Uses
A fairly exhaustive roundup of the tools, software, gadgets, and resources I rely on daily for my design and coding tasks. Oh, and yes, that's a Johnny Mnemonic GIF playing in the backdrop.
Design
- Figma has become my go-to for UI design recently. I transitioned from Sketch in 2020 and haven't had any regrets.
- For motion graphics, I rely on Adobe After Effects. I've yet to discover a non-Adobe alternative that matches its capabilities. If anyone knows of one, please message me.
- For my 3D models I use Blender. Ever since the 2.8 update, its usability has improved significantly, often outshining pricier tools like 3DS Max or Maya in many aspects.
Development
- I use Visual Studio Code for my coding needs, I use the Atom One Dark theme, coupled with the Operator Mono font.
- I primarily use Firefox for development tasks and everyday browsing.
- React is my preferred front-end JavaScript framework. Its component-based structure resonates with me as a developer, as well as a designer.
- For 3D effects and image shaders I use three.js. While it takes some time to grasp, its capabilities allow for truly impressive results.
- In the realm of CSS, I've experimented with numerous pre-processors and CSS-in-JS tools, including styled-components, but these days I'm using vanilla CSS with PostCSS to get upcoming CSS features today.
- For Javascript animations I use Framer Motion, it's an excellent method to incorporate spring animations into React and three.js.
- When constructing and evaluating UI components individually, I rely on Storybook.
Hardware
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5800x |
|---|---|
| GPU | MSI Gaming X Trio RTX 3080 |
| Memory | GSkill 32GB DDR4 3600mhz CAS 18 |
| Motherboard | MSI B550 Tomahawk |
| Monitor | 1440p IPS 144hz LG 27GL850 |
| Keyboard | Logitech MX Keys |
| Mouse | Logitech G403 |
| Laptop | Macbook Pro 14″ (2022 M1 Max) |
| Headphones | Audio Technica ATH-M50x/Apple Airpods |
| Microphone | Blue Yeti |