SceneComposer V3.3.1

SceneComposer Usability Improvements

Remove Recent Solutions

It is possible to remove recent solutions from Startup screen - showed as grid or as list - by using a specific context menu with two possible options:

  • Open
  • Remove from here

This option is available just for the category of "Recent" solutions (Mantis 7903).

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Solution Auto-Save

Since now on the user has the possibility to set – in Preferences > Environment – the auto-save operation for the given time intervals. In this way, it can be avoided the loss of data if unexpected events occur (Mantis 7292 & 7380).

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Display Controls Option

A new button was added in the toolbox header to toggle between big icons and vertical list. In this way it is posible to switch between two different presentation modes: icon and text list of items (Mantis 8629).

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Layout Borders

The borders of the grid cells can be visualized in SceneComposer scene editor. The border of every cell of the layouter will be visible as a yellow line. This border is visible if the group is selected or if just one single cell is selected.

Two different secondary borders - the bounding box of the parent node, and the bounding box of the effective node - will be visible, marked with blue, if some values are set (Mantis 8367).

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Chained Animations

Since now on, it is possible to select and to drag into an animation group multiple animations. When the user is doing this operation, it is possible to select the option to create an animation chain (Mantis 7297).

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Persistent Status

Collapsed/Expanded item status is persistent during SceneComposer runtime and it works at item type level. For example, the collapsing of the property group for Camera2D will be applied to all Camera2D items in the solution and all other open solutions.

An extension shall be done to persist (user settings) the collapsed status after restarting SceneComposer (Mantis 7835).

Default Content for Anchors

The control functionality was extended by providing support to add default content to anchors. When a control is instantiated in a scene, in the anchors where the "Default content" is specified a control node of that type is instantiated and added as child to the anchor node itself (Mantis 7617).

Scripting Improvements

The operation of starting scripts will validate any script that has not been validated yet (Mantis 7490).

"Start/Stop" buttons are now available in the "Script Editor" panel for the execution of the script system (Mantis 7494).

The user can edit scripts by using an external editor. The script code will be automatically updated and validated in SceneComposer. Any error will be showed (Mantis 8079).

Any imported script is read only. Since now on it is possible from the context menu to change the imported script to editable (Mantis 8126).

Script schortcuts were improved. For example, "Validate Script" was changed to "Commit Changes", removed from the "Script" menu and added as a button in the Script Editor toolbar (Mantis 8127).

If a script has a component which cannot be validated, the script system will not start (Mantis 7937).

A new option is available in the context menu of any scene which has script components: "Enable all script components/Disable all script components" (Mantis 8024).

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Import Menu Items Order

The import menu items were re-ordered in a more convenient order for the user (Mantis 7527). The new proposed order is as follows:

  • Import FBX
  • Import Images
  • Import Fonts
  • Import Scripts
  • Import Fragment Shaders
  • Import Vertex Shaders
  • Import Icons
  • Import Raw Resources
  • Import Benchmarks
  • Import SCL Items
  • Import From Photoshop
  • Import From Solution
  • Configure Automatic Imports
  • Delete Unused Imports
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No Displays in "Shareable Component Library" (SCL)

Since this version on, "shareable component library" (SCL) are not allowed to contain any display. The following two scenarios can result:

  • If an already created solution does contain any display, the user will be noticed through a specific dialogue.
  • If an older imported/converted solution already contains a .scl file with displays, the error will be showed in the Problems panel. In this way, the user will be noticed and will be allowed to correct this situation.
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Renderer Statistics

Renderer statistics were extended with available Candera statistics (Mantis 8059). The following categories were added:

  • DrawCallsInvisible
  • ColorBufferClears
  • DepthBufferClears
  • StencilBufferClears
  • AverageDirtyAreaFactor
  • CulledNodesUsingDirtyAreaScissor
  • SamplerObjects
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Reported Version

This is a feature needed to automatically check if the versions of SC and rest of the tools are aligned. It shows a piece of information about version both in FTCLauncher and FTCCmd when using the /version parameter (Mantis 5202).

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Changing Camera Sequence Numbers

When a previously created solution is converted, the user is asked if the sequence numbers have to be changed or not. If the user declines, the sequence numbers will not be updated. FTCCmd.exe does not provide this option. It will not change sequence numbers when converting the solutions (Mantis 7928).

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Asynchronous Loading Interface

Added calls to DispatchNext() in SCHost in various lifetime events (Mantis 8041). This features enables widget developers to use async methods for retrieving items from the asset.

SceneComposer behavior change:

  • SceneComposer will invoke AsyncProvider().DispatchNext() before rendering a frame. Note: rendering a frame means rendering on Scene Editor and on all displays.

Minor Improvements

  • Available Buttons: Commit/Revert changes buttons from SCML editor panel are not enabled until a modification takes place (Mantis 7048).
  • Solution Name: When saving a new template, the solution proposed name will be the name of the template solution (Mantis 7755).
  • Saving Layout: The SC layout is now saved per solution and user. When a solution with an opened active displays is re-opened, the displays are docked in the same places as before the previous closing of the solution (Mantis 7293 & 7373).
  • Invisible Panel: The "Appearance Editor" panel is not visible anymore by default in "Animation Design" perspective. From this perspective the user has access only to those templates from the "Solution Explorer" panel (Mantis 7947).
  • Remember Path: The path selected in the "Browse for Folder" dialog opened from "Automatic Imports Configuration" will be remembered (Mantis 6880).
  • Folder Path: The default folder path for a new solution wizard is remembered regardless of choosing to create a solution folder (Mantis 4380).
  • Reserved Characters: Reserved characters like #, &, $ are not allowed in the "Default Value" field, from "Parameters" tab of a script configuration (in "Automation Script Configuration" dialog) (Mantis 6870).
  • Clone Option: The "Clone" context menu option has been made available in "Automation Scripts Configuration" dialog (Mantis 6868).
  • Animation Groups Info: Since this version on FTCCmd Info command will also display info about the animation groups (Mantis 7050).
  • Improved Tooltip: The tooltip of "Number of visible recently opened solutions" was improved (Mantis 7920).
  • SCHost Information: The SCHost information has not been adapted to recent changes in CMake configuration (Mantis 7958).
  • Syntax Highlighting: In the Shader Editor syntax highlighting was added for GLSL 3.0.x and 3.1.x keywords (Mantis 6479).
  • Fast Forward Improvements: If a value is typed and Enter key pressed, even when click anywhere else inside application, the value cannot be changed with mouse drag right/left. Only if play animation will be pressed it would be possible to do this action. If an unvalid value is typed in the field, as long as the animation plays, the "Fast forward" button remains deactivated (Mantis 5263).
  • Mandatory Perspectives: None of the three basic perspectives - "Startup", "Scene Design" and "Animation design" - can be deleted without leaving at least one perspective of the same type. Consequently, the three basic perspectives previously mentioned cannot be deleted (Mantis 7974).
  • Opacity Improvement: Maximum value of the opacity slider in the Color Picker was moved to the right (Mantis 7977).
  • New Renderer: In addition to the already existing TextNode2D Renderers - Bitmap, Surface, Glyph, GlyphCache - a new Renderer was added. Its name is "GlyphAtlas" (Mantis 8039).
  • New Text Node Property: TextNode2D has a new property: Enable Async Pre-Render. This property is used by Candera to make pre-render processings of text (Mantis 8040).
  • Extended Player: Player functionality was extended to provide the possibility to visualize and edit control properties. Control properties can be visualized and edited in the same manner as widget properties (Mantis 8218).

SceneComposer Known Issues

  • GhlyphAtlas text renderer is not effectively used when rendering. Instead, GlyphCache is used. However, the value is serialized and used by AssetLoader and applications (Mantis 8422).
  • If a previously created solution is imported by using the "Import from Solution" option, errors will result if the ID's assigned to objects from the imported solution is the same with the objects' ID from the current solution (Mantis 8300).
  • On platforms with 2D over 3D, when the content is shared among several displays, the Player encounters problems displaying the entire content of the loaded asset (Mantis 8427).