Vertex/Face/Frame duplication now draws using OpenGL display lists. Makes
drawing go much faster (2-5 times, depending on size of duplicated object).
This system uses boundbox checks too, so outside of view it draws faster.
Note for face duplication: I've fixe a bug for incorrect alignment when
the parent was rotated when a parenting happened, the 'inverse parent
correction matrix' then messed up alignment. For face duplication it now
works OK, but for vertex-dupli not... need a way to fix this backwards
compatible.
All data layers, including MVert/MEdge/MFace, are now managed as custom
data layers. The pointers like Mesh.mvert, Mesh.dvert or Mesh.mcol are
still used of course, but allocating, copying or freeing these arrays
should be done through the CustomData API.
Work in progress documentation on this is here:
http://mediawiki.blender.org/index.php/BlenderDev/BlenderArchitecture/CustomData
Replaced TFace by MTFace:
This is the same struct, except that it does not contain color, that now
always stays separated in MCol. This was not a good design decision to
begin with, and it is needed for adding multiple color layers later. Note
that this does mean older Blender versions will not be able to read UV
coordinates from the next release, due to an SDNA limitation.
Removed DispListMesh:
This now fully replaced by DerivedMesh. To provide access to arrays of
vertices, edges and faces, like DispListMesh does. The semantics of the
DerivedMesh.getVertArray() and similar functions were changed to return
a pointer to an array if one exists, or otherwise allocate a temporary
one. On releasing the DerivedMesh, this temporary array will be removed
automatically.
Removed ssDM and meshDM DerivedMesh backends:
The ssDM backend was for DispListMesh, so that became obsolete automatically.
The meshDM backend was replaced by the custom data backend, that now figures
out which layers need to be modified, and only duplicates those.
This changes code in many places, and overall removes 2514 lines of code.
So, there's a good chance this might break some stuff, although I've been
testing it for a few days now. The good news is, adding multiple color and
uv layers should now become easy.
Notes:
- Only referenced groups (from other files)
- Only 1 group (no more duplicates using same group yet)
- Only Proxy working well for Armature or Empty
Is going to be reviewed in Plumiferos team; but target is that this will
solve a major animation pipeline bottleneck :)
Usage; select group, alt+ctrl+p, pick an object you want to proxify.
THE OBJECT PROXY
Or simple said; local control of referenced data from libraries.
Having library files with references is a very common studio setup, and
Blender did do quite well in that area. Were it not that for character
setups it was impossible to use still.
This commit will enable a full rig+character to remain in the library,
and still have - under strict control - local access for animation edits.
Full log:
http://www.blender3d.org/cms/Proxy_Objects.824.0.html
- FORWARD CYCLING & MATCHING
Up to no now, adding multiple actions in NLA with walkcycles required to
animate them standing still, as if walking on a conveyor belt. The stride
option then makes the object itself move forward, trying to keep the foot
stuck on the floor (with poor results!).
This option now allows to make walk cycles moving forward. By
indicating a reference Offset Bone, the NLA system will use that bone to
detect the correct offset for the Armature Pose to make it seamlessly going
forward.
Best of all, this option works as for cyclic Action Strips as well as for
individual Action Strips. Note that for individual strips, you have to set
the strip on "Hold". (Might become automatic detected later).
Here's an example edit image for NLA:
http://www.blender.org/bf/nla_match-cycle.jpg
And the animation for it:
http://download.blender.org/demo/test/2.43/0001_0150_match.avi
Blender file:
http://download.blender.org/demo/test/2.43/mancandy_matching.blend
Using this kind of cycling works pretty straightforward, and is a lot
easier to setup than Stride Bones.
To be further tested:
- Blending cycles
- matching rotation for the bones as well.
- ACTION MODIFIERS (motion deformors)
The above option was actually required for this feature. Typically walk
cycles are constructed with certain Bones to be the handles, controlling
for example the torso or feet.
An Action Modifier allows you to use a Curve Path to deform the motion of
these controlling bones. This uses the existing Curve Deformation option.
Modifiers can be added per Action Strip, each controlling a channel (bone)
by choice, and even allows to layer multiple modifiers on top of each other
(several paths deforming motion). This option is using the dependency graph,
so editing the Curve will give realtime changes in the Armature.
The previous walkcycle, controlled by two curves:
http://download.blender.org/demo/test/2.43/0001_0150_deform.avi
Blender file:
http://download.blender.org/demo/test/2.43/mancandy_actiondeform.blend
Action Modifiers can be added in the NLA Properties Panel. Per Modifier you
have to indicate the channel and a Curve Object. You can copy modifiers from
one strip to another using CTRL+C (only copies to active Object strips).
Setting up a correct Curve Path has to be carefully done:
- Use SHIFT+A "Curve Path" in top view, or ensure the path is not rotated.
- make sure the center point of the Curve Object is at the center of the
Armature (or above)
- move the first point of the curve to the center point as well.
- check if the path starts from this first point, you can change it using
(in Curve EditMode) the option Wkey -> "Switch Direction"
- Make sure alignment uses the correct axis; if the Armature walks into
the negative Y direction, you have to set in Object Buttons, "Anim settings"
Panel, the correct Track option. (Note; option will probably move to the
Modifier later).
This is a good reason to make such paths automatic (on a command). Is on the
todo list.
Also note this:
- the Curve Path extends in beginning and ending, that's (for now) the default,
and allows to use multiple paths. Make sure paths begin and end horizontal.
- Moving the Curve in Object Mode will change the "mapping" (as if the landscape
a character walks over moves). Moving the Curve in Edit Mode will change the
actual position of the deformation.
- Speed (Ipos) on paths is not supported yet, will be done.
- The Curve "Stretch" deform option doesn't work.
- Modifiers are executed *after* all actions in NLA are evaluated, there's no
support yet for blending multiple strips with Modifiers.
- This doesn't work yet for time-mapping...
This commit is mostly for review by character animators... some details or
working methods might change.
This feature can also be used for other modifiers, such as noise (Perlin) or
the mythical "Oomph" (frequency control) and of course Python.
Special thanks to Bassam & Matt for research & design help. Have fun!
http://www.blender3d.org/cms/Shadow_buffer__Halfway.786.0.html
Simply said: by using the average of the nearest and 2nd nearest Z value
in Shadowbuffers you can reduce bias errors very well.
For backwards compatibility it is a new buffer type though.
Full log:
http://www.blender3d.org/cms/Irregular_Shadow_Buffe.785.0.html
In short: this is a shadow buffer approach that always results in crispy
shadows, independent of lamp buffer size or zoom level. This shadow buffer
system also supports transparent shadow.
This is part of work on refreshing Shadow Buffers in Blender. You now can
choose of two types (Classical, Irregular). More types will follow. Also
quality issues for Classical shadow buffers are going to be reviewed,
especially to solve the lousy Biasing.
For the CVS log record; it is based on articles:
Gregory Johnson et al, University of Texas, Austin. (Regular grid method).
Timo Aila and Samuli Laine, Helsinki University of Technology. (BSP method).
- Using NLA stride didn't work at all for Motion Blur render... appeared to
be a typo even, using 'ctime' instead of 'stime'. :)
- When entering editmode on a striding Armature, the position of the
armature was incorrect (missing depsgraph refresh)
- changes in constraint.c is just a small cleanup, unused 'ctime' arg.
Works like vertex-parent for Mesh and Curve/Surface. Select one or three
vertices in edit mode, and use CTRL+Select to select another object.
Then press CTRL+P.
of the fluidsim can now be disabled with the
flag: BF_NO_ELBEEM='true', e.g. for irix systems.
(The number of ifdefs from the original
patch was reduced, and the defines are now
only necessary when elbeem is switched off.)
- particle generation option is available again
More Driver fixing...
Commit of over week ago to make drivers update correctly on cyclic
situations, forgot to fix another driver call... which then got called
always with 'current frame' set to zero.
Error only happened with animated (Ipos) Object-Object driver relations.
Also in this commit: when loading file, lattices with hooks were not
updated correctly.
New "Dimension" button: when using TAB to cycle over buttons, the dimension
event was sent multiple times, accumulating scaling. The code was also not
prepared to handle multiple changes at one event.
Also: added object_get_boundbox(Object *ob) in BKE_object.h, so the code
now really supports most primitives in Blender.
Each report was about a different failure with Particles, all related to
weak handling of animation systems and the depsgraph.
Fix has 2 parts; depsgraph now signals "object recalc" to be for time
changes; this then is used to bypass particle-building (since that's baked).
Other part is better object caching while makig particles.
This commit brings back:
- Field Render
- MBlur Render (old style)
- Border render with or without cropping
Note: Field Render is not supported in Compositor yet. Blurring or filter
will destroy field information.
Both MotionBlur as Field render are done before Compositing happens.
Fixes:
- The "Save Buffers" option only worked on single frame renders, not for
Anim render.
- Found an un-initalized variable in Render initialize... this might have
caused the unknown random crashes with render.
Code restructure:
Cleaned up names and calls throughout the pipeline, more clearly telling
what goes on in functions.
This is visible in the updated first image of the Wiki doc:
http://mediawiki.blender.org/index.php/BlenderDev/RenderPipeline
- particle duplicators should not include parent animation (error in
duplicator recode of last december)
- added exception for 'died' particles to keep correct orientation
Also in this commit:
- added comment in code to explain why vertexnormals in mesh are equal to
vertex location when no faces exist
- cleanup of BKE_object.h for functions that don't need export.
- Texture Node
Allows to use any Blender Texture block as input for masks or color
blending. The texture node doesn't generate a real image, but adjusts to
the size as mapped with during an operation. So it won't work to use it
as Image input for Blur or Filter nodes.
Note; the Vector inputs for this node only work with manual input now!
- Translation Node
Give any image an offset in X or Y direction
For the Texture node to work, I needed to move the central 'pixel
processor' up one level... to allow differently sized images to merge
and allow 'procedural images' without size.
Temporal image of the day: http://www.blender.org/bf/rt.jpg
A full detailed description of this will be done later... is several days
of work. Here's a summary:
Render:
- Full cleanup of render code, removing *all* globals and bad level calls
all over blender. Render module is now not called abusive anymore
- API-fied calls to rendering
- Full recode of internal render pipeline. Is now rendering tiles by
default, prepared for much smarter 'bucket' render later.
- Each thread now can render a full part
- Renders were tested with 4 threads, goes fine, apart from some lookup
tables in softshadow and AO still
- Rendering is prepared to do multiple layers and passes
- No single 32 bits trick in render code anymore, all 100% floats now.
Writing images/movies
- moved writing images to blender kernel (bye bye 'schrijfplaatje'!)
- made a new Movie handle system, also in kernel. This will enable much
easier use of movies in Blender
PreviewRender:
- Using new render API, previewrender (in buttons) now uses regular render
code to generate images.
- new datafile 'preview.blend.c' has the preview scenes in it
- previews get rendered in exact displayed size (1 pixel = 1 pixel)
3D Preview render
- new; press Pkey in 3d window, for a panel that continuously renders
(pkey is for games, i know... but we dont do that in orange now!)
- this render works nearly identical to buttons-preview render, so it stops
rendering on any event (mouse, keyboard, etc)
- on moving/scaling the panel, the render code doesn't recreate all geometry
- same for shifting/panning view
- all other operations (now) regenerate the full render database still.
- this is WIP... but big fun, especially for simple scenes!
Compositor
- Using same node system as now in use for shaders, you can composit images
- works pretty straightforward... needs much more options/tools and integration
with rendering still
- is not threaded yet, nor is so smart to only recalculate changes... will be
done soon!
- the "Render Result" node will get all layers/passes as output sockets
- The "Output" node renders to a builtin image, which you can view in the Image
window. (yes, output nodes to render-result, and to files, is on the list!)
The Bad News
- "Unified Render" is removed. It might come back in some stage, but this
system should be built from scratch. I can't really understand this code...
I expect it is not much needed, especially with advanced layer/passes
control
- Panorama render, Field render, Motion blur, is not coded yet... (I had to
recode every single feature in render, so...!)
- Lens Flare is also not back... needs total revision, might become composit
effect though (using zbuffer for visibility)
- Part render is gone! (well, thats obvious, its default now).
- The render window is only restored with limited functionality... I am going
to check first the option to render to a Image window, so Blender can become
a true single-window application. :)
For example, the 'Spare render buffer' (jkey) doesnt work.
- Render with border, now default creates a smaller image
- No zbuffers are written yet... on the todo!
- Scons files and MSVC will need work to get compiling again
OK... thats what I can quickly recall. Now go compiling!
This is using instructions from Ton, so hopefully the implementation is ok.
This is really needed here where we are using all sorts of wacky scales, and
empties look too big or too small. Of course we don't want to scale the
empties because there are often things parented to them.
New options are in edit buttons for empties to control the display style
and the size. New styles are easy to add, too. Just needs useful ideas and
minor effort from anyone who wants to.
Support for copying these values has also been added to the Copy Attributes
->Drawtype menu command.
- follow path constraint + stride path didn't update correct on file load
- selection of 'stick' bones didn't work in object mode, solid view
- change bone layer sends redraw to NLA too
-> Any Group Duplicate now can get local timing and local NLA override. This
enables to control the entire animation system of the Group.
Two methods for this have been implemented.
1) The quick way: just give the duplicator a "Startframe" offset.
2) Advanced: in the NLA Editor you can add ActionStrips to the duplicator
to override NLA/action of any Grouped Object.
For "Group NLA" to work, an ActionStrip needs to know which Object in a
group it controls. On adding a strip, the code checks if an Action was
already used by an Object in the Group, and assigns it automatic to that
Object.
You can also set this in the Nkey "Properties" panel for the strip.
Change in NLA: the SHIFT+A "Add strip" command now always adds strips to
the active Object. (It used to check where mouse was). This allows to add
NLA strips to Objects that didn't have actions/nla yet.
Important note: In Blender, duplicates are fully procedural and generated
on the fly for each redraw. This means that redraw speed equals to stepping
through frames, when using animated Duplicated Groups.
-> Recoded entire duplicator system
The old method was antique and clumsy, using globals and full temporal
copies of Object. The new system is nicer in control, faster, and since it
doesn't use temporal object copies anymore, it works better with Derived
Mesh and DisplayList and rendering.
By centralizing the code for duplicating, more options can be easier added.
Features to note:
- Duplicates now draw selected/unselected based on its Duplicator setting.
- Same goes for the drawtype (wire, solid, selection outline, etc)
- Duplicated Groups can be normally selected too
Bonus goodie: SHIFT+A (Toolbox) now has entry "Add group" too, with a
listing of all groups, allowing to add Group instances immediate.
-> Library System
- SHIFT+F4 data browse now shows the entire path for linked data
- Outliner draws Library Icons to denote linked data
- Outliner operation added: "Make Local" for library data.
- Outliner now also draws Groups in regular view, allowing to unlink too.
-> Fixes
- depsgraph missed signal update for bone-parented Objects
- on reading file, the entire database was tagged to "recalc" fully,
causing unnecessary slowdown on reading.
Might have missed stuff... :)
In Armature Pose-bone panel, the 'hide' button got replaced with a button
where you can type (TAB complete works) a name for a Mesh Object. It then
draws that Object instead of the indicated bone drawing type.
Fixes for bone layers:
- Akey in Editmode didnt work proper (now deselects all non visible bones
too. selection for editmode works on the vertices, not bones...
- Snap in Editmode now respects layers
in other layers (or hidden with local view).
In my search for the absolute minimum of recalculations, changes are only
flushed when they're visible. On changing layers, the tags then are just
set again (for everything that potentially moves) to ensure proper state.
However, it didn't work proper for linked Mesh objects that changed in
editmode, the Derivedmesh callback then accessed memory out of bounds.
The current dependency code was more designed for animation systems...
updating display data should work too, but might need some more tests!
(Thanks Andrea for clear error sample!)
replace the original one. so modifiers now work with them
(apply modifier, or edit mode still work on original mesh).
this should fix the three fluidsim bugs in the tracker.
- fixed stupid makesdna problem (writing "char string[160+80]" isnt
a good idea :)
- changed GUI a bit, now displays an estimate of the required memory,
there's still a problem with redrawing (currently relies on a call
to the derived mesh generation)
- the fluidsim struct changed to store the bounding box,
and the current loaded surface mesh
- temporary simulation files are now removed if env. var.
BLENDER_DELETEELBEEMFILES is not set or zero
- fluidsimSettingsFree now gets properly called when freeing an object
Vertex-parenting a forcefield to a softbody caused eternal loop :)
It is partially because of the timing system (=weak) but actually also
because derivedmesh calls could also not build meshes all the time!
The locality is restricted to action or user-transform only. Or as it goes
in the code now: by setting a constraint local, it executes the constraint
before it calculates the influence of Action or user transforms.
ALso note that this works in Evil Eulerians. Meaning that when you only
want to copy the X,Y or Z compenent of a euler, it can give unpredictable
results when the other euler values are set, this because euler axis
rotations work on top of each other.
Previously, using the "Stride Bone" tried to get that Bone motionless on
the path by correcting the internal time of the Action. This however caused
too many problems, especially with irregular walks.
The new system also tries to keep the Stride Bone motionless, but this by
moving the entire armature, and not changing the timing of the Action.
Give much nicer results. :)
To make editing Strides easier, I've added a new option in the NLA
panel to disable the path. This way you can quickly switch to editing the
action itself (keying the stride bone) and viewing the result.
1) Stride Bone
For walkcycles, you could already set an NLA strip to cycle over a path
based on a preset distance value. This cycling happens based on a linear
interpolation, with constant speed.
Not all cycles have a constant speed however, like hopping or jumping.
To ensure a perfect slipping-less foot contact, you now can set a Bone
in an Armature to define the stride. This "Stride Bone" then becomes a
sort-of ruler, a conveyor belt, on which the character walks. When using
the NLA "Use Path" option, it then tries to keep the Stride Bone entirely
motionless on the path, by cancelling out its motion (for the entire
Armature). This means that the animation keys for a Stride Bone have to be
exactly negative of the desired path. Only, at choice, the X,Y or Z Ipo
curve is used for this stride.
Examples:
http://www.blender.org/bf/0001_0040.avi
The top armature shows the actual Action, the bottom armature has been
parented to a Path, using the Stride Bone feature.
http://www.blender.org/bf/0001_0080.avi
Here the Stride Bone has a number of children, creating a ruler to be
used as reference while animating.
Test .blend:
http://www.blender.org/bf/motionblender1.blend
Notes:
- Note that action keys for Bones work local, based on the Bone's
orientation as set in EditMode. Therefore, an Y translation always
goes in the Bone's direction.
- To be able to get a "solvable" stride, the animation curve has
to be inverse evaluated, using a Newton Raphson root solver. That
means you can only create stride curves that keep moving forward, and
cannot return halfway.
- Set the Stride Bone in the Editing Buttons, Bone Panel. You can set
change the name or set the axis in the NLA Window, Strip Properties Panel.
- Files in this commit will move to the blender.org release section.
2) Armature Ghosting
In EditButtons, Armature Panel, you can set an armature to draw ghosts.
The number value denotes the amount of frames that have to be drawn extra
(for the active action!) around the current frame.
Ghosts only evaluate its own Pose, executing it's Actions, Constraints and
IK. No external dependencies are re-evaluated for it.
3) NLA/Action time control
If you click in the NLA window on the action (linked to Object), it makes
sure the Timing as drawn in the Action editor is not corrected for NLA.
If you also set the Object to "Action", this timing will be executed on the
Object as well (not NLA time).
(It's a bit confusing... will make a good doc & maybe review UI!)
It works like for moving Object Ipos to the Action, press the Action icon
in the header of the IpoWindow, to the left of the mode selection menu.
It then creates an Action (if not existed) and moves the Shape Ipo to the
Action, using custom channel "Shape".
Main code change was that evaluating Ipo Curves for Relative Shapes had to
be recoded, but that's pretty minor and even much cleaner. (added "curval"
in the KeyBlock struct).
That this feature can work is thanks to the full modifier/derivedmesh
recode Daniel did, can't give him enough credits! :)
Also; small fixes in Outliner, for clicking on the Ipo icon (sets the Ipo
window to show that Ipo).
* Made the in-camera view dashed border lines less jarring
and disturbing. We will give it some testing here, feedback
is welcome.
* Showing the title safe zone is now an option in the
camera edit buttons. It's not very useful if you're not
making stuff for video/broadcast so you can turn it off.
* Passepartout is now a flag per camera, rather than per
scene. It never really belonged in the render buttons or as
Scene data, though it could be up for debate whether it's
better as camera data or view data (i.e. in the view
properties panel). Old files get converted over nicely with
this so if you had passepartout on before, it stays on the
cameras.
* Added an option to show the current camera's name at
the bottom of the in-camera view, to help keep track of
which one you're seeing when using multiple cameras.
* In the 3D View (non-camera view) the active camera is
drawn with a solid line as before, while non-active
cameras are drawn with a dashed line, to help visualise
which one is active.
First note that this is new functionality, unfinished, and only for
testing and feedback purposes. I'll list below what works, and what will
need work still.
This text is also in cms: http://www.blender.org/cms/Ipo_Drivers.680.0.html
An IpoDriver is like an IpoCurve, but instead of a Bezier curve, it allows
to connect a property of other Objects as input for the "channel". For
example, IpoDrivers can be used to have a Shape Key being "driven" by
the rotation of a Bone. Or the RGB colors of a Material get driven by the
XYZ location of an Object.
Editing of Drivers happens in the IpoWindow. Here you can notice that the
channels (right hand window) now have an "active" channel indicator.
To add a Driver, you have to use the "Transform Properties" Panel (Nkey).
Here you can add or remove a Driver to the active channel, and use the
buttons to fill in what kind of relationship you want to establish.
Driver Objects
Note that any Ipo Channel can become driven now, but that only Object
transformation or Pose Bone transformation can be used to become a
Driver now.
At this moment, only the local transformation is taken into account.
For Objects that means the location/rotation/scale value without Parent
transform (as shown in "Transform Properties" Panel for Objects).
For Pose Bones it means that only the Pose transform (changes of rest
position) is Driver information (also as shown in Transform Property
Panel in Pose Mode).
Mapping of Drivers
When an Ipo Channel is "driven", the mapping is by default one-to-one.
It is only restricted by already built-in limits for Channels, like
for Material the "R" value can only range from 0.0 to 1.0.
Also note that when mapping rotations, the actual rotation values
in Ipos are scaled down with a factor 10.0. (180 degrees actually has
in the Ipo system a value of 18.0). This is an ancient year zero
convention in Blender... it is a bit hidden, because the ruler
(vertical as well as horizontal) displays the virtual values correctly.
Only the Properties panel shows the actual value.
When you draw an IpoCurve in a Driven channel, this curve will define
the mapping between the Driver output (horizontal) and Driven input
(vertical, as usual).
A nice new option to use is "Insert one-to-one curve" (press I-key,
or in pulldown menu). This will also zoom the display in exactly to
fill the window, allowing easy edit. If you use this option with
degrees, it will map 180 degree rotation to a range of 1.0 unit.
Live updates
Since the Drivers are integrated in the Ipo system, they will always
be updated whenever an Ipo is evaluated. This happens at least on
frame changes.
For interactive feedback, updates while transforming objects were
added in these cases:
- Driven Object Ipos, by other Objects or Pose Bones
- Driven Shape Key Ipos, by other Objects or Pose Bones
You can also insert Drivers on Action Ipos, but these are only evaluated
on frame change now.
Todo
- Drivers can also get a text button, allowing a 1 line Python script
to be executed.
- Make UI for it a bit less hidden... maybe with visualization in 3D?
- Allowing global transform coordinates as Driver too.
Issues
- renaming Bones won't rename drivers
- (file) appending the Ipo won't append the linked driver Objects
