Blender 2.55 Released
The Blender Foundation has just released Blender 2.55, a bug fix release with over 340 fixes!
Links:
- Blender 2.55 Release log (just a big ‘ole 2.5 release log – nothing new here)
- Blender 2.55 Bug Fix List (rather cryptic, to be honest)
- Blender 2.55 Download
Note: 64-bit Linux binaries don’t work yet – an update will follow.
very nice, gotta test it at home…
Yays!
That is quite a list, some serious bug fixing right there! Nice work, I’ll be able to get a reliable edition of a unix build that’ll work on my laptop without me having to update older packages etc!
About the note for Linux 64 binaries, it seems to work well except the “scripts” directory is missing.
You can download it here separately : http://dl.free.fr/jtrznMkq1/scripts.tar.gz
All you have to do is copy that unzipped “scripts” folder to blender-2.55/2.55/, and just write over the existing (but incomplete) “scripts” folder.
For info, the scripts simply came from the 32 bits version, so no worries it’s okay ;).
It seems that the 64 bit intel osx download links aren’ working. I wonder if it’s due to high traffic?
It seems that the 64 bit intel osx download links aren’t working. I wonder if it’s due to high traffic?
cool another release, I am curious just how low do the bugs have to get before Blender is considered stable enough for a final release. The bug count is getting lower each time around.
One thing though, the Linux mirrors are all missing :S
@ebrain
I’m afraid the 64bit version is still not working. After copying your Scripts folder it actually starts (it didn’t without it) but it’s not working – all the panels and controls are empty.
It’s working for some other people, so I assume in your case you will have to wait for a proper fix :).
Thanks for the developers!!
I still can not run Blender!!
I get this message:
“Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime library
Runtime Error!
Program: D:\Aprogam download\blender-2.55-beta-windows32
This application has requested the Runtime to terminate it in an unusual way.
Please contact the application’s support team for more information.”
The only way to make it run is by downloading cp720.py file from here:
http://svn.python.org/view/python/branches/py3k/Lib/encodings/cp720.py?view=markup
and install it in blender folder here:
blender\2.55\python\lib\encodings
I hope the developers will solve this as fast as possible, because it frustrate new users!
I am using Windows XP Pro – SP3
Blender 2.55 from:
http://www.blender.org/download/get-255-beta/
Export to Collada in Linux is still broken :(
Yeah, thanks for coders !!! :)
Have they put the Bevel tool back in yet? :/
Kudos to the devrs :)
A big hug for anyone involved! Thank you!!!
horizontal panel bug fixed?
awesome :D a LOT of stuff fixed :)
Wow, waiting this for a long time. Seems I’ve been missing a lot of things…need to catch up for learning from this week! Thank you for every developer bringing this to us. Must try!
I think we need some colour on the left pane to balance out the icons and colours on the rest of Blender 2.5.
yay >_< i am excited to check it out and i am gonna test some of the things.
“Have they put the Bevel tool back in yet? :/”
There’s an addon for bevel in the official Blender release.
The real hard coded bevel is not getting back any time soon.
Not untill Bmesh is merged to trunk atleast.
Thanks!!
In the Timeline press play then stop and then press the rewind play button you see the green line starts from beginning and not moving backwards i think its a BUG!
Thanks to everyone for their hard work!
I noticed that audio in the Sequencer is not working for me, at least .blends that do work in 2.54 now don’t play back audio… Am I maybe missing some new setting or so…? I do hope that by 2,5.x final (2.6) all the old VSE functionalities will have been brought back to Blender.
Blender (2.49b) is the only programme that I know of that actually allows you to edit video *with sound* on basically all major platforms/share your work across all platforms. (Lightworks is still not fully available at this moment, even once it is, I am not sure if it will be wise to go externally for editing your animation, think pixel aspect ratio and all the fun stuff you might have to deal with…).
If you are a film/video/animation maker basic video/audio editing capabilities are essential for serious productions. I believe we need audio fully working in the Blender VSE (again). Currently I can’t even load the Blender Foundations own Sintel (.ogv) in the VSE for editing/remixing. Neither in 2.49b nor 2.5.x. (All the other h.264 encoded versions are not of interest to me due to the licensing fees for commercial use of h.264 – even when transcoded to another format, don’t think this could not be detected…!)
There are times, e.g. when finishing a project, where you just need to be able to work with a video/audio file, it’s simply not always practical to have to go back to single frames or having to go through the pain (depending on your OS, there are good set-ups!) of using e.g. Jack Audio/Ardour.
Please do not abandon the VSE for actual video editing tasks. If you have to then please make an official statement about it so that people like me would know that we have to move on for certain video post tasks to other solutions.
Again thanks to everyone, this is really just to make sure I don’t keep waiting for something that might not happen due to a change in development priorities. Looking forward to a fully functional Blender 2.6…!!!
thank you very much .
Bring back ocean sim!
Great job devs. Chasing dragons is kid stuff, bug hunting is real heroism.
(Sorry for double posting, @ Bart: I could not see how-to edit my comment, when not logged I see the option to edit but I am not allowed to, when logged in I can’t see the option to edit…?)
To be more precise: I can load Sintel .ogv in 2.49b/2.54/2.55 and actually have sound in all, but the image is only plain grey.
My own audio that works in 2.54 but not in 2.55 is an Audacity exported .wav, 44100 Hz, 16-bit PCM.
Happy to report this as a bug if someone else can conform it!
hm, after starting a smokesime blender gets uncontrollable, no keys work and I can only press gui buttons, not more
Sweet! I see a fix for a specific bug that has really been causing me trouble the past couple days!
One step away from the official stable release.
Can’t’ wait for tree from curve and svg import to be implemented.
Anybody else having problems with selecting vertices when default visibility option in edit mode is activated?
Blender just randomly selects vertices when i try to select a specific vertex :(
Anyways…
Great release! With so many bugs fixed!
— HUGE REQUEST —
In the next release please include the particle 2010 branch, before any 2.6 releases.
From working with a 32bit build of particle branch it “looks like it’s stable enough”. From my quick experiments with it, it looks like it can be used to create procedural animation. Which would be very useful. As well as creating custom rigs, assuming you can share “particle nodes” with different blend files.
So I’d like to request the particle 2010 branch to be merged with trunk.
@indiworks in timeline, open the playback menu and see that it isnt muted, i wanted to try and see how far i could get editing video in 2.55 and first thing i looked for when sound wouldnt play was mute audio in the playback menu, for some reason its ticked on
HELP. I can’t seem to get the new Surface Sketch working. I go to edit mode. delete the vertices of the cube, Then draw to lines with grease pencil.
I am expecting a 10×10 grid plane. but I get nothing.
When I add a plane, subdivide it a couple times, select the end vertices, and draw a line extending from a corner vertice, I am expecting it to add on, like in the video. Instead, I am now in edit mode but not of the plane. I am in an edit mode with just the sketch as a separate object, and just a single string of 10 vertices.
Can somebody post a video of how they are using surface sketch (the example video doesn’t start from the beginning)
I downloaded the bugfix version.
I installed the bugfix version.
I opened the bugfix version, and it didn’t zoom with the mouse wheel.
Bug?
Opened it a second time and there it was again.
Nice to see so many bugs squashed. I hope there will be a choice about a non antialiased font to choose from in future version in the user preferences, my eyes would say thank you a lot.
Is there anyone that is trying to build even a simple armature in this 2.55 release, while having VBO activated in the user preferences ?
With VBO activated i crash with 2.55 nearly every minutes when manipulating bones, while with VBO not activated (default 2.55 do not have it activated), it does not crash.
I don’t remember crashing that much with older 2.5 versions, though i skipped entirely 2.54.
Addendum : be carefull with the Blender 2.55 autosave that is loaded after Blender has crashed, if you have crashed because of the VBO activated + bones armature manipulation, as Blender tries to load automatically what crashed and as you always have VBO activated, it will crash again before you can do anything else.
I only managed to get it working again by deleting the folder that save the configuration, located there so it was not trying to load anything automatically at 2.55 restart :
…\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\Application Data\Blender Foundation\Blender\2.55\
Until there is a fix, it is better to NOT enable VBO in the user preference if you want to avoid this kind of very annoying problem.
Wonder why it was not occuring in 2.53 and previous.
… no bevel, no n-gons, silly antialiased ui text, you can’t hide that huge ugly 3d cursor and grid in orthogonal views (what’s with that one?!?!)..
wake me up in a year or two ..
@meh : Sintel
I’m getting a lot of crashes. Move things between layers…crash. Work in the dope sheet…crash. Change UI setttings…crash. I don’t think we’re getting a stable release soon. On a positive note, best splash screen yet!
@James:
In fact, you can throw away a _lot_ of features and still be able to create something like Sintel.
It’s just very ineffective.
@ zymxn/sound in 2.55:
I got sound working now in 2.55: my audio did not seem muted, however I tried Muting/Un-Muting and that first seemed to give me sound in one particular .blend, then it was gone again. That was yesterday.
Today after a restart sound first did not seem to work, after a couple of playback attempts sound now suddenly works in one particular .blend.
Now if I open that particular .blend first, play back audio and then open another .blend where sound first did not work it then works there as well…! It’s a workaround, I have no idea why this is happening, but 2.55 still being a Beta this kind of procedure might be an acceptable workaround if you encounter that problem and need audio for animating to music or when editing. (In 2.54 sound still was there consistently for me, I guess it means someone is working on this now and it’s not quite there yet…?!)
Anyway thanks again to everyone involved in bug hunting, I agree, it’s probably not nearly as rewarding as chasing dragons, a fixed bug might be a lot of work, yet only a few people might ever notice it once the bug is gone. It’s just so much easier to complain/getting upset about something that’s not working than seeing what actually works already…
In the User Preferences-Editing:
When you choose the Option “Align Objects to View” that not works!
Objects Aligned only in World coordinates!!
@Vassilios: Align to view works for me (XP/32). I assume you mean that when you add a new object you find that it always aligns to the world coordinates, not to your current view.
Thanks to the Blender devs for another great milestone release. Together with Freestyle, Blender 2.5 is coming up roses!
Today I tried to model something with Blender. It took me 10x the time it would have taken with 2.49
How is it possible to make that software turn so bad? What’s that new crappy GUI? Why use dozens of panels?
It’s just incredible. The developpers should try to make a better software, not to copy/paste the worst of Maya !
Pipilou,
I’m sure this debate will go on for quite awhile, but I couldn’t disagree more strongly about the interface.
I’m new to Blender. The reason I’m new to Blender is because for years I wouldn’t touch it because of that god-awful quirky old interface.
It took you only 10x times as long to model than it took with 2.49? That’s not bad considering you have to learn a new interface.
By comparison, coming from Max and Maya, it would have taken me infinitely longer to model something in 2.49. I say infinitely, because that 2.49 interface was so bad, and counter-intuitive, that most people like me that tried it simply gave up.
Having an interface that scares off new users is a sure sign of fatally flawed software!
Millions of people around the world are going to use Blender in the years to come who wouldn’t have used it with the old interface. Development of new features will be accelerated dramatically now because of all the new users and developers to come.
And as frustrated as I am with the problems, and as much as I bitch about things, I think this overhaul of Blender is the greatest thing that ever happened to it.
I completely agree with Terrachild. I started using blender this spring, 2.49b as well as 2.5x and every time I try to do something in 2.49b I just get drained of energy. The GUI is so much more professional in 2.5x and it now actually looks like a 3D package instead of just a gray wide chunk.
And if @Pipilou think 2.49b is faster and better – use that instead, no one is gonna stop you. But I think most of us wants to proceed forward.
Agree unfortunately with pipilou entirely.
The 2.5x interface is becoming more and more clunky to use, the BF seems to want to attract more 3DSMax and Maya users with having it eye candy instead of functional, but i’m sure there were other ways in term of interfaces.
Dragging/developping/un-developping panels just to access the settings and functions you need during the modelling process is a waste of production time, the 2.49b interface had no such thing and had every functions and settings accessible without any need of scrolling between panels.
I’m very thankfull to the Blender fundation to not have removed 2.49b from the surface of the internet, the GUI is frankly better and so much quicker to use than the one from 2.5x.
Now if only it was possible to port all the amazing GSOC Sculpt mode achievements and the unlimited clay to 2.49b, i wouldn’t be happier lol.
When is the save as runtime going to be implemented in the updates???
Robsoie, the reason people like you think 2.49 is faster is because you’ve been using it for a long time. Once you have used a fully functional 2.5x version for as long as you’ve used 2.49, then decide. Also you can still use keyboard shortcuts to speed up your modeling without getting into most of the panels.
Oh, by the way, we don’t have a fully functional 2.5x yet. We’re still in Beta with lots of bug fixes and improvements to come. So this debate shouldn’t even really take place until an apples to apples comparison can be made with version 2.6x
Hi,
I’m going to test now.
Is that wonderfull Skin Faces/EdgeLoops tool back?
will it be back someday?
To Anton, Terrachild, Robsoie…
I really appreciate all the great stuff made by the developpers, but they didn’t make Blender easier to use. They made it look, like Anton said, “more professionnal”. That’s all.
Two examples:
– When you try to model something, you use “center view to cursor” ten times per minute. With 2.49 you had “C”, easy to use with the left hand while modeling etc with the right hand. now it’s Ctrl+”.”. Ridiculous.
And yes, i can change that in the user preferences, but what’s the interest of knowing how to use a software you’re the only one to use?
– While modeling, you often have to subdivide an edge in a specific way. With 2.49, you could do : W-“Subdivide” (one key, one click) and then “bevel” the middle vertice (idem).
With 2.5, you just can’t do that. Bevel is a modifier.
So…Why? Because blender is made by coders who do not care about users. They make “cool” things, they add bright colors, they create a “professionnal” interface. It looks nice, but it’s not.
And it’s sad because they also add new (great) features that make 2.49 look bad in comparison.
I hope Ton and the others developpers will take that problem into account for the 2.6 version.
It would be great to make Max and Maya user use Blender, but it’s not worth it if experimented blender user (and they are, or I should say we, are very few) leave it.
I wonder, why a key “D” does not have any function. “Drag View” would be a great function.
I also wonder how most people rotate view. By default you can do this with middle mouse button. This was easy in these days when mouse wheel was not a common thing. But today an average mouse has a middle-click function under the wheel and it is not easy to use it. Some modern mice do not have middle-click function at all. Of course I know about “Emulate 3 button mouse” option under preferences.
What about a keyboard key “Q” to do that?
But once again, this software is not so beta at all when compared to retail Adobe applications.
“I wonder, why a key “D” does not have any function.”
It’s for Grease Pencil.
Hold D and drag with the mouse.
Cheers.
i think no good
no have function game save as runtime. :(
IF curent blender 3D 2.5-2.55 was good for making Sintel then it is a good package for modeling.
I used 2.42 – 43 – 45 – 49 and I can tell that blender goes to the right way. An traditional artist could get confused with 2.4 interface and lose interest in blender at first sight. Documentation it is easy to make for 2.5 and video tutorials too.
Animatin all things it is the best function , add-on plugin even better function and so on.
You look at blender 2.5 like a kid if you argue for some tools that will be in 2.6 due bmesh integration and other.
I see the development dayly and I must say that the developers do a really hard work and know what to do and what it is wrrong. If you report a bug corectly they act and fix it.
Now blender it is a “MONSTER PACKAGE” with Unlimted Clay (it will be in ) , Flud, Smoke , Volumetrics, VSE, Grease Pencil , Image Edit , Nurbs , Bmesh (it will be a some time) , Freestyle (it near finish and will be included at some time) … etc What you all posters did not see it is the overall development in add-ons and new features going on and that it is fast , faster than ever been in any Blender version from his birth.
Blender 2.5 it is a new era of Blender3D and the final version could easyly named Blender 3.
Instead of arguing get your friends that are coders to make new stuff for blender or fix parts of blender.
What’s new?
Blower, 340 Bugfixes.
That’s it.
And yes, Blender 2.5 is worse for polymodeling then 2.49.
The fact that Bmesh is not finished is stopping the modeling tools from improving at all atm.
Don’t expect to have a real bevel in 2.6. Bmesh is still far from being done.
Blender 2.5 is good enough to get a job done. But it can’t compete with many other modelers now days.
I just downloaded blender 2.55 and i’m still having troubles clicking on vertices, in fact I can’t click on vertices at all, i’m not sure if its because i’m doing something wrong or if its a bug. If i’m doing something wrong please tell me how to click on a vertex. Thanks!
Go to edit mode.
Make sure you are in vertex select mode. (On the header)
right click on the vertex.
It still increases memory usage when using video as texture until clicking refresh button. @64 Bit Windows Installer have also zoom phenomena and project from view is greyed out in menu if menu opened in 3D View not so in UV-Editor. And can not find a field to jump to a specific frame.
Well,
THe skin faces/edge loops function is not there.
I miss that easy bevel tool.
If i was a coder i would help someway and the problems that i see today is already reported.
Congratulations for the hard work!
really enjoying blender (i’m starting with 2.5), but still no spacenavigator support beyond 2.49. that’s too bad, a lot of people rely on these devices to work quickly and fluidly — more or less a dealbreaker on using blender as the default 3d software for me.
mmm … all the special armature’s that you could add in the previous version are gone in my 2.55
Is it only me?
To use LuxRender 7.1 do we put this in the python/encodings directory or create a python/scripts folder or what?!
Hi,
I’m working with MAX most of my time, and have some years experience with Newtek’s Lightwave. I was always interested in Blender, but the 2.4x and below versions were simply too bizarre to start to learn. The new interface is really much easier to learn, the grouping of the tools seems more logical for the newcomers. There are handy shortcuts for almost everything. Great job!! I’m looking forward to see the final version, until then it’s pointless to compare 2.5 to anything.
For those who are complaining about the cursor issues: Blender is the only package i’ve seen which uses cursor. You only miss it because you are way too used to it. As a newbie to the cursor concept i’m constantly trying to get rid of it. Probably my bad.. I could make a good use of the cursor if i could easily snap it to vertices/faces/edges/grid/selection…
Anyway again this new Blender is really promising! Congrats!
This is whats wrong with putting out a package before its complete. All the id10ts bash it because it doesn’t do this or that…. GUESS WHAT ITS NOT DONE. Anyway I have been modeling since wavefront wasn’t owned by anyone and I can tell you. The same thing happen with Softimage3D and XSI. Everyone was saying almost EXACTLY the same crap. Your crying about a Beta version of the software. Stop being a bunch of little girls and use the software. If you don’t like it use something else.