Tim Nugent

Paris Buttfield-Addison

Jon Manning

Simulation and synthesis are core parts of the future of AI and machine learning. Consider: programmers, data scientists, and machine learning engineers can create the brain of a self-driving car without the car. Rather than use information from the real world, you can synthesize artificial data using simulations to train traditional machine learning models.That’s just the beginning. With this practical book, you’ll explore the possibilities of simulation- and synthesis-based machine learning and AI, concentrating on deep reinforcement learning and imitation learning techniques. AI and ML are increasingly data driven, and simulations are a powerful, engaging way to unlock their full potential. You'll learn how to: Design an approach for solving ML and AI problems using simulations with the Unity engine Use a game engine to synthesize images for use as training data Create simulation environments designed for training deep reinforcement learning and imitation learning models Use and apply efficient general-purpose algorithms for simulation-based ML, such as proximal policy optimization Train a variety of ML models using different approaches Enable ML tools to work with industry-standard game development tools, using PyTorch, and the Unity ML-Agents and Perception Toolkits

Practical Simulations for Machine Learning

What will you learn from this book? Swift is best known as Apple's programming language of choice for developing apps on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. But it's far more versatile than that. Open source Swift is also gaining ground as a language for systems programming and server-side code, and it runs on Linux and Windows. So where do you start? With Head First Swift, you'll explore from the ground up: from collecting and controlling data to reusing code, producing custom data types, and structuring programs and user interfaces with SwiftUI by building safe, protocol-driven code. With Swift under your belt, you'll be ready to build everything from mobile and web apps to games, frameworks, command-line tools, and beyond. What's so special about this book? If you've read a Head First book, you know what to expect--a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. If you haven't, you're in for a treat. With this book, you'll learn Swift through a multisensory experience that engages your mind rather than a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.

Head First Swift

Find out how to use the Unity Game Engine to its fullest for both 3D and 2D game development—from the basics to the hottest new tricks in virtual reality. With this unique cookbook, you’ll get started in two ways: First, you’ll learn about the Unity game engine by following very brief exercises that teach specific features of the software Second, this tutorial-oriented guide provides a collection of snippets that solve common gameplay problems, like determining if a player has completed a lap in a race Using our cookbook format, we pinpoint the problem, set out the solution, and discuss how to solve your problem in the best and most straightforward way possible so you can move onto the next step in the project. Unity Game Development Cookbook is ideal for beginning to intermediate Unity developers. Beginners will get a broad immersion into the Unity development environment, while intermediate developers will learn how to apply the foundational Unity skills they have to solve real game development problems.

Essentials for Every Game

Unity Game Development Cookbook

Mars Geldard

Create and implement AI-based features in your Swift apps for iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. With this practical book, programmers and developers of all kinds will find a one-stop shop for AI and machine learning with Swift. Taking a task-based approach, you'll learn how to build features that use powerful AI features to identify images, make predictions, generate content, recommend things, and more. AI is increasingly essential for every developer-and you don't need to be a data scientist or mathematician to take advantage of it in your apps. Explore Swift-based AI and ML techniques for building applications. Learn where and how AI-driven features make sense. Inspect tools such as Apple's Python-powered Turi Create and Google's Swift for TensorFlow to train and build models. I: Fundamentals and Tools- Learn AI basics, our task-based approach, and discover how to build or find a dataset. II: Task Based AI- Build vision, audio, text, motion, and augmentation-related features; learn how to convert preexisting models. III: Beyond- Discover the theory behind task-based practice, explore AI and ML methods, and learn how you can build it all from scratch ... if you want to.

Practical Artificial Intelligence with Swift

Simulation and synthesis are core parts of the future of AI and machine learning. Consider: programmers, data scientists, and machine learning engineers can create the brain of a self-driving car without the car. Rather than use information from the real world, you can create artificial data using simulations to train traditional machine learning models. That's just the beginning. With this practical book, you'll explore the possibilities of simulation- and synthesis-based machine learning and AI, with a focus on deep reinforcement learning and imitation learning techniques. AI and ML are increasingly data driven, and simulations are a powerful, engaging way to unlock their full potential. With this deeply practical book, you'll learn how to: Design an approach for solving ML and AI problems using simulations Use a game engine to synthesize images for use as training data Create simulation environments designed for training deep reinforcement learning and imitation learning Use and apply efficient general-purpose algorithms for simulation-based ML, such as proximal policy optimization (PPO) and soft actor-critic (SAO) Train ML models locally, concurrently, and in the cloud Use PyTorch, TensorFlow, the Unity ML-Agents and Perception Toolkits to enable ML tools to work with industry-standard game development tools

Using Synthetic Data for AI

Get valuable hands-on experience with Swift 3, the latest version of Apple’s programming language. With this practical guide, skilled programmers with little or no knowledge of Apple development will learn how to code with Swift 3 by developing three complete, tightly linked versions of the Notes application for the OS X, iOS, and watchOS platforms. In the process, you’ll learn Swift’s fundamentals, including its syntax and features, along with the basics of the Cocoa, CocoaTouch, and WatchKit frameworks. This book teaches you how to use common design patterns for Swift, how to structure an application for Apple’s platforms, and how to submit working apps to the App Store. Divided into four distinct parts, this book includes: Swift 2 basics: Learn Swift’s basic building blocks and features for object-oriented development OS X app development: Set up the document model, build out features, and sync data with iCloud iOS app development: Use multimedia, contacts, location, notifications, and iCloud files to build a fully featured iOS Notes app Advanced app extensions: Build an Apple Watch app, and learn how to debug, monitor, and test all three of your Swift apps

Building Apps for macOS, iOS, and Beyond

Learning Swift

Apple Watch is the sort of science-fiction gadget that people used to dream about as kids. What kinds of apps do you envision for this new device? If you’re comfortable using OS X, Xcode, and iOS—and familiar with Swift—this concise book shows you the basics of building your own apps for this wrist-mounted computer with Apple’s WatchKit framework. You’ll learn what an Apple Watch is, what it isn’t, and how and why people might interact with apps you build for it. This practical guide also examines the type of apps most suitable for this device, and shows you how to be a good citizen in the iOS/Watch ecosystem. Learn the Watch app lifecycle, and understand how these apps interact with the user’s iPhone Build a Watch app and its iOS counterpart by adding controls, working with multiple screens, and sharing data Design a simple glance, the non-interactive Watch component that provides quick-look information Add functionality to the notification system, including actionable items, and display them on the Watch face Design and build complications, Watch-face gadgets that can display quick snapshots of information, including future events with Time Travel

An Intro to the WatchKit Framework, Glances, and Notifications

Swift Development for the Apple Watch

Alasdair Allan

Paul Fenwick

Kerbal Space Program (KSP) is a critically acclaimed, bestselling space flight simulator game. It’s making waves everywhere from mainstream media to the actual space flight industry, but it has a bit of a learning curve. In this book, five KSP nerds—including an astrophysicist—teach you everything you need to know to get a nation of tiny green people into space. KSP is incredibly realistic. When running your space program, you’ll have to consider delta-V budgets, orbital mechanics, Hohmann transfers, and more. This book is perfect for video game players, simulation game players, Minecrafters, and amateur astronomers. Design, launch, and fly interplanetary rockets Capture an asteroid and fly it into a parking orbit Travel to distant planets and plant a flag Build a moon rover, and jump off a crater ridge Rescue a crew-mate trapped in deep space

The Easiest Way to Launch a Space Program

The Kerbal Player's Guide

FLOCCINAUCINIHILIPILIFICATION, the longest "F" word in the English language, is the habit of estimating something as valueless. This book will help entrepreneurs, side-hustlers and small business owners overcome this common mistake when valuing, pricing and monetizing their products and services. A 15-step value-based pricing canvas will help you understand the value you offer your customers. The four value-based pricing methodologies will make sure you get the price you deserve for the products and services you provide.

Valuing and Monetizing Products and Services

Overcoming Floccinaucinihilipification

Anthony Gray

What will you learn from this book? Apple's new modern programming language, Swift, is slowly becoming the "go to" language for iOS and OS X development. The language will attract existing developers because of its modern features and prototyping tools, and it will attract new developers because of its less-steep learning curve. That said, Swift is deep, and contains many advanced concepts, constructs, and patterns. Developers need a way to learn these new features and understand them in context. Head First is an effective vehicle for this level of teaching, and Head First Swift is no exception. Why does this book look so different? Based on the latest research in cognitive science and learning theory, Head First Swift uses a visually rich format to engage your mind, rather than a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep. Why waste your time struggling with new concepts? This multi-sensory learning experience is designed for the way your brain really works.

Jon Manning

Books

Your next favorite book is out there