Things seem to shaping up. Ton has posted an update on what is going on and when we can expect a release.
Ton Roosendaal says:
We are slowly heading to another release. Testing builds for current cvs now can also be downloaded here www.blenderbuilds.com
Too much has been added in cvs for a quick overview, so here's the essentials:
BlenderNation October cvs report
BlenderNation September cvs report
Current release work includes:
- ffmpg work, enable it for other platforms
- finishing up lose ends of render pipeline (baking api, passes)
- custom property system (allowing to extend better for external renderers)
- loads of smaller animation tool goodies
- multi-modifier (having more deformers active together)
- multi-level UV coordinates editing
- loadsof python stuff
- integration of cmake
Hopefully we can move to "feature freeze" soon, so only work on what's scheduled can be committed. That's typically leading to a release within 6 weeks. We think!
-Ton-
Looks like a possible christmas release! The Blender.org post can be found here.
23 Comments
I am waiting Blender 2.43. :-)
The link to http://www.blenderbuilds.com points to wrong URL (http://www.blendernation.com/www.blenderbuilds.com) :)
Can't wait to see what the new version is going to be like when it's finished
Thanks for the informations,Ton !
Looks fine to me Ripper ;)
...so maybe the next release to xmas? Fine - then Xmas is saved! ;-)
very thanks for all :)
multi-level UV coordinates editing it is
the best news for me.
is the custom property system already in? how does it get used? could this also be useful for exporters to other game engines?
are the multiple uv-sets already in? how do they get used? :)
"multi-level UV coordinates editing"
thanks guys!! (of course for everything else too..)
Woohooo!!!!! Can't wait!
Excellent. Just in time to make some new video tutorials with.
Passes? Did I read PASSES?! YEEEEESSSSSSSSSS! :D
Ups, sorry, I'm just SO HAPPY! :D
Changes sum up to something huge. Sounds almost like 2.50 now. :)
Does "multi-level UV coordinates editing" mean there can be multiple texture coordinates per vertex?
That would be great! :D
I have just tested it. But was not able to find passes. Pleeeease AO, shaddow and spec at least... :-) If these are possible to set manualy it should not be problem to code them I suppose (I am not a programmer).
Thank for christmass present very much.
Now that's a good news :)
Yup, its all good news to me!
Texture baking oh yeah!
With all these new exciting things in the new Blender it is going to be fantastique.
Imagine the new stuff added since version 2.40.... when a new Orange project would be started, the most anoying problems are already solved now. Blender has become more mature.
Now, I hope next focus would be on making more advanced rigging techniques such as used by Toloban (XZ rotations), would be made easier.
To all the coders: a big thanks already and keep up the great work in order to create the One, the Blender to rule them all!
Yep there's some function for animating that missing (a lot ) :
_ flip vertex group name (there was a patch for that , but it didn't been accept)
_ flip shape key (there's a script by toloban , it would be cool if it was integrated)
_ rag doll (bone with weight , aka soft ik in C4D)
_ the ability to change the wire color per object :
http://www.3dbg.com/web/tutorials/maya/character_rig/6/image009.jpg
There's certainly stuff i forgot .
Anyway , great work blender developper , thanks for all :-) .
Peace :-) .
Super important features that are still missing from the blender internal renderer to bring it up to par with industry standard, mature rendering solutions:
- vector motion blur / 3d motion blur (for fluid mesh deformation blurring)
- caustics
- refraction
Problems this causes:
When rendering transparent fluids, you do not get refractions or caustics. You can render in yafray, but then you don't get motion blur (such as it is in blender) ... :( so the rendering pipeline is incomplete.
The frameblending motion blur solution right now is basically unworkable, since the same results can be achieved by using frameblending / pixel smearing in post. Vector motion blur (as in Maya internal renderer and Mental Ray) looks MUCH more natural.
If the blender / yafray teams would code those things into their renderer(s), blender's rendering featureset would actually be more complete than renderman (renderman doesn't do caustics afaik, refraction in renderman is very slow). Mental ray is a complete renderer, but it is atrociously slow at certain things.
As far as I see, there is no real roadmap to getting the renderers complete. (Is there?)
Federico:
I don't know what you mean by 'frame blending' - Blender's vector blur is vector blur like in any other package, and in my experience is the best I've seen yet, at least compared to Maya or Cinema 4D. Check out the release notes here: http://www.blender.org/cms/Vector_Blur.748.0.html
Heh. Looks like I stand corrected, at least when it comes to the motion blur.
Is the caustics and refraction also something I'm just missing?
(and can the vec motion blur be used with yafray?)
Because that means that basically the problem is solved...
Vector blur can be used with yafray, with a bit of trickery: http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=71607
Refraction has been in the blender internal renderer for ages (the 'ray transp' in the 'mirror transp' material panel), but no caustics yet unfortunately.
My caustics doesn't work and i don't know why, if anyone knows what kind of problem can be, tell me please