The New Node System
From simple input/output linker nodes, complex node graphs may be created with ease along with an option to hide complex set ups. A versioning system in this node system allows converter code for older files, which makes backward compatibility possible for scenes created across versions.
Image Texture Transforms
The scale float pin in the previous versions is replaced by a texture transform pin, and an additional border mode. This allows more control over how image textures are mapped through the application of a matrix texture coordinate. The border mode provides one tile of the image, with the option to set adjacent tiles as mirror images of each other. Adjusting the position, rotation and scale of the image texture is made easier having been integrated into the UI.
Texture Projections
Mapping modes (or texture projections) supplementing texture transforms have been added. The spherical, cylindrical, flat, box, and perspective mapping modes allows extensive manipulation of the UV transforms and world space coordinates used in image textures, procedural textures and camera mapping. Object Visibility Properties Visibility properties for objects or object groups may be specified through the UI with on/off options for shadow casting and camera visibility, along with an overall visibility slider.
Alembic Support
Alembic files may now be loaded as a node graph into OctaneRender™ SE 1.50. The render engine now supports animated geometry and camera data loaded from Alembic files including camera motion blur. While for plugin editions, an interface in the API stores a geometry archive as an Alembic file, eventually allowing the integrated plugins to export animated scenes as Alembic files.
Time Slider
Loading, compiling and rendering animated geometry from an Alembic file is simple with the new time slider integrated into the UI. This aids scrubbing through the camera animation in preparation for the final render.
Lua Scripting
The added Lua scripting support allows everyone to add some functionality to OctaneRender™ SE 1.50 without touching the actual code base.
Packaging
Support for storing a scene as a package is added, i.e. saving an .ocs file plus all used external files into one archive. This feature replaces embedding images in .ocs files by packing the whole scene instead. This enables its movement across applications, and to the cloud.
Improved API
Improvements in the API increases the commonality between the OctaneRender™ Integrated Plugin Editions and the Standalone Edition. All functionality that is available in the Standalone Edition will be available to the Plugin Editions via the API.
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