Part 1 – Announcing Babylon.js 7.0

Our mission is to build one of the most powerful, beautiful, simple, and open web rendering engines in the world, and we are excited to announce that mission takes another step forward today, with Babylon.js 7.0.

Babylon.js 7.0 is a celebration of a year’s worth of new features, optimizations, and performance improvements that unlock new capabilities for web developers everywhere.

So, let’s dive in and see what new goodness awaits you.

Procedural Geometry (Node Geometry)

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Babylon.js now features procedural geometry. We call it “Node Geometry.” An advanced system that allows you to create procedural geometry using a non-destructive node tree system.

If you’re already familiar with Babylon’s Node Material and the Node Material Editor (NME), then you’ll feel right at home in the Node Geometry Editor. This simple to use tool lets you assemble a non-destructive geometry tree, allowing you to create anything from tiny geometric variations to entire procedural worlds/landscapes.

Procedural geometry offers the ability to create complex geometry at run/build time. This means that the end-user doesn’t have to download large 3D assets. Instead, the local machines/devices can use the CPU to create those assets. This means rather than requiring your web visitors to download hundreds of MBs worth of 3D assets, they can instead download a few KBs worth of Node Geometry data and allow their own machine to create the geometry. This adds a tremendous layer of flexibility for creators to offer the perfect loading/performance optimization for their unique web experience!

There’s really no better way to experience all that Node Geometry will offer other than for you to dive in and try it out yourself!

Try it out yourself: Node Geometry Editor

Check out a demo: https://aka.ms/babylon7NgeDemo

Learn more: https://aka.ms/babylon7NgeDoc

Global Illumination

Empowering web creators to conjure up more beautiful and immersive experiences is a foundational part of the Babylon Mission. With Babylon.js 7.0, we are excited to introduce support for basic Global Illumination. This highly desired and advanced feature allows Babylon.js scenes to render even more lifelike experiences by allowing light and shadows to “bounce” around environments in a way that much closer matches reality.

Global Illumination represents a major advancement in web rendering and, just like everything that comes with Babylon.js 7.0, is completely free and open source. To truly appreciate the beauty this adds to scenes, you just need to check it out.

Global Illumination demo: https://aka.ms/babylon7GIDemo

Learn more here: https://aka.ms/babylon7GIDoc

Gaussian Splat Rendering

Gaussian Splatting is a new technique to capture and display volumetric data using Neural Radiance Fields, point clouds and billboards. In more simple terms, it’s an advanced way of allowing people to capture and display the real world with a level of unmatched visual fidelity and performance.

Babylon.js 7.0 adds support for rendering Gaussian Splats on the web, across all devices, running at 60 fps!

Try it out: https://aka.ms/babylon7GSplatDemo

Learn more here: https://aka.ms/babylon7GSplatDoc

Ragdoll Physics

Babylon.js 7.0 builds on the momentum (see what we did there?) of Havok physics support in Babylon, by adding support for ragdoll animation. This allows any skeletal rigged asset to collapse and flop around with limp lifelessness at the push of a button. What are you waiting for? Try it out!

Try it here: https://aka.ms/babylon7RagdollDemo

Learn more here: https://aka.ms/babylon7RagdollDoc

Those are just some of the main features of Babylon.js 7.0, there is much more! Tune in for next posts and learn more about WebXR, glTF and animation advancements, up to the incredible contributions from the community.

Source: Windows Blog






Visions of Mana - Gameplay Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games

Visions of Mana – Gameplay Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games

Visions of Mana - Gameplay Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games

https://store.playstation.com/concept/10008215

Experience a brand-new Mana adventure! Brace yourself for fast-paced, multi-dimensional battles. Switch between teammates and use the magic power of the Elementals to unleash powerful abilities to overcome your foes.

Visions of Mana launches Summer 2024 on PlayStation 5 and PS4.

#ps5 #ps5games #ps4 #ps4games

Source: Playstation YouTube






Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III & Warzone - GxK Bundle Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III & Warzone – GxK Bundle Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III & Warzone - GxK Bundle Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games

https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-iii/

Kings will rule. To celebrate Godzilla x Kong in theaters tonight, rise up and smash your competition with new Titan bundles coming to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III & Warzone.

#ps5 #ps5games #ps4 #ps4games #cod #callofdutymodernwarfare3 #godzillavskong

Source: Playstation YouTube






Ghostbusters Rise of the Ghost Lord - Frozen Empire Launch Trailer | PS VR2 Games

Ghostbusters Rise of the Ghost Lord – Frozen Empire Launch Trailer | PS VR2 Games

Ghostbusters Rise of the Ghost Lord - Frozen Empire Launch Trailer | PS VR2 Games

https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/ghostbusters-rise-of-the-ghost-lord/

The Frozen Empire mission pack is now available in Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord!

Visit the iconic Ghostbusters firehouse in New York, wield the original Ghostbusters’ equipment, bust new ghosts, and prepare for the ultimate test of your ghostbusting skills in a chilling final showdown.

Legendary Ghostbuster Dr. Ray Stantz is calling. Will you answer?

Play Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord today! https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/ghostbusters-rise-of-the-ghost-lord/

#ps5 #psvr2 #psvr2games #ghostbusters

Source: Playstation YouTube






Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26090 (Canary and Dev Channels)

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26090 (Canary and Dev Channels)

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26090 to the Canary and Dev Channels.

The Canary and Dev Channels receiving the same builds is only temporaryDuring the times in which the Canary and Dev Channels are on the same builds (e.g. Build 26090), the window is open for Insiders in the Canary Channel to switch to the Dev Channel. In the near future, the Canary Channel will jump to higher build numbers and the window will be closed so make your choice on which channel to be in soon!

NOTE: Some features may begin rolling out to the Canary Channel first before the Dev Channel even if the two channels have the same build.

What’s new in Build 26090

Widgets board improvements

We are restarting the rollout of the Widgets board improvements that originally began rolling out with Build 26058 to Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel. Those improvements include introducing a new navigation bar on the left allowing you to switch between a dedicated widgets dashboard and other integrated dashboards like Discover. Give it a try and let us know what you think using the feedback button at the top of the board.

We’ve added a new Navigation Pane on the left that allows you to switch to My Widgets dashboard.

We’ve added a new Navigation Pane on the left that allows you to switch to My Widgets dashboard.

A full widgets only experience from your favorite apps and services.

A full widgets only experience from your favorite apps and services.

[We are beginning to roll this out to Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel today, so the experience isn’t available to all Insiders just yet.]

FEEDBACK: Please file feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Desktop Environment > Widgets.

More Server Message Block (SMB) protocol changes

Starting with Build 26085 and higher, we are introducing the following Server Message Block (SMB) protocol changes for QUIC, signing, and encryption.

SMB over QUIC client disable: Administrators can now disable the SMB over QUIC client with Group Policy and PowerShell. To disable SMB over QUIC using PowerShell, run the following command in an elevated console:

  • Set-SmbClientConfiguration -EnableSMBQUIC $false

To disable SMB over QUIC using Group Policy, use GPMC.MSC or GPEDIT.MSC to configure the following setting:

  • Computer Configuration Administrative Templates Network Lanman Workstation Enable SMB over QUIC

SMB over QUIC client connection auditing: Successful SMB over QUIC client connection events are now written to the event log to include the QUIC transport. You can view these events using EVENTVWR.MSC under the following path:

  • Applications and Services Logs Microsoft Windows SMBClient Connectivity (Event ID: 30832)

SMB signing and encryption auditing: Administrators can now enable auditing of the SMB server and client for support of SMB signing and encryption. This shows if a third-party client or server doesn’t support  SMB encryption or signing. You can configure these settings with PowerShell and Group Policy. To configure SMB client or server signing or encryption auditing using Group Policy, use GPMC.MSC or GPEDIT.MSC to configure the following settings:

  • Computer Configuration Administrative Templates Network Lanman Workstation Audit server does not support encryption
  • Computer Configuration Administrative Templates Network Lanman Workstation Audit server does not support signing
  • Computer Configuration Administrative Templates Network Lanman Server Audit client does not support encryption
  • Computer Configuration Administrative Templates Network Lanman Server Audit client does not support signing

To disable SMB over QUIC using PowerShell, run the following command in an elevated console:

  • Set-SmbClientConfiguration -AuditServerDoesNotSupportEncryption $true
  • Set-SmbClientConfiguration -AuditServerDoesNotSupportSigning $true
  • Set-SmbServerConfiguration -AuditClientDoesNotSupportEncryption $true
  • Set-SmbServerConfiguration -AuditClientDoesNotSupportSigning $true

You can view these events using EVENTVWR.MSC under the following paths:

  • Applications and Services Logs Microsoft Windows SMBClient Audit (Event ID: 31998 and Event ID: 31999)
  • Applications and Services Logs Microsoft Windows SMBServer Audit (Event ID: 3021 and Event ID: 3022)

For more information on SMB over QUIC in Windows and Windows Server Insider Preview builds, review https://aka.ms/SMBoverQUICServer and https://aka.ms/SmbOverQuicCAC.

For more information on SMB signing and encryption in Windows and Windows Server Insider Preview builds, review https://aka.ms/SmbSigningRequired and https://aka.ms/SmbClientEncrypt.

Changes and Improvements

[General]

  • The build watermark at the lower right-hand corner of the desktop is not present in this build and will return in future Insider Preview builds. This is part of our normal process for preparing Windows 11, version 24H2 for release to customers later this year – but does not mean we’re done. Windows 11, version 24H2, will be this year’s annual feature update.As mentioned here, Windows 11 will have an annual feature update cadence that releases in the second half of the calendar year.

[Copilot in Windows*]

  • You can ask Copilot in Windows (in preview) for help ten times when you sign in to Windows using a local account. After that, you must sign in using a Microsoft account (MSA) or a Microsoft Entra IDaccount (formerly Azure Active Directory (Azure AD)). To sign in, use the link in the dialog that appears in Copilot in Windows. If you do not sign in, some Copilot features might not work. To learn more, see Welcome to Copilot in Windows and Manage Copilot in Windows.

[Settings]

  • The redesigned version of the Delivery Optimization settings page under Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Delivery Optimization that was first introduced in Build 25987 has been reverted to the previous design starting with Build 26085. We plan to bring back this redesigned settings page in a future flight after fixing some bugs. Thanks to Insiders for all the feedback on this!

Fixes for known issues

[General]

  • Fixed an issue which was causing video stutters in some apps (and possibly impacting FPS in some games) in the previous flight.

[Taskbar & System Tray]

  • Fixed an explorer.exe crash that was impacting taskbar reliability.

[File Explorer]

  • Fixed an issue causing some Insiders to see File Explorer unexpectedly using the previous design and have no tabs in the latest builds.

[Task Manager]

  • Fixed an issue where Task Manager was holding onto process handles sometimes, leading to processes not stopping when you closed apps if you’d had Task Manager open.

[Windowing]

  • Fixed an underlying issue which was causing the bottom half of secondary monitors to be unusable sometimes in recent builds (app windows wouldn’t maximize to that area).
  • Fixed an explorer.exe crash which was happening for some Insiders recently when dragging windows.

Known issues

[General]

  • [IMPORTANT NOTE] We are investigating reports that some Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels are stuck on Build 26040 or Build 23620. The investigation is ongoing, however if you are impacted by this and really want to get onto the latest build in the Canary or Dev Channel today – you can download the latest ISO here and do a clean install and opt your device back into flighting in the Canary or Dev Channels.
  • [NEW] We’ve seen some Insiders report that shutdown is still not working on their PCs after Build 26085 and are working on a fix.

[Copilot in Windows*]

  • Voice access does not work reliably with the updated Copilot in Windows experience that introduces the ability for Copilot to act like a normal application.
  • Using Windows Ink to write in Copilot will not work with the updated Copilot in Windows experience that introduces the ability for Copilot to act like a normal application window.
  • When Copilot in Windows is docked and resized to a large width, Copilot does not always fill the width of the panel. Resizing Copilot usually fixes this issue.
  • With the updated Copilot in Windows experience that introduces the ability for Copilot to act like a normal application window, you may not be able to bring focus to the “…” or refresh buttons within Copilot when using a keyboard (ex: by using tab to cycle through buttons).

For developers

You can download the latest Windows Insider SDK at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk.

SDK NuGet packages are now also flighting at NuGet Gallery | WindowsSDK which include:

These NuGet packages provide more granular access to the SDK and better integration in CI/CD pipelines.

SDK flights are now published for both the Canary and Dev Channels, so be sure to choose the right version for your Insider Channel.

Remember to use adaptive code when targeting new APIs to make sure your app runs on all customer machines, particularly when building against the Dev Channel SDK. Feature detection is recommended over OS version checks, as OS version checks are unreliable and will not work as expected in all cases.

Reminders for Windows Insiders

  • The Canary and Dev Channels receive builds with features and experiences that may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. Features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders. Some of these features and experiences could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.
  • Many features in the Canary and Dev Channel are rolled out using Control Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and ramping up over time as we monitor feedback to see how they land before pushing them out to everyone in these channels.
  • As the Canary and Dev Channels receive the same builds, some features may begin rolling out to the Canary Channel first before the Dev Channel.
  • While the Canary Channel is now on Windows 11, version 24H2, this is just temporary. At some point in the future, the Canary Channel will jump ahead to receiving new builds not matched to any specific release in a higher build series.
  • To get off the Canary or Dev Channel, a clean install of Windows 11 will be required. As a reminder – Insiders can’t switch to a channel that is receiving builds with lower build numbers without doing a clean installation of Windows 11 due to technical setup requirements.
  • The desktop watermark shown at the lower right corner of the desktop is normal for these pre-release builds.
  • Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.
  • Copilot in Windows* in preview is being rolled out gradually to Windows Insiders in select global markets. The initial markets for the Copilot in Windows preview include North America, United Kingdom and parts of Asia and South America. It is our intention to add additional markets over time.

Thanks,
Amanda & Brandon

Source: Windows Blog