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ProAnimator Changelog

What's new in ProAnimator 8.6.0

Feb 16, 2016
  • Adobe After Effects CC 2015 Compatible (ProAnimator AE Only)
  • Faster loading of the Setup Window. (ProAnimator AE Only)
  • Improved rendering speeds.
  • Fixes some major crashes.
  • Stability fixes.

New in ProAnimator 8.0.2 (Oct 9, 2014)

  • Added Expand Instance command to expand instances into objects. This lets you apply warping or planar mapping to the instanced objects.
  • B and E Hotkeys added in the Animation Controls panel to set the green and red work area markers.
  • Object and Camera Animation presets are now placed where the time marker is located.
  • Added support so Ambient Occlusion now works with Shadow Catcher layers.
  • Optimized the Antialias settings so the Fast setting renders with a higher quality and even faster rendering speeds.
  • Fixes a rendering issue where lines may appear when using Ambient Occlusion.
  • Fixes an issue where drawing shapes in the Object Drawing window may cause the program to crash.

New in ProAnimator 8.0.1 (Aug 12, 2014)

  • Added a Depth of Field indicator. When using 4-Views or a User Camera, you can see the Depth of Field indicator on the Main Camera.
  • Added a new distribution feature so you can cascade objects in directions such as Left To Right.
  • Fixes an issue where changing the instanced text grouping may crash the program
  • Fixes an issue where the IBL image is not loading correctly.
  • Memory optimization to prevent out of memory issues from occurring in After Effects.
  • Fixes a possible crash when replacing Lighting Rigs.

New in ProAnimator 8.0.0 (Jul 23, 2014)

  • Compatible with After Effects CS5, CS5.5, CS6 and After Effects CC 2014
  • Compatible with Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 / OSX 10.7 or above and Intel Mac Only
  • Real-Time Rendering:
  • Optimized OpenGL and Ray-Traced Renderer- Our OpenGL and Ray Trace Renderer is now faster than ever! Create hundreds of thousands of polygons without having to worry about slowdown. Everything updates in real-time with texturing, lighting and shadows.
  • Auto-Rendering- With Auto-Rendering, whenever you make any changes the scene automatically renders. No need to keep having to click the Render Test button to see what your objects look like.
  • Depth of Field - Use Depth of Field to create highly realistic images where some objects are in focus while other objects are out of focus.
  • Instancing:
  • Instanced Objects- With instanced objects, the program automatically duplicates as many objects as you want without slowing down the program. Objects can be distributed using our distribution tools.
  • New Distribution Types - Use new distribution tools such as assigning your objects totake on the shape of a different object, or other simple shapes such as cubes, spheres and more.
  • Materials - Apply the same material or different materials to the instanced objects.
  • Randomization - Use our randomize controls to place objects in random positions instead of scattering objects one by one.
  • Instanced Text- With instanced text, you can set the text to be instanced by character, word, or paragraphs. This lets you distribute walls of text to create amazing text backgrounds quickly and easily.
  • Normal Maps:
  • Applying Normal Maps- Our Material Editor gives you the ability to load either a normal map or bump map to create realistic effects.
  • Realistic Material Presets- Our material presets have been re-edited with normal maps for even more realistic effects for your objects.
  • New Lighting Controls:
  • Image Based Lighting- Apply Image Based Lighting for highly realistic lighting effects for your scene.
  • Shadow Lights- Create a light that doesn't affect your scene, but has the ability to cast shadows.
  • Note: Wireframe and Hidden line rendering styles are no longer supported. If you have any projects that are using wireframe or hidden line rendering, the material will render as a solid color instead. You may use the Grid Shader as an alternative for Hidden Line rendering.

New in ProAnimator 7.0.0 (Sep 25, 2013)

  • Compatible with After Effects CS5, CS5.5, CS6 and After Effects CC
  • Compatible with Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 / OSX 10.6.8 or above and Intel Mac Only
  • Gorgeous Photo-Realistic Materials - Over a hundred highly detailed, seamless materials.
  • Lighting:
  • Light Tracks & Light Actions - Create your own lighting animations using the familiar Pose and Transition system.
  • Use Light Brightness Actions to set up light animations where lights fade, blink, pulse, or flicker on and off.
  • Light Rotation Actions can be used where lights rotate randomly such as in a concert, bar or club.
  • Light Color Actions create light color animations without use of keyframes.
  • Advanced lighting controls tracks lights objects, camera and more.
  • Use Fan controls for lights to fan out, or converge at a point.
  • Work with Parallel, Point or Spot lights to create a realistic 3D environment.
  • Lighting Fixtures - Dozens of lighting fixture presets.
  • Variety of Trusses and Pipes - Create complex trusses such as box, triangular, rectangle trusses, or laced and ring pipes with a click of a button.
  • Lens Flares - Dozens of Lighting Flares can be used for any lighting effect. Contains a wide variety of flares to use for professional stage effects.
  • Flare Editor. This lets you create extremely realistic glows and spikes to produce the perfect flare for your scene.
  • Light Cones - Customize your light with dozens of different beams such as hard, soft, smooth, wash, and many other moody lights.
  • Lighting Rigs - Use lighting rigs to instantly add stage elements to your project.
  • Newly Designed Interface - Re-designed buttons and easier to read text:
  • Auto-Save - The Auto-Save feature automatically saves your project so you have a backup of your file as you're working.
  • Increment and Save - Automatically increments your save file so you have multiple versions of your project file as a back-up.

New in ProAnimator 6.1.1 (Feb 19, 2013)

  • Compatible with After Effects CS5, CS5.5, CS6
  • Fixed an issue where using Wireframe or Hidden Line may cause a crash when working with a lot of geometry.
  • Fixed crashes when adding/removing/converting points in the Object Drawing window.
  • Fixed crashes when using the Undo command with certain commands in the Object Drawing window.
  • You can now import/export grouped/parented objects using the .zxo format.
  • Path selection has been enhanced so it's now easier to select tiny objects in the Object Drawing window.
  • Fixes an issue where the background image will reset in size if adjusting the background opacity.

New in ProAnimator 6.1.0 (Sep 27, 2012)

  • GPU-based Open GL rendering. Enables final quality textures, bump maps, reflections and shadows right in the 3D preview window.
  • Changes have been made to handle text editing under more situations allowing text to be freely edited while retaining its original position.
  • The user interface on Windows has been upgraded for a more modern look.
  • A blur function was added to the noise shaders making for better bump maps and a wider range of uses.
  • Bump maps have been made more dramatic... and useful.
  • The Specular channel is now full color ... good for metallic materials.
  • Material channels now show a "no" sign if they don't affect the material. This makes it very easy to see which channels are contributing to the look of the material.
  • Imported 3D objects now have normals imported too.
  • There is a new Preference to disable jumping to the start of a Pose or Transition when a control is changed. This enables you to leave the Time Marker at a point in time while you change the controls at a different time
  • Undo now works faster, especially when working with Fragmentations.
  • ProAnimator no longer pops to the front each time a frame is rendered. This way you can put ProAnimator in the background and work on other things while it's still rendering.
  • Object Animation presets can now be organized into folders.
  • The timeline will automatically scroll if you drag a Pose past the end of the timeline.
  • The drawing window now automatically scrolls if you drag objects to the edge of the drawing area.
  • Fixes an issue where using the Color Picker when working on a Mac OSX Lion may cause the program to crash.

New in ProAnimator 6.0.0 (Jul 11, 2012)

  • Ray Tracer Renderer
  • Refractions - Create realistic looking materials that simulate the effect of glass, ice, or water.
  • Ray Trace Reflectivity - Make surfaces reflective. You'll be able to see the other objects in the reflections!
  • Falloff - Apply to make the reflections fade off over a certain distance.
  • Ambient Occlusion - Darkens corners and areas where one object is close another to add realism for shadows.
  • Ray Trace Shadows - Create more realistic shadows than using Shadow Maps.
  • Object Fragmentation - Break apart objects into little pieces!
  • Grid Shaders - Create Grids or different line patterns. Useful for creating tiles.
  • Collect Files - Used to collect all media files that are being used by materials.
  • Import Images - Select images to import and they automatically get mapped onto 3D Planes. It's easier than ever to create 3D backgrounds.
  • Trace Background - In the Object Drawing window, use the "." command after tracing a background image to instantly transfer the background image onto the object you are tracing.
  • Layer Tracking - Track ProAnimator objects to any After Effects 3D Layer. You can still apply rotations or other effects even though it is tracking another layer.
  • Increased Number for Layer Maps - Apply up to 16 Layer Maps for your materials.
  • Shadow Catcher Plane - Select a 3D After Effects layer to use as a shadow catcher layer.

New in ProAnimator 5.1.0 (Mar 24, 2012)

  • Optimization for rendering frames with Motion Blur and Fields.
  • Fixes compatibility with the Zapf Dingbat font so the preview shows up properly.
  • Fixes the Orthographic camera so you can now orbit using the camera.
  • Fixes a crash where if you move Text and use the Undo command, this may cause the program to crash.
  • Fixes an issue where deleting shapes in the Profile Editor may cause a crash.
  • Fixes an issue where using the Undo command after applying Object Styles may cause the program to crash.
  • Fixes the Comp Camera so that moving the Comp Camera also blurs the objects if Motion Blur is enabled
  • Fixes an issue where parenting an object to a Camera Track will cause the program to crash

New in ProAnimator 5.0.6 (Aug 1, 2011)

  • Fixes an issue related to multi-threaded rendering. It may prevent an issue where the program crashes during the render.
  • Fixes an issue where if you duplicate or copy and paste 3D Text, the text may shift in position after editing the text.
  • Added a new feature that lets you organize your Object and Camera Animation Presets. By placing your presets into folders, this lets you set up a list hierarchy.
  • Fixes an issue where using a Matte material with the setting "Composite on Original" did not show the appropriate layer.
  • Fixes an issue where the authorization code was not sticking in Windows 7.
  • Fixed an issue with editing text from older projects.

New in ProAnimator 5.0.0 (Feb 27, 2011)

  • 3D Text & 3D Primitives
  • Improved 3D Text engine increases the compatibility with many font types.
  • Customizable Workspaces
  • Object List lets you select objects easily.
  • Integrated drawing window lets you use familiar tools such as the Pen, Pencil, Shape, Text, Selection to build and edit professional logos
  • Cornering and Auto-curve Pen tools allow you edit or draw curves with ease.
  • Use Gradient/Noise Shaders & Blend Modes to create sophisticated texture maps without having to leave the program.
  • New UV, Spherical, Planar, Cylindrical, Cubic, or Camera View mapping lets you create different looks for your 3D Objects.
  • Object deformation lets you bend, fold or twist your objects.
  • Parenting allows you to track objects from one Object Track to another Object Track.
  • Batch Project Rendering allows you to render multiple projects in one sitting.
  • Multiprocessing lets you render faster than ever.

New in ProAnimator 4.5.1 (Apr 12, 2010)

  • New feature: user and master swatches. User swatches are now saved in the "Documents > Zaxwerks" folder.
  • Compatibility with After Effects CS4.
  • Fixes an issue with the text window when using Windows Vista.
  • Fixes the (*6) rendering issue in the standalone version when using the latest versions of Apple Quicktime.