Blender 2.5 Short Notes from the IRC Session
1) 2.5 project issues
– Martin mentioned a keymap design conflict that has to be handled, and suggests a solution for how to combine ‘tweaks’ (drag mouse) and clicks consistantly.
– Dalai prefers to see more advanced support being added for python script dependencies, like executing a script on changing a variable in the UI. Issue is that this requires an updated dependency graph system, which is not in the first release specs yet. Ton suggests to at least put it on the 2.5 beta2 list, maybe beta1?
2) 2.5 beta 0 targets
– Reminder: the first 2.5 release will be devoted to get 2.5 work at least 2.4 level, with only a limited and well documented amount of exceptions.
– Tomorrow is official start of Durian project. Target is that they’ll use Blender 2.5 exclusively for work in the studio. The first weeks is mostly concept and design work anyway, so it is pretty safe, and a great test.
Since Brecht, Campbell and Ton work with the artists every day, they’ll also come up with a good shortlist of targets for a first 2.5 beta release. Expect next week more.
3) other current projects
– Martin is working on a network render, testers welcome:
– Damien Plisson has an svn account now and works on the Cocoa port of Ghost.
– Tom Musgrove will send a proposal to the mailing list for creating good default primitives in Blender, especially for complete character models, rigs, and materials. Suggested is to make it an external optional .blend, which can be updated and released independently as well.
-Ton-
I like this alot :D 2.5 is fast and doesn’t freeze (well it hasn’t on me :D) :) -I love what they’ve done with this program overtime.
Base rig templates for retargeting with Etch-a-Ton, to establish a default scale (like 1BU=1m), is a great idea!
2.5 beta release should be put on hold,cause it can create disappointment and frustration.continue with bug fix 2.49 instill a playable and stable 2.50 is release.
I can wait and so others can too.
It seems that you cannot sculpt with a higher polygon count than with the same setting (e.g. global undo off, partial redraw on) in 2.5 than in 2.49. 2.5 seems to be one level lower than 2.49 version. Does anyone have the same observation?
@RNS the whole point of a beta release is so that users can use it and find bugs and fault. The word beta in the software world denotes software that is still underdevelopment and is in no way the final and complete product.
The are many examples of companies running beta version trials of their software months before the official release date, check out Microsoft’s Windows 7 beta or Google Wave beta. So it alludes me as to how you don’t understand what a Beta release is.
@RNS: Why should it be put on hold? Its a beta release. Its not yet final and is meant to be tested. Its out for the users to try and hunt for bugs. Its done because users are more liable to find bugs than the developers.
@skulpter: Really? Well sculpting in my low end PC is a no, no so I can’t say. I do hope it improves somehow so that I could do minor sculpting in my PC. Maybe this is applicable for a bug report.
Go Tom Musgrove!!! That would be very usefull!
Let me see what the network rendering code can do then.
Any builds on Graphicall as yet? Maybe this will make me get off my backside and re-setup the SVN to be compiled here ! :D
The point is that when a test release is to look for bugs. a bugs always end up in the final release. beta is a word always use by commercial companies. we are open source
community why label blender 2.50 beta? why get the community hype up with 2.50
when is going to be a long wait .whats being deal behind close doors? EH!
I smell a Rat !
can any one out there make a splash of a ” Rat ” for 2.50,cause that what I envision.
@skulpter, i agree, blender 2.49 at multiresolution level 9 is usable, blender 2.5 at the same multiresolution level is definitely much slower…
@RNS at times it’s best to shut up when you have no clue what you are talking about mate. Three or two weeks ago there was Blender 2.50 road map published along with the minutes of the Sunday meeting. You will find it on this site if you go several pages back. I suggest you take a look at that and clue yourself in with what is the offical road map of Blender 2.50.
The whole of 2.5+ series of releases will be a nothing but beta releases until around july/august 2010 when a more stable 2.60 release emerges. So when 2.60 comes out you will have a Blender that is feature complete, tested extensively and hopefully with some level of documentation behind it.
But all this was arleadt stated several meetings back so I suggest you look for those notes and readup. Last time I checked no-one had a monopoly on the word beta. So if the Blender foundation wants to call Blender 2.50 Beta that is the progrative
@RNS instead of looking at it as “I don’t want to see it until it is stable” you should be looking at it as “this is my opertunity to help with the development(via bug reports) of one of the premeire open source apps available.” Community is what makes open source work, and as part of that community i will gladly work with a buggy program to help progress towards a stable and a** kicking 2.6 release.
Now I know about Blender for 12 months, but I haven’t learned it. I don’t need it yet for work or pleasure. For me it doesn’t make sense any more to learn the 2.4 user interface. I think I have a bit of time around Christmas to start learning 2.5, so I can use it in 12 months from now.
There are not that many differences in the GUI, you may start now. You don’t know what you’re missing and 12 months of productivity and experimentation on a program is a lot of time.
Tom Musgrove’s idea is great! Too many tutorials are longer than necessary because they have to explain, e.g. how to get a mesh with only one vertex from a plane, or an octogon from a circle. I also feel very angry about myself when I remember that some day, I have already made some re-usable mesh and realize that I have not saved it in a handy place…
This “standard library” could be expanded with some material and lighting settings. Very standard things like a glass shader, or a steel shader, or a 3-point lighting, could be obtained in one or two clicks. New options like SSS shading or cloth simulation have presets, and such an optional .blend file would keep Blender a small download while making it more fun to learn and easier to use.
@RNS – Maybe you should use 3DS Max instead?
@Vasilyj – pfftt, yea, like that’s not got bugs either! lol. made me giggle this thread. I’ve been playing with the 2.5 builds and yes, you can definately see it’s work in progress but when it’s launched, either as beta and such, it’s worth remembering that its always evolving. That for me gives it the edge over tools like Max and Maya (sidefx also do daily builds).
BF could just sit and say it’ll be ready when it’s ready but no, these meeting minutes are a [cool] glimpse into the discussions and ideas that help keep Blender evolving on a continual basis.
Look forward to playing with the newest merges :D
TxRx
Network render set-up should definitely be available as command line options to get things started up automatically in a cluster.
RNS: there is a difference between plain vanilla development builds and beta version. For one, an official subset of supposedly working features to file bugs against.
Keep up the great work, devs :)
The issues can be solved ,
by add a collection of variables ID and a action manager (all pure code)
well i am a Delphi programmer therefore not so sure how Phyton works .