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Boxshot Changelog

What's new in Boxshot 5.3 Beta

Mar 29, 2021
  • This is the first beta version of Boxshot 5.3 with ARM Mac support and some other improvements.
  • ARM Mac support:
  • Boxshot now comes with native ARM Mac support, so you can get the most of your shiny new Mac. Although the new M1 processor does not look as good in rendering as it looks in other tasks, it is still quite fast and the native version is more than 30% faster, than the Intel one running with Rosetta.
  • User interface updates:
  • Although looking pretty much the same, internally the user interface has been significantly re–worked and must run much smoother.
  • You will also notice that some of the modal pop–ups are now running inside the main window, which lets you for instance edit one scene while rendering another. Just make sure you opened that scene first.
  • Other fixes and improvements:
  • Besides the listed above, this update comes with some extras:
  • omni lights can be made invisible, so they just cast light, but don’t get rendered themselves;
  • embedded models dimensions added;
  • “Extrude” and “3D Text” shapes got extra parameters for side mapping;
  • OBJ file importer improved;
  • fixed crash on loading Boxshot 4 projects with missed 3rd party models;
  • fixed crash in batch rendering of empty scene.

New in Boxshot 4.15.1 (Jun 23, 2018)

  • Saturated Reflections vs Color Reflection Mask:
  • According to the early feedback on the color reflection mask it was not what you expected. Got it, fixed. The mask is grayscale again, instead there is a "saturated reflection" option that lets you color reflection by diffuse texture.
  • You can read more about it here. Note, that the feature is not yet supported in Owlet/Koru export, until we release update for these apps. You can easily configure it manually there, though.
  • Other Improvements:
  • Both Simple and Advanced GL preview drivers have been updated to better display HDR images. Environment reflections should look more realistic. Simple GL driver also got reflection masks support, which is essential for showing Origami models with foil.
  • Application startup time has been improved, projects are loaded a little bit faster.
  • 3D PDF export issue related to reflection masks has been fixed. If you export to 3D PDF, this update it a must.
  • Some rare-case crashes have also been fixed.

New in Boxshot 4.15 (Jun 19, 2018)

  • Graphics Drivers Issues:
  • Over the past few years some of you may contacted us with various issues related to the scene preview in Boxshot. It could be wrong textures or no textures at all, or completely lack of preview or accidental crashes when loading updated images. In most cases the recommended solution was to try a different preview driver using View->Drivers menu. In this update we decided to finally confront the problem in general and fix it once and for all.
  • We went through the code of our preview drivers (both Simple and Advanced GL, and also the raytracing one) and fixed all the "gray areas" of the OpenGL usage that could trick the drivers and lead to possible errors. We also reduced the number of OpenGL functions we use, hoping that the less we use, the less the probability that something could be wrong in that part of the driver.
  • This worked fine for Mac, where OpenGL support is quite consistent, but it wasn't that good on Windows where OpenGL is painful by design. Thanks to Intel marketing guys, we have every second laptop with their buggy OpenGL drivers. On top of that, some of their adapters are no longer supported. On the other hand, their Direct 3D drivers are somewhat better, so we did the same trick as we did in Origami before and what most of the modern web browsers do for years - we switched to emulating OpenGL driver using a more reliable technology available on this particular platform.
  • Best of all, it worked! Old buggy Intel chipsets can now run Boxshot at almost full speed, and it now works even if no hardware graphics acceleration is available at all, thanks to software OpenGL implementation. The speed is pretty much the same, unless it falls back to software rendering. However, if it has to fall back there, it means that the graphics driver is either missing or completely unstable and the old version of Boxshot would hardly work there at all.
  • On Windows we added OpenGL driver selection to the settings window, so if automatic detection doesn't work you can always hint Boxshot what OpenGL driver to try. In that case we would really like to hear from you and see the logs, so we can improve our automatic detection of buggy graphics drivers and adapters.
  • At the end of the day, we've got a better and more stable 3D preview. If you ever had any issues with preview and if we ever suggested switching to a different preview driver, you can now try your old driver again and see if it gets better. Simple GL and Raytracing preview drivers are the most stable ones at the moment, Advanced GL driver was also improved, but it may not be available on some platforms, where OpenGL is emulated using Direct 3D. We're working on that and hope it will be there soon.
  • Of course (as with any major change) there could be issues. If you still have problems with preview and changing driver in settings doesn't help, please contact us, so we can sort it out for you and everyone else.
  • The New Features:
  • As the most efforts were spent on GPU subsystem, we haven't really added a lot in this version.
  • The main new feature is the optional backside of decals. You can now have a different artwork at the back, if you like. It doesn't have a lot of options, just artwork and tint, but we believe it is enough for stickers.
  • Another nice addition is color reflection mask. Reflection masks were grayscale before and let you choose between metallic reflection and diffuse artwork. It worked well unless you needed nice rich metallic reflection. Now you can set the same texture as diffuse and reflection mask and get a cool "deep" metallic reflection. Give it a try, we'll probably add a tutorial for it soon.
  • Deprecation:
  • As we're slowly moving towards version 5, we're getting rid of old and rarely-used features. You'll notice the "Deprecated" section in the materials panel at the right. We moved reflection/refraction samples there, diffuse lighting and physical reflection options are also there and finally the reflection texture. All these options make no sense for physically based rendering, so they eventually have to go. You'll hardly notice that, though.
  • Environment texture gamma was also removed from the scene parameters panel. It was added to improve the wrong gamma correction of old versions, but ended up useless. Boxshot works in sRGB color space and all the input and output images get properly converted to that, you don't need extra parameters to control the process. In the near future we will switch to linear workflow like we did for Owlet and Origami.
  • The old raytracing renderer has been marked as deprecated for quite a long time and it will be also removed soon. Same for rarely-used export formats like POV Ray or Pixie.
  • Other Improvements:
  • indexed color images loading has been improved;
  • better loading of complex OBJ materials;
  • "Make inside" command in loft editor lets you enter the wall thickness;
  • "Copy materials" tool handles cropped textures better;
  • decals are properly displayed on scaled objects;
  • decimal point issue fixed in loft editor on specific locales;
  • the last used folders for opened projects and saved images are now saved between sessions for your convenience.

New in Boxshot 4.14.2 (Feb 27, 2018)

  • One more update to fix the SVG import regression in Loft editor.

New in Boxshot 4.14.1 (Feb 25, 2018)

  • Improvements and fixes:
  • Loft objects got two radiuses instead of one. Now you can separately control curves for front/back and left/right sides and make nice flat bottles;
  • Lofts and shapes can be dragged to your desktop from the editor and back for easier sharing;
  • Boxshot doesn't quit on Mac when you close its last window;
  • Selection frame is rendered better on OpenGL preview when decals are visible;
  • Better loft blueprint drawing on low-dpi screens;
  • Better mouse zoom in Lathe editor on high-dpi screens;
  • Improved loading of projects with overriden UV mapping when raytracing preview is enabled.

New in Boxshot 4.14 (Feb 20, 2018)

  • Loft Objects:
  • The first big thing is the new "Loft" object. That's Lathe on steroids, as instead of defining the outline, you now define cross-sections of the shape. This means square bottles, plastic containers and all the things like that.
  • The built-in loft editor has some sample loft objects and some basic shapes that you can use in your projects, but best of all you can extend the collection with your own ones. The tutorial mentioned above covers most of the questions, and there's more information here in the "Advanced" section.
  • Decals:
  • The next big thing is decals. Finally. Yes. Boxshot is famous for its automatic shapes resizing to the artwork, but sometimes you simply need to put a label on a bottle or a mug, and finally you can do this easily.
  • More information on decals is here and you can also find some sample decals in the "Assets" panel at the left.
  • Copying Materials:
  • Another feature that you request often is the ability to copy existing materials to other shapes. We've added a tool for that, so now you can right click a shape, select Tools->Copy Materials..., then select materials to copy and shapes to receive and quickly get the same look to all the shapes.
  • Paper Bag:
  • Paper bag object got new handles selector and new default artwork. Here's what you can do now.
  • There are 4 new handles options to choose from (6 in total, including the old two).
  • New Boxes Option:
  • Simple and rounded boxes got Split Inner Geometry option which splits the inner part of the box, so each outer side gets its own inner counterpart. This means you can now assign artwork to the inner sides separately and make something like this using a simple box object.
  • This also means nice cut windows in boxes and all the other manipulations where you need a better control on the inner geometry of boxes.
  • OBJ Format Reading:
  • Adobe guys got a nice collection of 3D models in OBJ format, so we decided to support it in Boxshot, so you can benefit from both worlds. We even support custom Adobe-specific extensions to OBJ materials to make the models look almost exactly as they expected to look.
  • Feel free to share with us the files that don't load properly.
  • PDF and AI Reading:
  • Boxshot now reads PDF and AI files on Windows. It also treats AI files as having transparent background by default, while PDF files have white background. This helps you make transparent labels easier, while keeping the way to make them opaque, if necessary.
  • Retina Support:
  • This version of Boxshot is much more Retina-friendly and also supports high-dpi modes on Windows. Most of the artwork has been re-created in higher resolution to pleasure your eyes (if you already switched to high-dpi).
  • There are still some old-fashioned artwork here or there, but we'll hunt it down in the near future.
  • The List Of Other Changes:
  • FBX import has been improved to support the latest FBX files;
  • 3DS import has been updated to support not-so-good files;
  • 3D Text object was updated to better handle different fonts and do not create inverted models;
  • You can now save to PSD format after rendering, and it is just the beginning;
  • Job Manager fixed to handle jobs where the output image is already exist;
  • Put on the floor tool has been updated to better handle hierarchies of objects;
  • External models got their materials sorted by name in the list;
  • "Keep aspect ratio" option is enabled by default in Fit To View tool;
  • Rendering improved to avoid black dots in reflections.

New in Boxshot 4.13 (Jun 6, 2017)

  • Three new shapes, two new tools, lots of improvements and bugfixes
  • 3D Text Shape
  • Extrude Shape
  • Conical Label Shape
  • The Old New "Assets" Panel:
  • Another long-requested feature is a better built-in materials list. What we did is we renamed the left "Materials" panel to "Assets" and added a lot of new stuff there
  • There are more than 200 materials and about 50 images there, including new HDR environment images and complex materials like "Hot foil" or "Spot UV". Now you've got something to choose from
  • Other Improvements:
  • We seriously updated our Collada import/export code in order to make it the main interchange format between our apps. Boxshot now exports proper scene hierarchy and materials to Collada, so Koru and Owlet can get the most of it and read Boxshot materials and scene parameters. It will take a few more updates to sync the things up perfectly between the apps, but you will feel the difference even with what we have at the moment.
  • Another important improvement has been done in 3DS importing code. We did a big test on the large number of various 3DS files and made sure they all are loaded exactly the same way as in Autodesk 3D Studio Max. All the hierarchies, instances and transformations are now supported well. If you still have a 3DS file that is not loaded properly by the new version - let us know. Owlet and Koru will soon be switched to the new importer to make sure all the apps are on the same page.
  • FBX loading code has been improved to better handle models with embedded images. Boxshot now extracts them into the "buddy" folder next to the FBX file, so nothing is messed up anymore when several FBX files with embedded images are opened at the same time.
  • As it's been said above, we did a great job on our SVG parser for both Lathe and Extrude shapes. It now passes almost all the SVG tests and you should get much less warnings when loading external curves into Boxshot. We hope to address the rest of the issues in the next updates, but please feel free to contact us if something is not loading well there.
  • Starting from this version Boxshot takes gamma into account when loading HDR images. This may slightly change the way your scenes look, yet we tried our best to keep your old scenes untouched. Boxshot now performs much better color profile and gamma corrections when loading and saving images, so you should get no difference when exchanging images with Photoshop. That was the goal and we are quite happy with the results.
  • A nice addition has been done to the File menu, see the Collect Resources... item there. Clicking it brings up the saving window and once you choose the path and file name, Boxshot collects all the images and external files and puts them next to the saved project. This is perfect for transferring projects to another place, making sure nothing is lost.
  • The collection feature is also used for our "Render later" option. By default Boxshot collects all the resources into the job folder when you decide to render it later. This lets you keep the jobs folder on a separate computer and have a separate copy of Boxshot doing rendering. You can turn this off and revert to the old behaviour in settings, if you like.
  • UV mapping overriding has been significantly re-worked for speed. It now works much faster even for complex shapes, reducing the loading times. We also fixed that copy-paste issue that some of you had with external objects with overriden mapping.
  • WebGL export option has been removed in favor of Koru. As Koru is now free even for commercial purposes, and as it provides much more features compared to the experimental Boxshot WebGL exporter, we decided to leave just one and (surprize) chosen Koru. Consider exporting to Collada and then loading it to Koru for further exporting to WebGL.
  • We also added integration with Sketchfab service. You can find it in File->Publish menu. That's another option to publish your scenes to the web, so you have a choice. Augment export has been updated too, to make sure it works fine with their site.
  • Finally, plastic binders got an extra option letting you hide the front cover of the shape.
  • Bugfixes
  • We have also fixed some nasty bugs, the list is below:
  • Raytracing preview may hang in some scenes because of too many cross-reflections;
  • Crash on copy-paste of objects with overriden UV mapping;
  • Background rendering issues with depth-of-field enabled;
  • Incorrect material in plastic DVD box.

New in Boxshot 4.12 (Oct 13, 2016)

  • Multiple Sides Batch Rendering:
  • It's like a single-side batch rendering, but you can now choose as many sides as you need. We made a separate menu item for it, as it is slightly more complex compared to the old one, but I hope you will find your way through all the settings.
  • The key thing is to place each set of images to a separate folder and give images names that you can later filter using wildcard masks. If all your front images have "front" word in file names, and all your back images have "back" - you'll have no issues with the new renderer.
  • Oscillation Animation:
  • That's another animation we added in this release. You define the oscillation speed, amplitude and phase along two axis and Boxshot makes a perfect camera loop, showing your scene better.
  • Snapshots Improvements:
  • We've added an option that lets you update snapshots with current scene parameters. Just right click a snapshot to see it in the context menu:
  • Also, since this version snapshots store more than just a camera position. We started with environment offset and intensity, but will probably add more later. Activated snapshots are now placed in undo/redo stack, so you can roll back any accidental changes.
  • New 'Label' Shape:
  • This one is interesting. Its like a bended image shape, but instead of bending level you define the surface diameter and both dimensions and Boxshot does the rest:
  • It works with any round shape like lathe, mug, pharma bottle and so on. Only vertical walls are supported at the moment, but we'll see how it goes
  • New 'Pill' Shape:
  • That's the "old new" shape. Just a pill from the pharma blister pack shape we added earlier.
  • This way you can make scenes with pills on the table or in the bottle, like the one above. Check user manual for more details.
  • Other Improvements:
  • Reflection-related issue for scaled shapes is fixed;
  • Overriden object-level UV mapping is now loaded well;
  • Pharma bottle got better detalisation;
  • Shadow is fixed on transparent background in raytracing preview;
  • Collada import improved;
  • Some USB shapes and tea mug have been improved for better reflections;
  • Put to the floor command is now available in scripting;
  • Project loading fixed, so incorrect parameters don't affect it.

New in Boxshot 4.11 (May 24, 2016)

  • USB Flash Drive Shapes:
  • The problem with USB dongles is that they are way too different. In Boxshot we usually add 2-3 most popular shapes, but not this time, as all of them are nice and I afraid we'll have to add more in the future.
  • There are 15 types of USB drives here, each features a place or two for your logo or any other branding. If a dongle has a cap, it can be taken off or hidden, if something rotates - it can be rotated and so on. It took us a while, but it is now ready and available with this update.
  • Note that as the dongles are quite small you may want to scale them up or set a lower field of view angle to see them closer.
  • Check the user manual page for more details and hints.
  • Level Of Details:
  • Some of the shapes came from Box Shot 3D intact and that old-style level of details is not acceptable nowadays. We have updated some shapes to match the modern visual standards, so you can keep using them for another couple of years.
  • The most updated one is the coffee cup which got optional lid and coffee and also new default materials
  • The updated shapes are: both soda cans, coffee cup and tea mug. We're going to update more in the next release, so if you feel that a shape needs to be updated - just let us know.
  • Raytracing Preview:
  • The hardware-accelerated OpenGL preview is nice and fast, but it has issues: first of all it can't render correct shadows, lighting and materials, at second it sometimes doesn't work well here or there for some reasons. Worst of all, it fails without providing any errors to the application so we basically can't trace or fix it. Sometimes it helps to update the drivers, but there are still some confirmed driver bugs that are not going to be fixed at all (I'm looking at you Intel).
  • That's why we are going to eventually drop the support of OpenGL preview modes in favor of the raytracing one like we did in Owlet. The raytracing preview has been here for a while now, but according to the field reports it is not too popular due to its speed and quality. At the other hand it works without glitches on any computer and provides a realistic preview regardless of the graphics hardware.
  • With this update we improved the raytracing preview driver and ask you to give it another chance. The key focus of this improvement is responsiveness and our goal was to keep the frame rate at about 25 fps while editing to make it almost as natural as with OpenGL preview, but with much more realistic results.
  • Give it a try, let us know if it doesn't run fast enough for you or if you have any other issues. We still have some time before Boxshot 5 where raytracing will be most likely the only preview option, so it is better to make sure everyone is happy right now.
  • Owlet Integration:
  • This update improves Owlet integration when it comes to lighting. By adding directional lights to Owlet we've been able to simulate Boxshot shadows pretty well. We have also improved bump support in both Boxshot and Owlet, so it looks similar now.
  • You can now provide a custom path to Owlet in the application settings window, or leave it empty to use the default one.
  • Finally, Boxshot now exports camera snapshots to Owlet, so they can be used as saved cameras there.
  • If you haven't yet tried them both - it's a good time to do this. Note that you need the Ultimate edition of Boxshot in order to use the feature.
  • Other Improvements:
  • Here is a brief list of other features or fixes:
  • Pharma bottle cap can be rotated;
  • Rotation-related issues fixed in raytracing preview;
  • Proper relief-bump rendering in raytracing preview and production rendering;
  • Stack tool repeats count sometimes didn't work well, now fixed;
  • Monitoring for image files changes on disk is now optional and can be turned off in settings;
  • Support of non-standard DPI formats of images (better Fit to Images);
  • 3DS format reader improved;
  • Better support of incorrect data in Collada files;
  • Job manager improvements and bugfixes when it comes to deleting jobs while rendering.

New in Boxshot 4.10.2 (Mar 11, 2016)

  • This update is critical if you use Boxshot jobs and "render later" option. We've just found that it may not work in some cases and released the updated version.
  • The problem was with "Render All" button in the Job Manager window. For some reasons it didn't switch projects then went to the next task, so all the jobs were rendered with the same project. That's probably not what you expect to get after the night of rendering. Now fixed.
  • The second issue fixed is the sorting order of the jobs in Job Manager window. Now newer jobs go on top of the list, as they did before.

New in Boxshot 4.10.1 (Mar 10, 2016)

  • The worst issue was the misaligned Boxshot Model shapes exported from Origami or loaded from Boxshot shop. The shapes appear slightly above their normal position. As this is quite a nasty issue, we decided to release a hotfix the very same day it was discovered.
  • Other fixes include file saving issue, rendering resolution glitches (btw, Ultimate edition can now render to resolutions up to 16K), stacking tool and pallets integration, and some other minor changes here or there.

New in Boxshot 4.10 (Mar 9, 2016)

  • Added Owlet integration, so you can export scenes to Owlet and even render them directly, if you like.
  • Owlet Integration:
  • As you may have already known, we released a general-purpose rendering software named Owlet. Compared to Boxshot, it doesn't have built-in shapes, but instead it provides much more options to configure scenes, materials and shapes themselves. Owlet stands between Boxshot and professional 3D editors and requires more 3D skills to use, but the results are also better.
  • With this update you can use Owlet directly from Boxshot by either rendering with it or exporting scenes to its format for further processing there. Note, that both features require the Ultimate edition of Boxshot. Here is the same scene rendered by Boxshot (left) and Owlet (right). Click to see a full-size image:
  • Owlet cares more about lights and shadows, so you get a more realistic picture. Boxshot tries to be simpler and faster, but sometimes makes images that are not that perfect. Now you can get the best of two worlds by selecting Owlet in the rendering engine dropdown list in the rendering settings window, or by selecting "Owlet Scene" format when exporting scenes using File > Export menu.
  • New Shapes:
  • This update comes with two new shape types: plastic buckets and pallets. The buckets come in three types with optional lids, labels and handles.
  • As with most of the other shapes in Boxshot, you can change various parameters like top and bottom diameters, height and size of labels to make the shape and scene exactly as you need.
  • As for the pallets, there are 7 of them: 4 European and 3 American ones. They are not configurable, as pallets are pretty much standard.
  • Lots of other minor improvements have been done:
  • semi-transparent mediums can be now rendered on transparent background;
  • DPI information retrieving is improved for JPEG format;
  • Collada and FBX formats importing has been improved;
  • better noise-reduction algorithms have been utilized;
  • automatic scaling of third-party shapes has been fixed;
  • coil/comb/wire binders got adjustable thickness;
  • Retina displays are now supported on Mac OS X;
  • raytracing preview got some improvements, including faster update when moving shapes around;
  • job manager has been significantly improved inside to handle jobs better;
  • some rare crashes have been identified and fixed, thanks to your reports.

New in Boxshot 4.9 (Jun 25, 2015)

  • New bump mode:
  • You can now choose between the old (normal) bump and the new (offset) bump. The new one works for flat surfaces only.
  • Compared to the "old" one, this bump simulates relief, so you see shadows and other effects.
  • However, please note that this is still a fake relief and the shape itself is as flat as before. Some artifacts are possible because of that, but this method works very well for embossing effect.
  • Also note that this new bump is only supported by "Raytracer 2" rendering engine. You will see nothing with hardware-accelerated preview or with the old RayTracer.
  • UV mapping options:
  • This one should help those who use external shapes. For ages Boxshot relied on texture coordinates from 3D files, but as some of them come without mapping you ended up with non-textured objects. Now you can apply some basic mappings like planar, box, spherical and cylindrical. See the very bottom of the "Materials" panel at the right.
  • 3D PDF export improvements:
  • Exactly as Origami, Boxshot now allows you to split large textures when exporting to 3D PDF and U3D formats. This gives you nice crisp shapes in Acrobat which doesn't like large textures.
  • Other 3D PDF improvements include background color export and lighting scheme customization, again exactly as it was done in Origami.
  • WebGL export:
  • This one is interesting. We've added an experimental option to export scenes to HTML files for WebGL-enabled browsers. Basically, all the modern browsers including mobile ones can handle that.
  • Try to rotate it with your mouse as you do it in Boxshot. If you don't see the shape above - your browser does not support that. The feature is still in beta, so your feedback is more than welcome.
  • Other improvements:
  • Raytracer 2 has become the main rendering engine, and the old RayTracer is now deprecated. We're going to completely drop it in version 5;
  • Bump maps are now exported to Collada and OBJ formats;
  • Sphere object has been updated to make it seamless. Mapping was affected a bit, so check your scenes;
  • Background image placement has been fixed in raytracing preview;
  • 7-pages booklet issue has been fixed;
  • Snapshots can be activated by name from scripts;
  • The reflection of semi-transparent images has been fixed;
  • Collada importer improved to handle percent-encoded paths;
  • Augment publisher updated (give it a try if you haven't done this yet).

New in Boxshot 4.8.2 (Feb 9, 2015)

  • Fixes some recently reported issues. Make sure you updated your copies and use the latest version.

New in Boxshot 4.8.1 (Dec 19, 2014)

  • Reverts the Pharma Tube shape that has been missed since 4.8 update

New in Boxshot 4.8 (Dec 9, 2014)

  • NEW RENDERING ENGINE:
  • Since version 4.7 Boxshot has a new preview driver called "Raytracer 2 (beta)" - you could find it in the View -> Drivers menu. This is a completely new rendering engine that utilizes some crazy-complex algorithms to offer you a state of the art rendering quality.
  • In this version we also added it as the production rendering option, so you can now choose between the old "RayTracer" and the new "Raytracer 2 (beta)" in the rendering settings window.
  • Compared to the old rendering engine, the new one renders sharp but noisy image from the very first frame and then improves it step by step, until the quality becomes acceptable. You can configure this in the Settings window.
  • The new engine makes better edges and takes much more care about glass and semi-transparent materials. But best of all, it is about 30% faster on most of the scenes!
  • Although it is still in beta, you are more than welcome to use it in production. So far we see no cases where it performs worse than the old one. Give it a try and let us know.
  • Unfortunately, the new engine does not work on Windows XP, so please consider upgrading your operating system to get the most of the new Boxshot. It is also much recommended to run it on 64-bit OS, as the new engine consumes a lot of memory and may fail on 32-bit systems.
  • NEW "PHARMA PILLS" SHAPE:
  • This update comes with a highly-configurable pills blister shape. You can define the number of pills, choose from about 20 different shapes, add some randomization and render a perfect shot.
  • You can bend packs to make them more realistic, tile or stretch images and configure gaps. Then render another great image.
  • The shape is available in Professional and Ultimate editions.
  • OTHER SHAPE-RELATED IMPROVEMENTS:
  • Until this update Boxshot tried to be smart when scaling book shapes. The idea was to prevent the non-uniform scaling of spine and corners, but for some cases this ends up with weird results. So we added a Smart scaling option that allows you to control how smart Boxshot needs to be.
  • It is enabled by default for Hard Cover books and disabled for Paperbacks. We also improved paperbacks' spines and the side geometry of the "Image" shape. Both look slightly better now.
  • RENDERING IMPROVEMENTS:
  • We did a lot of tests while adding the new rendering engine and spotted some issues with the old one. We improved texture mapping, transparency handling (especially the "transparent shape over the transparent background" case) and improved blurred floor reflections rendering.
  • BOX SHOT 3D RELATED CHANGES:
  • This update improves the import of old Box Shot 3D files. We added tagged boxes and paper bags and also made the imported shadows closer to the Box Shot 3D ones. If you still use the now-retired Box Shot 3D - it is definitely the time to upgrade.
  • EXPORTING FEATURES:
  • This version comes with the OBJ format exporter. The format itself is pretty odd as every application that supports it, gives its very own results when reading the file, so we decided to target Photoshop. It doesn't support all the features, as well, though. Turn the back faces off in Photoshop after importing the shape to get the best results.
  • We have also improved Collada format support in this update. Boxshot now handles materials better while importing and exporting the shapes.
  • MATERIALS IMPROVEMENTS:
  • After adding paper thickness to Origami we had to add the UV scale and offset options to Boxshot. We also improved texture wrapping and clamping support. Now you can render a perfect cardboard shape exported from Origami. You need the Ultimate edition to use this feature.
  • BUT THAT'S NOT ALL:
  • We also improved OS X compatibility, enhanced graphics acceleration support, fixed file naming for queued renderings, updated 3rd party components and fixed some bugs.

New in Boxshot 4.7.1 (Aug 12, 2014)

  • Fixes a nasty crash in the new ray-tracing preview mode and also improves error handling in materials processing code.
  • Besides that we improved keyboard navigation in the new rendering window and animation/batch rendering wizards. Default buttons, keyboard focus and all that stuff.

New in Boxshot 4.7 (Jul 30, 2014)

  • BOXSHOT: ANIMATIONS:
  • Ultimate edition users will find some new items under the Render menu. Here is a brief review of what has been changed or added.
  • Turntable Animation:
  • The turntable animation window has been redesigned to match the new rendering wizard style (click for the full-size images).
  • Transition Animation:
  • Boxshot can now render a transition between two snapshots as a sequence of images. Create two snapshots and click the Transition Animation... in the Render menu. You will need to pick two snapshots and setup a transition curve to render the animation.
  • Batch Rendering:
  • Batch rendering is a sort of animation, but it replaces images instead of moving the camera. Click the Batch Rendering... item in the Render menu to start. You will need to pick a shape and a side and then make a list of images for rendering. Boxshot will apply images one by one and render the scene for each applied image.
  • When you finish configuring an animation, Boxshot creates a rendering job. You can manage (and render) jobs using the Job Manager window.
  • "Render later" folder:
  • This version finally allows you to define a folder for the queued jobs. You can do this in the application settings window, there is a field for that there. Make sure you provided a full path there, as otherwise Boxshot will revert to the default one.
  • BOXSHOT: OTHER GOODIES:
  • This new version also supports 32-bit floating point PSD files. This means you can edit reflection maps directly in Photoshop without re-saving them to HDR or EXR formats.
  • Rendering window got a new More button, which shows some new actions that you may take when rendering is done. This includes the good old "Copy to clipboard", but also allows you to render the same scene in production or queue it for rendering later.
  • The idea is to check the scene in draft mode and if everything is OK - render it in good quality in just two clicks.

New in Boxshot 4.6.1 (May 5, 2014)

  • A bug fix release and upgrade is highly recommended especially for the Ultimate edition users.
  • Boxshot 4.6 sometimes freezes while opening the queued tasks list. This release fixes the issue.
  • Added two new Boxshot tutorials: making glass and uv-spot effect. Both tutorials show new Boxshot features and will be very useful to all the advanced users of the software.

New in Boxshot 4.6 (May 1, 2014)

  • Medium color:
  • The first improvement is for glass and liquid materials. Boxshot now has a "Medium color" section in materials panel that replaced the old "Refraction fog" one. We completely changed the way Boxshot handles medium color, so you may need to update your old scenes, but now Boxshot really rocks when it comes to semi-transparent mediums.
  • Reflection blur mask:
  • Another nice feature allows you to create uv-spot effects easily. Simply set the reflection blur to a high level, then apply the reflection blur mask that limits the blur at some places.
  • Depth of field:
  • This feature is still in beta mode and your feedback is much appreciated. By default Boxshot uses a pinhole camera, so everything is rendered sharp. By enabling the depth of field effect, you tell Boxshot to take the aperture into account and focus on some of the objects.
  • This is controlled at the left "Camera" panel. You can use "Ctrl+Alt+Click" to tell Boxshot where to focus or define the focal distance manually. The aperture size parameter controls the level of the effect. Smaller aperture gives less depth of field effect.
  • Please note that depth of field is not supported in preview, so you need to make draft rendering to see the effect.
  • Shadows of the transparent mediums:
  • One of the nice additions is that semi-transparent objects now cast shadows.
  • The more transparent the material is, the less shadow it casts.
  • DPI parameter:
  • A much-requested DPI option is here. You can set it at the rendering window before you start rendering. Home edition is limited by a 72dpi value, but the higher editions support values of up to 600dpi.
  • New shapes and options:
  • A new "rounded box" shape that is useful for simulating toilet paper wraps or nappies packaging.
  • Pharma bottle shape got a "show liquid" option with adjustable height.
  • Hard cover books are now scaled with content taken into account - no more stretched spines.
  • Spheres can be hollow (good for materials testing).
  • Other improvements:
  • Materials got a special "thin object" flag - useful for labels on a glass.
  • Paper bag rendering glitches were fixed.
  • 3D PDF export improved - home button and lighting modes work better.
  • Some preview issues were fixed in Advanced GL mode.
  • Better colored medium preview in both Advanced and Simple GL modes.
  • Rendering now works with lower priority giving other apps a chance to run at the same time.
  • Scene tree selection handling improved.
  • Collada exporter got some improvements.
  • Some HDR images loading issues fixed.

New in Boxshot 4.5 (Mar 10, 2014)

  • Lathe Shapes:
  • A long-awaited lathe shape is finally here, available to Boxshot Ultimate customers. Draw a curve (or import an existing one) and make a nice lathe object easily.
  • Single and double-sided, multi-material, highly customizable shiny new shape. Everything can be done without leaving Boxshot.
  • Curves can be saved to SVG and are compatible with Illustrator. The built-in editor also loads SVG files, so you can use both internal and external editors depending on the task.
  • Lathe editor comes with some nice presets that you may start with.
  • Bottles, cans, candles and lot of other shapes can be done easily without leaving Boxshot.
  • Other Improvements:
  • Pasting issue has been fixed. You can now paste onto other objects without affecting the pasted objects.
  • Copying multiple objects works better, there was an issue there.
  • Copy/Paste now works closer to the former "Clone" tool, the objects are pasted near the selected item, not as its children.
  • 3D PDF export has been improved - PDF files automatically show 3D toolbar at loading.
  • Some tools got keyboard shortcuts, including the "Put on the floor" which got its "F" key back.
  • Undoing step and repeat bug has been fixed.
  • Scene tree keyboard navigation has been improved.
  • Pharma bottle got a new option that allows you to merge the label into glass. Useful for opaque bottles.
  • Augment publisher's user interface has been improved.
  • FBX loader issues have been fixed.
  • Scene proportions are taken into account better when rendering sample scenes.

New in Boxshot 4.4 (Jan 29, 2014)

  • Scene tree and operations:
  • A long-awaited copy/paste is finally here! Hurray! Do the right click on a shape or on the scene tree to see the new menu items there. Boxshot copies nodes with all the children, do not be surprised.
  • To keep things similar, Boxshot now deletes nodes with children, as well. Previous versions of Boxshot moved child nodes to the root and deleted only selected items.
  • The scene tree itself has been re-created from scratch to prevent expanding every time you do something. I know some people who will be happy to hear that.
  • Fit to View:
  • This is another feature that some of you are definitely missing. It is located in the central part of the toolbar and also available from the "Tools" menu. Basically, it zooms the camera onto the scene, leaving as less space around, as possible.
  • Publish to Augment:
  • Guys from Augment made a cool mobile augmented reality viewer for point of sale (and more). As Boxshot is actively used in that area, we decided to join them and allow you to upload files to Augment directly from Boxshot. Look for the new "Publish to Augment" item in the "File" menu (Professional and Ultimate editions only).
  • You will need a free Augment account to upload your shapes and see them in augmented reality on your iPad or Android tablet. After all, it is a nice mobile viewer for Boxshot shapes.
  • New "Cap" shape:
  • We added one more shape - Cap, the same cap as you see in bottle and tube shapes, just available separately. Use it to combine with your external glass bottle shapes to create complex scenes easier.
  • Other improvements:
  • Sometimes on complex scenes graphics adapter starts working slow because of the large amount of memory used by textures. We have added a special option in the settings window called "Reduce textures resolution in preview" that solves the issue. It doesn't affect the rendering, resolution is reduced only in preview.
  • Some minor bugs have been fixed in welcome screen and flexible bags.
  • Two bug-reports have been sent to Intel because of bugs in their drivers. One has been fixed so far.

New in Boxshot 4.3 (Nov 18, 2013)

  • This version brings back the Welcome Screen that was quite popular in Box Shot 3D. You will see it at startup, but it is also available in the "File" menu.
  • The "Sample Projects" button offers 100 presets to light up your inspiration and show you some new ideas for your scenes.
  • Some presets are not available in the Home or Professional editions, so you may see them locked. Simply contact us to upgrade to a higher edition, if you like.
  • "Quick start guide" and "Tutorials" buttons are for our new users, so they can easily get up to speed with the software.
  • The other things that have been done:
  • Pharma bottles level of details increased
  • Pharma bottles got the new "Show label" option
  • Better handling of missing images when loading scenes
  • Scene preview stability improved
  • Collada reading improved

New in Boxshot 4.2.2 (Nov 4, 2013)

  • We received some reports about Boxshot crashes on Windows. The issue has been tracked down and fixed.
  • Mac-version got improved Mavericks support - the fonts look better now.

New in Boxshot 4.2.1 (Oct 18, 2013)

  • Minor improvements in this service pack:
  • queued rendering and jobs improvements
  • correct mapping of the software box bottom geometry
  • better automatic fitting of software boxes
  • FBX format support improved
  • minor text improvements
  • Wacom Issues:
  • Received a number of crash reports since the 4.2 release. All of them are caused by the outdated Wacom tablet drivers, so if you experience any problems with Boxshot 4.2 or 4.2.1, please make sure your drivers are up-to-date, as otherwise Boxshot may crash.

New in Boxshot 4.2.0 (Oct 14, 2013)

  • Shapes improvements:
  • Hard cover book texture mapping has been improved to avoid image cutting near the right edge. Old versions of Boxshot wrapped too much image around the edge. Now it is fixed.
  • All the books use separated cover mode by default, which means you can apply front, spine and back graphics independently. Of course you can switch back to the wraparound mode using a checkbox at the right panel.
  • DVD, Blu-Ray and Digipak boxes now support both separated and wrap-around cover images, as well as books. Slim CD box also features two modes, so you can apply images to specific sides, if you like.
  • Finally, cylinder shape now supports curved caps. Useful for bottle caps and pharma pills.
  • User interface goodies:
  • Image modification detection has been improved. This means Boxshot will reload images better and more predictable. You should not see blank sides after changing and saving images in Photoshop anymore.
  • Some OpenGL-related improvements has been made, so Boxshot works better on low-level graphics and under virtual environments like Parallels on Mac.
  • This release also improves the application appearance under Windows XP. We still support that OS, even if the number of users is not that big. Please upgrade :)
  • External shapes improvements:
  • Boxshot 4.2 features new PDF exporting engine which improves 3D PDF export quality. Texture crop and transformation details are now exported, as well.
  • Finally, some improvements has been made to Collada reader.

New in Boxshot 4.1.0 (Aug 13, 2013)

  • Boxshot now understands embedded color profiles, so you don't need to convert CMYK to RGB in order to get good colors - Boxshot handles this for you.
  • Besides that, there are some other improvements:
  • PSD-files support has been significantly improved to support color profiles and transparency
  • Scripts and jobs got some fixes to handle relative paths better
  • Collada parser improved
  • Better unicode file names support on Windows
  • Materials panel at the left rewritten from scratch for faster preview
  • Windows installer improved
  • Some minor issues has been fixed, as well

New in Boxshot 4.0.24 Beta (Jun 13, 2013)

  • Floor Reflection
  • Reflection blur is not shown in preview, but overall preview quality is sufficient. Rendering is perfect, as always.
  • New Shapes:
  • Boxshot is about shapes, so we add some more in this release. The first one is a pack of yogurts
  • 3D Yogurt Pack:
  • Almost everything is configurable, like the number of cups, size, roundness, even foil bump and label offset.
  • Next one is a toothpaste tube, also highly customizable with several additional configurable caps
  • 3D Toothpaste Tube:
  • Caps customization may be a little bit tricky, but once you get used to it, it will be really simple. Best of all the caps are now shared with pharma bottles, so you can do something like this:
  • Other Improvements:
  • Added camera PAN mode like in Photoshop or Illustrator. Just hold the SPACE key and drag your mouse - sometimes it is easier than switch to the camera movement mode using key "5".
  • 3D PDF export improved - better lighting, camera position and field of view. Also turntable mode is on by default.
  • Boxshot now tries to look for missed images and external files near the project, so if you collect all the graphics to the same folder manually, it should work pretty well.
  • Step-and-repeat tool has been improved and now works with groups, as well. Very useful when you need to fill a space with shapes. Killer feature for point of sale mockups.
  • Flexible bags got very nice default textures and also "Fit to images" buttons. Sachet bag now has two sides, like the doypack one. You may need to update your scenes.
  • Overall, there are about 50 changes and improvements in this release, so I believe you will be really happy about it.

New in Boxshot 4.0.23 Beta (Apr 2, 2013)

  • Separate Cover Images for Books:
  • Box Shot 3D had separate book cover images by default, so you had to define cropping frames if you used full cover images. To make things easier, Box Shot 3D has default cropping values, but this leads to issues when you try to load, say, just a front image, not a full cover one.
  • Boxshot 4 features solid cover images by default, so you need an image containing both front, spine and back parts. Although this is much more predictable, lots of you guys have just a front and spine images and wouldn't like to combine them just for Boxshot.
  • The feature request about this got many votes, so here it is. All the closed books now have an option to switch between solid and separated covers. All the book spreads now allow you to choose between solid spread and separated left/right pages.
  • New "Step and Repeat" Tool:
  • One more tool is added that may help those, who use Boxshot to render retail shelves or something like that. Located in the "Tools" menu, "Step and repeat" tool allows you to clone the selected shape many times, defining the distance between the clones. Give it a try, it may save your time.
  • PDF Support:
  • Sorry Windows guys, this one is just for Mac. Boxshot now supports PDF (and even AI) files as textures. Works like a charm, but not avaliable in the Home edition.
  • External Files Improvements
  • This release brings a lot of improvements in external 3D files processing, especially for 3DS files.
  • The other side of the coin is that unfortunately you may need to review your old scenes width 3D files. 3DS files are not affected, while FBX and Collada files may change their position a bit. Sorry for this.
  • Queued Rendering:
  • Boxshot now puts the job name to task folder's name and also uses it for naming the resulting image. This means easier navigation for those who renders a lot in background.

New in Boxshot 4.0.22 Beta (Feb 27, 2013)

  • Easy Lighting:
  • Well, everything has been already said in the previous post, so I hardly can add more today. Simply give it a try yourself, you should be satisfied now.
  • Textures Transformation:
  • See the materials panel at the right for a small drop-down list where you can rotate and flip images as in Box Shot 3D (Professional and Ultimate editions only, sorry).
  • Flexibles: Doypack
  • One new shape for this release, a doypack. We're still testing flexibles and improving them from time to time, so your feedback is very welcome.
  • Other Improvements:
  • Few minor issues were fixed, Boxshot got a link to tutorials from the "Help" menu, and we have implemented one more cool thing which some of you may notice.
  • Boxshot VR:
  • VR is the best mate of Boxshot Ultimate, as it allows you to wrap rendered turn-table animations to HTML files for your website or for showing designs to customers.

New in Boxshot 4.0.21 Beta (Feb 5, 2013)

  • Adds new shapes, some of them are completely new, others came from Box Shot 3D.
  • Some old shapes were improved and some issues were fixed.

New in Boxshot 4.0.20 Beta (Dec 27, 2012)

  • Collada:
  • Boxshot 4 now reads DAE files in addition to FBX and 3DS. The reader works even better (and faster) than in Box Shot 3D, so you will be happy with it. However, as Collada is quite complex format, please feel free to send us samples that don't work for you.
  • Box Shot 3D:
  • Box Shot 3D doesn't use strict measurement system for shapes, so it is sometimes not easy to import scenes 1:1. You may probably need to do some manual adjustments after importing, as some shapes now have different size or proportions, but our test of about 70 scenes shows acceptable results.
  • Other Features:
  • A good new feature that has never been implemented in Box Shot 3D is automatic image reloading. Say you edit graphics in Photoshop and save it there. Boxshot will detect this and reload it automatically. Sounds cool, but as the feature is new there is also manual "Reload images" command in the "Tools" menu.
  • Some minor issues were also fixed for book spreads, scene background tint, external shapes and 3d exporting.

New in Boxshot 3.6 Build 3b9a91d (Oct 19, 2011)

  • New canvas shape added
  • New Dust Jacket Book On The Floor shape added
  • Some new template scenes added (50 now)
  • One crash fixed (image-related stuff, sorry for that)
  • Tagged Box and DVD Box shapes mapping fixed
  • TIFF file saving under Windows fixed
  • Software Box shape aspect fixed (for some extreme cases)
  • Scene templates window fixed in OS X version

New in Boxshot 3.5 Build c57382a (Jun 8, 2011)

  • 25+ sample scenes
  • image transformation option
  • transparency fixes for external shapes, better support for non-triangulated Collada files and some small bugfixes

New in Boxshot 3.4 Build 190e554 (May 23, 2011)

  • Besides the shapes visibility option, renaming and simpler scaling, the new version of Box Shot 3D brings the ability to import Collada files.
  • Share Your Collada Files:
  • If you feel that your hand-made collada files are worth sharing with others, please send them to me. I’m going to make a very own 3D warehouse for Box Shot 3D users. It’s a good way to promote yourself as a 3D-modeler and probably get some orders from the other customers.
  • More New Features:
  • As said above, Box Shot 3D now allows to show and hide the shapes in scene. It also allows to rename shapes, so you can find the necessary one easily.
  • The new version uses simpler scaling by default, now a single slider scales shape in all three dimensions, so you can adjust objects faster. Of course, you can switch to the separate scaling if needed.
  • This version fixes an AppleScript-related issue that sometimes crashes batch-rendering process.

New in Boxshot 3.3.2 Build 1db5d75 (May 9, 2011)

  • A little update that fixes some issues.

New in Boxshot 3.3.1 Build 3f72277 (May 6, 2011)

  • The multiple shapes feature is officially released.

New in Boxshot 3.2.2 Build d996ed6 (Apr 4, 2011)

  • Transparent shapes are rendered correctly
  • Preset dialogs fixed in Windows version
  • “High end” rendering mode added for those who don’t like the “Print” results (very slow)
  • Preview window updates faster while editing
  • Reload button updates preview window

New in Boxshot 3.2.1 Build 7ce3e5d (Mar 15, 2011)

  • First of all, Box Shot 3D has got a new rendering engine. It was rewritten almost from scratch to allow further improvements for the multiple shapes feature. It works in background mode almost as fast as in the foreground, so you now can do something else while rendering a big image. It also runs several times faster for some scenes, features more realistic preview while editing and much more.
  • Next, the new skydome lighting mode. You can choose between the old (dark) and the new (light) modes of skydome lighting. The second one is more physically-correct, while the old one sometimes gives more interesting shadows. The choice is up to you.
  • Rendering quality presets have been changed to “draft”, “web” and “print”. “Draft” mode works the similar way as before, while the “print” and “web” modes are a bit different. “Web” mode works the same way as the light-cache technique in V-Ray. It usually renders faster than the “print” mode, but gives a bit lower quality. The “Print” mode is like the production mode from the previous version, yet runs a bit faster.
  • Box Shot 3D has finally got a resizable main window, so you can maximize it to the whole desktop. This is because of the new rendering engine that works faster.
  • Good news for those, who use 3DS files. Box Shot 3D now handles them better and allows to turn double-sided faces on if necessary.

New in Boxshot 3.0.4 Build 4085 (Oct 6, 2010)

  • Fixes problems with opening missed PSD files.
  • Fixes some preview problems and memory leaks.
  • Upgrade is highly recommended.

New in Boxshot 3.0.3 Build 3952 (Sep 13, 2010)

  • Fixes the annoying problem with transparent images. It usually happens on 64-bit Mac OS X, but all other platforms should be updated as well.

New in Boxshot 3.0.2 Build 3938 (Sep 6, 2010)

  • “Scene” tab crashes when removing background image (Mac)
  • Vertical booklets don’t allow wide angles like 179°
  • Crop window doesn’t save its position and zoom level

New in Boxshot 2.13.3 Build 3366 (Jul 2, 2010)

  • Object instances were not imported from 3DS files
  • [Mac] There were some problems with file opening dialogs and folder navigation
  • [Mac] Rendering crashed with timer-related errors

New in Boxshot 2.13.2 Build 3266 (Dec 21, 2009)

  • Added default names for saving projects and images.
  • Added hotkeys for rendering window both in Mac and Windows versions.
  • External shapes can use transparent images.
  • Projects are saved with relative paths to images if images are located at the same folder or in subfolders.
  • Added hotkey for “Save As” command in Windows.
  • Mac version now has the same list of resolutions as the Windows one.

New in Boxshot 2.13.1 Build 3223 (Nov 24, 2009)

  • Opening boxes now appear in Mac version.
  • CD near the box doesn’t move when you open it.
  • Soft cover book with round corners can be put on the top of stack.

New in Boxshot 2.13 Build 3216 (Nov 23, 2009)

  • Some boxes can be opened.
  • Book stacks can be customized in various ways.
  • Hard cover books can have dust jacket.
  • Height and specular maps added to materials.
  • Improved shadows and reflections of transparent objects.
  • Mac version can be controlled using Apple Script.

New in Boxshot 2.12.1 Build 2704 (May 11, 2009)

  • A bug fix release both for Mac and Windows platforms.
  • Fixed some 3DS-related problems, batch processing under Windows and few small bugs. Upgrade is highly recommended.

New in Boxshot 2.11 Build 2564 (Mar 18, 2009)

  • New objects: comb/wire/coil/angle-d binders, two new book shapes, plastic DVD box and paper bag
  • Windows version has new user interface, hope you will like it, Mac version was updated too. Now they are much more similar.
  • Objects may be moved or rotated along all three axises, check “Transformation” option on the “Shape” tab.
  • You may use transparent images for CD, brochures and images. There is a checkbox on the “Images” tab that allows this.
  • Now it is possible to read and write TIFF files (even with transparency) and read PSD files (Grayscale, RGB, CMYK, 8 and 16 bits, transparency). Mac version allows to read most image formats that Mac OS X allows to read.
  • Software boxes were grouped to “Software Box” shape and now can be accessed via “Box Type” combo.