manual/addons/baking/index.rst

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 
-#############
+##########
   Baking
-#############
+##########
 
 These add-ons add UI elements for faster baking access.
 

manual/addons/baking/vdm_brush_baker.rst

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-*******
+***************
 VDM Brush Baker
-*******
+***************
 
 This is a small add-on that makes it easy to create vector displacement map (aka VDM) brushes in Blender.
 Sculpting setups and the brushes can be created with one click.
@@ -32,5 +32,6 @@ Tips
 ----
 
 - While Sculpting make sure to mask the borders of the plane for a better result.
-- If your VDM brush gets cut off at the corners, you can increase the size inside the texture panel of the brush settings to 1.1 or 1.2 for each axis.
-- A vdm-resolution of 512 px or lower is usually enough. Unless you have extremely detailed sculptings
+- If your VDM brush gets cut off at the corners,
+  you can increase the size inside the texture panel of the brush settings to 1.1 or 1.2 for each axis.
+- A vdm-resolution of 512 px or lower is usually enough. Unless you have extremely detailed sculptings.

manual/compositing/types/output/file.rst

@@ -27,11 +27,6 @@ Image
    The image(s) will be saved on rendering, writing to the current frame.
    An entire sequence of images will be saved, when an animation is rendered.
 
-.. note::
-
-   To support subsequent arrangement and layering of images, the node can supply a Z-depth map.
-   However, please note that only the OpenEXR image formats save the Z information.
-
 
 Properties
 ==========

manual/editors/nla/editing.rst

@@ -237,6 +237,7 @@ Start Tweaking Strips Actions (Full Stack)
 .. reference::
 
    :Menu:      :menuselection:`Edit --> Start Tweaking Strips Actions (Full Stack)`
+   :Shortcut:  :kbd:`Tab`
 
 Allows you to edit the contents of the strip without disabling all the tracks above the tweaked strip.
 This allows keyframing to work as expected, and preserves the pose that you visually keyed.
@@ -257,10 +258,8 @@ Start Tweaking Strips Actions (Lower Stack)
 .. reference::
 
    :Menu:      :menuselection:`Edit --> Start Tweaking Strips Actions (Lower Stack)`
-   :Shortcut:  :kbd:`Tab`
 
 The contents of Action strips can be edited, but you must be in *Tweak Mode* to do so.
 The keyframes of the action can then be edited in the Dope Sheet.
 
 When you finished editing the strip, simply go to :menuselection:`Edit --> Stop Tweaking Strips Actions`
-or press :kbd:`Tab`.

manual/modeling/geometry_nodes/simulation/simulation_zone.rst

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 Simulation Zone
 ***************
 
-Simulation allows the result of one frame to influence the next one.
+Simulation zones allow the result of one frame to influence the next one.
 That way even a set of simple rules can lead to complex results, with the passing of time.
 The most common type of them is physics simulation, with specific solvers for physical phenomena.
 
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ The most common type of them is physics simulation, with specific solvers for ph
 
    Initial simulation nodes and simulation zone.
 
-When adding a simulation, two nodes are added, defining among them a "Simulation Zone".
+When adding a simulation, two nodes are added, defining between them a "Simulation Zone".
 
 The inputs that are connected to the Simulation Input node are evaluated only once,
 at the beginning of the simulation, passed to the next simulation state and eventually outputted.
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ It is not possible to have any link going towards outside.
 The result of the simulation can only be accessed via the Simulation Output node.
 This also allows sub-frame interpolation for motion blur.
 
+
 Clock
 =====
 
@@ -33,12 +34,14 @@ The simulation is tied to the animation system, with support for sub-steps.
 It will only be evaluated while the animation frame changes, and is cached like
 the existing physics simulations in Blender.
 
+
 Properties
 ==========
 
 In the Node Editor the inputs can be renamed, shuffled and removed.
 This is also the place where sub-steps can be defined for a simulation.
 
+
 Baking
 ======
 
@@ -65,6 +68,7 @@ This allows for the simulation to be rendered in a non-sequential order.
 
    Baking the simulation will bake all the simulations in all modifiers for the selected objects.
 
+
 Examples
 ========
 

manual/modeling/meshes/uv/editing.rst

@@ -286,23 +286,36 @@ The *Pack Islands* tool can be used to optimize the UV layout by adjusting exist
 to efficiently fill the :term:`Texture Space`. Based on the options selected,
 the tool will scale, translate and rotate the islands,
 ensuring a specified margin exists between them to maximize the usage of the UV space.
+Pinned islands can have additional restrictions applied to customize the packing process even further.
 
- Pack To
-   Determines the final placement of UV islands after completing the packing operation.
+ Shape Method
+   The method to use when considering the shape of each island.
 
-   :Closest UDIM: Pack islands to the :doc:`UDIM </modeling/meshes/uv/workflows/udims>` grid
-       nearest to the center of the selection.
-   :Active UDIM: Pack islands to the active UDIM image tile or, if no image is available,
-       the UDIM grid tile where the 2D cursor is located.
-   :Original bounding box: Find the original bounding box of the selection,
-     packs the islands, and then moves them back inside the original box.
+   :Exact Shape (Concave):
+      Use the complete shape of the island, including filling any holes or concave regions around the island.
+   :Boundary Shape (Convex):
+      Takes into account the boundary (Convex Hull) of the island.
+      This method will not place islands inside holes.
+   :Bounding Box: Uses the simple bounding box of the island.
+
+ Scale
+   Scale the islands to fill the unit square, or pack islands towards the lower left corner.
 
  Rotate
    Allows the rotation of islands, as well as translation and scaling, to optimize texture usage.
 
- Merge Overlapped
-   Before the main packing operation, overlapping islands are detected and temporarily combined.
-   During packing, the relative rotation and position of the merged islands are preserved.
+ Rotation Method
+   The allowable rotations to use for each each island.
+
+   :Any:
+      Any rotation which improves the packing is allowed.
+   :Axis-aligned:
+      The island will first be rotated into a smallest rectangle.
+      Additional rotation will only be in 90-degree turns.
+   :Cardinal:
+      Like the four cardinal directions on a compass, North, South, East and West,
+      only 90-degree turns will be allowed.
+
 
  Margin Method
    The method to use when calculating the empty space between islands.
@@ -314,15 +327,31 @@ ensuring a specified margin exists between them to maximize the usage of the UV
  Margin
    The scale for the empty space between islands.
 
- Shape Method
-   The method to use when considering the shape of each island.
+ Pinned Islands
+   An island which has any of its UVs pinned is considered a *Pinned Island*.
+   With this option, you can change the way *Pinned Islands* are packed
 
-   :Exact shape (Concave):
-      Use the complete shape of the island, including filling any holes or concave regions around the island.
-   :Boundary shape (Convex):
-      Takes into account the boundary (Convex Hull) of the island.
-      This method will not place islands inside holes.
-   :Bounding box: Uses the simple bounding box of the island.
+   :Pack: *Pinned Islands* are packed in the same way as other islands.
+   :Lock Scale: The scale of the *Pinned Islands* will not change.
+   :Lock Rotation: *Pinned Islands* will not rotate.
+   :Lock Rotation and Scale: *Pinned Islands* can translate, but not scale nor rotate.
+   :Lock in Place: *Pinned Islands* will be unable to move. The other islands will pack around them.
+   :Ignore: Even if an island is selected, if it contains a pin,
+      it will not be included in the *Pack Islands* calculation.
+
+ Merge Overlapping
+   Before the main packing operation, overlapping islands are detected and temporarily combined.
+   During packing, the relative rotation and position of the merged islands are preserved.
+
+ Pack To
+   Determines the final placement of UV islands after completing the packing operation.
+
+   :Closest UDIM: Pack islands to the :doc:`UDIM </modeling/meshes/uv/workflows/udims>` grid
+       nearest to the center of the selection.
+   :Active UDIM: Pack islands to the active UDIM image tile or, if no image is available,
+       the UDIM grid tile where the 2D cursor is located.
+   :Original bounding box: Find the original bounding box of the selection,
+     packs the islands, and then moves them back inside the original box.
 
 .. note::
 

manual/physics/index.rst

@@ -17,3 +17,4 @@
    forces/index.rst
    collision.rst
    baking.rst
+   simulation_nodes.rst

manual/physics/simulation_nodes.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+
+****************
+Simulation Nodes
+****************
+
+Through the use of :doc:`Simulation Zones </modeling/geometry_nodes/simulation/simulation_zone>`,
+:doc:`/modeling/geometry_nodes/index` can be used to create custom physic simulations through nodes.
+Simulation zones allow the result of one frame to influence the next one.
+That way even a set of simple rules can lead to complex results, with the passing of time.
+The most common type of them is physics simulation, with specific solvers for physical phenomena.
+
+.. seealso::
+
+   Read more about :doc:`Simulation Zones </modeling/geometry_nodes/simulation/simulation_zone>`
+
+
+Baking
+======
+
+The simulation is automatically cached during playback.
+The valid cache can be seen as a strong yellow line in the timeline editor.
+This allows for animators to quickly inspect all the previous frames of a simulation.
+
+.. figure:: /images/modeling-geometry_nodes-simulation-baking_timeline.png
+   :align: center
+
+   Cached frames in the Timeline.
+
+When the result is ready to be sent to a render-farm, it can be baked to disk.
+This allows for the simulation to be rendered in a non-sequential order.
+
+.. figure:: /images/modeling-geometry_nodes-simulation-baking.png
+   :align: center
+
+   Simulation and Physics, Geometry Nodes user interface.
+
+.. note::
+
+   Baking the simulation will bake all the simulations in all modifiers for the selected objects.
+
+.. _bpy.ops.object.simulation_nodes_cache_calculate_to_frame:
+
+Calculate to Frame
+   Calculate simulations in geometry nodes modifiers from the start to current frame.
+
+.. _bpy.ops.object.simulation_nodes_cache_bake:
+
+Bake
+   Bake simulations in geometry nodes modifiers.
+
+   .. _bpy.ops.object.simulation_nodes_cache_delete:
+
+   Delete Cached Simulation
+      Delete cached/baked simulations in geometry nodes modifiers
+
+.. _bpy.types.Object.use_simulation_cache:
+
+Cache
+   For the cases where the current frame is the only one relevant,
+   users can opt-out of caching the results to save memory.
+
+
+Examples
+========
+
+Combined with the :doc:`/modeling/geometry_nodes/geometry/sample/index_of_nearest`,
+this can be used for a number of sphere-based simulations.
+
+.. figure:: /images/modeling-geometry_nodes-simulation-example.png
+   :align: center
+
+   Index of Nearest sample file CC-BY Sean Christofferson.

manual/render/cycles/gpu_rendering.rst

@@ -20,12 +20,6 @@ Rendering Technologies
 Blender supports different technologies to render on the GPU depending on the particular GPU manufacturer
 and operating system.
 
-.. note::
-
-   :ref:`Path Guiding <bpy.types.CyclesRenderSettings.use_guiding>` is not supported
-   when rendering on the GPU.
-
-
 CUDA -- NVIDIA
 --------------
 
@@ -34,8 +28,6 @@ Nvidia graphics cards with compute capability 3.0 and higher. To make sure your
 see the `list of Nvidia graphics cards <https://developer.nvidia.com/cuda-gpus#compute>`__
 with the compute capabilities and supported graphics cards.
 
-.. note:: :doc:`/render/shader_nodes/osl` is not supported.
-
 
 .. _render-cycles-gpu-optix:
 
@@ -44,13 +36,9 @@ OptiX -- NVIDIA
 
 OptiX is supported on Windows and Linux and requires a Nvidia graphics cards with compute capability 5.0 and higher
 and a driver version of at least 470. To make sure your GPU is supported,
-see the `list of Nvidia graphics cards <https://developer.nvidia.com/cuda-gpus#compute>`__
-OptiX works best on RTX graphics cards with hardware ray tracing support (e.g. Turing and above).
+see the `list of Nvidia graphics cards <https://developer.nvidia.com/cuda-gpus#compute>`__.
 
-.. note::
-
-   :doc:`/render/shader_nodes/osl` is supported with a few limitations.
-   Refer to the :doc:`/render/shader_nodes/osl` documentation for a list of limitations.
+OptiX takes advantage of hardware ray-tracing acceleration in RTX graphics cards, for improved performance.
 
 
 HIP -- AMD
@@ -77,17 +65,18 @@ Minimum driver versions:
 Please refer to `AMD's website <https://www.amd.com/en/graphics>`__ for more
 information about AMD graphics cards and their architectures.
 
-.. note::
+On Windows, experimental hardware ray-tracing support is available with the most recent drivers.
+This can be enabled in the preferences.
+However there are currently known issues regarding motion blur, hair rendering and degenerate triangle shapes.
 
-   :doc:`/render/shader_nodes/osl` and the *Clip* extension mode in the
-   :doc:`/render/shader_nodes/textures/image` are not supported.
+The *Clip* extension mode in :doc:`/render/shader_nodes/textures/image` is not supported for HIP.
 
 
 oneAPI -- Intel
 ---------------
 
 oneAPI is a computation library that is supported on Windows and Linux and requires a
-Intel® Arc™ graphics card with the Xe HPG architecture.
+Intel® Arc™ graphics card with the Xe HPG architecture. Hardware acceleration for ray-tracing is supported.
 
 Supported GPUs include:
 
@@ -101,8 +90,6 @@ Minimum driver versions:
 Please refer to `Intel's website <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/details/discrete-gpus.html>`__
 for more information about Intel graphics cards and their architectures.
 
-.. note:: :doc:`/render/shader_nodes/osl` is not supported.
-
 
 Metal -- Apple (macOS)
 ----------------------
@@ -111,9 +98,17 @@ Metal is supported on Apple computers with Apple Silicon, AMD and Intel graphics
 macOS 13.0 or newer is required to support all features and graphics cards.
 
 Apple Silicon and AMD graphics cards also work on macOS 12.3 and newer, however
-without support for :ref:`MNEE caustics <bpy.types.CyclesObjectSettings.is_caustics_caster>`.
+without support for :ref:`Shadow Caustics <bpy.types.CyclesObjectSettings.is_caustics_caster>`.
 
-.. note:: :doc:`/render/shader_nodes/osl` is not supported.
+:ref:`Light Trees <bpy.types.CyclesRenderSettings.use_light_tree>` are not supported when using
+an AMD graphics card with Metal.
+
+
+Limitations
+===========
+
+ - :ref:`Path Guiding <bpy.types.CyclesRenderSettings.use_guiding>` is not supported on any GPU.
+ - :doc:`/render/shader_nodes/osl` is only supported for OptiX, with some limitations listed in the documentation.
 
 
 Frequently Asked Questions
@@ -122,14 +117,12 @@ Frequently Asked Questions
 Why is Blender unresponsive during rendering?
 ---------------------------------------------
 
-While a graphics card is rendering, it cannot redraw the user interface, which makes Blender unresponsive.
-We attempt to avoid this problem by giving back control over to the GPU as often as possible,
-but a completely smooth interaction cannot be guaranteed, especially on heavy scenes.
-This is a limitation of graphics cards for which no true solution exists,
-though we might be able to improve this somewhat in the future.
+On older GPU generations, graphics cards can only either render or draw the user interface.
+This can make Blender unresponsive while it is rendering.
+Heavy scenes can also make Blender unresponsive on newer GPUs,
+when using a lot of memory or executing expensive shaders, however this is generally less of a problem.
 
-If possible, it is best to install more than one GPU,
-using one for display and the other(s) for rendering.
+The only complete solution for this is to use a dedicated GPU for rendering, and another for display.
 
 
 Why does a scene that renders on the CPU not render on the GPU?
@@ -154,8 +147,11 @@ Yes, go to :menuselection:`Preferences --> System --> Compute Device Panel`, and
 Would multiple GPUs increase available memory?
 ----------------------------------------------
 
-Typically, no, each GPU can only access its own memory, however, some GPUs can share their memory.
-This is can be enabled with :ref:`Distributed Memory Across Devices <prefs-system-cycles-distributive-memory>`.
+Typically, no, each GPU can only access its own memory.
+
+The exception is NVIDIA GPUs connected with NVLink, where multiple GPUs can share memory at a small performance cost.
+This is can be enabled with :ref:`Distributed Memory Across Devices <prefs-system-cycles-distributive-memory>`
+in the preferences.
 
 
 What renders faster?
@@ -171,6 +167,33 @@ Error Messages
 
 In case of problems, be sure to install the official graphics drivers from the GPU manufacturers website,
 or through the package manager on Linux.
+The graphics drivers provided by the computer manufacturer can sometimes be outdated or incomplete.
+
+
+Error: Out of memory
+--------------------
+
+This usually means there is not enough memory to store the scene for use by the GPU.
+
+.. note::
+
+   One way to reduce memory usage is by using smaller resolution textures.
+   For example, 8k, 4k, 2k, and 1k image textures take up respectively 256MB, 64MB, 16MB and 4MB of memory.
+
+
+The NVIDIA OpenGL driver lost connection with the display driver
+----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+If a GPU is used for both display and rendering,
+Windows has a limit on the time the GPU can do render computations.
+If you have a particularly heavy scene, Cycles can take up too much GPU time.
+Reducing Tile Size in the Performance panel may alleviate the issue,
+but the only real solution is to use separate graphics cards for display and rendering.
+
+Another solution can be to increase the time-out,
+although this will make the user interface less responsive when rendering heavy scenes.
+`Learn More Here <https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/display/timeout-detection-and-
+recovery>`__.
 
 
 Unsupported GNU version
@@ -210,7 +233,7 @@ Remove compatibility checks
 CUDA Error: Kernel compilation failed
 -------------------------------------
 
-This error may happen if you have a new Nvidia graphics card that is not yet supported by
+This error may happen if you have a new NVIDIA graphics card that is not yet supported by
 the Blender version and CUDA toolkit you have installed.
 In this case Blender may try to dynamically build a kernel for your graphics card and fail.
 
@@ -222,35 +245,3 @@ In this case you can:
 #. If you build Blender yourself, try to download and install a newer CUDA developer toolkit.
 
 Normally users do not need to install the CUDA toolkit as Blender comes with precompiled kernels.
-
-
-Error: Out of memory
---------------------
-
-This usually means there is not enough memory to store the scene for use by the GPU.
-
-.. note::
-
-   One way to reduce memory usage is by using smaller resolution textures.
-   For example, 8k, 4k, 2k, and 1k image textures take up respectively 256MB, 64MB, 16MB and 4MB of memory.
-
-
-The Nvidia OpenGL driver lost connection with the display driver
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-
-If a GPU is used for both display and rendering,
-Windows has a limit on the time the GPU can do render computations.
-If you have a particularly heavy scene, Cycles can take up too much GPU time.
-Reducing Tile Size in the Performance panel may alleviate the issue,
-but the only real solution is to use separate graphics cards for display and rendering.
-
-Another solution can be to increase the time-out,
-although this will make the user interface less responsive when rendering heavy scenes.
-`Learn More Here <https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/display/timeout-detection-and-recovery>`__.
-
-
-CUDA error: Unknown error in cuCtxSynchronize()
------------------------------------------------
-
-An unknown error can have many causes, but one possibility is that it is a time-out.
-See the above answer for solutions.

manual/render/cycles/render_settings/sampling.rst

@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ Light Tree
    falloff, ray visibility, and complex shader node setups including textures.
    This can result in an increase in noise in some scenes that make use of these features.
 
-   Note, this feature is currently disabled for AMD GPUs on Windows, Linux and macOS.
+   Note, this feature is currently disabled for AMD GPUs on macOS.
 
 .. _bpy.types.CyclesRenderSettings.light_sampling_threshold:
 

manual/render/layers/passes.rst

@@ -181,9 +181,20 @@ Effects
 
 :guilabel:`Eevee only`
 
+.. _bpy.types.ViewLayerEEVEE.use_pass_bloom:
+
 Bloom
    The influence of the Bloom effect.
 
+.. _bpy.types.ViewLayerEEVEE.use_pass_transparent:
+
+Transparency
+   Contain :ref:`Alpha Blended <bpy.types.Material.blend_method>` surfaces,
+   so they can be adjusted in the compositor and later mixed with opaque passes.
+
+   This pass only supports monochromatic opacity.
+   Colored opacity will show differently than in combined pass.
+
 
 Cryptomatte
 ===========

manual/render/output/properties/format.rst

@@ -40,10 +40,6 @@ Render Region
    See the :ref:`Render Region <editors-3dview-navigate-render-region>`
    documentation to see how to define the size of the render region.
 
-   .. note::
-
-      This disables the *Save Buffers* option in the Performance panel.
-
 .. _bpy.types.RenderSettings.use_crop_to_border:
 
 Crop to Render Region

manual/render/output/properties/frame_range.rst

@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@ Step
    Controls the number of frames to advance by for each frame in the timeline.
 
 
-Time Remapping
-==============
+Time Stretching
+===============
 
 Use to remap the length of an animation; making it run slower or faster.
 The *Old* and *New* settings may either be used as absolute values or as a ratio:
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ For example, setting *Old* to a value of 2 and *New* to 1 will run the animation
 
 .. warning::
 
-   Using *Time Remapping* will not influence the *Start* or *End* frames set above,
+   Using *Time Stretching* will not influence the *Start* or *End* frames set above,
    so make sure that your animation is not cut off or has extraneous still frames at the end.
 
 .. _bpy.types.RenderSettings.frame_map_old:

manual/render/output/properties/stereoscopy/introduction.rst

@@ -13,5 +13,5 @@ There is support for many different stereo 3D visualization types.
 .. note::
 
    If you have a real 3D display at some point you can change the 3D display mode in the Window menu,
-   by calling the Stereo 3D operator.
+   by calling the *Stereo 3D* operator.
    Be aware that some modes require a fullscreen editor to work, and this can be taxing on your CPU.

manual/sculpt_paint/sculpting/editing/face_sets.rst

@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ Once the operator is initiated, hover over the face set and :kbd:`LMB` to create
 After the operator is finished the new mesh will be selected in Object Mode.
 
 
-.. _sculpt.face_set_invert_visibility:
+.. _bpy.ops.sculpt.face_set_invert_visibility:
 
 Invert Visible Face Sets
 ========================

manual/video_editing/edit/montage/editing.rst

@@ -632,3 +632,12 @@ Smooth Transitions
 It is possible to create smooth transition from one speed to another speed. This can be done by holding shift key and
 dragging handle at interface of 2 speeds. This will create 2 handles, that are linked and always move in opposite
 direction. When either of these handles is removed, this will restore strip to state before transition was created.
+
+Freeze Frames
+-------------
+
+Freeze frame can be created by adding retiming handle to frame you want to freeze. Then while holding ctrl key, drag
+the handle. 
+
+.. note::
+   It is not possible to make smooth transition into freeze frame