Dear Friends of 3DE,

after a long development phase we finally have updated our website with the next major release of 3DE. Release 8.0 comes with a number of new features and a lot of smaller improvements and bug fixes.

Here are some more details:

- We switched to new development environments on all platforms. As a result of that, R8.0 is now based on (and comes with) Python 3.9.18. This enabled us to add the "pxr" module - better known as USD (universal scene description). From a user point of view, there are new scripts for importing and exporting USD files, similar to the ones we introduced some time ago for Alembic.

- Since Apple gave us such a hard time recently with the bugged release of R7.1, we decided to give the Mac version a complete overhaul. It now runs "fully" native on the platform without the need for any external "XQuartz" X Windows server software. Also, the installation procedure should now be hassle-free (well at least until the next major release of MacOS, I guess!).

- We also added a new infrastructure for creating so-called "3DE ASCII" files. Basically, entire projects can be exported, imported and merged through these files. They are based on XML and as a consequence can be created externally through some 3rd party in-house tools, as well. Finally, there are import and export scripts available for legacy versions of 3DE (up until R5) which now allow for backwards compatible data exchange with newer 3DE versions!

- Of course we also added some new lens distortion features. First of all, there are 2x new lens distortion models, one for radial- and one for anamorphic lenses, which provide new parameters for handling stabilizers (lens- and/or camera body based ones). In addition to that, there is a new optimization script which is made for high-frequency-movements created by stabilizer hardware. This optimization script improves the deviation of individual frames by optimizing multiple (lens distortion) CVs, if needed, on a frame-by-frame basis. The results can be stunning. First of all, the calculation usually is quite fast, and secondly it is possible to reduce the deviation of a project dramatically with this technique.

- Another lens distortion feature which might become quite handy in the future is the ability to convert a sequence of stmap files into a lens object with dynamic distortion. Each frame receives individual lens distortion animation values in this case. Thus it is possible to reduce the storage needed for describing such dynamic lens distortion data from a few gigabytes to just a few kilobyte (if at all). Also, having just a few parameters (instead of a big-ass stmap) means that things can be optimized later on (for instance with 3DE's new "Optimize CVs" script)!

- Last but not least, we added a new feature for creating holdout 3D models from just autotracking masks - we call them "blocking objects". Such objects are intended to "block" certain parts of the frame where some real-world foreground elements were located. CGI can then travel behind those objects. So, this feature might be of interest for certain roto tasks.

As the title of this blog post indicates, 3DE4 R8.0 is currently in open beta. We expect the final version to be released in 4-6 weeks from now. Pl. use the opportunity to send us feedback if anything is not working correctly...

...oh yeah, and we also made a "little" video - enjoy: What's New in 3DEqualizer4 R8.0

Cheers, Rolf

r8.0

• added python 3.9.18 support on all platforms
• significantly updated 3DE's GUI under MacOS (from the ground up)
• added a new feature for creating holdout 3d models out of autotracking masks
• added a new feature for reducing the vertex count of 3d models
• added a new feature to F2/overlay grid (show circle, aim point)
• added a new feature for defining an aim constraint for 3d models
• added a new feature for disabling individual autotracking masks
• added a new option for not showing hidden points in deviation browser
• added the option to show motion vectors in F5
• added a new feature for projecting a point onto the 3d model of a different point group (F5)
• added a new option for "rendering tracked 3d points only" (script "save out rendered frames")
• 3DE now returns an exit code if no license is found ("no gui" mode)
• added a "apply result" button to LSF solver script
• added more error checks to "save project (as)"
• added options "direction" and "reference pattern" to script "point defaults"
• added new option to F2/view for only showing +/- 10 frames of a 2d tracking curve
• added an extra horizontal line to the 0.0 position (curve editor)
• added an additional option to 3DE's "filter points" function ("infinitely distant points")
• added the option to search for a certain point (attribute editor, select point requesters)
• added a new "stabilizer" lens distortion model for radial lenses
• added a new "stabilizer" lens distortion model for anamorphic lenses
• added a new toggle to F2/F5 view menu ("force center 3d if 2d invisible")
• added a new label to curve editor/cursor (lens distortion curves, dynamic distortion)
• added a the ability to import vertex colors to 3DE's "import alembic" script
• added new script for running sequences of LSF operations
• added new scripts for enabling/disabling autotracking masks
• added new script for displaying the size of a tracked marker in px
• added new script for attaching a 3d model to a pair of points
• added new script for the fast optimization of multiple CVs (curve editor)
• added new script for the resampling of existing curves
• added new script for importing (dynamic) lens distortion from a sequence of stmap files
• added new scripts for flattening the lens rotation curve of a lens (dynamic distortion)
• added new scripts for import/export of USD files
• added new scripts for the import/export/merge of 3deasc files
• added new scripts for duplicating individual cameras/point groups/points
• added a new script for transforming autotracking masks
• renamed flame export script to "export distortion as flame matchbox node"
• added a new script for exporting a project to maya (no MEL, python output only)
• added new python commands for reading persistent ids of more objects (3d models, CVs, geo lines, constraints, etc.)
• added new python command for writing the 3d model filepath attribute
• added new python command for adding a callback which is invoked once 3DE/exit has been selected by the user
• added new python commands for reading/writing image mask attributes
• added new python command for reading the list of all currently available lens distortion models
• added new python commands for reading the display- and data window size of openexr files
• added new python commands for reading/writing autotracking mask enabled flags
• added new python commands for reading/writing 3d model aim constraint attributes
• added new python command for reading the size of a previously tracked marker
• added new python commands for reading/writing lists of 3d model vertex, face and line data
• added new python command for retrieving the current display area size and position
• added new python commands for reading/writing the selection flags of autotracking masks CVs
• added new python command for calculating lens distortion from an arbitrary set of point pairs
• added new python command for reducing the vertex count of a 3d model
• added new python commands for read/write GUI widget visibility flags
• added new python command for reading a list of all persistent string tags
• added a number of previously missing python commands (rootframes, motion extraction, invert point cloud, etc.)
• changed default settings for prefs/legacy open gl image rendering (gldrawpixels problem)
• fixed a bug with python command "setCameraPath" which could cause 3DE to crash (rare)
• fixed some bugs in script "export fast buffer compression file"
• fixed a bug in script "scrptdb installer" which could cause 3DE to crash (windows, install multiple scripts)
• fixed a bug which caused the python timer to stop (cancel of adjustment scripts)
• fixed a bug which caused 3DE to crash (plane constraints, untracked or disabled points)
• fixed a rendering problem in F1/F5 (zooming, motion blur)
• fixed a problem in 3DE's file requester (multiple "*" in filter)
• fixed a bug in script "image warp" (skipping the rendering of some frames)
• fixed a problem in script "nudge tool" (properly updating interpolated tracking curves)
• fixed a bug which could cause 3DE to crash (macos, python command "setPointPosition2DBlock")
• fixed a bug in script "reel in points" (first frame not equal to "1")
• fixed a bug which caused script "image warp" to malfunction in case floating point numbers were entered
• fixed a bug which caused the "scriptdb installer" script to filter list entries incorrectly
• fixed a bug which could cause 3DE to crash (windows only, new project/open project)
• fixed a bug which caused 3DE not to store the rescale parameter (script "import multiple ref. frames")
• patched a problem which could cause 3D Models to become corrupted (faces containing the same point multiple times)
• fixed a minor display bug (license manager window)
• improved the behavior of 3DE when running a different version (matching scripts for that version are being started)
• improved the performance of curve editor (large number of frames)
• improved the font rendering speed (under macos significantly)
• optimized the tangent lengths of newly created CVs (curve editor)
• improved script "duplicate lens" (now copying the parameters of all distortion models)
• improved the behavior when converting a point from bw to fw/bw
• improved all "extract" function in F6 now taking ortho mode properly into account
• improved python command "calcPointPosition3D" (now taking ld into account)
• improved script "import raw lidar scan" (thanks to Ralph)
• improved the robustness of 3DE's anamorphic distortion models ("weird" GoPro footage)
• improved the robustness of flcd4 against some nasty "security" tools (such as "defense")
• improved import performance of .obj files significantly
• improved GUI performance of 3DE's file requester (large files)
• improved the performance of script "calc point deviations" (zooming, dynamic distortion)
• added a number of new features to rotomation editor
• updated script "save out rendered frames" with some quality of life features
• changed the order of rotational and positional curves in curve editor