I have a personal rule when it comes to an app's interface: If it doesn't follow Android's design guidelines, it was probably written with Apple's iOS in mind first and foremost.
More often than not, when you find an app that offers a particular functionality, there are ten other apps on the Google Play Store that offer virtually the same features. But the reason we choose one app over the alternatives is mainly due to one thing—a preference for the user interface of the app we ultimately install.
Google's design chief Matias Duarte has gained fame and acclaim for his recent visual revamp of the Android operating system, and now, Google's starting to incorporate this Material Design styling into more of its products.
We started with our system manager in the previous lesson in our series on building dynamic user interfaces, but to get there, aside from the actual transform, rotation, and scaling objects, we need to make objects out of code in multiple ways, establish delegates and events, and use the surface of an object to inform our toolset placement.
Deep down, Android is a fork of Linux, which is a desktop operating system that started out as entirely command prompt-based. For that reason, many system-level tasks can still be executed within a terminal emulator app.
Say goodbye to the age of metal robots—C-3PO and K9 are a thing of the (future) past! Anette Hosoi, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics at MIT, and her former graduate student Nadia Cheng, have created a robotic material closely resembling human skin.
Google's been using their "Material Design" look in Android for years now, but a change is coming up with "Material Design 2," their updated version focusing on new colors, icons, and spacing. Whether it'll be called "Material Design 2" or not remains to be seen, but you can try it out right now in Google Chrome on your Android device right now.
TWRP is hands-down the best custom recovery out there. Its interface, on the other hand, is... well, let's just call it utilitarian. The guys over at Team Win made sure that their product was robust, functional, and easy-to-use, but they didn't put a tremendous amount of effort into polishing the looks.
Android's new Material Design language is truly a thing of beauty. Slated to make a full debut alongside the upcoming Android "L" release, the vision and simplicity of this UX design recently won Gold Prize at the annual User Experience Awards.
These days, the user experience on stock Android is a lot more refined and polished than manufacturer skins like Samsung's TouchWiz or HTC's Sense. This is mostly due to Material Design, the look and feel that Google implemented back in Android Lollipop, which has finally started to give Android a unified appearance with its sleek icons and abundant use of colors.
Android Lollipop's new Material Design interface does its best to strike a delicate balance between intuitiveness, usability, and aesthetics. For some folks, though, the use of a lighter color palette throughout the interface disrupts this balance.
Google's original messaging service got a nice version bump today. Hangouts now sports stickers, video chat filters, an updated Material Design interface, and a few new features that should make the service a little more fun and easy to use.
Snapchat parent company Snap credits its popular augmented reality experiences and its flourishing Lens Studio creator community to its user growth throughout the year.
Anybody who was around in the '80s and '90s associates Sony with music still to this day, thanks to their wildly successful Walkman brand. And that's not even mentioning their major label record company. Indeed, the Tokyo-based electronics maker/media conglomerate has music embedded in its DNA, and that's certainly noticeable in the stock Music app included with their Xperia phones.
Earlier this week we showed you how to use multiple accounts on Instagram, and now Facebook is rolling out a similar feature for its Messenger app, as well as a few other features.
Google has updated its Search application for iOS with their new Material Design aesthetic, taking cues from Android's redesigned look with refreshed colors, depth effects, and new animations. But the update doesn't stop there; there are several new and useful features added to the mix. Download Google Search for iOS for free from the iOS App Store to check out all the new goodness for yourself.
Google's Android L developer preview has given Android a more refined look, with developers excited to update their apps with the new Material Design UI. While some apps are slowly getting updated, QKSMS (QK for quick) is a 3rd-party text messaging app that was built with Material Design in mind.
The fascia boards and soffit material installation is very important. This is the finishing part of the shed. Henry shows you how to do this in great detail and get perfect results. In this video he shows you how to use his exclusive jig to make it easy to install long trim without any help!
What would it be like to have clothing that killed microbes? Or paper that repelled pathogens? A research team from Rutgers University has developed a prototype out of metalized paper to zap the bad guys without being super expensive. Sound good? Read on.
In this year of everything going virtual and remote, it makes even more sense now that Hollywood is leaning heavily on augmented reality. In this case, it's HBO using AR to promote its highly-acclaimed original programming.
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to gift wrap using recycled material. The materials need for this project are: a potato, large paper bag, tape, ribbon and paint. Begin by cutting the potato in half and draw a simple shape onto the sliced surface of the potato. Then cut out the negative part of the shape with a knife. Now open the bottom of the paper bag and cut down the side so that it lays flat. Then brush some paint onto the potato stamp and press it down along the paper to form a...
This quick tip shows one way of using the material attributes window to preview your material on different objects. It also takes a look at using and setting up the content browser. Whether you're new to MAXON's popular 3D modeling application or are just looking to get better acquainted with Cinema 4D and its various features and functions, you're sure to enjoy this free video software tutorial. For more information, and to get started using the material attributes window in your own Cinema ...
Mike demonstrates how to create seamless tileable textures using just Photoshop. In episode #40, Mike used a Photoshop plugin called imageSynth to create similar textures of organic materials. However, in this episode, Mike explains how its probably better to use Photoshop alone when it comes to more rigid textures such as wood and tile. These textures can then be applied to your SketchUp models. See how to create perfect, detailed wood, tile, and other floor textures in Photoshop for use in ...
In this clip, you'll learn how to create a new material resource when using MS Project 2010. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular project management application or are just looking to better acquaint yourself with the Project 2010 workflow, you're sure to benefit from this free video software tutorial from Lynda. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
This clip will walk you through how to create a procedural tile material in 3D Studio Max. It also covers composite materials, masks and noises. Whether you're new to Autodesk's popular modeling software or a seasoned 3D artist just looking to better acquaint yourself with the application, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, take a look!
Learn how to take use the Slate material editor in 3ds Max 2011. Whether you're new to Autodesk's popular modeling software or a seasoned 3D artist just looking to better acquaint yourself with the 3ds Max 2011 workflow, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, and to get started using the Slate tool in your own 3ds Max 2011 projects, watch this free video guide.
In this tutorial, we learn how to work with the mia_material shader tool in Maya 2011. Whether you're new to Autodesk's popular modeling software or a seasoned 3D artist just looking to better acquaint yourself with the Maya 2011 workflow, you're sure to be well served by this video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, watch this video guide.
In this tutorial, learn how to make your own fabric that you can use to make bags, clothing and many more items! Etsy Labs technician, Anda Lewis shows you how to fuse plastic bags (from the grocery store or trash bags) in this quick clip. You can even use these bags to create your own reusable, Earth friendly shopping bag!
Make beautiful presents using materials around the house with simple gift wrapping techniques. Learn how to wrap presents with aluminum foil, wax paper, cheesecloth, and more in this free arts and crafts video series.
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a char cloth. The materials required for this process are: cloth, container and tinder. The cloth must be made of any woven, cotton material. Begin by placing the cloth into a container. The container should be a metal material. Then close the container and make a while on top to allow the smoke and flames to escape. Leave the container in some fire and wait for it to finish. Then take it to cool and take out the cloth. Now strike some spark o...
This two-part video is designed for people who are very familiar with CINEMA 4D. When you're using CINEMA 4D, you can setup channels for export to compositing applications, but sometimes a material change is more efficient and easier. In this first part, you will learn how to set up a material tag on any shape that contains a CAP or a ROUNDING feature. In the second part you'll create some quick buffers (a trick which is especially useful when creating some alpha channels from animated MoGrap...
This time Jason Welsh imports a mesh into the Unreal Engine 3.0 for Gears of War and makes a special material for the object. The Material editor is huge in unreal editor so don't get lost!
In this how to video, you will learn how to work with standard materials in 3D Studio Max. The material editor is found by clicking the multicolored button to the right. You can see sample spheres where you can see examples of materials. Below, you can see surface properties such as shaders and ambient colors. You can select the type of material to be applied here. You can select the standard material to get familiar with it. First, decide the shaders. Blend is the default shader, although th...
This video tutorial goes into how to set up composite textures for terrain when designing a landscape using Autodesk 3ds Max. Part Two then goes into some issues that users have had exporting their ADT terrain, and addresses the solutions to these problems.
Watch this instructional model making video to make miniature roof thatching and tree material for dioramas, architectural models, Warhammer and game terrain. There are several kinds of scouring pads, craft fiber sheets, and fibers for constructing miniature trees and bushes. You can punch roof shingles out of cardboard for very convincing shingled roof.
Make a photo-realistic chrome material in 3D Studio Max.
In this video we learn how to remove door material to install a mortise lock. If you live in an older home where you have to take out a chunk of the door to change the lock, there are ways to prevent doing this. First take a spade bit and slide it over the lock. After this, take the mortise lock and hold it so it's flush with the door. Go below the hole and above the closest obstruction and put a mark. On the back measure slightly beyond what it would take for this to bottom out. Once you hav...
If you're a fan of remote control vehicles or plan on taking up the hobby, you'll need to know some tricks and tips. From putting together the tires for your vehicle to properly painting certain parts of the car.
This tutorial won't necessarily work for multiplayer mode, but you can set up a hack in Minecraft that will let you instantly create a block of whatever substance you are trying to get. This is a very easy mod that anyone can do.
Band bios have a cherished place in the world of band promotional material. A killer one can do wonders for cultivating your image among your fans and potential employers. This video will give you tips for writing a killer band biography that will get you noticed.