Hands-On Simulation Modeling with Python. Develop simulation models for improved efficiency and precision in the decision-making process - Second Edition

Giuseppe Ciaburro

Simulation modelling is an exploration method that aims to imitate physical systems in a virtual environment and retrieve useful statistical inferences from it. The ability to analyze the model as it runs sets simulation modelling apart from other methods used in conventional analyses. This book is your comprehensive and hands-on guide to understanding various computational statistical simulations using Python. The book begins by helping you get familiarized with the fundamental concepts of simulation modelling, that’ll enable you to understand the various methods and techniques needed to explore complex topics. Data scientists working with simulation models will be able to put their knowledge to work with this practical guide. As you advance, you’ll dive deep into numerical simulation algorithms, including an overview of relevant applications, with the help of real-world use cases and practical examples. You'll also find out how to use Python to develop simulation models and how to use several Python packages. Finally, you’ll get to grips with various numerical simulation algorithms and concepts, such as Markov Decision Processes, Monte Carlo methods, and bootstrapping techniques.By the end of this book, you'll have learned how to construct and deploy simulation models of your own to overcome real-world challenges.

Creative Motion Mastery with Adobe After Effects. Learn the ins and outs of motion graphics, post-production, rotoscoping, and VFX

Vishu Aggarwal

Visual effects and motion graphics are everywhere, shaping the film, TV, games, websites, and application landscape. Navigating a field this complex and ever-expanding demands more than mere familiarity with tools; you need to stand out to get ahead. Creative Motion Mastery with Adobe After Effects is the definitive guide that not only equips you with the essential skills to distinguish yourself, but also takes you through real projects that you can add to your portfolio.Guided by a hands-on learning approach, you'll master the UI, workflow, and diverse projects such as text animation, shape layers, and rotoscoping. With this newfound knowledge, you’ll take your graphic design and post-production skills to the next level using chroma keying, particle simulations, and 2D and 3D tracking. You’ll progress faster than someone taking a formal course in Adobe After Effects! And it’s not all about creating; you’ll import graphics from Illustrator and Photoshop and apply post-production effects to give them a new life. Finally, you’ll discover how seamlessly you can export and manage your projects, ensuring end-to-end coverage of all you need.By the end of the book, you’ll have a thorough understanding of Adobe After Effects, equipped with the skills and practice you need to propel your career in graphic design.

The Future of Finance with ChatGPT and Power BI. Transform your trading, investing, and financial reporting with ChatGPT and Power BI

James Bryant, Aloke Mukherjee

In today's rapidly evolving economic landscape, the combination of finance, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) heralds a new era of decision-making. Finance and data analytics along with AI can no longer be seen as separate disciplines and professionals have to be comfortable in both in order to be successful. This book combines finance concepts, visualizations through Power BI and the application of AI and ChatGPT to provide a more holistic perspective.After a brief introduction to finance and Power BI, you will begin with Tesla's data-driven financial tactics before moving to John Deere's AgTech strides, all through the lens of AI. Salesforce's adaptation to the AI revolution offers profound insights, while Moderna's navigation through the biotech frontier during the pandemic showcases the agility of AI-focused companies. Learn from Silicon Valley Bank's demise, and prepare for CrowdStrike's defensive maneuvers against cyber threats. With each chapter, you'll gain mastery over new investing ideas, Power BI tools, and integrate ChatGPT into your workflows.This book is an indispensable ally for anyone looking to thrive in the financial sector. By the end of this book, you'll be able to transform your approach to investing and trading by blending AI-driven analysis, data visualization, and real-world applications.

Customizing Microsoft Teams. Build custom apps and extensions for your business using Power Platform and Dataverse in Microsoft Teams

Gopi Kondameda

In the evolving remote working arrangement, the demand for custom Microsoft Teams apps is increasing rapidly across businesses. If you are someone who aims to provide users with an exceptional experience through custom-built apps that adhere to industry standards and good governance, Customizing Microsoft Teams is for you!The book starts with an overview of Microsoft Teams customization and configuration prerequisites. It then shows you how to expose functionalities from various solutions through tabs, connectors, messaging extensions, and more before you move on to explore how the PowerShell module can manage multiple aspects of administration and how to use the SharePoint Framework for creating custom Microsoft Teams apps. You’ll be able to work with Microsoft Dataverse for Teams to build custom apps, bots, and flows using Power Apps, Power Virtual Agents, and Power Automate. As you publish your production-ready apps on the Teams store and Microsoft AppSource, you’ll also understand Teams app analytics and reporting functionalities.By the end of this book, you’ll have learned how to develop custom solutions to solve critical business problems and extend the power of Microsoft Teams to develop high-value use cases in the remote working culture.

Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager Cookbook. Learn how to deploy, configure, and maintain System Center Operations Manager with 50 recipes designed to help you meet the challenges of managing a complex IT system

Steve Beaumont, David Allen, Robert Ryan, Jonathan Horner, ...

Unity 3D Game Development by Example Beginner's Guide. A seat-of-your-pants manual for building fun, groovy little games quickly

Ryan Henson Creighton

Beginner game developers are wonderfully optimistic, passionate, and ambitious. But that ambition is often dangerous! Too often, budding indie developers and hobbyists bite off more than they can chew. Some of the most popular games in recent memory – Doodle Jump, Paper Toss, and Canabalt, to name a few – have been fun, simple games that have delighted players and delivered big profits to their creators. This is the perfect climate for new game developers to succeed by creating simple games with Unity 3D, starting today.This book starts you off on the right foot, emphasizing small, simple game ideas and playable projects that you can actually finish. The complexity of the games increases gradually as we progress through the chapters. The chosen examples help you learn a wide variety of game development techniques. With this understanding of Unity 3D and bite-sized bits of programming, you can make your own mark on the game industry by finishing fun, simple games.This book shows you how to build crucial game elements that you can reuse and re-skin in many different games, using the phenomenal (and free!) Unity 3D game engine. It initiates you into indie game culture by teaching you how to make your own small, simple games using Unity3D and some gentle, easy-to-understand code. It will help you turn a rudimentary keep-up game into a madcap race through hospital hallways to rush a still-beating heart to the transplant ward, program a complete 2D game using Unity's User Interface controls, put a dramatic love story spin on a simple catch game, and turn that around into a classic space shooter with spectacular explosions and pew sounds! By the time you're finished, you'll have learned to develop a number of important pieces to create your own games that focus in on that small, singular piece of joy that makes games fun.

Godot 4 Game Development Projects. Build five cross-platform 2D and 3D games using one of the most powerful open source game engines - Second Edition

Chris Bradfield

Godot 4.0 is one of the most sought-after open-source game engines, and if you’re enthusiastic about exploring its features, then this book is for you. Written by an author with over twenty-five years of experience, the Godot 4 Game Development Projects introduces the Godot game engine and its feature-rich 4.0 version. With an array of new capabilities, Godot 4.0 is a strong alternative to expensive commercial game engines. If you’re a beginner, this book will help you learn game development techniques, while experienced developers will understand how to use this powerful and customizable tool to bring their creative visions to life.This updated edition consists of five projects with an emphasis on the 3D capabilities of the engine that will help you build on your foundation-level skills through small-scale game projects. Along the way, you’ll gain insights into Godot’s inner workings and discover game development techniques that you can apply to your projects.Using a step-by-step approach and practical examples, this book covers everything from the absolute basics to sophisticated game physics, animations, and much more. By the time you complete the final project, you’ll have a strong foundation for future success with Godot 4.0 and you’ll be well on your way to developing a variety of games.

Developing Multi-Platform Apps with Visual Studio Code. Get up and running with VS Code by building multi-platform, cloud-native, and microservices-based apps

Ovais Mehboob Ahmed Khan, Khusro Habib, Chris Dias

Microsoft Visual Studio Code is a powerful, lightweight code editor for modern web and cloud development. It is a source code editor that can be used with a variety of programming languages, which works on multiple platforms such as Linux, Windows, and macOS. This book provides extensive coverage of the tools, functionalities, and extensions available within the VS Code environment that will help you build multi-platform apps with ease.You’ll start with the installation of VS Code and learn about various tools and features that are essential for development. Progressing through the chapters, you'll explore the user interface while understanding tips and tricks for increasing productivity. Next, you’ll delve into VS Code extensions and discover how they can make life easier for developers. Later, the book shows you how to develop a sample application with different programming languages, tools, and runtimes to display how VS code can be used effectively for development, before helping you get to grips with source code version management and deployment on Azure with VS Code. Finally, you’ll build on your skills by focusing on remote development with VS Code.By the end of this book, you’ll have the knowledge you need to use Visual Studio Code as your primary tool for software development.