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Re: Sweet Home 3D 5.3
Here's the version 5.3 Beta 7 available for various systems.
This version changes how indicators around objects are detected to ensure that it's easier to move them in the plan at small scales (particularly, it should be easier to move the visitor in the plan). But the most important changes are elsewhere and I hope you can find some time to test them: - First, this version introduces a change in .sh3d file format. From this version, the zipped .sh3d file contains an additional entry named Home.xml which contains the same data as the existing Home entry, but at XML format respecting the DTD available in SweetHome3D.dtd. From now, when Sweet Home 3D opens a .sh3d file, it will first try to read the home it contains from its Home.xml entry, then if this entry doesn't exist, it will read the Home entry to enable the compatibility with all .sh3d files saved with older versions of Sweet Home 3D. As the program part that decodes a Home.xml entry is very different from the Java unserialization used to decode a Home entry, please test this beta version on copies of your .sh3d files to avoid losing data in case I forgot something (I checked and rechecked this feature but there could be some special configurations that might cause some problems). To test correctly this new feature, be sure to save files and reopen them at least once. My bigger concern is about furniture groups handling that it would be nice to test too. Introducing this new Home.xml entry in .sh3d files will help programmers who want to reuse homes designed with Sweet Home 3D in other applications programmed in languages different from Java, and is the logical continuation of the similar entry programmed for Export to HTML5 plug-in. From the tests I ran, writing the additional Home.xml entry takes very little time and occupies little space in a .sh3d file. Sweet Home 3D will continue to save Home and Home.xml entries in .sh3d files for a while to ensure a smooth transition to the future .sh3d format that will probably not contain any Home entry at the end (only Java programs are able to write a Home entries). In all cases, the Java version of Sweet Home 3D will always be able to read existing .sh3d files, so don't worry for the files you designed in the past.
- For programmers, this version introduces the HomeObject super class for the classes of objects handled in a Home instance, i.e. walls, furniture, rooms, cameras... HomeObject class lets programmers store string properties, like IDs or any other additional data that might be needed in a plug-in or a program derived from Sweet Home 3D. Of course, these properties will be saved in .sh3d files.
- For Windows users, I replaced Java3D 1.5.2 by Java3D 1.6 which might fix issues that some users continue to report (most of the time under Windows 7). I could have done this change some time ago, but in one of my not so common Windows configurations running under Parallels Desktop, Java3D 1.6 provoked a crash at program start, something which prevents me to be confident. But I finally found how to fix this issue in Java3D 1.6 and I'm not reluctant anymore to deliver it in Sweet Home 3D. So please, test this version on any Windows box that you may have at your disposal to check it correctly works.
- For Linux users, I have some very good news: I fixed two bad bugs that will give a new life to Sweet Home 3D under that system. First, I replaced Java3D 1.5.2 by Java3D 1.6 to fix the crash of Sweet Home 3D under Ubuntu 16. But that's not all! I also found how to circumvent the bug that prevented to use textures on room floors under Java 7 and 8. So, Linux users can again run Sweet Home 3D with the Java version of their choice. As Java 8 fixed also the font color in the menu bar which was too dark under recent Ubuntu releases, I replaced the JRE 6 by the latest JRE 8 in Linux installers. Note that in my tests configuration running under Parallels Desktop, the navigation in the 3D view is slower with Java3D 1.6 than with Java3D 1.5.2, but maybe it's due to the video drivers provided by Parallels Desktop. Please, share your experience on this point too.
- For people with old or special configurations, the Jar executable version provides Java 3D 1.5.2 and 1.6 libraries and under Windows and Linux, you can force the version 1.5.2 of this library with the new System property com.eteks.sweethome3d.j3d.version. For example, if you want to run Sweet Home 3D with Java 3D 1.5.2 under Linux without checking offScreen support, you can run the following command:
In the previous command, I wrote the full path of java.exe to show that DirectX support is available only with Java 32 bit. Note also that when System property j3d.rend is set to d3d, -Dcom.eteks.sweethome3d.j3d.version=1.5.2 is optional since DirectX support isn't available in Java3D 1.6 anymore.
I'm looking forward to reading your feedback, and don't worry, new features should come soon
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Emmanuel Puybaret, Sweet Home 3D developer
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last edit by Puybaret at Nov 16, 2016, 11:09:20 PM]
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Re: Sweet Home 3D 5.3
Congratulations on beta. At least no immediate crashes or anomalies under Win 10 build 14393.222. Just tested a couple of existing files and messed around with them. Everything normal, and saved files open nicely with 5.2a without a problem.
..navigation in the 3D view is slower with Java3D 1.6 than with Java3D 1.5.2...
Possibly, but hard to say - nothing very obvious (but with relatively small files).
Do tell if there are specific procedures you would like tested.
* no crash so far (open file, modify, save, quit, reopen, make photo and vidéo)
* I confirm that virtual 3D visit is slower (with mouse : very jerky (fr:saccadé), with arrows : slow, on my 1440 x 1080 display - no difference whether it is opened in a separate windows or if I navigate in a smaller part of the main window) - tested with three sh3D files of 2,8 Mo, 4,7 Mo and 25 Mo : no difference, size does not matter !
* I did not re-import the furniture libraries however it seems they are active because I have a lot of items in the furniture list + I have a message about library update at startup. Did you include a lot of them by default ?
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Re: Sweet Home 3D 5.3
okh and mohican, thanks for your feedback. This is encouraging even if I had a report about a regression under Mint 18 where the beta crashed (but fortunately, the executable Jar with -Dcom.eteks.sweethome3d.j3d.version=1.5.2 option worked).
mohican, imported furniture and textures are stored in the .eteks/sweethome3d folder of your user folder, that's why they are still in the catalogs of Sweet Home 3D when you switch to another version.
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Emmanuel Puybaret, Sweet Home 3D developer
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Re: Sweet Home 3D 5.3
Hi Emmanuel I am using the new version on windows 7 home premium, the only thing i have noticed is that several of the textures reverted to their original setting, simple enough to change back. It only appeared to occur on larger objects, roofs, grass and patios were affected on 3 different projects. Other than that, all good m8.
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Re: Sweet Home 3D 5.3
Mike, please provide me an example as simple as possible and/or describe how to reproduce the issue your found.
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Emmanuel Puybaret, Sweet Home 3D developer
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Re: Sweet Home 3D 5.3
Thanks Mike for the details you sent me. After more tests, I found a stupid regression I programmed: the problem is about angle set on textures. They are simply ignored when you try to set an angle different from 0 in the Beta 7. But fortunately, angles set on textures with a previous version are not lost when .sh3d files are saved in Beta 7 (both in Home and Home.xml entries are correct). I'll deliver soon a new Beta version.
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Emmanuel Puybaret, Sweet Home 3D developer
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Re: Sweet Home 3D 5.3
@Puybaret
Introducing this new Home.xml entry in .sh3d files will help programmers who want to reuse homes designed with Sweet Home 3D in other applications programmed in languages different from Java...
With what 3D rendering software the file Home.xml is compatible? Kerkythea accepts the .xml format but there is an error during the import.
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EnkoNyito
France
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Re: Sweet Home 3D 5.3
After a discussion about the evolution of the .sh3d format with some French experts, it seemed better that the Home.xml uses some XML elements and attributes close to the classes of the model layer, rather than an existing XML format like Collada or BIM XML. Just open a Home.xml and you'll recognize the data handled by Sweet Home 3D classes. I don't dream of creating a new standard, but at least this should help to exchange data with other programs if needed.
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Emmanuel Puybaret, Sweet Home 3D developer
