SI 2012.5 has landed...

[Hirazi Blue]

At least in my account it has...
Look for it in the Subscription Center.

[rray]

Thanks !

Code: Select all

What’s New
-----------------------------------------------------------------

UI ‐ Selection

• Quick Loop – double‐click on an edge, point, or polygon to define a loop, and shift+double‐click to
define a range.
• Polygon Selection to Outline ‐ converts the selection to edges surrounding the polygons
• Loops from Selection – creates loops (not rings) from existing selection
• Loop from Selection (around corners) ‐ this can be used to easily select Border Edges
• Grow Loops
• Shrink Loops
• Island from Selection – selects all the components in the island

Modeling

• Model>Modify>Poly.mesh
• Create Thickness (ICE)
• Cap Holes (ICE)
• Extrude along normal
• Add Smooth Edge Loop Tool (uses the tool SDK)
      • This interactive tool adds edges while continuing the contoured shape of the object
      • Move edges while adding
      • Use MMB for 50% insertion
• Spin Edges

Navigation

• Zoom on cursor (Prefs>Tools>Camera)
      • For all 3D and 2D views
      • Includes Scroll Wheel preference

ICE

• Bullet Physics
      • New “Bullet Rigid Bodies” node
• Same options as Simulate Rigid Bodies Node with added option to collide using exact shape of
obstacle.
      • Support for “cone” native shape
• Rigid Bodies
      • Supports sub‐frame sampling (PhysX and Bullet)
• PPG logic
      • RMB>Compound Properties>PPG Logic
      • OnInit and value changes can be trapped inside compounds with PPG logic script
      • Only available for non‐private compounds
• Add Group section
      • Inside compound ‐ RMB on exposed input port name>properties. You can specify a group name instead of adding in XML file

Samples

• Get>Primitive>Model
      • human male, car, T. rex, bull, fish, lizard, horse
      • These come we predefined UVs
• ICE Sample Scenes
      • Modeling Building Grids
      • Modeling Cylinder
      • Modeling Materials
      • Modeling Simple Copy Merge
      • Modeling Texture Projection

Animation

• Viewport Autokey Border
      • When turning on Autokey there is now more visible feedback. The active viewport shows a color – which can be changed in Prefs>Animation to turn on/off or change color
• Ability to include animation layers when creating mixer clips
• New option for non‐normalized weight painting

Scene Management

• Annotation objects
      • Get>Annotation creates a null like object which shows a speech bubble in the viewport
• Get/Set memo cams access in the SDK 

Rendering

• RTS ‐ Added support for automatic RTS shader updates 

Snapping

• Prefs>Tools>Snapping ‐ New preference to control display of snap targets

FBX

• Integrated FBX SDK 2012.2

Changes:

• Selection:
      • Raycast in shaded mode now ON by default (Prefs>Tools>Selection)
      • Rectangle raycast respects XRay settings etc.
      • Raycast backfacing enabled by default (fixed issues with accidentally selecting backfaces on silhouette edges)
• ICE:
      • Default value for GetTopology changed to "No Transform"

What’s Fixed
-----------------------------------------------------------------

These are the fixes made during the development cycle of Softimage 2012 Subscription Advantage Pack, and do
not include issues that were introduced and fixed exclusively within the Softimage 2012.SAP development cycle.

ICE

Modeling:

MINU‐452 Caching and reading ICE Topology causes crash
MINU‐443 Modeling_Columns_From_Strands Sample Scene needs to have Create_Copies_from_Polygon_Mesh updated to version 2.0
MINU‐468 ICE Modeling | Modeling_Delete_Along_Edge_Loop scene has changed ( regression )
MINU‐422 ICE Modeling | sample scene uses old compound
MINU‐416 ICE Modeling | fixes for strand extrusion compounds
MINU‐365 ICE procedural modeling local subdivide output weird results.
MINU‐159 Setting EdgeCrease results in crash to desktop
MINU‐149 ICEModeling | Using ApplyICEOp to add a topology compound break the UVs

ICE:

MINU‐463 Softimage crashes when selecting particles in raycast selection mode.
MINU‐415 Expose rbdtype param from Instance Shape node in Set Instance Geometry compound
MINU‐459 String file path sequence node appends '.' to output if File Name is empty
MINU‐350 Simulation scenes with Springs no longer simulate correctly
MINU‐273 Emit from Curves not longer gives expected result.
MINU‐322 Some menus (ex: Randomize Mass and Speed) on the ICE toolbar no longer works..
MINU‐310 ICEFlowBuilder includes Randomize Around Value.1.1 that breaks existing compounds when you import them
MINU‐309 ICE | Get Data from two objects with same Name doesn't work
MINU‐304 Spawn_on_Collision fails to spawn on collision.
MINU‐297 sample grid scene precision issue 
MINU‐274 ICE | The default value of the Particles Size inside the Emit from Geometry node is too big when simulating RBD.
MINU‐257 ICE reference become invalid when connecting another object
MINU‐254 ICE | wrong port name for Randomize Around Value
MINU‐149 ICEModeling | Using ApplyICEOp to add a topology compound break the UVs
MINU‐44 ICE | Crash with Reinterpret Location to New Geometry

Texturing:

MINU‐419 Texture Projections: Filter out Texture projections created by 3D vector attributes
MINU‐70 Textures: Crash when connecting a Create Transform node to Edit UV node which was edited to set texturable flag on for Transform Parameter
MINU‐69 Textures: Edit UV Node ‐ Set Texturable Flag ON for the Transform Parameter

Rendering:

MINU‐172 Cannot specify LUT files in Color Management preferences

SDK:

MINU‐319 SDK WG LINUX: ClouderGeneratorFromDataFile example is broken

UI:

MINU‐248 Autokey Border ‐ change it to timeline instead of time range slider
MINU‐250 Can't select point cloud in shaded view mode when raycast selection preference is enabled.

FaceRobot:

MINU‐426 FR Game Export | Only one light out of 3 is affecting the face

Known Problems and Limitations
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Please note that the Known Problems and Limitations (KPL) list refers to issues that have been raised during the
Beta cycles and are considered important enough for the Softimage user base to be made aware of. If a Bug
doesn't show up in this list, it doesn't mean it is of lesser importance or not being looked at. Therefore,
suggestions, workarounds, general workflow issues and older bugs found in previous versions are not included in
this list.

MINU‐484 Exposed port removed when copy/pasting ICE compound
MINU‐406 Cap Hole gives weird results when applied on the border of a 2D obj.
MINU‐491 Operator locks don't survive object duplication

[/size]

[Hirazi Blue]

An update to the User's Guide hasn't been placed online yet, or so it seems.
Which seems as good a time as any to ask, if there will also be a download version of the new docs?
;)

[Maximus]

Thanks for the heads up, i'm downloading it right now, not particulary excited from this release, sadly i could live without the 2012.5 meanin i dont see improvement except for the Add Smooth Edge Loop Tool, i already got most of the rest of the tools running and working with other users free addons/plugins...i guess lets hope 2013 will have some solid update...

A bit depressing, but nothing can be done..as usual.

[Memag]

This means Piotrek will finish his great "QuickInset" tool!

[ace63]

Thanks for the heads up, i'm downloading it right now, not particulary excited from this release, sadly i could live without the 2012.5 meanin i dont see improvement except for the Add Smooth Edge Loop Tool, i already got most of the rest of the tools running and working with other users free addons/plugins...i guess lets hope 2013 will have some solid update...

A bit depressing, but nothing can be done..as usual.

I am feeling the same, but after the last few rock-solid releases I think its hard for the developers to keep up to everyones expectations.
The problem with those SAP and full releases is that they HAVE to release SOMETHING - my guess is that they are working on
something bigger which was just not ready for a release so they put together the stuff they had instead of releasing something
which is only 50% done.

[rray]

I'm quite pleasantly surprised with the Add Smooth Edge Loop Tool. By the tool itself but even more by the fact that it was implemented further down the architecture, as part of the SplitEdge operator - instead of just having a quick-fix new tool.

For me this shows devs still care about good software design instead of just adding features.

[Lord Futzi Voldemort]

Any news about the first service pack yet? I´ve been told one shouldn´t use a new software version until at least one service pack has been released.


...


just kidding ;)

Achim

[ActionArt]

That add smooth edge tool is sweet! All the features they've added really needed to be added even though they're available free as addons. A new user should not have to go find addons for basic modeling tools. I'm glad they did. The modeling tools are very welcome.

Is it just me or are none of these new tools available for keyboard mapping?

[rray]

Spotted the AddSmoothEdgeTool in the Custom section of the keybd mapping dialog, didn't look for the others yet.

[Maximus]

That add smooth edge tool is sweet! All the features they've added really needed to be added even though they're available free as addons. A new user should not have to go find addons for basic modeling tools. I'm glad they did. The modeling tools are very welcome.

Is it just me or are none of these new tools available for keyboard mapping?

Of course they are welcome and i'm glad they did what they did, you know me, i'm a "render" guy, so when no updates on rendering field and when i dont eat my daily muffin i get a bit unstable:)


edit. the add smooth edge tool is just killer, missed that a lot.
I guess you can find all the stuff in the custom hotkeys.
I usually use the "Browser" version of the hotkeys to find where they are stored with the ctrl+f find function and then remap the hotkey.


It is also amazing that i can just copy/paste the whole 2012sp1 user folder and get Softimage SAP running the same, i always forget but this is just so handy

[Maximus]

testing all the new stuff, it is very stable so far didnt have any problem, i had to remove the ICE modeling tools from addon because the apply thickness were causing problems since the OP command uses the one that ships now with SaP and they had the same name.

I also like the hilight into the auto-animation mode on viewport (remember me the max one) its a good feature.

Extrude along normal and Add Smooth Edge loop are pure win so far.

[Lord Futzi Voldemort]

Scenes from 2012 SAP and SP1 seem to bee interchangeable! so not much of a risk here...

Achim

[Hirazi Blue]

Got word from Stephen Blair, that the update to the documentation has been delayed, without an ETA as far as he could tell. Am I really the only one thinking a professional software release should be in sync with the update of its dynamic documentation (and vice versa)?
;)

[luceric]

The web team got the new documentation one week ago. it looks like they are going down the list of all the Autodesk stuff that needs to be uploaded today, and the doc packages are somewhere towards the end of the list. That's what happens I guess when the head honchos decide that everything must happen on the same "hell day".

[Hirazi Blue]

That's an explanation. Still doesn't make it "alright", I would say. Everybody at Autodesk probably knows of "hell day", as you put it, so everybody should be able to prepare accordingly. And in the end to me as a customer it doesn't matter what part of Autodesk actually did "mess" up (edit: if any), I am only interested in the as of yet missing documentation that should accompany this new release.
;)