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Re: Sweet Home 3D 5.2
Emmanuel -
I've found a few oddities about v 5.2a. Quite a few have to do with its handling of surface normals (spoiler alert: it does so differently from v 5.2 beta 1), and it displays some odd persistent-state behavior (e.g., render Image 1 at Q4 default; change a render setting and generate Image 2; reset to defaults and render Image 3: Image 1 and Image 3 are not identical.) However, as this is undoubtedly brain-numbing for virtually everyone, and as I'm still running tests, I'll document what I've found in the next day or so in its own thread.
I do want to mention three non-surface normal issues I've found though, in the meantime. Let me know if you'd like tickets opened against these.
1. When using the click-and-drag method of changing Virtual Visitor eye height in the 2D window, the Visitor icon shrinks as it is lowered, making it difficult to manipulate further. As a work-around, the user can double-click on the icon and return the eye height to its usual level in the properties window. (If the mouse button hasn't been released, raising the eye height will cause the icon size to increase until it reaches its default.)
2. The 3D window (in Virtual Visitor mode, at least; I haven't tested it in Aerial View) often fails to update or takes an inordinately long time to update. For instance, if I change from one level to another at a different elevation, the 3D display may change to reflect the Visitor's new elevation. When I return to the original level, though, the display will often continue to display the scene from the previous level. If I do this while monitoring system resources through Task Manager or SysInternals' Process Monitor, I see CPU utilization by the Java process drop to and remain at 0%, even though the 3D display doesn't update. Selecting or resizing the 3D window will not cause the display to update; moving the Visitor's position usually will, albeit often only after a significant delay.
3. Not quite as reproducible, I find after I open the furniture properties window, especially for a complex model, when I go to close it SH3D often takes an unusually long amount of time to do so -- even if no changes have been made. (For instance, select a complex model, open its properties window, and click the 'Materials' button. Without modifying any materials, select 'Cancel.' Often, there is a long delay before the 'Materials' window closes, returning you to the 'Properties' window. Select 'Cancel' from this window, and another long delay occurs before the 'Properties' window closes.) I've also had the system freeze while trying to cancel out of the 'Materials' window, requiring me to kill the Java process.
Admittedly, I'm running on an underpowered Core2 Duo running 32-bit XP on 4 Gb RAM, so I'm at least partly to blame...
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Re: Sweet Home 3D 5.2
LeeG, please be patient. It takes always more or less a week to Apple to review new versions.
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Emmanuel Puybaret, Sweet Home 3D creator
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Re: Sweet Home 3D 5.2
Emmanuel -
Um... never mind.
After a day spent fighting the three problems I mentioned earlier, for the last two days I've had no trouble at all with SH3D. (Well, the 3D window seems to take a little longer to update than previously -- but, then, my plan is significantly larger.)
My best guess is there were conflicts among libraries in use. I'd started out running 5.2 beta 1 before installing 5.2 and, shortly after, 5.2a. At that point I started noticing the delays and hangs. Because of the surface normal issues, rather than leave the PC on overnight to render a complex scene, I powered it off; when I returned to it the following night, everything was OK. I can only assume the reboot cleared out whatever internal struggle had been going on.
This raises the question whether the surface normal problems I found (and painstakingly documented ) actually exist. I'll dive back in later today....
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Re: Sweet Home 3D 5.2
It's great to see a new version! Sorry to say that, but the old problem with crashing in Ubuntu when one opens the Preferences or runs Create Photo is back. Version 5.0 works well. Note I have java version "1.7.0_95", OpenJDK Runtime Environment (IcedTea 2.6.4) (7u95-2.6.4-0ubuntu0.14.04.1), OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 24.95-b01, mixed mode).
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Re: Sweet Home 3D 5.2
Emmanuel -
I recently installed versions 4.6, 5.1, and 5.2a simultaneously to compare render quality and handling of Sketchup two-sided faces -- but I'm not here to talk about that. Instead, I swear it seems as if images render faster using a bucket size of 64 than one of 32 -- even though I can't think of any reason that would actually be the case. (I'm sure it is slightly faster, simply from having to do only half as many bucket set-ups and tear-downs, but I can't imagine the difference would be perceivable.) Instead, I have to assume it's simply an illusion -- but it's a welcome illusion.
When using the click-and-drag method of changing Virtual Visitor eye height in the 2D window, the Visitor icon shrinks as it is lowered
There was no change in this behavior (for reasonable height values, the visitor size is supposed to match the size of the human with the eyes at the same elevation as the camera), but I know I should find a better solution. Actually the indicators at the border of the visitor have an higher priority when the mouse pointer is placed on them, making the center zone used to move the visitor too small in some cases.
The 3D window (in Virtual Visitor mode, at least; I haven't tested it in Aerial View) often fails to update or takes an inordinately long time to update.
Maybe you unchecked the Adjust eyes elevation according to selected level option available in the virtual visitor modification pane when there's more than a level in a home?
after I open the furniture properties window, especially for a complex model, when I go to close it SH3D often takes an unusually long amount of time to do so -- even if no changes have been made.
Did you notice it was longer than with previous versions? Maybe the home you design becomes quite large, and as you're under a 32 bit system, it won't be possible to use much more RAM for the program.
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Emmanuel Puybaret, Sweet Home 3D creator
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Re: Sweet Home 3D 5.2
Emmanuel --
Please see this post; I fear I didn't make it clear enough what I was referring to. After testing and documenting those three consistently repeatable errors, I rebooted -- and they all went away. I suspect it was a conflict between versions when installing one on top of the other. Many (but not all) of the render oddities disappeared after the reboot, as well.
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Re: Sweet Home 3D 5.2
@Emmanuel -
While the extreme delays in updating the 3D window or to return from editing an object have not recurred, I have experienced the Incredible Shrinking Virtual Visitor again under 5.2a. Unfortunately, I still haven't identified the sequence of actions required to enter that state (or to leave it, for that matter). The symptom is the same as initially reported: Using the click-and-drag method to lower or raise Visitor eye height causes the Visitor icon to shrink or grow, respectively.
) actually exist. I'll dive back in later today....
