ANNOUNCE: 3Delight 0.8
Info
We are very pleased to announced that the latest
release of 3Delight is available for download on
the 3Delight website, http://www.3delight.com .
It has been a long time since the last public
release. In fact, it took us a little more time
that we expected, but we think it was worth the wait.
Here are the main new features of 3Delight 0.8.
3Delight now has a shader interpreter, so you do not
need a C compiler anymore to use your own shaders.
We also implemented a new shadow simulation algorithm,
the multi-depth shadow map (a.k.a deep shadow map).
With multi-depth shadow maps, you can simulate the
shadows cast by semi-transparent objects. These shadow
maps are prefiltered (like the textures), making them
appropriate for the simulation of the shadows cast by
a multitude of small objects, like hairs or the leaves
of a tree.
Finally, we made sure that the installer worked properly
with Windows 2000, and we compiled 3Delight with the
new Linux libstdc++ (version 3).
Also in this release:
- NURBS are now completely implemented
- We can now read binary encoded RIB files
- ReadArchive now works properly
- Defined NDC as a default space
- New shadow map sampling algorithm
- Optimisation and improvements to the shadow map and
texture map algorithms
- Added support for blur and width parameters in texture,
shadow and environment calls
- Support for message passing functions in shaders
- Added support for visibility, rayhittest and
fulltrace SL functions
- On Windows, the shaders can now be compiled with
the gcc and Borland compilers
- Added support for automatic ray traced shadows
- Implementation of colored and semi-opaque ray-traced shadows
- Fixed a whole lot of bugs in the ray tracer.
- Fixed the framebuffer display driver
- Changed the memory allocator under IRIX to use memory
more efficiently
- Fixed many memory leaks
We would like to thank all of you who gave us feedback.
Continue to send us your comments, suggestions and bug
reports. And if you think you have rendered something
great with 3Delight (we're sure you will), drop us a word !
--
The 3Delight developers team.
in...@3delight.com http://www.3delight.com