Upcoming September 2008 release - RCs available!

Get help with installing and running the Cafu Engine here. This forum is also for general questions and discussion of all aspects regarding the Cafu Engine.
Post Reply
User avatar
Carsten
Site Admin
Posts:2170
Joined:2004-08-19, 13:46
Location:Germany
Contact:
Upcoming September 2008 release - RCs available!

Post by Carsten » 2008-08-21, 20:13

Hi all,

I'm happy to announce that the first release candidate (RC1) of the upcoming September 2008 release is now available at http://www.ca3d-engine.de/files/Ca3DE-8 ... -win32.zip (roughly 270 MB). :cheesy:
[EDIT: RC1 is no longer available as it has been replaced by a more current release. See the last post in this thread and newer posts in general for the latest release.]

The release candidates will be updated until September 1st, and unless severe errors are found until then, the last release candidate will be turned into the final release on the same day, and be renamed to "September 2008 (8.09) release".

This release is especially important for mappers, as it addresses many glitches and usability enhancements in the Ca3DE World Editor CaWE. The most important change is that we now don't rely on the OpenGL picking (left-click selection in the 3D view) any more, but provide a complete driver-independent solution that works faster and above all much more reliable, especially on computers with ATI/AMD graphics boards and drivers.

Over a dozen other items have been addressed, too - I'll post a complete list later. Right now, I'm headed for the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany - a report about which I'll post here when I'm back next week!

Please make a map everyone, test CaWE thoroughly, and let me know what you think!
I'll spend the entire next week on bug-fixes and more usability enhancements in CaWE, so please send me everything that you think needs addressing!
:up:

Important notes about the RC1:
  • This is a Release Candidate, not the final demo. The final demo will have additional bugs fixed and improvements.
  • Minimum System Requirements: 1 GB main RAM, 256 MB video (GPU) RAM.
  • There are a few known issues (Linux version not yet available). To be fixed next week, along with the Linux release.
  • I'll post a list with new features since the last release during this week.
  • The above link will only work as long as the RC1 is current, which however is to be expected short-lived and to be updated/replaced soon. If you find the link not working, check for more recent RCs or the final release of the Ca3D-Engine demo.
Have fun! :up:
Best regards,
Carsten
User avatar
Carsten
Site Admin
Posts:2170
Joined:2004-08-19, 13:46
Location:Germany
Contact:

Re: Upcoming September 2008 release - RCs available!

Post by Carsten » 2008-08-26, 19:19

Release Update (RC2)

I'm happy to announce that RC2 is finally available:
http://www.ca3d-engine.de/files/Ca3DE-8 ... -win32.zip
[EDIT: RC2 is no longer available as it has been replaced by a more current release. See the last post in this thread and newer posts in general for the latest release.]
:groupwave1:

We've worked like crazy to fix bugs and improve usability in CaWE!! :builder: :cheesy:

Will upload the Linux release later today, too, as well as the detailed changelog.

As RC2 is much better than RC1 and we're approaching the final release, :kewl:
please test this one, then share your findings here!
Best regards,
Carsten
User avatar
Carsten
Site Admin
Posts:2170
Joined:2004-08-19, 13:46
Location:Germany
Contact:

Re: Upcoming September 2008 release - RCs available!

Post by Carsten » 2008-08-29, 18:52

Release Update (RC3)

Finally, here is it: The hopefully final RC for the upcoming September 2008 release: [EDIT: RC3 is no longer available as it has been replaced by the official release. Please see the Downloads page for the latest download.]
:groupwave1:

As promised earlier, here is also the change log (only the most important changes). Most of the changes are about CaWE, as it was the main goal of the release to improve its usability and overall features:
  • Fixed the picking (left-click selection in the 3D views). The new solution is independent from the graphics driver now and works reliable everywhere.
  • Material Browser dialog: Fixed improper input focus handling wrt. the Filter field.
  • Material Browser dialog: Fixed mouse-wheel scrolling speed issue.
  • List of entities is now properly lexicographically sorted with the "New Entity" tool.
  • Map file names can now have spaces, as e.g. in "My Map.cmap" and "My Map.cw". Also fixed in core engine.
  • Point lights (both dynamic as well as Radiosity/static) now have a proper default color.
  • Menu item "Entity Inspector" (Alt+Enter) now preselects the proper tab (scene graph list, entity properties or primitive properties), according to the current selection.
  • Fixed a bug with improperly exported point light source colors.
  • Added new default textures (two grass, sand and rock) for new terrains!
  • Changed menu item hotkey shortcut descriptions from CTRL-XY to more intuitive CTRL+XY.
  • Added tooltips for the main tools toolbar.
  • Saving a map now properly updated the MRU list of files.
  • The Selection tool is now active per default.
  • The Materials toolbar now has a proper default when starting up the editor.
  • "Generate" button in Terrain Editor tool dialog doesn't crash anymore when no terrain is selected.
  • Revised grid options and general default settings in "Configure CaWE" dialog.
  • Terrain Editor tool makes selection of terrains easier now even in difficult cases.
  • Fixed a long standing rendering bug in the 2D views!
  • The materials toolbar now keeps a per-map(!) list of most recently used materials that is saved with the maps and is restored when a map is next loaded.
  • Fixed the "Carve" tool (Menu item "Tools --> Carve (Shift+Ctrl+C)").
  • Added early support for plants. This will be finished only for the next release though.
  • Hit cycling is now also possible in the 2D views. That is, in both the 2D and 3D views if you want to select something "behind" what was selected by the first mouse click, just keep the button pressed - it will cycle through all possible selections at that point.
  • CaLight is now not checked by default any more in the "Compile" menu. New users will get a full-bright, but much faster result than with CaLight enabled.
  • Generally enhanced map compilation via the "Compile" menu. Especially error situations are handled better now.
  • Terrains are now created per default with sky walls and ceiling, and a caulk floor. This helps new users.
  • Added shell scripts for Linux demos that properly set the current working directory before launching the related executable.
  • The Edit Surface Properties tool can now also pick up materials from terrains.
Well... as promised, we worked like crazy! :chef: :cheesy: Some of these items were really difficult to implement, but now I'm happy and proud to present you the latest RC!!
:wohow: :bash:
Best regards,
Carsten
scott
Posts:173
Joined:2004-08-23, 09:11

Re: Upcoming September 2008 release - RCs available!

Post by scott » 2008-08-30, 16:30

Damn your cranking them out fast, I'm still trying to find the time to work on something in the editor :)
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 28 guests