Slim Release Notes

1.0rc1
1,0b3
1.0b2

• Fixed Uniqueify - now interoperates with MTOR correctly.
• Added SoftShadow template to access softshadows.
• Added TCL open command for use in Slim TCL scripts.
• We now check for network cycles before allowing a connection to be made.
• Changed FresnelPlastic to work with Slim's Environment Lights.  You'll need to issue Reload on existing instances of FresnelPlastic and EnvMap.
• Changed all functions related to environment maps. This includes CollectReflections, CollectRefractions, EnvMap and EnviromentMap.  Separated out the refraction effects in Environment into EnvironmentMapPlus.  You'll need to issue Reload on existing instances of any of these in your palettes.
• Fixed appearance name conflicts for Shadow and Environment functions.
• rampEditor is now initialized with the Sequence Range defined by MTOR, if connected.
• Added new contributed function, MayaProj, to help match Maya's planar and projective projections. 
• Fixed the hot-keys for preview and scene rendering.  Toggled their sense: use Alt-r to scene render (when connected to MTOR).
• Fixed bug in Select-All.
• Fixed problems with & character in RIB boxes. Also a transform block is no longer automatically placed around the contents of RIB boxes.
• Slim now presents a reload status window during long reloads.
• Fixed the Distant light template.
• Fixed the Point light template, including point shadows.
• Fixed ColorEditor behavior when the ColorFormat was bogus.
• Fixed ColorEditor bug involving Presets Editor and Revert.
• Fixed crash when Slim license was incorrectly installed.
• Changed default ambient color parameter of Blinn. Now it responds to ambient light
• Fixed problem with Once Per Job mapgens.
• Fixed problem with expressionui. Now you can have more that one per type.
• Fixed O2 crash when environment maps were to be generated.
• Fixed problem with palette GetAppearances scripting command.

• New Features
• Export Appearance/Network
• GetTemplateID method for scripting
• Documentation (finally)
• _Selected filtering when running in server mode.
• Select All in palette
• UniqueifyAll, Reload in Palette Editor
• Hot Keys in Palette and Appearance Editors
• Added Ignore Pref to Surface Point manifold.  This might break existing (b1 & b2) palettes.
• Reorganized support for Environments and Reflections in Slim.  These might break existing (b2) palettes.
• Changed the Slim file format: "provider vertex" is now "provider primitive".  Vertex is still supported but has been deprecated.
• Support for custom Expression UIs.  We provide the rampEditor to construct color and float splines for the purposes of keyframing.
• Bugs Fixed
• GetValueProvider scripting function
• Removed reporting of redundant error reporting for internal rendering errors.
• Reorganized Connection menu - when more than 10 connectable existing functions exist in a palette, Slim creates a pullaside menu.
• When importing external .slo files with .sli files containing expressions, we now pass this info to slim (via the toslim utility).  Expressions are fixed up to account for the syntax changes to mattr, st, etc.
• Special Notes:
Broken appearances can come about when templates are modified.  Usually the reload feature fixes these problems.  To fix an entire palette of appearances first "select all", then invoke the reload command in the palette editor's appearance menu.  This process is a tad slow but should only need to be invoked once on a palette.

Summary of Changes to Slim 1.0b2

• New Features
• Duplicate Network
• Drag/Drop of Appearances and Networks between palettes
• Delete Unused
• Added Frequency to the Surface Point manifold.
• New Templates
• Manifolds:
• Scale
• MayaUV - to connect to place2dTexture nodes.
• Colors:
• ColorCorrect
• Vector
• Vector Length
• Lights
• support for environment lights.
• Volume
• Shadinggroups
• AddRefraction/AddReflection/AddRaytrace
• Tweaks to various Fractal templates.
• Flipbook Renderer choices are now: internal, render and netrender.
• Preference for Saving Icons, new Render Icon command.
• Preserve Windows Pref
• New Collect function for packaging networks.
• Scripting of Slim from MTOR
• Ensemble now has connection point for 2 lights.
• Added RenderScene button to Appearance editor
• Bug Fixes
• .sli files for rib generators are now installed into $RATTREE/lib/dsos.
• fixed antialiasing for projection manifold
• fixed problems with external palettes containing subpalettes.
• renamed some functions CNoise -> Noise
• close appearance editors and dag views when palette is closed
• Slim now goes away when the client applicating terminates unexpectedly.
• changes to licensing client software.  Should reduce/eliminate illegal-handshake errors.