson, Jeffery Batt

Storyline is a powerful e-learning authoring tool that allows you to take your creativity to the next level. However, more often than not, projects don't require such complex interactions, leaving Storyline's full capabilities untapped.This book will provide you with the information you need to take your Storyline development up a notch by leveraging the full suite of possibilities Storyline has to offer.You will be provided with a refresher of the key concepts before we take you deep into the exciting world of enhanced interactivity, variables, and even some JavaScript—oh my! With downloadable activities, you can either follow along and compare your output, use the activities as they are, modify the activities to suit your own needs, or reverse-engineer the activities to better understand how they were developed.

Ethical Password Cracking. Decode passwords using John the Ripper, hashcat, and advanced methods for password breaking

James Leyte-Vidal

Whether you’re looking to crack passwords as part of a thorough security audit or aiming to recover vital information, this book will equip you with the skills to accomplish your goals. Written by a cybersecurity expert with over fifteen years of experience in penetration testing, Ethical Password Cracking offers a thorough understanding of password protection and the correct approach to retrieving password-protected data.As you progress through the chapters, you first familiarize yourself with how credentials are stored, delving briefly into the math behind password cracking. Then, the book will take you through various tools and techniques to help you recover desired passwords before focusing on common cracking use cases, hash recovery, and cracking. Real-life examples will prompt you to explore brute-force versus dictionary-based approaches and teach you how to apply them to various types of credential storage.By the end of this book, you'll understand how passwords are protected and how to crack the most common credential types with ease.

Mastering Adobe Photoshop 2024. Discover the smart way to polish your digital imagery skills by editing professional looking photos

Gary Bradley

Unlock the full potential of Photoshop, the go-to app for content creators, by mastering its complex tools and features. This book, drawing from the award-winning author’s 25+ years of design experience, builds on your existing Photoshop knowledge with proven industry techniques, serving as a launchpad to develop professional skills and transformative personal growth.You’ll fine-tune color and tone in your images with non-destructive adjustment layers and conceal content like backdrops with precise masking techniques for fine details like hair. Working through a series of real-world editing projects, crafting realistic brand mockups and traditional marketing collateral, you’ll learn robust methods for building social media assets in Photoshop, from images to animated GIFs and videos. You’ll also be able to bring your typography to life with styles and effects that are simple to edit and store as preset effects. The final section of the book encapsulates all of your learning to create complex montages using advanced masking and compositing techniques. You’ll have fun elevating your designs with surreal art styles and conceptual imagery using retouching, blending, and liquify filters.By the end of this Adobe Photoshop book, you’ll be equipped to create captivating visuals that leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Polished Ruby Programming. Build better software with more intuitive, maintainable, scalable, and high-performance Ruby code

Jeremy Evans

Anyone striving to become an expert Ruby programmer needs to be able to write maintainable applications.Polished Ruby Programming will help you get better at designing scalable and robust Ruby programs, so that no matter how big the codebase grows, maintaining it will be a breeze.This book takes you on a journey through implementation approaches for many common programming situations, the trade-offs inherent in each approach, and why you may choose to use different approaches in different situations. You'll start by refreshing Ruby fundamentals, such as correctly using core classes, class and method design, variable usage, error handling, and code formatting. Then you'll move on to higher-level programming principles, such as library design, use of metaprogramming and domain-specific languages, and refactoring. Finally, you'll learn principles specific to web application development, such as how to choose a database and web framework, and how to use advanced security features.By the end of this Ruby programming book, you’ll be a well rounded web developer with a deep understanding of Ruby.While most code examples and principles discussed in the book apply to all Ruby versions, some examples and principles are specific to Ruby 3.0, the latest release at the time of publication.

Network Protocols for Security Professionals. Probe and identify network-based vulnerabilities and safeguard against network protocol breaches

Yoram Orzach, Deepanshu Khanna

With the increased demand for computer systems and the ever-evolving internet, network security now plays an even bigger role in securing IT infrastructures against attacks. Equipped with the knowledge of how to find vulnerabilities and infiltrate organizations through their networks, you’ll be able to think like a hacker and safeguard your organization’s network and networking devices. Network Protocols for Security Professionals will show you how.This comprehensive guide gradually increases in complexity, taking you from the basics to advanced concepts. Starting with the structure of data network protocols, devices, and breaches, you’ll become familiar with attacking tools and scripts that take advantage of these breaches. Once you’ve covered the basics, you’ll learn about attacks that target networks and network devices. Your learning journey will get more exciting as you perform eavesdropping, learn data analysis, and use behavior analysis for network forensics. As you progress, you’ll develop a thorough understanding of network protocols and how to use methods and tools you learned in the previous parts to attack and protect these protocols.By the end of this network security book, you’ll be well versed in network protocol security and security countermeasures to protect network protocols.

Software Architecture for Busy Developers. Talk and act like a software architect in one weekend

Stéphane Eyskens

Are you a seasoned developer who likes to add value to a project beyond just writing code? Have you realized that good development practices are not enough to make a project successful, and you now want to embrace the bigger picture in the IT landscape? If so, you're ready to become a software architect; someone who can deal with any IT stakeholder as well as add value to the numerous dimensions of software development.The sheer volume of content on software architecture can be overwhelming, however. Software Architecture for Busy Developers is here to help. Written by Stéphane Eyskens, author of The Azure Cloud Native Mapbook, this book guides you through your software architecture journey in a pragmatic way using real-world scenarios. By drawing on over 20 years of consulting experience, Stéphane will help you understand the role of a software architect, without the fluff or unnecessarily complex theory.You'll begin by understanding what non-functional requirements mean and how they concretely impact target architecture. The book then covers different frameworks used across the entire enterprise landscape with the help of use cases and examples. Finally, you'll discover ways in which the cloud is becoming a game changer in the world of software architecture.By the end of this book, you'll have gained a holistic understanding of the architectural landscape, as well as more specific software architecture skills. You'll also be ready to pursue your software architecture journey on your own - and in just one weekend!

Instant RaphaelJS Starter. Get to grips with RaphaelJS - a powerful cross-browser compatible vector graphics library, to create interactive 2D graphics and animations with ease

Krishna Sagar

Drawing in a browser without images has been around for a long time but it was a complex task with browser support issues. Raphael JS aims to solve all these problems with simple and clear methods to draw cross-browser compatible drawings. Imagine drawing complex dials, graphs, and meters for a dashboard, all without images, and the ability to dynamically manipulate those drawings. Creativity is the only limit with Raphael JS.Instant RaphaelJS Starter is a practical, hands-on guide that provides you with a number of clear step-by-step exercises, which will help you take advantage of the real power that is behind Raphael JS, and give you a good grounding in using it in your web pages.Instant RaphaelJS Starter looks at the HTML5 video formats available, and breaks down the mystery and confusion that surrounds which format to use. It will take you through a number of clear, practical recipes that will help you to take advantage of the new HTML5 video standard, quickly and painlessly. You will also learn how to draw your own shapes using any vector graphics editor, or by using one of the pre-defined shapes. We will also take a look at adding functionality such as DOM events, or animations, as well as how to manipulate the shapes dynamically. If you want to take advantage of imageless vector graphics for browsers using Raphael JS, then this is the book for you.You will learn everything you need to know to convert shapes and perform animations, as well as how to draw custom shapes with simple techniques using Raphael JS and use them across multiple browsers.

ZBrush 4 Sculpting for Games: Beginner's Guide. Sculpt machines, environments, and creatures for your game development projects

Manuel Scherer

ZBrush is a fantastic tool for creating models for use in computer games. Using a wide range of powerful tools you can create models for vehicles, props, environments, and characters.This book makes creating game art in ZBrush fast and easy. It covers everything you need to create models of all kinds for your game projects, even if you've never used ZBrush before.Built around four complete ZBrush projects, the book gives you everything you need to sculpt props, vehicles, and creatures in ZBrush. You'll start by creating a spooky tree model, mastering the sculpting, texturing, and decoration skills that are essential for all ZBrush topics. Next you'll move to man-made objects with a sci-fi drone. Next you'll see how to sculpt monsters and other creatures, deal with cloth and other soft materials, and prepare the model to become an animated, controllable character in a game. The final project returns to machines, building a complete, detailed spaceship for use in your sci-fi games.

R Deep Learning Essentials. A step-by-step guide to building deep learning models using TensorFlow, Keras, and MXNet - Second Edition

Mark Hodnett, Joshua F. Wiley

Deep learning is a powerful subset of machine learning that is very successful in domains such as computer vision and natural language processing (NLP). This second edition of R Deep Learning Essentials will open the gates for you to enter the world of neural networks by building powerful deep learning models using the R ecosystem.This book will introduce you to the basic principles of deep learning and teach you to build a neural network model from scratch. As you make your way through the book, you will explore deep learning libraries, such as Keras, MXNet, and TensorFlow, and create interesting deep learning models for a variety of tasks and problems, including structured data, computer vision, text data, anomaly detection, and recommendation systems. You’ll cover advanced topics, such as generative adversarial networks (GANs), transfer learning, and large-scale deep learning in the cloud. In the concluding chapters, you will learn about the theoretical concepts of deep learning projects, such as model optimization, overfitting, and data augmentation, together with other advanced topics.By the end of this book, you will be fully prepared and able to implement deep learning concepts in your research work or projects.

Unity Certified Programmer: Exam Guide. Expert tips and techniques to pass the Unity certification exam at the first attempt

Philip Walker

Unity Certified Programmer is a global certification program by Unity for anyone looking to become a professional Unity developer. The official Unity programmer exam will not only validate your Unity knowledge and skills, but also enable you to be part of the Unity community.This study guide will start by building on your understanding of C# programming and take you through the process of downloading and installing Unity. You’ll understand how Unity works and get to grips with the core objectives of the Unity exam. As you advance, you’ll enhance your skills by creating an enjoyable side-scrolling shooter game that can be played within the Unity Editor or any recent Android mobile device. This Unity book will test your knowledge with self-assessment questions and help you take your skills to an advanced level by working with Unity tools such as the Animator, Particle Effects, Lighting, UI/UX, Scriptable Objects, and debugging.By the end of this book, you’ll have developed a solid understanding of the different tools in Unity and understand how to create impressive Unity applications by making the most of its toolset.

Running Effective Marketing Meetings. A how-to guide to run marketing meetings that teach, inspire, and change how you and your team work

Daniel Kuperman

Active Machine Learning with Python. Refine and elevate data quality over quantity with active learning

Margaux Masson-Forsythe

Building accurate machine learning models requires quality data—lots of it. However, for most teams, assembling massive datasets is time-consuming, expensive, or downright impossible. Led by Margaux Masson-Forsythe, a seasoned ML engineer and advocate for surgical data science and climate AI advancements, this hands-on guide to active machine learning demonstrates how to train robust models with just a fraction of the data using Python's powerful active learning tools.You’ll master the fundamental techniques of active learning, such as membership query synthesis, stream-based sampling, and pool-based sampling and gain insights for designing and implementing active learning algorithms with query strategy and Human-in-the-Loop frameworks. Exploring various active machine learning techniques, you’ll learn how to enhance the performance of computer vision models like image classification, object detection, and semantic segmentation and delve into a machine AL method for selecting the most informative frames for labeling large videos, addressing duplicated data. You’ll also assess the effectiveness and efficiency of active machine learning systems through performance evaluation.By the end of the book, you’ll be able to enhance your active learning projects by leveraging Python libraries, frameworks, and commonly used tools.

Tabular Modeling with SQL Server 2016 Analysis Services Cookbook. Create better operational analytics for your users with these business solutions

Derek Wilson

SQL Server Analysis Service (SSAS) has been widely used across multiple businesses to build smart online analytical reporting solutions. It includes two different types of modeling for analysis services: Tabular and Multi Dimensional. This book covers Tabular modeling, which uses tables and relationships with a fast in-memory engine to provide state of the art compression algorithms and query performance.The book begins by quickly taking you through the concepts required to model tabular data and set up the necessary tools and services. As you learn to create tabular models using tools such as Excel and Power View, you’ll be shown various strategies to deploy your model on the server and choose a query mode (In-memory or DirectQuery) that best suits your reporting needs. You’ll also learn how to implement key and newly introduced DAX functions to create calculated columns and measures for your model data. Last but not least, you’ll be shown techniques that will help you administer and secure your BI implementation along with some widely used tips and tricks to optimize your reporting solution.By the end of this book, you’ll have gained hands-on experience with the powerful new features that have been added to Tabular models in SSAS 2016 and you’ll be able to improve user satisfaction with faster reports and analytical queries.

Applied Architecture Patterns on the Microsoft Platform. An in-depth scenario-driven approach to architecting systems using Microsoft technologies

Stephen Thomas, Stephen W. Thomas, Mike Sexton, Rama Ramani, ...

Every day, architects and developers are asked to solve specific business problems in the most efficient way possible using a broad range of technologies. Packed with real-world examples of how to use the latest Microsoft technologies, this book tackles over a dozen specific use case patterns and provides an applied implementation with supporting code downloads for every chapter.In this book, we guide you through thirteen architectural patterns and provide detailed code samples for the following technologies: Windows Server AppFabric, Windows Azure Platform AppFabric, SQL Server (including Integration Services, Service Broker, and StreamInsight), BizTalk Server, Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), and Windows Workflow Foundation (WF). This book brings together – and simplifies – the information and methodology you need to make the right architectural decisions and use a broad range of the Microsoft platform to meet your requirements. Throughout the book, we will follow a consistent architectural decision framework which considers key business, organizational, and technology factors.The book is broken up into four sections. First, we define the techniques and methodologies used to make architectural decisions throughout the book. In Part I, we provide a set of primers designed to get you up to speed with each of the technologies demonstrated in the book. Part II looks at messaging patterns and includes use cases which highlight content-based routing, workflow, publish/subscribe, and distributed messaging. Part III digs into data processing patterns and looks at bulk data processing, complex events, multi-master synchronization, and more. Finally, Part IV covers performance-related patterns including low latency, failover to the cloud, and reference data caching.

OpenGL 4.0 Shading Language Cookbook. With over 60 recipes, this Cookbook will teach you both the elementary and finer points of the OpenGL Shading Language, and get you familiar with the specific features of GLSL 4.0. A totally practical, hands-on guide

David Wolff, OpenGL

The OpenGL Shading Language (GLSL) is a programming language used for customizing parts of the OpenGL graphics pipeline that were formerly fixed-function, and are executed directly on the GPU. It provides programmers with unprecedented flexibility for implementing effects and optimizations utilizing the power of modern GPUs. With version 4.0, the language has been further refined to provide programmers with greater flexibility, and additional features have been added such as an entirely new stage called the tessellation shader.The OpenGL Shading Language 4.0 Cookbook provides easy-to-follow examples that first walk you through the theory and background behind each technique then go on to provide and explain the GLSL and OpenGL code needed to implement it. Beginning level through to advanced techniques are presented including topics such as texturing, screen-space techniques, lighting, shading, tessellation shaders, geometry shaders, and shadows.The OpenGL Shading Language 4.0 Cookbook is a practical guide that takes you from the basics of programming with GLSL 4.0 and OpenGL 4.0, through basic lighting and shading techniques, to more advanced techniques and effects. It presents techniques for producing basic lighting and shading effects; examples that demonstrate how to make use of textures for a wide variety of effects and as part of other techniques; examples of screen-space techniques, shadowing, tessellation and geometry shaders, noise, and animation.The OpenGL Shading Language 4.0 Cookbook provides examples of modern shading techniques that can be used as a starting point for programmers to expand upon to produce modern, interactive, 3D computer graphics applications.

FastAPI Cookbook. Develop high-performance APIs and web applications with Python

Giunio De Luca, Antonio Ferraro

FastAPI is a cutting-edge Python framework that is revolutionizing the way web apps and APIs are built. Known for its speed, simplicity, and scalability, FastAPI empowers developers to create high-performing applications with ease. This book will help you leverage FastAPI’s immense potential to handle high-traffic scenarios and integrate seamlessly with modern Python tools.The book begins by familiarizing you with the basics of setting up and configuring your FastAPI environment before moving to the intricacies of building RESTful APIs, managing data with SQL and NoSQL databases, and handling authentication and authorization. Next, you'll focus on advanced topics such as custom middleware, WebSocket communication, and integration with various Python libraries. Each chapter is meticulously crafted with practical recipes, progressing from foundational concepts to advanced features and best practices. The concluding chapters show you how to optimize performance, implement rate limiting, and execute background tasks, empowering you to become a proficient FastAPI developer.By the end of this book, you'll have gained the skills you need to migrate existing apps to FastAPI, and be equipped to tackle any challenge in the modern web development landscape, ensuring your apps are not only functional, but also efficient, secure, and scalable.

Microsoft 365 Certified Fundamentals MS-900 Exam Guide. Understand the Microsoft 365 platform from concept to execution and pass the MS-900 exam with confidence - Second Edition

Aaron Guilmette, Yura Lee, Marcos Zanre

Microsoft 365 Certified Fundamentals certification demonstrates your foundational knowledge of adopting cloud services, specifically the software as a service (SaaS) model. Exam MS-900 tests your understanding of Microsoft 365 services, components, their implementation, security, licensing, and general cloud concepts. This updated second edition covers all the recent and important changes in the examination in detail to help you achieve certification.You’ll begin by exploring key topics such as Microsoft security and compliance policies, pricing and support, and cloud concepts. The book helps you to understand these concepts with the help of real-world scenarios, learning about platform services such as Microsoft Windows, SharePoint, Microsoft 365 apps, Teams, and Exchange. The content has been updated to include Microsoft Forms, Power Platform, Microsoft 365 Security Center, Windows Virtual Desktop, and Insider Risk Management. Each chapter contains a section that will test your knowledge of the core concepts covered. Finally, you’ll take a practice exam with extra questions to help prepare you for the actual test.By the end of this MS-900 book, you’ll be well-equipped to confidently pass the MS-900 certification exam with the help of the updated exam pattern.

HoloLens Blueprints. Build immersive AR and Mixed Reality Applications

Abhijit Jana, Manish Sharma, Mallikarjuna Rao

Do you want to create stunning applications with HoloLens? Are you a developer who is fascinated with Microsoft HoloLens and its capabilities? If so, this is the book for you.This book introduces and demystifies the HoloLens platform and shows you different ways of interaction with computers (mixed-reality).You will start your mixed-reality journey by understanding different types of digital reality. You will learn to build your first holographic app. Also, you will understand holographic application integration possibilities within Line of Business Applications using Azure. Moving ahead, you will create Integrated Solutions using IoT with HoloLens. Gradually you'll learn how to create and deploy apps on a device. You will learn to publish application to the store; if you are an enterprise developer, you will also manage and distribute applications for enterprise-enabled or domain-joined HoloLens.Finally, you will develop an end-to-end realistic holographic app, ranging from scenario identification to sketching, development, deployment, and, finally, production.

Professional CSS3. Harness the power of CSS3 to design stunning, modern websites

Piotr Sikora

CSS is the preferred technology to design modern web pages. Although CSS is often perceived as a simple language, applying modern styles to web pages with CSS and maintaining the code for larger websites can be quite tricky.We will take you right from understanding CSS to designing high-quality web pages in CSS3. We'll quickly take you through CSS3's features, and show you how to resolve common issues so you can build your basic framework. Finally, you will learn about code architecture and CSS methodologies used in scalable apps and you'll explore the various new features of CSS3, such as FlexBox, to help you create the most modern layout methodologies. By the end of the book, you will be a master at creating pure CSS web pages and will know sophisticated web design techniques, giving you an edge over other web designers.

Learn Kali Linux 2019. Perform powerful penetration testing using Kali Linux, Metasploit, Nessus, Nmap, and Wireshark

Glen D. Singh

The current rise in hacking and security breaches makes it more important than ever to effectively pentest your environment, ensuring endpoint protection. This book will take you through the latest version of Kali Linux and help you use various tools and techniques to efficiently deal with crucial security aspects.Through real-world examples, you’ll understand how to set up a lab and later explore core penetration testing concepts. Throughout the course of this book, you’ll get up to speed with gathering sensitive information and even discover different vulnerability assessment tools bundled in Kali Linux 2019. In later chapters, you’ll gain insights into concepts such as social engineering, attacking wireless networks, exploitation of web applications and remote access connections to further build on your pentesting skills. You’ll also focus on techniques such as bypassing controls, attacking the end user and maintaining persistence access through social media. Finally, this pentesting book covers best practices for performing complex penetration testing techniques in a highly secured environment.By the end of this book, you’ll be able to use Kali Linux to detect vulnerabilities and secure your system by applying penetration testing techniques of varying complexity.

Cocos2d Game Development Blueprints. Design, develop, and create your own successful iOS games using the Cocos2d game engine

Jorge Jordán

Disaster Recovery using VMware vSphere Replication and vCenter Site Recovery Manager. Use VMware vCenter SRM as a disaster recovery solution leveraging both array-based replication and vSphere Replication

Abhilash G B