Dear Friends of 3DE!

3DE4 R5b3 has become available a few days ago. Beside many bugfixes & improvements, we introduced an entirely new auto tracking feature for reference frames and re-engineered 3DE's "refine polygons" function completely.

To demonstrate these new features, and our vision of "set reconstruction through reference frames", we also developed a new tutorial video:

Reconstructing a Set from Reference Frames

For more details on all the changes which come with 3DE4 R5b3, see changelog below...

Cheers, Rolf

r5b3

• introduced a new autotracking feature for reference frames (F4)
• redeveloped 3DE's "refine polygons" feature from scratch (F6)
• introduced an additional function for creating meshes from given point clouds ("advanced skinning")
• introduced a new very fast function for creating UV coordinates of 3D models
• added the ability to search for badly tracked (autotracking) points in reference frames ("find badly tracked points" feature)
• added a new parameter for controlling the border around faces when generating "UV texture maps" (F6)
• 3DE now takes the z depth of 3D models properly into account when generating "UV texture maps" (F6)
• added some finer controls to F6 for the display of camera objects
• added a gamma/softclip feature to warp4 (affects the output of 8bit images only)
• added a new "live update" option to 3DE's "lambertizer" function (F6)
• split "project points of 3d model" function into 2 separate menu buttons (F5)
• fixed a bug which caused 3DE to generate wrong "UV texture maps" (F6, long-lat conversion enabled)
• slightly reconfigured 3DE's automatic activation of "performance rendering" mode (F6, 4x larger models)
• smart creation feature of "linear" vs. "splined" CVs (F4, autotracking masks)
• slightly improved the behavior of 3DE's "legacy" "create mesh from points" function (F6)
• added new functions to 3DE's maya export script (v2.5, output units, 3d model transformations)
• added a "flop" option to "export rolling shutter to nuke" script (v1.5)
• added a "flop" option to "export distortion to nuke/grid warp" script (v1.6)
• slightly improved the consistency of 3DE's license manager requester (missing "3DE ID" information)
• fixed a bug which caused 3DE to crash under MacOS 10.12 "Sierra"
• fixed a display bug (F1, anaglyph rendering)
• fixed a serious bug in 3DE's "reverse tracking curves" script (v1.3)
• fixed a bug in 3DE's "export fbx" script (v1.5, wrong FPS settings)
• fixed several display bugs when in connection with auotracking masks (F4, frame slider)
• added the ability to edit the playback range within frame slider for ref. frames
• added a number of python commands for manipulating autotracking masks
• added a new script for duplicating selected autotracking masks from the previous (reference) camera
• improved 3DE's "triangulate points" script now working properly on ref. frames as well (v1.1)
• improved the behavior of curve editor's "view all" mode
• added support for ".mtl" files ("export OBJ" script, v1.7)
• introduced a new script for merging all selected 3D models into a single 3D model object
• fixed a minor bug in script "copy to reference" (v1.1)
• added a new python command "getGPUTrackEngineProcedureStatus()" which returns some status information (GPU tracking)
• fixed a lot of bugs in relation to 3DE's new GPU tracking engine
• fixed some performance and quality issues related to 3DE's new GPU tracking engine
• fixed some additional calculation core related bugs

r5b2

• improved the tracking speed of 3DE's GPU Tracking Engine (up to 4x faster, deep tracking = 0.0)
• improved the detection rate of 3DE's GPU Tracking Engine (for various lighting-, scaling- and perspective transformations)
• reduced the error rate of 3DE's GPU Tracking Engine significantly
• improved the sub-pixel quality of 3DE's GPU Tracking Engine (for various scenarios)
• fixed a bug which caused 3DE's GUI to "freak out" when using its GPU Tracking Engine (rare)
• reconfigured "compensate luminance changes" mode for 3DE's GPU Tracking Engine
• fixed a bug which caused 3DE's GPU Tracking Engine to error out when using multiple main windows
• fixed a bug which caused 3DE to crash during its adjustment procedure (setTimerCallbackFunction() python command)
• significantly improved 3DE's regular autotracking routine for sequence cameras (F4, point distribution)
• added full python 2.7 data to 3DE's installation (linux64 only)
• added proper Undo support for scripts "reverse tracking curves", "reverse reel in points", "reel in points" & "reel in points current frame"
• added minor improvements to 3DE's Maya export script (GUI)
• fixed a bug in 3DE's FBX export script (multiple point groups)
• fixed a bug in scripts "python editor" and "python command help"
• removed some annoying shell debugging messages (calculation core)
• fixed a bug which caused 3DE to crash when launched through command line (rare)
• updated script "bake scene", which now transforms 3D models as well (v1.2)
• additional minor bugfixes

r5b1

• 3DE4 is now linked against Python 2.7 (linux64 & win64)
• upgraded win64 SDK/runtime environment
• added a new GPU based engine for tracking 2D features in reference frames (F2)
• added a new point attribute for configuring 3DE's new ref. frames tracking engine ("deep tracking")
• added new python commands for reading & writing a point's "deep tracking" attribute
• added new python commands for driving 3DE's GPU based tracking engine
• updated script "Align Point to Prev/Next Keyframe" to use GPU tracking engine (v2.0)
• added a new function for refining 3D Models based on 3D cameras & footage (F6)
• added a new function for creating UV texture maps out of 3D cameras & their footage to be mapped on 3D models (F6)
• added the ability to display UV texture maps on individual 3D models
• added a script for generating UV coordinates for 3D models
• updated script "export 3d models as OBJ" (export uv coordinates)
• added a new script for inverting the (back-)faces of all selected 3d models
• added a function for generating a pseudo lambert shading effect for 3D models (F6)
• fixed a number of rendering bugs in connection with 3D models (F1, F5 & F6)
• added a new "performance rendering" mode for fast rendering of (large) 3D models (F5 & F6)
• added new python commands for reading & writing a 3D Model's "performance rendering" attributes
• added new script "Object PGroup Z Distance Tool" for directly editing the distance of an object point group to the current camera
• introduced a general user interface visual overhaul
• added a lasso selection feature (CTRL+ALT, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6, curve editor, deviation browser, curve widget, 3D area widget)
• added a function for hiding all panes from the display area (TAB)
• added a new feature which allows to add non modal script windows to the pane structure of a main window (via "config" menus)
• added a new python scripting tag which lets a script appear in all config menus (# 3DE4.script.gui.config_menus: true)
• added a new python command for finding out if a script window is currently part of a main window's pane structure (isCustomRequesterPosted())
• updated a number of existing python scripts so that they show up in all config menus (and thus can be added to the pane structure)
• added a new python scripting tag which forces 3DE to create multiple menu entries for a script (# 3DE4.script.addlabel: <label>)
• added a new python command for returning the label of those menu entry which has triggered the script (getLastScriptMenuLabel())
• mildly improved the usability of curve editor
• added a new option to curve editor for displaying (object point group-) rot/pos curves in global space
• added a new python command for making "child space" and "global space" rot/pos curves consistent to each other (curve editor, object point groups)
• added a new python command which copies a point group's rot/pos "edit curves" into its "filtered curves" (curve editor)
• introduced v2.0 of script "edit curve keys" (deviation browser, curve editor)
• added two additional long-lat conversion camera animation curves to curve editor (pan & tilt)
• added the ability to handle (and convert) long-lat image sequences (instead of just converting single frames)
• added two scripts for converting 2D tracking curves to/from long-lat converted from/to regular (F2)
• added new python commands for converting 2D tracking data to/from long-lat converted from/to regular
• added a number of new python commands for reading & writing a camera's long lat conversion attributes
• added a new script which shows the relative distances between all eyes of a VR camera rig on a frame by frame basis
• added a new "piggyback cameras" adjustment script which forces multiple cameras (of a VR rig) into an artificial rigid constraint to each other
• added a new python command which returns the filepath of the latest called script (getLastScriptFilepath())
• added a new python command for defining a callback which is triggered each time a project file is loaded (setOpenProjectCallbackFunction())
• added new "dynamic point weighting" mode (point attributes)
• added new features to deviation browser for editing point weighting curves
• added new python commands for reading & writing dynamic point weighting attributes
• added new "triangulation behavior" mode (point attributes)
• added new python commands for reading & writing a point's "triangulation behavior" attribute
• the command history of 3DE's python console is now persistent
• added a new python command for creating label widgets (addLabelWidget())
• fixed some bugs in script "export rolling shutter to nuke" (v1.4)
• fixed some bugs in export script "fbx" (v1.2)
• fixed some bugs in script "export lens distortion to AE mesh warp" (v1.2)
• updated "Maya" export script with several new options & bugfixes (v2.0)
• updated script "export LDPK lens distortion to nuke" (v1.6)
• slightly improved script "bake scene" (v1.1)
• slightly improved script "select lens" now working correctly for ref. frames (v1.1)
• updated script "convert to surveyed" now setting X/Y/Z survey flags correctly (v1.3)
• updated scripts "import/export survey txt file" now handling object point groups correctly (v1.2, thanks to Patcha)
• added a new python command which returns how many times a project has been calculated from scratch (getCalcCounter())
• added a new python command for setting the orientation of the 3D manipulator in F6 (setOrientControlsManipulatorAlignment())
• added new python commands for reading & writing orientation controls' current view attributes
• slightly updated 3DE's default shortcuts
• fixed a bug which caused 3DE to display old licenses incorrectly (rare, license manager window)
• improved the behavior of orientation controls when dragging the mouse outside of its display area
• slightly improved all "extract survey" functions now setting X/Y/Z survey flags correctly
• improved function "project points on 3D models" now allowing to use all frames of a sequence (F5)
• enabled the ability for editing the autotracking mask attributes of reference frames (attr. editor)
• slightly improved function "remove all stored poses" now displaying a confirmation requester (F5)
• fixed a bug in all "calc dynamic curve" requesters now properly displaying frame numbers ("frame offset" != 1)
• added a new command line option "-run_script" which forces 3DE to run a specified python script right after 3DE has been started
• flcd4 is now able to handle "modern" linux network device names properly (v2.0b4, linux64)
• updated warp4 (GUI, compatible to r5b1, v1.5b1)
• fixed a bug which caused pos/rot edit curves to show up with CVs at 0.0 (lack of tracking points, interpolation)