Welcome to this first release of the 2.3x series! Based on feedback and research the past months, we've finally started with updating and improving Blender's interface. Most of the work has been in good old code cleaning and reorganizing, in adding complete new UI functionality and in a thorough information design process to make both navigating and learning Blender easier. The "looks" has changed as well, matching better with contemporary desktop environments. Work on all of this is still in progress, expect more updates in upcoming releases.

 

But this is not all! We now have real Undo in the modeler, improved functionality for our Grabber/Rotate/Scale tools, improved drawing of 3d models, a Knife tool, new interactive methods for selection and subdivision in Meshes, fixes and new functionality in the Python API, and a lot more...

 

The changelog for this version is huge, and has been split in several sections, these links can be found below.

 

 

New 'Transform' functionality

1. Constraining transform to an axis:

This applies all tools like Grab, Rotate and Scale.

• you can still switch to a constrained transform with a single press of middle mouse key. Blender calculates the dominant axis based on current mouse position.
• new modes: Press X, Y or Z once to constraint to global axes
• new modes: another press of X, Y or Z will constraint to local axes
• a third press of X, Y or Z will go back to normal.
• while entering a constrained mode, helplines will be drawn to indicate the current constrained axis. In local constraint mode, an additional axis will be drawn.

 

 

2. Numerical input:

Numerical input applies to modes Grab, Rotate, Scale, Warp, Shear, Shrink/Fatten:

• when starting a transform mode, just typing a numerical value, or pressing NKEY will invoke numerical input
• check the window header of the 3D Window to show which of the values currently is active for input
• press TAB to move to the next input value
• press NKEY to leave, or to start it again.
• pressing ENTER will apply the values
• pressing ESC will leave the transform mode without changes
• Backspace will clear the value to zero
• Pressing 'Minus' (keyboard) will negate the value
• Only the normal 'Period' key allows switching to decimal input. Numerical Pad only allows number input now.

 

 

3. Flipping sizes

The old convention was that pressing X, Y or Z flipped the axes while in Scale mode. This has been solved with two new options:

• in Edit Mode, pressing MKEY will provide a menu with choices.
• Object Mode...

 

 

Face Loop selection & subdvision

Press SHIFT+R in Mesh EditMode to invoke a selection mode that enables selecting entire loops in a model. Move the mouse cursor over the Mesh to see the active edges to be used as loop. Pressing left mouse or ENTER adds to the selection. Press ESC to leave the mode without changes-> Loop Subdivide

 

Press CTRL+R in Mesh EditMode to invoke a mode that enables subdividing an entire loop in a model. Move mouse over the Mesh to see the proposed subdivision. Pressing left mouse or ENTER adds to the selection. Press ESC to leave the mode without changes

 

 

Python API

Fixes:

• obj.name access in Object
• bone.getParent in Armature/Bone
• unchecked pointer when adding sitedirs to sys.path
• added more types to obj.shareFrom

 

 

Additions:

-NMesh:

• a set of vertex group related methods
• face.normal, expanded .Modes dictionary, .get/setMode methods
• nmesh.get/setMaxSmoothAngle and nmesh.get/setSubDivLevels methods

 

 

-Ipo:

• ipo.getCurve(string)

 

 

-Object, Camera, Material, World:

• .get/set/clearIpo methods

 

 

Docs:

• updated with all additions + a few fixes
• added huge reference for BGL functions

 

 

A new version of the docs should be available with or soon after the new

Blender release.

 

 

Radiosity render

• Rendering with material without radio flag sometimes caused scanline errors.
• The color didn't truely match the color when using 'radio tool'.
• When adding new radiosity block, 'max iterations' is set at 120. this prevents new users from going into radio-solving with a long itteration time

 

 

Audio window as 'frame slider'

• extreme small or narrow windows in Blender didn't accept mouse input. This disabled the possibility to make a (screen wide) 'frame slider' by adding a header-less wide and narrow 'Audio Timeline' window.
• An example can be found in the default .B.blend startup file, first screen.
• sliding the frame in an Audio window now displays current frame number next to mouse pointer
• right mouse click in Audio window gives option to switch between seconds, or frames display.
• check on Render Buttons (F10), to set the right value for 'frames per second'.

 

 

Smaller fixes

• the 'shaded 3d view' (SHIFT+Z) will correctly display smoothing using vertex normals now.
• default grid drawing in 3d window has been improved, it keeps drawing grid lines; independent of how far you zoom in our out
• standard 'solid' drawmode is fully configurable, up to three lights. Check User Settings Menu for it (pull down top window edge).
• OSX: closing the render output window now works
• Texture channels in Material editor can be switched on/off each individually. This replaces the old 'SepTex' button
• Using the Stencil option in Material Textures, normal-mapping now can be controlled as well.
• Removed built-in maximum for rendering vertices/faces/halos/lamps. It now allocates dynamically the tables. Watch your memory!
• fixed overflows in unified render, caused by extreme values for specularity. This gave bad anti-aliasing.
• MS Windows version: usage of new Font draw library gives crispier anti aliased fonts, and solves crash at exit
• Sequencer: fixed a bug that prevented volume envelopes from being applied to the Mixdown WAV
• Meta Balls: Lattice as parent now affects correctly deformation

 

 

Things that were not restored yet:

• Pressing NKEY in buttons window, gave options for hexadecimal input.
• In Edit Mode, toolbox doesn't give option to add another object type

 

 

Contributors to this release were, in random order:

 

Joseph Gilbert, Michel Selten, Jacques Guignot, Stephen Swaney, Willian Padovani Germano, Martin Poirier, Roel Spruit, Robert Wenzlaff , Alexander Ewering, Matt Ebb, Simon Clitherow, Jiri Hnidek, Kent Mein, John Walton, Rob Haarsma, Wouter van Heyst, everyone on the bf-funboard mailing list, the one I forgot, and your humble servant,

 

Ton Roosendaal

 

Amsterdam, october 30, 2003.