Going the Distance with Babylon.js. Building extensible, maintainable, and attractive browser-based interactive applications using JavaScript

Josh Elster, David Catuhe

Babylon.js allows anyone to effortlessly create and render 3D content in a web browser using the power of WebGL and JavaScript. 3D games and apps accessible via the web open numerous opportunities for both entertainment and profit. Developers working with Babylon.js will be able to put their knowledge to work with this guide to building a fully featured 3D game.The book provides a hands-on approach to implementation and associated methodologies that will have you up and running, and productive in no time. Complete with step-by-step explanations of essential concepts, practical examples, and links to fully working self-contained code snippets, you’ll start by learning about Babylon.js and the finished Space-Truckers game. You’ll also explore the development workflows involved in making the game. Focusing on a wide range of features in Babylon.js, you’ll iteratively add pieces of functionality and assets to the application being built. Once you’ve built out the basic game mechanics, you’ll learn how to bring the Space-Truckers environment to life with cut scenes, particle systems, animations, shadows, PBR materials, and more.By the end of this book, you’ll have learned how to structure your code, organize your workflow processes, and continuously deploy to a static website/PWA a game limited only by bandwidth and your imagination.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Applications (MB2-868) Certification Guide. A practical guide on how to use and manage Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 that focuses on helping you to pass the Microsoft certification exam

Danny Varghese

Managing any relationship can be difficult. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 enables an organization to manage their marketing, sales, and service efforts for a customer, and give users a 360 degree view of the customer.Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Applications (MB2-868) Certification Guide will assist individuals in passing the certification exam by reviewing each topic covered by the exam in depth, providing questions to test your knowledge at the end of each chapter, and finally by providing a 75 question practice exam including answers.You'll start with an introduction to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 along with an overview of the exam, benefits of certification, and helpful exam taking tips.The following chapters take a deeper look into the CRM application itself covering each of the key modules: marketing, sales, service, and service scheduling. At the end of the book, there is a 75 question sample certification exam.This book will help you attain the MB2-868 certification, making you more marketable.

Learning OpenStack Networking (Neutron). Wield the power of OpenStack Neutron networking to bring network infrastructure and capabilities to your cloud

James Denton

OpenStack Neutron is an OpenStack component that provides networking as a service for other OpenStack services to architect networks and create virtual machines through its API. This API lets you define network connectivity in order to leverage network capabilities to cloud deployments. Through this practical book, you will build a strong foundational knowledge of Neutron, and will architect and build an OpenStack cloud using advanced networking features.We start with an introduction to OpenStack Neutron and its various components, including virtual switching, routing, FWaaS, VPNaaS, and LBaaS. You’ll also get hands-on by installing OpenStack and Neutron and its components, and use agents and plugins to orchestrate network connectivity and build a virtual switching infrastructure.Moving on, you’ll get to grips with the HA routing capabilities utilizing VRRP and distributed virtual routers in Neutron. You’ll also discover load balancing fundamentals, including the difference between nodes, pools, pool members, and virtual IPs. You’ll discover the purpose of security groups and learn how to apply the security concept to your cloud/tenant/instance.Finally, you' ll configure virtual private networks that will allow you to avoid the use of SNAT and floating IPs when connecting to remote networks.

Data Analysis and Business Modeling with Excel 2013. Manage, analyze, and visualize data with Microsoft Excel 2013 to transform raw data into ready to use information

Hernan D Rojas, David Rojas

Data Literacy in Practice. A complete guide to data literacy and making smarter decisions with data through intelligent actions

Angelika Klidas, Kevin Hanegan

Data is more than a mere commodity in our digital world. It is the ebb and flow of our modern existence. Individuals, teams, and enterprises working with data can unlock a new realm of possibilities. And the resultant agility, growth, and inevitable success have one origin—data literacy.This comprehensive guide is written by two data literacy pioneers, each with a thorough footprint within the data and analytics commercial world and lectures at top universities in the US and the Netherlands. Complete with best practices, practical models, and real-world examples, Data Literacy in Practice will help you start making your data work for you by building your understanding of data literacy basics and accelerating your journey to independently uncovering insights.You’ll learn the four-pillar model that underpins all data and analytics and explore concepts such as measuring data quality, setting up a pragmatic data management environment, choosing the right graphs for your readers, and questioning your insights.By the end of the book, you'll be equipped with a combination of skills and mindset as well as with tools and frameworks that will allow you to find insights and meaning within your data for data-informed decision making.

Architecting High-Performance Embedded Systems. Design and build high-performance real-time digital systems based on FPGAs and custom circuits

Jim Ledin

Modern digital devices used in homes, cars, and wearables contain highly sophisticated computing capabilities composed of embedded systems that generate, receive, and process digital data streams at rates up to multiple gigabits per second. This book will show you how to use Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and high-speed digital circuit design to create your own cutting-edge digital systems.Architecting High-Performance Embedded Systems takes you through the fundamental concepts of embedded systems, including real-time operation and the Internet of Things (IoT), and the architecture and capabilities of the latest generation of FPGAs. Using powerful free tools for FPGA design and electronic circuit design, you’ll learn how to design, build, test, and debug high-performance FPGA-based IoT devices. The book will also help you get up to speed with embedded system design, circuit design, hardware construction, firmware development, and debugging to produce a high-performance embedded device – a network-based digital oscilloscope. You’ll explore techniques such as designing four-layer printed circuit boards with high-speed differential signal pairs and assembling the board using surface-mount components.By the end of the book, you’ll have a solid understanding of the concepts underlying embedded systems and FPGAs and will be able to design and construct your own sophisticated digital devices.

Learning Concurrent Programming in Scala. Dive into the Scala framework with this programming guide, created to help you learn Scala and to build intricate, modern, scalable concurrent applications

Aleksandar Prokopec

Expert Data Modeling with Power BI. Enrich and optimize your data models to get the best out of Power BI for reporting and business needs - Second Edition

Soheil Bakhshi, Christian Wade

This book is a comprehensive guide to understanding the ins and outs of data modeling and how to create full-fledged data models using Power BI confidently.In this new, fully updated edition, you'll learn how to connect data from multiple sources, understand data, define and manage relationships between data, and shape data models to gain deep and detailed insights about your organization. As you advance through the chapters, the book will demonstrate how to prepare efficient data models in the Power Query Editor and use simpler DAX code with new data modeling features. You'll explore how to use the various data modeling and navigation techniques and perform custom calculations using the modeling features with the help of real-world examples. Finally, you'll learn how to use some new and advanced modeling features to enhance your data models to carry out a wide variety of complex tasks. Additionally, you'll learn valuable best practices and explore common data modeling complications and the solutions to supercharge the process of creating a data model in Power BI and build better-performing data models.By the end of this Power BI book, you'll have gained the skills you need to structure data coming from multiple sources in different ways to create optimized data models that support high-performing reports and data analytics.