2012 Honda Vt750c2b / Shadow Phantom / Phantom Owner`s Manual / New Unused on 2040-parts.com

Reproducing reality – X-Rite’s Total Appearance Capture

Total Appearance Capture isn't some sinister new form of identity theft but a revolutionary method of digitizing physical models using a new scanning technology, with the ability to capture extraordinary detail and all input and output light. The system, from coatings color measurement experts X-Rite, combines color, texture, gloss and other surface characteristics into a digital material ‘description' that can be imported directly to computer-aided design programs. What sets it apart from previously available methods is its ability to collect information on complex materials such as textiles, leather, basketwork, stone, coatings and plated finishes, in a 3D scene lit by a virtual studio environment.

Like it or not, autonomous cars are here -- almost

One of the odder things about living in "the future" is that things develop so gradually, hardly any of the really amazing things we're exposed to every day seem amazing or futuristic. If the iPhone had just appeared from nowhere in 2007, there would have been riots, demonstrations and legislation. But since we had a Blackberry first, and dedicated cellphones before that, the iPhone and its progeny were never quite shocking.

Next-generation Porsche 911 spied frolicking in the snow

The next-generation Porsche 911 is proving to be an alluring target for spy shooters, who have caught coupe and cabriolet versions undergoing snow testing in the dead of night. Chatter is that this new 911, known internally as the 998, will roll out in late 2011 as a 2012 model--which could set it up for a debut at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show. The all-black prototypes look similar to what we