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Ning is an online platform for users to create their own social websites and social networks^[2], launched in October 2005^[1]. Ning was co-founded by Marc Andreessen and Gina Bianchini.

Ning means “peace” in Chinese, as explained by Gina Bianchini on the company blog and it is also a surname in Chinese.^[5]

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The GNU Image Manipulation Program, or GIMP, is a raster graphics editor used to process digital graphics and photographs. Typical uses include creating graphics and logos, resizing and cropping photos, altering colours, combining multiple images, removing unwanted image features, and converting between different image formats.^[2] GIMP can also be used to create basic animated images in GIF format. It is often used as a free software replacement for Adobe Photoshop, the most widely used bitmap editor in the printing and graphics industries; however, it is not designed to be a Photoshop clone.^[3] The project’s mascot is named WilberGI

TG2 Overview TG2 Image Gallery TG2 FAQ TG2 Tech Preview
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Introduction

Terragen 2 (TG2) is now the primary development focus of Planetside Software. TG2 is a complete rewrite of Terragen from scratch, and is a significant advance beyond the capabilities of Terragen v0.9. Apart from being a much more powerful renderer, TG2 has a much more flexible architecture which will allow development to proceed at a considerably greater pace.

Core Features

Terragen 2 features the following as part of its core architecture :

• Cutting-edge adaptive subdivision renderer.
• Modular, plugin-based architecture.
• Render entire planets, sweeping vistas, tiny rock gardens, or anything in between.
• Import 3D objects for rendering. Export high resolution objects.
• Render millions of boulders or trees using “instancing”.
• Add multiple heightfields to your scene. Use procedural terrains that can span an entire planet.
• Apply almost “infinite” fractal detail to terrain and other objects.
• Overhanging terrain using procedural displacements, image-based displacements, or imported geometry.
• Volumetric clouds or fast “2.5D” clouds.
• Production quality anti-aliasing and motion blur.
• Node graph editor for ultimate control over shaders and textures.

Terragen 2

The core technology in TG2 was used to render planets for Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002 (article in Cinefex 93) and was also relied upon for hundreds of CG terrain shots in Stealth in 2005.

Download Mars animation

TG2 has a global atmosphere system which expands on the unsurpassed realism of the TG v0.9 atmosphere system. TG2 features multiple cloud layers, which can utilise 3D volumetric clouds or 2D clouds for faster rendering. Entire planets can be rendered with realistic global atmospheres and procedural terrain detail from continents down to pebbles on a beach. Multiple planets and celestial bodies such as moons can be added to scenes, and multiple suns can also be used.

TG2 features a realtime 3D preview which refines the detail displayed over time. The preview can be used to position the camera and scene elements. It provides an accurate preview of the landscape, texturing, atmosphere and other objects. cont….

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Conserving energy & water is largely about education but importantly it’s also about reinforcement

Everyone is quite well informed now about the need to conserve energy and no one wants to deliberately waste resources by leaving computers, lights and other equipment switched on unnecessarily, its just that we’re all very busy people, with a lot on our minds and we often just forget.

This is where ecoDriver sc comes in; by monitoring electricity, gas and water consumption and by continuously broadcasting this data to a prominent display in the school, the issue of reducing energy & water consumption becomes a matter of daily concern for both staff and pupils.

And most importantly people can see, very quickly, the effect of their energy conservation initiatives.

By reducing energy and water consumption not only does your school save money but levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are also reduced. (see diagram)

]]> http://itfairhurst.edublogs.org/2008/08/02/ecodriver-software-for-schools-colleges-and-universities/feed/ 0 http://itfairhurst.edublogs.org/2008/08/02/ecodriver-at-riverview-college-innovative-software-that-uses-smart-metering-to-track-manage-and-report-on-energy-use/ http://itfairhurst.edublogs.org/2008/08/02/ecodriver-at-riverview-college-innovative-software-that-uses-smart-metering-to-track-manage-and-report-on-energy-use/#comments Sat, 02 Aug 2008 23:37:09 +0000 itfairhurst http://itfairhurst.edublogs.org/?p=22

School takes its first carbon footstep into the future

(Click here to view “The Australian” News Article)

SYDNEY’S St Ignatius College Riverview is going further than planting trees and picking up rubbish in an effort to save the environment.

The school is the first Australian user of innovative software that uses smart metering to track, manage and report on energy use.

Developed by TR Control Solutions in Britain, the software, called ecoDriver, aims to educate young minds in energy consciousness.

It uses live data reflecting usage and respective costs of electricity, gas and water, displayed on LCD monitors in user-friendly line and bar graphs, to allow schools to track behavioural patterns and their effect on its carbon footprint.

A series of lesson plans has been developed to facilitate integration of data analysis into the curriculum.

Administrators are also informed on how energy and money can be saved.

St Ignatius College Riverview head master Shane Hogan said ecoDriver was adopted after a group of students saw the software in use at an eco-school during a visit to Britain last year.

“The kids are now seeing change on a day-to-day basis and an hour-to-hour basis and it is creating curiosity,” Mr Hogan said.

“In the evening, the power being generated at school still seems to be very high, so the kids are asking what sort of things haven’t been turned off when they are not at school.”

The data is made available to all staff and is expected to be extended next year through various curricula.

“I’m sure physics and maths, for example, will pick it up very quickly,” Mr Hogan said.

”If the students can see visually that if they do something and there is a change, they will be encouraged to do more in the future.”