Gaea EAP 2618
This EAP brings another large number of “small” updates. We will cover some of the more important updates in this blog post.
Toolbox
The handy toolbox sits inside the graph, giving you quick drag-drop access to all nodes, along with favorites, and search. You can use the shortcut Ctrl + Tab while in the graph to quickly access the search function.
Graph Productivity Features
These new convenience features make life a little bit easier when working on big graphs. We feel that connections take too much of our time, and when working in “obvious” scenarios, the software should take care of simple things like adding connections.
These features are covered in detail in this blog post.
Intrinsic Post Processing
The Post Process tab sits right next to the Properties tab, and provides quick access to common functions. In this release, we have added a limit set of common functions, but more will be added later once certain under-the-hood changes are complete.
In this version, you can use autolevel and clamp to control your node without having to add a second node. This will help you keep your graph clean.
The Influence slider is a very simple yet powerful tool for layering effects. It blends the output back with the input, allowing you to manage the influence of the current node.
Here is an example: a heavily eroded terrain goes through Recurve, but in Recurve, the influence is set to ~0.5, which gives us a more realistic looking output of Recurve, while being able to use strong values in Recurve to create long striations.
Plates Primitive
Plates is a new primitive based on a Perlin core with flat plate-like formations created in between larger Perlin-eque shapes. The flat, slanting areas can create great slopes — especially when combined with Displace nodes.
Terrace Modulation
The Terrace node now allows modulation. You can modulate the terracing process by attaching a second, optional input.
Easy Combine / MultiMix
Select any two nodes, and press F8 to combine them using a new Combine node. This is a small but time saving feature.
Auto Layout (Experimental)
Even the most complicated graphs can be automatically organized. Just press F4 in the graph. This feature is still experimental, and will be matured over the next several build.
There is NO UNDO. So we recommend saving the file before using auto layout so you can revert back to your previous graph organization in case you don’t like the automatic layout or something goes wrong.
Other changes
The rest of the changes are small, or non-visual. Please see the changelog below for a full list of changes.
We have also updated our diagnostics layer. If you have been experiencing a crash or serious problem, this new version will be able to gather more data that will help us find a solution.
If you have previously filed an issue in the Helpdesk with logs, we recommend trying this new version and running Watson to get a new log if the problem still persists.
How to update
Run Gaea to get an update prompt. Download the .exe file and run it.
You can also use the Download link your original order receipt email.
Changelog
Changes
NEW: Drag or drop node on top of a connection to interject.
NEW: Drag a connection into empty space to create a new node.
NEW: Drop a node on another node to connect them.
NEW: Double click node to rename.
NEW: Customize orbit mode controls.
NEW: Bezier connections option for Graph.
NEW: Files always open at 512 preview resolution. Change in Preferences.
NEW: Press F8 in Graph to combine selected nodes via Combine nodes.
NEW: Post Process tab allows common operations without additional nodes.
NEW: Choose between large popup and context menu for Graph in Preferences.
NEW: Windows 10 specific visual enhancements. Can be disabled in Preferences.
NEW: Recent files in main menu.
UPDATED: Displace can be set to Vertical mode.
UPDATED: Gradient’s Linear mode now produces sawtooth gradient with the Single option.
UPDATED: Terrace node now accepts modulation input.
UPDATED: Crash data collection for unexpected errors.
UPDATED: Major speed improvement for the Erosion node.
UPDATED: New Fidelity option in Recurve preserves shapes across resolutions.
UPDATED: Build dialog now has a nodes list, and hardware statistics.
FIXED: Right-clicking on Node shows full context menu.
FIXED: Duplicating node fixed.
FIXED: Extra mask-style output will automatically show as 2D.
FIXED: Descendant nodes from Mask type output will show as 2D.
FIXED: Mountain would take too long to build at higher resolutions.
FIXED: Loaded files would break certain node chains.
FIXED: Some labels in toggle buttons were cut off.
FIXED: A few rare crashes have been addressed.
FIXED: Disconnected or deleted nodes would improperly affect neighbor nodes.
FIXED: Multiple items could not be moved in the Graph.
FIXED: Repulse did not accept new values.
FIXED: Label in Startup screen was truncated.
FIXED: Detached Viewport preference and location are now preserved.
FIXED: Fixed memory leak in Gradient and several other nodes.
FIXED: Pinned node is now highlighted.
Known Issues
- The Erosion node can take a while at resolutions above 512 x 512.
- The Erosion node does not report progress yet, so it may seem “stuck”.
- The Erosion node may crash on certain PCs. We’re investigating this issue.
- Some elements in the startup screen are disabled by design. They will become active in the next build.
- Due to structural changes in the file format, old files may not fully work with this new build.
