====== Version 2.7 dev build 1 ======

Hi All,

The first new developmental build of //L3DT Professional// following release 2.7 is now available on the Pro downloads page((Please refer to your reg/sales receipt e-mail for the link)), and is entitled v2.7 dev build 1. This release includes some improvements to the [[bundywiki>plugins:sappire|Sapphire 3D renderer]] (UI tweaks, faster lighting calc, some minor bugfixes), but the major change is the vastly improved shadow ray-casting algorithm that I blogged about [[http://www.bundysoft.com/news/doku.php?id=l3dt:2009:feb:24|last month]]. I've tested the improved raycast algorithm against that included in release 2.7, with the following results:
  * At 45 degrees sun elevation, the new build was 3.4 times faster.
  * At 30 degrees sun elevation, the new build was 7 times faster.
  * At 15 degrees sun elevation, the new build was //**30 times faster**//.

Taking the example of the 15-degree sun angle above, a calculation that took //**40 minutes**// in release 2.7 now takes only //**one minute and twenty seconds**// in this dev build. That's a huge improvement! The implications of this change are pretty clear: If you update to the latest dev build, you'll be able to save substantial amounts of time in map building. 

For the sake of completeness, I include the calculation times for the benchmarking tests between release 2.7 and the new dev build in the chart below:

{{ :l3dt:2009:mar:shadowcalctimes.png |l3dt:2009:mar:shadowcalctimes.png}}

[//These figures represent the total time taken to generate a 4096x4096 pixel shadow map for a 1024x1024 pixel heightmap, using 512x512 pixel mosaic tiles and an Intel Q6600 processor, over a range of sun elevation angles.//]

Happy ray-casting!

Cheerio,
Aaron.

{{tag>Sapphire optimisation}}