October CVS Report: Sculpt mode, fluids and much more …

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Fluids - CVS October ReportWell, with October coming to an end, its time for a new CVS report. Everyone wants to know what happened during the past month.

You might have been wondering why I haven’t posted this already, the reason is really simple, we decided to include some features added to the CVS during this weekend and also generate the proper builds for testing.

Well, the delay was because sculpt tool was added to the CVS on the 6th of November and we decided it should be on our report. Along with it came a feature also added in November, fluids improvements. But we will get there in a minute.

And if you haven’t yet read my previous report, you really should, since I sum what happened since 2.42a got out.

This article will only focus on changes since my last post.

So, lets get to it.

Python Scripts:

  • New Script added, “Render Billboard Script”. More about it here.
  • Added a new script – “Dump All Images to Path”. More about it here.
  • Tri2Quad script removed, functionality merged into Blender as proper C code, using the F key. More about it here.

General:

  • Grouped hooks selection added. More about it here and here.
  • “Shift + O” now cycles between proportional and random proportional. More about it here.
  • “Shift + Del” combination was added to delete an object from all scenes. More about it here.
  • Clicking on a constraint in the outliner now shows object buttons. More about it here.
  • Added a new empty draw type – single arrow. More about it here.
  • Snapping improvements, not much to see yet, but … More about it here.
  • New Hotkey “P”, Parent Bones “Pose Mode” and “Edit Mode”. More about it here.
  • Tablet support in Windows. More about it here and here.

Libraries:

  • Added Verse master-server functionality. Important reading, more about it here.
    • Server list is available in outliner (new mode “Verse Servers”).
    • Verse sessions are now also in new mode “Verse Sessions” in outliner.
    • In user preferences System & OpenGL master-server ip setting (default master.uni-verse.org).
    • In File>Verse entry “Get Servers” to get server list.
    • RMB on “Available Verse Servers” in outliner to “Refresh” server list.
  • Softbodies improvements in self-collision, faster now. More about it here and here.
  • Bullet 2 now in CVS, but doesn’t yet build with Blender, too many changes happened. More about it here, here and here.
  • Fluids, major improvements. Important reading, more about it here. Compare image here and videos here and here.
    • New: isosurface subdivision (directly).
    • New: fluidsim particles (extended model for particle simulation and generation).
    • New: particle loading (different types of particles can now be selected for display: drops, floats and tracers).
    • New: moving objects impact factor (this is another tweaking option).

Lighting:

  • New shadow feature: Irregular Shadow Buffers. More info reported here at BlenderNation, but also here and here.
  • New shadow feature: Halfway Average. More about it here and here.

CAD:

  • 3D View, several CAD related improvements. Important reading, more about it here.

Compositor:

  • File Output node now has Min/Max frame for wich to write files. More about it here.
  • New Curves Widget option, mostly to be more friendly when used in the compositor, but you should read the log here.

Modifiers:

  • Curve Modifier now has it’s own X/Y/Z axis deform direction settings. More about it here.

Render:

  • Render window now zooms with mousewheel and pgup pgdwn. More about it here.

Sequencer:

  • Added basic transform capabilities (rotate, scale, shift) to the sequencer. More about it here.
  • Sequencer Z Buffer support. More about it here.

Animation:

  • Added two new NLA & Armature editing features. Important reading, more about it here and here.
    • Forward cycling and matching. Image here and video here.
    • Action Modifiers (motion deformers). Videos here and here.
  • Added button in Armature options panel to set custom bone drawing on/off. More about it here.
  • Added NLA Strip “Mute” option, to temporally disable a strip. More about it here.
  • NLA window now follows visibility for scene layers, cleaning up complex files quite some. More about it here.

Modeling:

  • Added Google Summer of Code sculptmode/multires/retopo tools. More about it here.

Speculation area…

And again, my Speculation area… things that may or may not happen…

  • Addison-Wesley seems to be interested in a blender-python book.
  • Python API may be scheduled for a revamp, so it can be better and cleaner.
  • A company named Zabaware seems to interested in using Blenders Game Engine as their base 3D Engine.
  • klockwork.com provided some code analysis on Blender code, allowing to discover potential bugs, some already fixed.
  • Release as been scheduled for December, perhaps a Christmas present :) .
  • Release targets defined were: sculpt, nodes improvements, + other stuff in patch tracker, + render layers improvements, depsgraph work.
  • Major projects have been postponed for next release, with a possible new number, 2.5x .
  • UPDATE: BCon schedules proposed: bcon2 November 15th(no more inclusions), bcon3 around December 4th, bcon4 Dec 24th Christmas release ??
  • Particles refactoring is on the works as reported here at BlenderNation.
  • Cloth modifier was delayed again.
  • Andrea hopes to have an Image Browser patch soon.

More, even more…

Along with this report the team at Blender Builds compiled a set of binaries for all of you to test these new features.
There are builds for all tastes: Windows, Linux and Mac OS X (ppc and intel). Optimized, non-optimized and debug binaries too.

You can get the builds here.

Have fun.

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    • Thomas Vecchione

      Hmm interesting stuff there, might have to try out one of those builds, if for no other reason then the very basic CAD improvements. I like the flexible unit reassignment, heads or feet;) Bad Pun Intended.

      Seablade

      Looking forward to the next release

    • http://omarmodesto.tripod.com Omar Modesto

      Yep, nothing better than a Blender release for a Xmas present.

    • alabandit

      i already know that i don’t know half the features in blender :( now there going to be so many theres no way i ever know all the features … some how this makes me happy

    • Gradir

      Arrr, different colors of background when using ‘key’ rendering still not available, only black :/

    • Laughing Cheese

      Holy cow :eek:

    • Morris

      They HAVE been buisy :)

    • tom

      see the last meeting minutes, we have rescheduled the BCon dates to two weeks later…

      LetterRip

    • simhar

      weren’t there any improvements with hair-strand-rendering and a dof-node???

      what a pity… ))-;
      s.

    • simhar
    • IBKanat

      Nice build…. feels like Christmas already :)

    • Mariolink

      Little question.
      What do they mean with depsgraph work?
      Is it like a proper working constraint driver, as it didn’t update real time with constraint drivers…

      Mariolink

    • ccherrett

      fluid sim looks awesome!

    • Big Fan

      Great new stuff there! 2.43 will be another great release.
      I am hopeful that still more patches can be included too..
      and before anyone says it …
      I do know it is a lot of work for Ton to review and polish them up and to be patient :o)

    • toontje

      HA! I remember having heated conversations with Letterip about everestimating the release cycles this year. He said something in the affect of a new version would be released every 3 months. The new features and the planned features were just too big and complex to certify a 3 month release cycle.

      The new fluid enhancement is cool though. The last step should that the fluid should react to the falling droplets.

      And is there no news about the new DOF nodes on steroids?

    • http://www.ruicampos.com rcas

      To everyone, already some new patches are already in CVS, seemed like a week has passed with so much CVS logs, so, don’t worry, there will be even more things to report next month….

      @Letterrip: Sorry, missed that, will update the post.

    • http://www.ruicampos.com rcas

      @Letterrip: Updated the dates now :) .

    • Michael Crawford

      @gradir: with key alpha it does not matter what the background color is. it’s alpha 0. Why would you want a different color?

      if it’s because you want to blur, first alpha over with the background you are going to composite over, then assign the original alpha to the result with a “set alpha” node. than take that result and blur it. That will make sure you get no black halo if that’s why you want to change the color.

    • LetterRip

      toontje,

      I don’t recall any ‘heated’ discussion with you. Our ideal is 3-4 releases a year which is a 4 month to 3 month release cycle, both are quite accomplishable. The release cycle doesn’t have very much to do with complexity of features implemented since only rarely has a single feature or rewrite required longer than 2 months to achieve.

      This release cycle has taken a bit longer (total time since the last release will be 5 months instead of 4) but not because of technical issues but that many core developers had more outside commitments than usual and that Ton had an administrative backlog and need for rest after Orange and Siggraph.

      LetterRip

    • http://blender-archi.ovh.org Eon

      Thanks for reporting CVS news !

    • http://www.ruicampos.com rcas

      @MarioLink: Its an internal system to make things respond to events, instead of having to be checking periodically if something changed. This way is faster and doesn’t waste resources. But I’m not the best person to answer this. Try Wikipedia or even Google for it.

      @Eon: No problem, I guess I’m making easier for Ton to do the Release Log, hehe, or not ….

    • TX_RX

      Fantastic! Looks like a great update. Many thanks for the CVS updates!

      No other 3d software in the world has these constant improvements and it’s testimony to Ton and the rest of the blender devs [and the community!] that the feature set of Blender rivals the most expensive, clunky and somewhat tired looking software out there. I thought the Node system was a brilliant addition and to see it growing at such a rate fills my open-source heart with joy. Congrats to all on the Opensource awards as well!

    • okchoir

      Captain, so many changes, and the boilers are running red hot. I think she’s gonna blow!

      At ease, Scotty. We have the Blender aboard.

    • http://www.osysi.net Bmud

      My first reaction to the sequencer getting rotate was “what?! You can’t do that to a film strip.. that doesn’t make any sense” but the more i thought about, i get it now. whew. I’ma go play!

    • http://www.konrad-haenel.de konrad8ha

      “The Blender strikes again.” Another update that will take forever to fully leverage as an artist. At this rate Blender will become incredibly powerful in only a few years.

    • stinky wizzleteet

      I…
      I…
      [drops to knees]
      I cannot believe it !

      [throws hands in the air]
      Snap-To-Grid !
      Halleluyah !

      The moment I hear there is a Snap-To-Mesh I will wet myself

      OMG
      OMG
      this is so cool

      I will not see Theeth without Halo

      All hail Theeth

      Plus the CAD improvements allow me to *almost* import buildings in millimeter units

      wzzl

    • http://applegrew.blogspot.com/ AppleGrew

      Wuuuu. The list is pretty long. :)

    • http://www.instinctive.de Alexander Ewering

      @stinky whatever: Didn’t Blender have snap to grid since… 1.7?

    • Rave

      This is intersting, but if blender’s coders add more features to blender GE it will be more interesting. These features should be added to GE:

      - Rendered movies without adding planes, animated textures, and other like it tricks.
      - More optimized code for games with many vertexes
      - and simple creating the mirror effect in GE (RayyMirror does not work).

      And last I very sorry for my poor English, but I’m form Poland.

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