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Coming soon: L3DT 2.4b

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Coming soon: L3DT 2.4b

Postby Aaron » Fri Sep 22, 2006 2:33 pm

Hi Everyone,

There's a new update available on the downloads page (v2.4.1.14). This release consolidates a few bug fixes, and includes some source code and demo projects for L3DT plugins (see the full release announcement for more info on plugins). If no serious problems are found, this version will be re-badged as v2.4b in time for the release date of the 1st of October. Please feel free to download, experiment, and post feedback.

Best regards,
Aaron.

Edit: Obviously I've let the October 1 release date slip. Mid-october is the better bet now.
Last edited by Aaron on Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Ch3rokee » Fri Sep 22, 2006 6:30 pm

I seem to have found another minor problem with the calc menu.
If you generate a Design/Inflate map, then discard the changes and generate another one, the calc menu will have the Design option disabled (if you click next this way it generates nothing, of course), and if you discard this and generate another one, the calc menu will have the Design option enabled again.

Also, for some unknown reason the performance of this build is still really poor.
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Postby Ch3rokee » Fri Sep 22, 2006 7:39 pm

Another thing about the calc menu.

When you select the Attributes map, then, it let you select the texture map, but since "use light map" is an option, and there may not be a light map, it may be good to add another warning screen like the bump map one, or something that deselects the "use light map" option in the texture map screen.
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Postby Aaron » Sat Sep 23, 2006 12:59 am

Hi Ch3rokee,

Ch3rokee wrote:When you select the Attributes map, then, it let you select the texture map, but since "use light map" is an option, and there may not be a light map, it may be good to add another warning screen like the bump map one, or something that deselects the "use light map" option in the texture map screen.


Sure, no problems. While I'm at it, I guess I should do the same for the 'water effects' in the light map wizard. Okay, on the to-do list for 2.4b.

Ch3rokee wrote:I seem to have found another minor problem with the calc menu.
If you generate a Design/Inflate map, then discard the changes and generate another one, the calc menu will have the Design option disabled (if you click next this way it generates nothing, of course), and if you discard this and generate another one, the calc menu will have the Design option enabled again.


Yeah, I had noticed that. As a bug it's pretty benign, so long as users know what they want to do. Still, it's on the list for 2.4b.

Ch3rokee wrote:Also, for some unknown reason the performance of this build is still really poor.


Does this only affect the rendering in the main window, or are the calculations slower too? Has anyone else found a performance problem? For me it's just the same, which makes things rather hard to debug. For reference, on my AMD XP2600 it takes 3 minutes to generate a 32x32 design map and heightfield using the default settings (inc. erosion at 5), and 9 seconds to draw the heightfield display buffer for the first time.

Regards,
Aaron.
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Postby Ch3rokee » Sat Sep 23, 2006 4:03 am

I have an AMD64 3400+, and now you can see the difference in secs I just got between 2.4a and 2.4.1.14.

-Generated 32x32 map, default settings:
-2.4a: 158secs to generate, less than 2 to show
-2.4.1.14: 232 secs to generate, 9 secs to show

-The 96x96map I'm working on:
-2.4a: Around 3 secs to show
-2.4.1.14: 70 secs to show


Also, I just tried running 2.4.1.14 with the settings files from 2.4a and it makes no difference.
I hope more people with PRO can download the latest version and post how is their performance.
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Postby mauronen » Sat Sep 23, 2006 7:50 am

Hi Aaron.
I've tried to import a Terragen heightfield, generated with a software called GeoControl, into L3DT.
First, (but it's a very minor bug), in the file input there's a lot of blanks from start of field to start of pathname.
The real bug is that L3DT crashes.
I've mailed to you details of crash and Terragen file.

Cheers.

Mauro.
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Postby Ch3rokee » Sat Sep 23, 2006 10:59 am

Talking about imported height fields, I just tried to import a height field in .BMP format and it loads ok, but I can't do anything from this point because it doesn't know what algorithm to use. The error log show this:

CMapGroup::DM_GenMap error:
- No design map algorithm has been identified

It works fine in 2.4a


Another minor bug could be that in the climate editor window, if you are creating a new climate and just type the name in the file name box, it appears to have worked ok, but when you restart L3DT it says invalid extension and deletes the climate from the list. As a note, it saves it in the folder in witch is located the last opened map.


The next thing could be considered foolish, but, since the dropdown lists of the D/M Pencil window are editable, if you change it to something that don't exist and use it for a few seconds, it will make L3DT crash, so boys, don't do it at home :wink:
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Postby Aaron » Sun Sep 24, 2006 3:35 am

Hi Mauro,

mauronen wrote:First, (but it's a very minor bug), in the file input there's a lot of blanks from start of field to start of pathname.


Thanks for the reminder. For some reason I right-aligned that text. I'll change that shortly.

mauronen wrote:The real bug is that L3DT crashes. I've mailed to you details of crash and Terragen file.


Hmm...I haven't received it yet. Could you please re-send to aaron.torpy@yahoo.com?

Edit: Never mind, I've found the fault. I'll upload a fix once I've finished fixing some of the other bugs on the list.


Cheers,
Aaron.
Last edited by Aaron on Sun Sep 24, 2006 8:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Aaron » Sun Sep 24, 2006 3:48 am

Hi Ch3rokee,

Ch3rokee wrote:-Generated 32x32 map, default settings:
-2.4a: 158secs to generate, less than 2 to show
-2.4.1.14: 232 secs to generate, 9 secs to show

-The 96x96map I'm working on:
-2.4a: Around 3 secs to show
-2.4.1.14: 70 secs to show


Thanks for the info. I think the problem is in the buffer-rendering code, which was recently changed to fix the speed of the image drape, and also the crazy rendering problem reported by dennis. Clearly didn't test these changes on a large map, but I will get to this right away. Stay tuned...

Cheers,
Aaron.
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Postby Aaron » Sun Sep 24, 2006 9:02 am

Ch3rokee wrote:The next thing could be considered foolish, but, since the dropdown lists of the D/M Pencil window are editable, if you change it to something that don't exist and use it for a few seconds, it will make L3DT crash, so boys, don't do it at home :wink:


Fixed! Will upload later tonight.
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Postby Aaron » Sun Sep 24, 2006 9:14 am

Ch3rokee wrote:Another minor bug could be that in the climate editor window, if you are creating a new climate and just type the name in the file name box, it appears to have worked ok, but when you restart L3DT it says invalid extension and deletes the climate from the list. As a note, it saves it in the folder in witch is located the last opened map.


Fixed. L3DT now auto-completes the file extension, and if no path is given, will use the '[L3DT resources]\Climates' folder. Update coming later tonight.
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Postby Aaron » Sun Sep 24, 2006 10:44 am

aaron wrote:Thanks for the info. I think the problem is in the buffer-rendering code, which was recently changed to fix the speed of the image drape, and also the crazy rendering problem reported by dennis. Clearly didn't test these changes on a large map, but I will get to this right away. Stay tuned...


Yup, that was it. Fixed for next release.
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Postby Aaron » Sun Sep 24, 2006 1:41 pm

Okay, build 15 is available and I think it fixes everything that's been reported. If I've missed something, I apologise, and I'll pick it up tomorrow after some sleep.

A big special thanks goes to Dennis, Dave, Mauro and Ch3rokee for thier dilligent bug-finding and reporting.

Cheers,
Aaron.
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Postby mauronen » Sun Sep 24, 2006 6:19 pm

Hi Aaron.

Thanks for the thanks :D . I would like to use L3DT muche more, but for me this period is full of work :( .

I've uploaded build 15 and i've built a landscape using GeoControl as heightfield modeler. I've exported as Terragen file, imported into L3DT and launched Calculate workflow. It's all ok, but when i save work appears this message:
Code: Select all
CMapGroup::SaveFileMap3 error
- file format 'DMF (L3DT)' is not supported for this map


Infact xxxx.DM file doesen't exists.

When i try to launch L3DTVi2 and load .mgf file, it freezes and start to eat all RAM, then i must to stop it through Task Manager.
Heightfield and Texture Map is not so big (4096 x 4096). I've tried to split all into mosaic, but...nothing.

Cheers.

Mauro.
Last edited by mauronen on Sun Sep 24, 2006 6:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Ch3rokee » Sun Sep 24, 2006 6:23 pm

Hello Aaron, you have done an amazing job fixing the reported bugs :wink: .

This build is really usable, the time to prepare the buffer is slightly slowest than the needed in 2.4a, but it is not a problem now, thank you.

And the rest is working fine now, except... a new calc menu problem (unless is intended).

Once you have generated every option in the calc menu, everything is open to be selected and regenerated individually, but now the attributes map is always selected, and if you deselect it you can't select the texture map, so, you can't generate the attributes map in one pass (lets say until you are happy with it) and latter generate the texture map, or if you only edit the light map and only need to generate the terrain....

There is also a rare bug in the calc menu queue. Sometimes when you select various items, one or more of those items appears two times. Also, while going back and forth L3DT crashed.
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