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Author Topic: Forest Pack Pro 3.5.2 beta  (Read 11593 times)

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Forest Pack Pro 3.5.2 beta
« on: May 20, 2011, 09:01:12 PM »
Note 1: This beta version requires a license with an active Forest Pro subscription. For more information about the new subscription scheme, please see the following post: Forest price changes.

To see the subscription end date of your license, select it on the Itoo Software License Manager and click the 'Details' button. If you have purchased a subscription renewal but the subscription date is not updated, add the latest authorization code that you have received ('Add' button), and proceed with the activation process.


Note 2: 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 3: The distribution of items on this release may change from scenes created with Forest 3.5.0b when UV surfaces are used.

Forest Pack Pro 3.5.2b

This maintenance patch fixes several issues of the latest beta:

- Fixed bug that was scaling wrongly the items on Y axis.
- Solved instability issues created by specific topologies of high-poly meshes.
- Fixed alignment problem of the items when were used in XRef scenes.
- Added IRay compatibility. Note: this renderer has not support for large distributions of high-poly objects as VRay or Mental Ray
- Random Scale lock value is set by default to XYZ.


Forest Pack Pro 3.5.1b

New features:

- "Surface->Align to Normal" has been replaced by "Direction", a numeric value which defines the direction of the items relative to the surface's orientation: -100 (Down), 0 (Normal), 100 (Up).
- New "Transform" options:
    * Scale now uses separate ranges for XYZ, instead Width/Height values as before.
    * Scale->Lock aspect ratio adds three new modes: None, XY, XYZ.
    *  Rotation and Scale maps now accepts color images. The X,Y and Z scale ranges are multiplied by  the Red, Green and Blue component of each pixel (RGB->XYZ).
- Added new functions to MaxScript: getSize, setSize. Use them to handle item's size on XYZ.

Library Browser:

- Support for 3dsMax mesh objects and billboard entries.
- Multiple selection:
    * Select multiple items with SHIFT or CTRL key, and add them to Forest pressing Enter or right click->Use Items.
    * The first item replaces the current selection on the Geometry List, the others are added to the list.
- Import items from 3dsmax scenes or material libraries.
- Loading of mesh models as Merge or XRefs.
- Added ordering and filter by name options in the browser window.
- Drag & Drop support for the left panel, to move and copy libraries (hold CTRL key to copy)
- Separate system and user libraries, administrator rigths are not required to create libraries.
- System libraries as always read-only, must be copied to an user folder to modify them.
- Support for relative or absolute path locations, with support for text macros.
- Library lock option has been removed.
- Resizable windows on auxiliar dialogs.
- New index format in structured XML. Old plain libraries are automatically converted.

Fixes and changes:
   
- Added compatibility with VRay 2.0 SP1 and VRay 1.5 SP6.
- Solved potential crashing bug with VRay and XRef scenes.
- The materials of the Geometry List are not duplicated anymore when a Forest object is cloned.
- Fixed crashing bug when using Points-cloud view mode and "Geometry->Consolidate materials" is off.
- Swichting to Custom Edit was not keeping the existing distribution, when using one the following features: UV surfaces, Scale Area Falloff.
- Now is possible to use non-uniform scales when scaling items on Custom Edit mode.
- Collision detection was creating different results from version 3.4.1. Fixed.
- Camera clipping was not working properly on Custom Edit mode when using Surfaces.
- Surface->Place items was placing the items in wrong positions.
- Camera fallof now works with UV surfaces.
- The Maxscript functions 'SetRotation', 'GetRotation' now work properly.
- Minor display issues with Max 2012 and Nitrous.
- Fixed minor issues on Forest Color.
- The "Material->Color Tint->Use on Custom Object" parameter is removed (now is applied always).
- Solved geometry issue with distributions created from open splines.


Forest Pack Pro 3.5.0b

New features and improvements
   
- Full 3D scattering using UV surface coordinates.

    * The scattering mode can be selected in the surface rollout (XY: original mode, using 2D projection, UV: new 3D mode, using UV coords)
    * Several features are not available in UV mode: Splines, Bitmap rotation, Dist.Map Channel (locked to 1), "Link to Surface" on Custom Edit mode

- New plugin: Forest Color. Use it to add color variation to the Forest items, in a similar way to Forest Material but with significative differencies:

    * Since it is a texture map, not a material, can be used as diffuse map, specular, opacity, etc.
    * Includes up to 10 randomly color/texture maps. Adjustable parameters: color / map / presence (%) / on-off toggle
    * Adds 5 blending modes for Random Tint: Normal, Color, Additive, Average and Multiply
    * Random Tint and Maps can be applied by item or by element:
         The items are the objects that are scattered (for example, the trees), and the elements are the mesh parts of each item (as the leaves of a tree).
         This powerful feature allows us for example, to randomize several leaf textures in a tree, or tint individually each blade of a clump of grass.
         For Random Tint is possible to adjust the amount of tint applied by item or by element (0% to 100%). See images for samples.
         Note: this mode works only in VRay and Mental Ray using mesh objects (proxies are not supported).

- Points-cloud performance has been greatly improved
- The Library Browser now supports 3D objects. (Note: this feature is not finished yet. Wait till the next beta for a full implementation and documentation).
      
Fixes and changes
   
- Random Tint with Gradient was not using the right colours in Mental Ray
- The 'Freeze All' parameter is handled in a different way
- Display->Hide Custom is off by default, except when Mental Ray is the active renderer
- 'Hidden items' added to Forest Stats (Custom Edit mode only)
- Random Tint is enabled in Forest Lite (including new Forest Color plugin)
- Surface List can be edited from Maxscript
- Improved vray proxy file search in network render
- Distribution Maps using ColorCorrect are updated properly
- Max 7 & Max 8 are not longer supported. Forest now requires Max 9 or greater.
- Add Max 2012 support.

Sample Images

Scattering by UV Coordinates



A sample Forest scene using different values of Tint mixing. See how changes the amount of tint applied to the trees (Item), and to the leaves (Element).





This scene uses a clump of grass as custom object, using Tint by Element to apply a different colour to each blade of grass



Forest Color plugin interface



Carlos Quintero
iToo Software