Release 2024.09 Released

[keithsw1111]

2024.09 Apr 16, 2024

– enh (dkulp) MacOS – Use GPU for layer blending

– enh (derwin12) Add preference to override the highlight color for lists

– enh (cybercop23) Remove start/end channels from groups and sub-models in Model list

– enh (cybercop23) Add LayoutGroup to Import/Export for CustomModel

– enh (gil) New Moving Head effect – see https://github.com/xLightsSequencer/xLights/discussions/4260

– enh (scott) Windows – Update to FFMpeg 6.1.1, fixes Vulkan, add AMD AMF decoders

– enh (dkulp) Check Sequence – check effects against proper model/submodel and log SubModel the effect is on

– enh (cybercop23) Add SubModel alias to info panel

– enh (derwin12) Add SubModel alias editing to Layout Panel

– enh (cybercop23) Add option to add new models to the same groups during copy/paste

– enh (dkulp) Add the “Model Blending” layer to the list of layers selectable for Canvas mode effects

– enh (dkulp) Faster audio processing/loading using far less memory

– enh (dkulp) Optimize internal “Node” creation/memory for faster loading and reduced overhead

– bug (dkulp) Disabling model from rendering should also disable strands/nodes/submodels

– bug (dkulp) Disabled Canvas effects shouldn’t render or blend

– bug (gil) Fix – 3D export of tree model is Z-Order backwords

– bug (gil) Fix – “FromBase” XML attribue being set multiple times can corrupt the xlights_rgbeffects.xml file

– bug (cybercop23) Remove duplicate Models/SubModels from groups when replacing a model

– bug (derwin12) Shape Effect Emoji cannot be Y centered

– bug (gil) Fix DMX Model color issues

– bug (derwin12) Window – Enable/Disable HW Video Decoding dropdown without having to close/re-enter preferences

– bug (dkulp) Fix sparkles with GPU rendering

– bug (dkulp) Fix some renderings of SubModels in groups

– bug (derwin12) Fix print dialog in Layout and Wiring views

– bug (dkulp) Fix potential memory corruption with states/faces effects in groups

– bug (dkulp) ShaderEffect – fix shaders that ask for AudioFFT on sequences with no audio

– bug (derwin12) Fix Total Nodes tooltip on groups containing submodels

– bug (scott) Increase ValueCurve text field sizes to account for negative sign on values

xLights is available for download from https://xlights.org/releases/

Issue tracker: https://github.com/xLightsSequencer/xLights/issues
Video tutorials: https://videos.xlights.org
xLights user manual: https://manual.xlights.org/xlights/

 

[Katekate]

Thanks Keith

 

[dkulp]

This release is probably the "biggest" release we've done in a very long time with changes that have large impacts through out the code base.

The main new feature is Gil's Moving Head updates. If you have moving heads in your show, you REALLY want to check this out. Sequencing the moving heads is much easier and more intuitive. This has been a long time in development and Gil deserves all of the credit for this.

For Windows users, Scott has updated FFMpeg to the 6.1.1 release which fixes some video decoding issues, but also allows adding the AMD AMF decoder. Hopefully there is a hardware decoder that will now work for everyone, but you may need to experiment a bit.

On the Mac side, for larger models/groups (more than 1024 pixels right now), layer blending is now fully done on the GPU. In some cases, this may be a bit slower (if the GPU gets really overloaded) and we'll be tuning this a bit over time, but please double check for correctness. With this change, some effects can be fully rendered on the GPU.

For Canvas mode effects, you can now select the "Model Blending" layer (if model blending is turned on) as a layer to include in the canvas. Thus, data that was already rendered as part of a group can be manipulated with the canvas.

Alex and Daryl continue to contribute bunch of updates/fixes for SubModel aliases, improvements to the Layout tab to make it easier and more informative, copy/paste model improvements, and lots of bug fixes.

There has also been a bunch of work done internally to optimize some of the code and remove/reduce memory allocations to help speed up some areas and reduce memory usage.

As you can see, there are a LOT of changes in there. Please give it a try and let us know if you run into any issues.

 

[Skymaster]

Well done Dan & others. Awesome to see the effort put in here.

 

[Johnno]

Thank you everyone for your time and dedication to this hobby