Itoo Software Forum

Author Topic: Forest Pack Pro 7.0.3 beta  (Read 3303 times)

iToo

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4388
    • iToo Software
Forest Pack Pro 7.0.3 beta
« on: December 30, 2020, 01:07:20 PM »
A new version of Forest Pack beta is now available for testing. Registered users of Forest Pack Pro can download the upgrade from the User Panel->Beta versions.
For any question about this release, please use the Forest Pack beta forum.

Note 1: Beta versions include new features and fixes, but a beta version is NOT the final version of the product and therefore we don't guarantee there won't be errors that may disrupt the computer's operation and/or result in data loss. Use it always at your own risk.

Note 2: Licenses need to be reactivated. This should be done automatically by installer. If not, please reactivate your license using the License Manager tool. Users with Network/Floating licenses will need to update their License Server to v1.5.0 or above, available now from your User Panel.

Forest Pack Pro 7.0.3b

- Forest Lister is properly adjusted to the font size.
- Added Font selector to General->Settings. It affects only to custom Forest dialogs (as Library Browser, Effects, etc.)
- Improved UI responsiveness adding or updating multiple items of Geometry List.
- Added support for TyFlow in Distribution->Particle Flow mode.
   * In order to use it, you must turn on "Interfaces->Enable Particle Interace" in the TyFlow object.
- Fixed bug in Collisions Checking using geometries with different X/Y aspect ratio.
   * To keep distributions on existing scenes, the fix is applied only to new created objects.
   If you want to "upgrade" your FP object, so it works as created with FP7, select it and run from Maxscript: $.trees.resetCreatedVersion()
- Fixed bug checking texture paths using normal slashes, instead backslashes.
- Fixed: Distribution by Reference displays on viewport less items than intended, when using large meshes and Material ID filter.


Forest Pack Pro 7.0.2b

- Fixed random error reading license configuration.


Forest Pack Pro 7.0.1b

- Fixed issues with Datasmith exporter.
- Fixed crash editing items on Custom Edit mode.
- Fixed crash using Forest Color/Forest with Arnold + Active Shade.
   * Currently Color/Edge is not supported with Active Shade in Arnold. This fix just avoids crashing.
- Fixed wrong scale instantiating with Forest Tools when Display mode is set to Proxy.
- Fixed issues with Distribution Path/Particle modes and grouped geometry.
- Fixed scale of Material->Color Correction->Saturation.
- License is released inmediately after closing Max, besides at File->Reset/New events.
- Library Browser->Edit Item->Material/Object selector doesn't work when filename uses macros.
- Added 'Macros' button to Library Browser->Edit Item.
- Fixed: Transform->Z Random is applied twice on Custom Edit mode.
- Fixed updating issues with V-Ray interactive render mode.
- Fixed: License configuration is not loaded from enviroment variables.
- Fixed crash creating Forest object when there is not a license.


Forest Pack Pro 7.0.0b

Scattering Lights

- The Items List now accepts non-geometric objects, including lights, splines and more. There are several things you need to know, depending on the render engine you use:

    * V-Ray & Arnold. It's not possible to animate or change the distribution. Items are scattered as in frame 0.
    * Corona Renderer & Octane. fully supported, no limitations.
    * Other engines may be supported in the future.
    * A 'Non Geometric Object' option has been added to the Geometry rollout. When enabled, the object is handled as a non-geometric object.
      Forest will try to instance it keeping the original format, instead getting a mesh. (For many objects this is not necessary and Forest will detect the correct format automatically).

Colour Correction

- New colour correction tools allow the user to adjust Hue Shift, Saturation and Brightness for all "Forest Color" textures used by the object.
    * The effects can be disabled for specific textures by turning off 'Apply Color Correction' in a Forest Color map.

Animation

- Animation modes are now supported in Corona.
- Scattering over animated UV Surfaces is improved to generate a more consistent result during the animation.

Export/Real time

- Added specific Unity option to Forest Tools->Forest Exporter.
    * Import is done using a new experimental script available. Please find it attached to this post.

Using References

- Reference mode has been improved with the following features:
    * Multiple Items per face.
    * The ability to randomise each items position on the marker.
    * The ability to filter markers by material ID.
    * The ability to select multiple references from a scene using Max’s pin stack option.

Usability

- Added General->Settings->Use Single Rollout.
    * When enabled, a single Forest rollout is open at time. Opening one rollout collapses the others.
    * For 3DS Max 2017 and earlier, this feature works only clicking the rollout title, not using the contextual rollouts menu.

- The Creation window has been simplified and improved:
    * Default with/height for billboards is removed.
    * Custom Edit mode is removed. To create a FP object in Custom Edit mode, create as icon and next open the "Tree Editor" rollout as usual.

- The Geometry List can be populated from scene selection (first select objects in the scene, next create Forest object). If there are items selected both in a library and the scene, the library has priority.
  Two new ways to add items to the geometry list based on a scene selection:

    a) When creating a new Forest Object:
      - Select items from the scene.
      - Go to the Create panel and click to create a Forest Object.
      - Ensure 'Populate From Selection' is checked.
      - Create a Forest Object as normal.

    b) Using Pin Stack:
      - Click the "Pin Stack" icon below the Modifier panel.
      - Select objects from the scene.
      -Click the Geometry->Add button.
      -Reselect the Forest object.
      -Turn off Pin Stack.

- Default mode for Geometry List changed to "Custom Object". Also, the Pick button is enabled automatically when a new item is added.
- Camera rollout is reorganized and simplified.
    * The 'Camera' parameter is removed. Now Camera data is fetched automatically from the active view/render, in a much more reliable way.
    * To improve viewport performance, Camera features are disabled on viewport by default. You must turn on the "Enable on Viewport" checkbox.
    * Fixed issues with Batch render when rendering from different cameras.
    * "Use Environment Range" option is removed for LOD/Falloff.

Library Browser

The library Browser has been rewritten from the ground up to make it easier to develop new features in the future. This initial release adds the following improvements:

- New process to import objects/presets to the Library:
    * Library Items are created from scene selection.
    * Material Library and Max scene is generated automatically.
    * Assets can be collected to a maps folder.
- Added toolbar option to open Library Browser.
- Improved search that filters matching items across all libraries.

Forest Color

- Forest Color works on items instantiated by Forest Tools., to use it:
    * Forest Color->Override must be on.
    * Tint/Map works by Item only. Element mode is not supported.
    * V-Ray GPU is not supported.
    * Forest Color can even be used on non-Forest objects, with the same restrictions as items instantiated by Forest Tools.

Other Improvements

- Supports GBUFFER - object  ID in V-Ray
- Added support for 'Instance ID' when using VRayUVWRandomizer and VRayMultiSubTex with Forest Pack
- Improved randomness for other Distribution modes than "Image". Previous versions would create visible patterns.
    * To keep the distribution of existing scenes, this is applied only to new FP objects.
    * If you want to "upgrade" your FP object so it works as created with FP7, select it and run from Maxscript: $.trees.resetCreatedVersion()
- V-Ray now uses the materials assigned to each Custom Object, instead of the Automaterial.
- When there’s no surface applied, items are now aligned with the height of their spline.area. In previous versions the topmost spline area would be used.
- Added optimization for Interactive Rendering (Corona and V-Ray), when using Viewport->Mesh mode.
- Now proxies and non-geometric objects are rendered using the V-Ray instancing engine (similar to VRayInstancer), instead of iToo functions.
    * For other animation modes than 'Disabled' and 'Follow Animation', the old method is still used due to limitations of the VRayInstancer mode.

Other Fixes and changes

- The minimum V-Ray version supported is 3.6.
- Nested Forest objects in Corona no longer require 'Meshes' mode.
- Macros can now be used on all attributes of Library Items (such as object names).
- Motion blur now works again with distributions driven by particle systems.
- Fixed inconsistent distribution using exclusion of other Forest objects due to multithreading.
- Switching between Paint Areas no longer disables the paint button if it was enabled.
- Distribution Maps path is always added to External Files->User Paths, even if the user selects 'No' to the Paths configuration dialog.
- Adjusted default Distribution Units to 1x1 meter.
- Links to the documentation are now included for license error dialogs.
- Data dependent on UV coordinates is now preserved when switching to Custom Edit mode.
- V-Ray motion blur is now applied to non-animated Forest objects when Custom Object is used in other animated FP Objects.
- Added workaround to avoid Mental Ray missing DLL errors loading Library items, or loading scenes which uses Forest presets. (only for Max 2017 and above).
- "lookat" parameter is renamed to "lookattarget" to avoid conflicts in Maxscript with the "lookat" controller.
- Fixed crash using Animation modes with interactive render modes.
- Added optimisation for Interactive Rendering (Corona and V-Ray), when using Viewport->Mesh mode.

Carlos Quintero
iToo Software