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Author Topic: Forest Pack Pro 3.2.2 beta  (Read 11083 times)

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Forest Pack Pro 3.2.2 beta
« on: April 21, 2009, 08:48:23 PM »
Note 1: Beta versions include new features and fixes, but a beta version is NOT the final version of the product and therefore we not guarantee an absence of errors that may disrupt the computer's operation and/or result in data loss. Use it always at your own risk.

Note 2: The installer overwrites the default libraries. If you have modified them, make a copy before upgrading (C:\Program Files (x86)\Itoo Software\Forest Pack Pro: lib, maps and matlib folders). However, we suggest not modify the default libraries and create a new Category/Library for your plants.

Forest Pack Pro 3.2.2b

- Some objects were not visible on viewport after rendering with Mental Ray
- Fixed flicking trees issue when using Spline fallof and Limit to visibility
- Fixed crashing bug when using Creation Tools with splines
- Fixed issues in Last Render error dialog
- Fixed bug with automatic Camera assignment
- Fixed message "error inverting matrix" in Mental Ray log


Forest Pack Pro 3.2.1b

- Max 2010 support
- Geometry List:
   * New options: Add multiple (from a list of custom objects), Copy, Paste
   * Replaced text buttons by icons
   * "Use Mesh Dimension" is enabled by default
   * Assigning an item from Library Browser/Custom Object updates "Name" text automatically
     (if you want to disable this behaviour, set assignGeomName=0 in plugcfg/forestpack.ini)
   * Fixed potential crashing bug when there was not any item selected
- Fixed network rendering issues of 3.2b
- Default "Max trees" value (Display rollout) increased to 500.000
- Added Tooltips and updated icons
- Installer doesn't ask for stand-alone licence if already exists


Forest Pack Pro 3.2b

New features

- Improved rendering of high poly mesh trees. Forest detects and uses Mental Ray and VRay native render engines, allowing to create scenes with virtually unlimited number of objects and polygons. Is possible to mix in a same Forest object: billboards, mesh objects, mrProxies and VRay proxies, the plugin selects the best rendering mode automatically for each type of object.
- Added "Render Mode" parameter to Display rollout: "Automatic" enables the new rendering features, "Meshes" creates a single mesh for all trees (old mode)
- Improved handling of high poly meshes (working with the plugin, not only at rendering)
- Viewport redrawing is much more faster, specially in Custom Edition mode
- New Viewport display modes: Pyramid and Box
- Added normals alignment options to Surface rollout
- New parameters in Forest Material to override the Random Tint global values, defined in the Forest object
- New parameter in Forest Material to disable the use of "Forest Shader" in Mental Ray. This is the shader used by default for billboard trees, and adds some improvements as: fast opacity, self-illumination and irradiance adjustable color.
- Forest detects automatically the following conditions, suggesting the best parameters configuration:
   * Using high poly meshes
   * Mental Ray rendering
- Forest objects that had some condition error in the last render, are listed on a warning dialog
- Drag & Drog support for Material parameters
- Forest Stats shows estimated trees for render when "Simplification Level" is enabled for viewport

Mental Ray

- Fixed dark edges artifacts when Self-shadowing option is enabled
- Forest Material is now compatible with bucket rendering

VRay

Note: VRay improvements only work with Max 9 or greater and VRay 1.5 SP2/SP3

- Trees was not receiving Global Illumination in Forest Material. Fixed
- Global Illumination is not applied to shadow planes (Forest Material)
- Self-Shadowing detection (Forest Material only)
- It's not longer needed to disable "Hide Planes in Viewport" to get shadows

Other Fixes
   
- Library Browser doesn't duplicate materials that already exist in the scene
- Fixed visual artifacts for billboard trees when Camera and Light were parallel (hence Texture/Shadow planes were coplanar)
- Creation Tools / Along a Path with Spacing option was not working as intended
- Z-Offset was not working with surfaces
- Fixed problem with "Link to Surface" if a surface is not defined
- Enabled by default showMapInViewport=1 in forestpack.ini for Max 2009 (patch for textures viewport issue)
- Collisions detection was not working in "Custom Edition" mode
- Fixed issue with Custom Edition mode and limits of maximum trees/faces
- Fixed crashing bug when a Custom Object used by Forest was deleted from scene
- XShadow was ignoring center displacement values
- Fixed shadow issue with center displacement and random mirroring
- Forest errors while network rendering are logged to Backburner
- Applied UVW mapping to default mesh ("F" icon)


Installation

Use the supplied setup program, it's not needed to have Forest 3 installed previously. If you want to install it manually in other computers (as slave render nodes), these are the files that you need to overwrite:

<maxdir>\plugins\ForestPackPro.dlo
<maxdir>\mentalray\shaders_autoload\include\FShader3.mi
<maxdir>\mentalray\shaders_autoload\shaders\FShader3.dll
<maxdir>\ForestVRay150sp2.dll (*)
<maxdir>\ForestVRay150sp3.dll (*)

* New file on Forest 3.2, required for VRay

Where <maxdir> is your 3DS main directory.

If you use Network licenses, upgrade the license server to version 1.05 or greater as well.

Carlos Quintero
iToo Software