What's New in VRED Products 2018

Media Editor

The Media Editor is new for VRED 2018. Now you can stream live web content, load local index.html, and write HTML5 content directly in the editor for a fully interactive experience. You can also create two-way communication between VRED and HTML5. Currently, the only supported html file audio and video formats are WebM (.webm), OGG (.ogg/.ogv) and WAV (.wav). For more information, see To add interactive website or html content to a scene.

Transform

Now you can create a rotation pivot by Direction Vector. In the Transform dialog, a vector is created by combining the pivot of the object and entering X, Y, and Z values to create a second point.

Transform Variant is new for VRED 2018. Now you can display a single set of geometry in multiple orientations. Using a Transform Variant instead of multiple duplicated geometries with different transformations reduces file size, root structure, and memory usage. For more information, see To Create Variants.

Scripting Improvements

We added the following Python commands:
vrMeasurement

deleteVariantSetGroup(name)

deleteVariantSet(name)

bool getPresenterMode()

void togglePresenterMode()

setOpenVRHMDMirrorTextureView, to set the mirror view shown while using OpenVRHMD
We added the following Python commands to set import options to vrFileIO :
setImportCurves(bool) getImportCurves

setImportInvisibleCurves(bool) getImportInvisibleCurves

setImportSurfaces(bool) getImportSurfaces

setImportInvisibleSurfaces(bool) getImportInvisibleSurfaces

setImportMeshes(bool) getImportMeshes

setImportInvisibleMeshes(bool) getImportInvisibleMeshes

setImportParts(bool) getImportParts

setImportCameras(bool) getImportCameras

setImportLights(bool) getImportLights

setImportBookmarks(bool) getImportBookmarks

setFixSurfaceOrientation(bool) getFixSurfaceOrientation
We improved the documentation of load() and loadOSB().
We added matrix support to vrFieldAccess.
We removed the vrOptimizeModule and moved the functions to vrOptimize. We also added these new options for the optimizeTree function.
OptimizeFlushTransformationTranslations

OptimizeFlushTransformationRotations

OptimizeFlushTransformationScales

OptimizeFlushSelectedTransformation

OptimizeRemoveTransformVariants

OptimizeRemoveEmptyGroupNodes

OptimizeRemoveEmptyGeometries

OptimizeRemoveAnimations

OptimizeRemoveFileInfo

flushSelectedTransformation

removeAnimations

removeBSides

removeTransformVariants
PySide2 is now supported in VRED.
The Python command getSceneIntersection now returns Normal and UV coordinate values.

Rendering Improvements

We improved displacement mapping with the new Displacement Offset feature. Displacement Offset allows you to set the value of the zero plane in the texture. Values below the zero plane displace inside the geometry and values above the zero plane displace outside the geometry.
Floating point displacement maps are now supported. Previously, the displacement map only considered values between 0 and 1. Now, you can apply any positive or negative value for real world displacement.
In Preferences > Render Options > Visualization Advanced, we added Single Pass Stereo Support for Nvidia Pascal based GPUs to the Advanced Rendering tab. Single Pass Stereo improves performance by rendering a pair of stereo images in a single renderpass.
Simulated thickness is now used for the calculation of glass material colored caustics. Glass materials, with Use Material Density selected, are rendered with activated photon mapping.
VRED now supports writing precomposed psd files with render passes. In Preferences > Render Settings, Export TIFF/PSD in HDR Format and Export Multi Layer EXR/PSD for Render Passes must be selected. Also in Rendering > Render Settings > File output tab, Tonemap HDR must be disabled.
OpenGL light textures are now supported on AMD GPUs. Radeon Pro Enterprise Driver 17.Q1 or later must be installed.
VRED now supports displacement and transparency maps for AxF 1.4.

Animation Improvements

We improved the playback performance for animations with many key frames. The average frames per second now remain generally constant. Previously, the average frames per second rate would continue to decline when running long animations.
Animation playback has been improved to avoid jittering issues. Playing animations, at 60fps or greater, now provides smoother playback.

FileIO Improvements

Cameras are now included when opening an Alias wire file, that contains cameras, in VRED.
Lights are now included when opening an Alias wire file, that contains lights, in VRED.
Lights from Alias wire files now open in VRED with the correct intensity, cone angle, and penumbra values. Alias area lights, which are rectangular, emit light from both sides. VRED rectangular lights emit light only from one side.
Imported Alias files with variants are now supported in VRED. The Alias variants become variant sets in VRED.
Note:
The Alias Switch Material is not supported yet and only the current state of the Switch Material is imported.

Alias Variants that trigger Layer visibility are not supported yet.
We added support for NX11 files. You can now import them in VRED 2018.
When opening Cad files with invisible geometry, the geometry is not loaded. Use the python command, setImportInvisibleInstances(true), to read the file correctly.
We removed unnecessary file formats for import and export. We also removed the following FileIO preferences:
- FHS
- Opticore
- SLP
- STL loader options
Now you can read DWG/DXF files in VRED.
Surface normals are now automatically unified on a component level inside a shell.

Material Editor Improvements

UV offset values are now measured in millimeter, centimeter, or meter scene units. With Use Texture selected, the Mapping Type set to UV, and Use Texture Size selected, the Offset UV values are represented in metric units for all textures.

General User Interface Improvements

The Choose a Color dialog now remembers its last size and position in use during a VRED session.
Now, you can clear all three types of Direct Illumination, in the Bake Light and Shadows dialog, by selecting Clear All or Clear Active. Previously, each type had to be cleared individually.

UV Editor Improvements

The Checkerboard texture brightness now displays correctly in all environments. Previously, the Checkerboard texture was not always readable in very light or dark environments.
Selected vertices, edges, and islands are now drawn in the viewport when ray tracing is used.

General Improvements

Camera: Now, you can easily mirror any Camera or Viewpoint to the opposite side of a scene and maintain the angle of the shot.
1. In the Camera Editor, right-click the camera to open the context menu.
2. Select Edit > Mirror X, Y, or Z.
Mirroring a camera does not affect animations or camera tracks.
In the Optimize dialog, you cannot merge or flush transformations on nodes containing transform variants. The following note appears when trying to do so: Nodes containing transform variants and their parent nodes will remain unaffected by Flush Transformation functions. To flush these nodes, enable Filter - Remove Transform Variants.
Raytracing: The alpha channels for glass material and auxiliary channels now render correctly when rendering renderpasses.
Cluster: We added seven passive stereo modes to the display cluster. These modes now support multicast SLI.
- Double Buffered
- Horizontal Interlaced
- Vertical Interlaced
- Left/Right Split
- Top/Bottom Split
- Red/Cyan
- Blue/Yellow
Cluster Manager: Now you can book Cluster Nodes, in the Cluster Manager, in advance for repeated times. You can reserve by date, time range, and by days of the week. For more information, see To Manage Cluster Rendering and The Cluster Manager Dialog Box.