JWildfire 2.60 release: the HUGE update :-)

Just released JWildfire V2.60, which is a really HUGE update. This time, it took 7 BETA-versions until completion, thanks to the guys at the forums for suggestions and testing :-).

Here are the update-notes, please read them carefully 🙂

Major changes:

  • New progressive preview, which allows progressive rendering while editing.
    While it needs much CPU-power it is a great new way to explore interesting spots inside your fractals, it is especially of great use in combination with the “Fine Edit”-option.
    It also allows you browse random-flames or flames generated by scripts at higher quality because the quality increases while you are watching at the fractal.
  • Any variation may be now be easily toggled to be pre_/normal/post_ – variation. This feature uses minimal changes in the user-interface and it does not break anything, e. g. all scripts should be remain intact without any further change
  • Separate (and resizable) window for editing scripts with a more advanced editor with basic syntax-highlighting
  • Some new random-generators, including the “Spirals3D”-generator which generates cool 3D-flames (i. e. flames with affine3D-transforms, not just the usual z-translation-stuff)

Complete list of changes:

  • New progressive preview, which allows progressive rendering while editing.
    While it needs much CPU-power it is a great new way to explore interesting spots inside your fractals, it is especially of great use in combination
    with the “Fine Edit”-option.
    It also allows you browse random-flames or flames generated by scripts at higher quality because the quality increases while you are watching at
    the fractal.There is a new button to toggle progressive-preview in the main-editor (you may switch between classic preview and progressive preview at any time),
    and there is a new option in the Preferences to specify the initial state of this button (tinaEditorProgressivePreview).
    So, if you machine is too slow, you may just permanently disable it and use the default preview which was also slightly improved.There are new options tinaEditorProgressivePreviewMaxRenderTime and tinaEditorProgressivePreviewMaxRenderQuality in the Preferences to control the render-time of progressive preview.
  • any variation may be now be easily toggled to be pre_/normal/post_ – variation. This feature uses minimal changes in the user-interface
    and it will not break anything, e. g. all scripts should be remain intact without any further change
  • added the possiblity to change the position of variations inside a transform
  • New “Low priority”-option in the the launcher. This options is only available under Windows and enabled by default. It should cause a general smoother behaviour of the software.
  • providing a more advanced editor with basic syntax-highlighting for editing scripts and custom variations (thanks CozyG for the java8-related fix)
  • separate (and resizable) window for editing scripts
  • new “Batch Renderer”-button which quicksaves the current flame and sends it together with size/quality information to the batch-renderer
  • new “post_axis_symmetry_wf”-variation
  • new “post_point_symmetry_wf”-variation
  • new “mobius_strip” by CozyG
  • removed the confusing “H”-Button from the main-editor in order to free space, cleaned up the main toolbar
  • adjustment to brightness-calculation when using post-symmetry
  • rearranged some buttons so that it is unlikely to press the MutaGen-button by wanting to press Undo (important because the MutaGen currently can not cancelled)
  • new “Reset”- and “Reset All”-buttons on the Xaos-tab
  • Optimization of preview-rendering: do not re-render flame after switching “triangles”
  • Optimization of preview-rendering: do not re-render flame after switching editor modes
  • new “Spirals”-random-flame-generator which can generate awesome results, thanks Tate27kh from dA for the inspiration!
  • new “Ghosts”-random-flame-generator
  • new “Spirals3D”-random-flame-generator (which utilizes the “Spirals”-generator)
  • improved the “Brokat”-random-flame-generator (uses the ability to switch variation-types, see below)
  • improved the “Simple Tiling”-random-flame-generator
  • reimplemented the “Brokat3D”-random-flame-generator to generate more visually appealing results
  • reimplemented the “Gnarl3D”-random-flame-generator to generate more visually appealing results
  • new Option “tinaAdvancedCodeEditor” in the Prefs to turn off the advanced code-editor. May not work on all systems/may not look good on all themes, especially the true dark ones.
  • the Script-From-Flame-Generator also supports flames with 3D-affine transforms
  • the Script-From-Flame-Generator also respects the new variation-priority
  • created a v6 of the Custom_Variation_Loader_GH-script by CozyG, which now used the new Prefs-option for the path and included this version as standard script
  • new property tinaCustomVariationsPath in the Prefs to specify the path for external custom_variations (used by the Custom_Variation_Loader_GH script by CozyG).
  • modifications to ScriptParamsDialog and ScriptParamsForm to keep script params modal dialog centered on JWildfire main frame.
  • added use of tinaAdvancedCodeEditorFontSize and tinaAdvancedCodeEditorColorFix to ResourceDialog.
  • performance-improvement of the MutaGen
  • fixed some zoom-calculation-bug when zooming with the mouse-wheel
  • fixed some problem with parameter-handling in the “trade”-variation
  • moved the gradient-editor-button to the gradient-tab
  • removed the outdated start_windows.bat from the distribution (Windows-users should use JWildfire.exe instead to properly start the application)
  • updated the Win64-distribution to java8

Just click the “Random flames” button to start playing around and have fun 🙂