Hi Stokers, here’s a new Stoke MX beta build.
(Attachments removed)
[size=150]Major Changes[/size]
• Added the ability to Stop and Resume the simulation.
- Removed the Max progress bar (in versions above 2010 which still uses the old progress bar) and replaced with a progress inside the Command Panel.
- The SIMULATE button is now split into two, with the second button reading RESUME.
- When simulating, the buttons will turn to a STOP button showing the % of the simulation. Press the button to stop, then RESUME to continue or SIMULATE to restart the simulation.
- After stopping, you can move the time slider to preview the results, but if you tweak parameters and resume, most parameter changes will be ignored, except for changes to the animatable properties - Rate/Frame and Velocity Scale.
• Added support for Sub-Sampling.
• Pre-rolling is now supported by checking the new “Cache From” option and setting it to a value greater than the “Simulate From” time. The simulation will be performed as usual, but will not be cached until the “Cache From” time is reached.
• Replaced the Emit Start and End values with a single Emit Until since it makes no sense to emit before the simulation starts, and it makes no sense to simulate without emission anyway. By default, the value will not be used and emission will be allowed throughout the whole Simulation range.
• Refactored the MAXScript code to abstract the UI from the simulation part. This makes it easier to control Stoke simulations by 3rd party scripts and opens the door for easier local and Deadline Partitioning etc.
• FumeFX grids are now supported as distribution objects. Particles will be emitted in voxels marked as Source. NOTE: Currently, this only works with FumeFX 3.5.1. In 3.0.2, no particles will be emitted. We are in contact with the FumeFX developers to figure out what is going on.
• The Stoke object now has a RandomID property which defines the location of the Cache data. Each Stoke object will generate its own unique ID and store version folders within a folder based on that name. This way, Stoke objects cannot interfere with each-other.
• The [>>] Button next to the Version field now provides a menu with the option to create a New Folder with incremented number, or to select from all existing version folders to switch the cache to an older version.
• Added a prototype Partitioning tool (accessible as MacroScript in the “Thinkbox” Cateogry of the “Customize UI” dialog). Currently it supports local partitioning, a Deadline option is in the works for the next Beta build.
[size=150]Other Improvements and Fixes[/size]
• Fixed the bug which caused the object transformations of the FumeFX grid to be ignored when used as velocity source.
• Disabling the >Save Disk Cache option will now reset the path to empty to avoid any saving to disk and overwriting of existing files.
• When restarting a simulation while >Save Disk Cache is checked, Stoke will now delete previous files with the same path and file name pattern as the output to avoid mixing two simulation outputs in one.
• Creating a PRT Loader will now prompt about flushing the memory. It used to always flush.
• Updated all UI filters to allow all possible types of distribution and velocity sources, including most 3rd party Force SpaceWarps etc.
• Fluid Motion is now off by default.
• The Grid Size can now go below 1.0
• The Memory Graph now shows darker vertical lines for every 10th frame, and a brighter line showing the current frame.