Sculpting in ZBrush Made Simple. Explore powerful modeling and character creation techniques used for VFX, games, and 3D printing

Lukas Kutschera

Embark on a creative journey with ZBrush, the leading software for creating characters, creatures, and props in films, games, and 3D printing. This guide will take you through its powerful yet user-friendly workflows, allowing you to explore its dynamic organic sculpting, painting, and hard-surface modeling tools.The first part of this book is dedicated to helping you become familiar with ZBrush’s user interface and learning the very basics, from sculpting brushes and painting the model with Polypaint to setting up lights and rendering images. You’ll also create a demon bust with the help of ZBrush’s concept sculpting tool, DynaMesh. In the second part, you’ll get to grips with the creation of a humanoid character that is optimized for 3D printing. Focusing on anatomy, poly-modeling, and preparing the model for 3D printing, you’ll acquire the skills essential for sculptors. The final part delves into portrait sculpting, where you’ll learn everything from basic facial anatomy to hair creation with FiberMesh.By the end of this book, you'll have developed the expertise necessary to succeed in the ever-evolving world of 3D character modeling, complemented by portfolio and social media tips for showcasing your standout work.

Multi-Cloud Handbook for Developers. Learn how to design and manage cloud-native applications in AWS, Azure, GCP, and more

Subash Natarajan, Jeveen Jacob

Unleash the power of cloud computing with Multi-Cloud Handbook for Developers, your guide to mastering the nuances of cloud-native and multi-cloud, covering practical strategies for design, development, and management. Explore the essential concepts, challenges, and methodologies critical for navigating the complex landscape of modern cloud computing.Using core architectural and design principles (such as microservices and 12-factor architecture) and advanced strategies (such as distributed application design patterns, domain-driven design (DDD), and API-first strategies), you’ll learn how to build portable and efficient apps across various cloud platforms. You’ll understand how to leverage Infrastructure as Code (IaC), continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD), GitOps, and DevOps practices, along with containerization and orchestration techniques using Docker and Kubernetes. You’ll also get to grips with data, security, compliance, and cloud cost management strategies in multi-cloud environments.With real-world case studies, best practices, and insights into future trends, this book will equip you with the skills to develop, manage, troubleshoot, and innovate cloud-native applications across diverse cloud platforms, positioning you at the forefront of the cloud computing revolution.

XR Development with Unity. A beginner's guide to creating virtual, augmented, and mixed reality experiences using Unity

Anna Braun, Raffael Rizzo

The drastic surge in the demand for XR development has led to an imminent need for comprehensive resources, learning material, and overall know-how in this area. This one-stop resource will ensure that professionals venturing into XR development can access all XR-related techniques to build appealing XR applications, without relying on Google every step of the way.This book is your guide to developing XR applications with Unity 2021.3 or later versions, helping you to create VR, AR, and MR experiences of increasing complexity. The chapters cover the entire XR application development process from setting up an interactive XR scene using the XR Interaction Toolkit or AR Foundation, adding physics, animations, continuous movement, teleportation, sound effects, and visual effects, to testing and deploying to VR headsets, simulators, smartphones, and tablets. Additionally, this XR book takes you on a journey from the basics of Unity and C# to advanced techniques such as building multiplayer applications and incorporating hand- and gaze-tracking capabilities.By the end of this book, you'll be fully equipped to create cutting-edge XR projects for engaging individual, academic, and industrial use cases that captivate your audience.

Tableau Certified Data Analyst Certification Guide. Ace the Tableau Data Analyst certification exam with expert guidance and practice material

Harry Cooney, Daisy Jones

The Tableau Certified Data Analyst certification validates the essential skills needed to explore, analyze, and present data, propelling your career in data analytics. Whether you're a seasoned Tableau user or just starting out, this comprehensive resource is your roadmap to mastering Tableau and achieving certification success.The book begins by exploring the fundamentals of data analysis, from connecting to various data sources to transforming and cleaning data for meaningful insights. With practical exercises and realistic mock exams, you'll gain hands-on experience that reinforces your understanding of Tableau concepts and prepares you for the challenges of the certification exam.As you progress, expert guidance and clear explanations make it easy to navigate complex topics as each chapter builds upon the last, providing a seamless learning experience—from creating impactful visualizations to managing content on Tableau Cloud.Written by a team of experts, this Tableau book not only helps you pass the certification exam but also equips you with the skills and confidence needed to excel in your career. It is an indispensable resource for unlocking the full potential of Tableau.

Reactive Patterns with RxJS and Angular Signals. Elevate your Angular 18 applications with RxJS Observables, subjects, operators, and Angular Signals - Second Edition

Lamis Chebbi, Aristeidis Bampakos

RxJS is a powerful reactive extension for JavaScript, specializing in asynchronous and event-driven programming, but you don’t find many books on using RxJS in Angular applications. Written by an industry expert with over a decade of experience, this book helps you navigate reactive patterns, efficient data management, and the streamlined implementation of common features with minimal code.This second edition aligns with the latest version of Angular, introducing new reactive patterns based on Angular Signals, which play a pivotal role in enabling fine-grained reactivity within Angular and enhancing change detection and user interface rendering. Throughout the book, you’ll construct a complete application that incorporates the latest Angular features, such as standalone components, new built-in control flow, deferrable views, and more. You’ll also focus on cultivating skills to handle data reactively, thus improving the application's overall quality, user experience, and developer productivity. The book covers best practices for testing asynchronous streams and optimizing app performance.By the end of this RxJS and Angular book, you’ll not only be able to develop Angular applications by implementing reactive patterns, but also grasp all the best practices, ensuring a well-rounded understanding of RxJS within the Angular framework.

The Ultimate Roblox Game Building Cookbook. Design immersive experiences with easy-to-follow recipes for world and game development

Taylor Field-Draper, Natasha West

Roblox is a massively popular online gaming platform, but it can be challenging to maneuver for beginners who don’t know where to start, as well as seasoned developers who tend to struggle with limited scripting tools that make transitioning from other platforms such as Unity more difficult.The Ultimate Roblox Game Building Cookbook is an invaluable asset for any Roblox developer looking to take their skills to the next level. With a wide range of recipes, this Roblox book covers everything from the basics of game development on the platform to advanced techniques for creating immersive experiences.As you progress through the chapters, you'll gain a deep understanding of the proper workflow and building methods that will enable you to create extraordinary virtual worlds. You'll gain insights into creating complex game mechanics, such as multiplayer games, working with textures, and special effects in games. This cookbook will also provide you with tips from top Roblox developers, as well as valuable guidance on how to monetize your games and stay up to date with the latest trends in the Roblox development community.By the end of this book, you’ll have gained a comprehensive understanding of Roblox game development and design.

Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification and Beyond. Simplified cloud concepts and core Azure fundamentals for absolute beginners to pass the AZ-900 exam

Steve Miles, Peter De Tender

This is the digital and cloud era, and Microsoft Azure is one of the top cloud computing platforms. It’s now more important than ever to understand how the cloud functions and the different services that can be leveraged across the cloud.This book will give you a solid understanding of cloud concepts and Microsoft Azure, starting by taking you through cloud concepts in depth, then focusing on the core Azure architectural components, solutions, and management tools. Next, you will understand security concepts, defense-in-depth, and key security services such as Network Security Groups and Azure Firewall, as well as security operations tooling such as Azure Security Center and Azure Sentinel. As you progress, you will understand how identity, governance, privacy, and compliance are managed in Azure. Finally, you will get to grips with cost management, service-level agreements, and service life cycles. Throughout, the book features a number of hands-on exercises to support the concepts, services, and solutions discussed. This provides you with a glimpse of real-world scenarios, before finally concluding with practice questions for AZ-900 exam preparation.By the end of this Azure book, you will have a thorough understanding of cloud concepts and Azure fundamentals, enabling you to pass the AZ-900 certification exam easily.

Modern Python Cookbook. 130+ updated recipes for modern Python 3.12 with new techniques and tools - Third Edition

Steven F. Lott

Python is the go-to language for developers, engineers, data scientists, and hobbyists worldwide. Known for its versatility, Python can efficiently power applications, offering remarkable speed, safety, and scalability. This book distills Python into a collection of straightforward recipes, providing insights into specific language features within various contexts, making it an indispensable resource for mastering Python and using it to handle real-world use cases.The third edition of Modern Python Cookbook provides an in-depth look into Python 3.12, offering more than 140 new and updated recipes that cater to both beginners and experienced developers. This edition introduces new chapters on documentation and style, data visualization with Matplotlib and Pyplot, and advanced dependency management techniques using tools like Poetry and Anaconda. With practical examples and detailed explanations, this cookbook helps developers solve real-world problems, optimize their code, and get up to date with the latest Python features.