AccuTrans 3D Changelog

What's new in AccuTrans 3D 2017.0.0

Mar 26, 2018
  • Added read support for terrains stored in CSV files from GeoGratis Canada.
  • Fixed export of colors to MODO LXO files.
  • Added a roaming camera type that works similar to a camera in a game.
  • Added a tool for measuring long distances in a scene.
  • Revised OpenGL viewer so that it handles high density meshes more efficiently.
  • Modified tools on the Tools_3 menu so that tools can work on meshes on selected layers.
  • Added a function to remove orphan triangles from a mesh being prepared for 3D printing.
  • Added a function to calculate the volume of 3D polygon meshes on selected layers. The meshes must be watertight and their surface normals must be aligned.
  • Added a function to fill triangular shaped holes in 3D polygon meshes.
  • Added a Clip function so that a DEM can be permanently reduced to the size of the selected region.
  • Fixed a problem where a VRML file that started with a BOM (Byte Order Mark) would not be read.
  • Added a function to change vertex colors on point clouds.
  • Added support for writing vertex colors from a 3D polygon mesh to a XYZ-RGB file.
  • Added an Undo function for scaling of heights of a DEM.
  • Changed thousands of lines of code to eliminate warnings generated by the 64-bit compiler.
  • Version 2015.0.0: released May 3, 2015
  • Modified writing of XYZ files so that a RGB color can be written after every vertex in the point cloud. The RGB colors can be either floating point numbers with a range from 0.0 to 1.0 or integers with a range from 0 to 255.
  • Added support for reading XYZ-RGB files containing a point cloud with a RGB color for each vertex. Note: A polygon mesh is not fitted to the point cloud.
  • Added support for writing XAML files.
  • Added support for reading LAS files which contain LiDAR point clouds. Note: A polygon mesh is not fitted to the point clouds.
  • Version 2014.4.0: released November 3, 2014
  • Added an option to the "Make LWO or LXL Clip Map Object" module that allows the height of the mesh to be specified as a certain number of meters per pixel. Note: the unit of measurement in a LWO or LXL file is the meter.
  • Fixed a problem that occurred when reading negative indices from a Wavefront OBJ file.
  • When reading DXF files, drawing entities marked as invisible in Dynamic Blocks are no longer included in the final model.
  • Version 2014.3.0: released June 29, 2014
  • Fixed problem where dialog boxes which were larger than screen resolution did not adjust their size and add scroll bars.
  • Version 2014.2.0: released May 6, 2014
  • Switched from using Unicode folder and file names back to using ANSI names.
  • Fixed the 64-bit functions that check if a floating point number is a NaN (Not-A-Number) or an Infinite.
  • Fixed several causes for random floating point errors in the OpenGL viewer.
  • Revised file Input/Output so that files larger than 2 GB can be opened for reading and writing.
  • Revised how UV coordinates are written to Maya MA files.
  • Version 2014.1.0: released February 4, 2014
  • Changes made to the "Make LWO or LXL Clip Map Object" module.
  • A problem was fixed where a "floating point" error occurred when the "Edit Vertex" module was activated in the 64-bit version of AccuTrans 3D that was running on a computer using an AMD graphics card.
  • Some GUI fixes including the "Tool Palette" not being positioned properly during the startup sequence on some computers.
  • Version 2014.0.0: released January 2, 2014
  • Added a new 32-bit program called At3d_Help.exe that displays the Help Manual and Context-Sensitive Help Messages for the 64-bit version of AccuTrans 3D. The two programs talk to one another using Inter Process Communication.
  • Added a feature to the 'Merge Vertices' module so that the minimum distance between all vertices in the model can be found.
  • Added a feature so that the selected and not selected state of layers in the Layers List box can be reversed. Selected layers become deselected and deselected layers become selected.
  • Added a feature to the 'Triangle Copy', 'Triangle Delete', 'Triangle Fracture' and 'Triangle Relocation' modules so that the original polygon selection routine can be locked so that when selecting polygons already selected polygons can not be accidentally deselected and vice versa when deselecting polygons.
  • Added a feature to the 'watertight mesh check' that removes triangles with no area from the mesh.
  • Added a feature to the 'watertight mesh check' that counts the number of individual meshes in the model and gives the user the option to copy each mesh to its own layer on the Clipboard. The meshes on the Clipboard can then be copied to any available Work Area.
  • Added new tools to the 'Edit Vertices' module:
  • The 'Add Triangle' tool creates new triangles for the selected layer.
  • After using the 'Pick Edge' tool to pick an edge:
  • Use the 'Edge Slide' tool to slide the first vertex selected along a vector parallel to the edge.
  • Use the 'Divide Slide' tool to divide the selected edge into 2 edges and then slide the new vertex along a vector that is parallel to the original edge.
  • Use the 'Divide Snap' tool to divide the selected edge into 2 edges and then snap the new vertex to another vertex in the model.
  • Added a 'Triangle Copy' module so that selected triangles can be copied from a layer to either an existing layer or a new layer without deleting the selected triangles after the copy operation.
  • Modified the AccuTrans 3D internal database to more efficiently use the RAM on the computer. Also modified all the functions that access the internal database.
  • Ported the AccuTrans 3D code from 32-bit to 64-bit.
  • Ported the AccuTrans 3D code from Borland C++ Builder 3 to Embarcadero C++ Builder XE3.
  • Version 2012.1.0: June 17, 2012
  • Added an option that renames all layer names with the same name followed by a unique number ranging from 1 to N (where N is the total number of layers).
  • An image larger than the DEM landscape can be used as the UV texture.
  • Edit boxes were added so that boundaries of a small section or region of a DEM landscape can be set accurately.
  • Fixed a problem for material attributes where the integer value was not always properly calculated when converting the floating point value to the integer value.
  • Added a root Component to the exported MDL file to fix the 'root not found' error that STK displays when it reads a MDL file that does not have a root Component.
  • Version 2012.0.0: March 7, 2012
  • Incorrect handling of network file paths was fixed.
  • The algorithm for creating extrusions based on the VRML Extrusion node has been modified to prevent unwanted rotation of the spine-aligned cross-section plane around the Y axis. An option was also added to make miter joints at the spine points.
  • Added an option to the TrueType Font extrusion module so that the only vertices used for the converted text will be the original B-spline control points for the glyphs.
  • Added an option to the TrueType Font extrusion module so that the height of the characters is based on the original vertex coordinates defined for the glyphs.
  • Added an option to the TrueType Font extrusion module so that the height of the converted text string is based on the height of all characters in the text string.
  • Button: Ghost Back

New in AccuTrans 3D 2015.0.0 (May 8, 2015)

  • Modified writing of XYZ files so that a RGB color can be written after every vertex in the point cloud. The RGB colors can be either floating point numbers with a range from 0.0 to 1.0 or integers with a range from 0 to 255
  • Added support for reading XYZ-RGB files containing a point cloud with a RGB color for each vertex. Note: A polygon mesh is not fitted to the point cloud
  • Added support for writing XAML files
  • Added support for reading LAS files which contain LiDAR point clouds. Note: A polygon mesh is not fitted to the point clouds

New in AccuTrans 3D 2014.4.0 (May 8, 2015)

  • Added an option to the "Make LWO or LXL Clip Map Object" module that allows the height of the mesh to be specified as a certain number of meters per pixel. Note: the unit of measurement in a LWO or LXL file is the meter
  • Fixed a problem that occurred when reading negative indices from a Wavefront OBJ file
  • When reading DXF files, drawing entities marked as invisible in Dynamic Blocks are no longer included in the final model

New in AccuTrans 3D 2014.3.0 (May 8, 2015)

  • Fixed problem where dialog boxes which were larger than screen resolution did not adjust their size and add scroll bars

New in AccuTrans 3D 2014.2.0 (May 8, 2015)

  • Switched from using Unicode folder and file names back to using ANSI names.
  • Fixed the 64-bit functions that check if a floating point number is a NaN (Not-A-Number) or an Infinite
  • Fixed several causes for random floating point errors in the OpenGL viewer
  • Revised file Input/Output so that files larger than 2 GB can be opened for reading and writing
  • Revised how UV coordinates are written to Maya MA files

New in AccuTrans 3D 2014.1.0 (May 8, 2015)

  • Changes made to the "Make LWO or LXL Clip Map Object" module
  • A problem was fixed where a "floating point" error occurred when the "Edit Vertex" module was activated in the 64-bit version of AccuTrans 3D that was running on a computer using an AMD graphics card
  • Some GUI fixes including the "Tool Palette" not being positioned properly during the startup sequence on some computers

New in AccuTrans 3D 2014.0.0 (May 8, 2015)

  • Added a new 32-bit program called At3d_Help.exe that displays the Help Manual and Context-Sensitive Help Messages for the 64-bit version of AccuTrans 3D. The two programs talk to one another using Inter Process Communication
  • Added a feature to the 'Merge Vertices' module so that the minimum distance between all vertices in the model can be found
  • Added a feature so that the selected and not selected state of layers in the Layers List box can be reversed. Selected layers become deselected and deselected layers become selected
  • Added a feature to the 'Triangle Copy', 'Triangle Delete', 'Triangle Fracture' and 'Triangle Relocation' modules so that the original polygon selection routine can be locked so that when selecting polygons already selected polygons can not be accidentally deselected and vice versa when deselecting polygons
  • Added a feature to the 'watertight mesh check' that removes triangles with no area from the mesh
  • Added a feature to the 'watertight mesh check' that counts the number of individual meshes in the model and gives the user the option to copy each mesh to its own layer on the Clipboard. The meshes on the Clipboard can then be copied to any available Work Area
  • Added new tools to the 'Edit Vertices' module:
  • The 'Add Triangle' tool creates new triangles for the selected layer
  • After using the 'Pick Edge' tool to pick an edge:
  • Use the 'Edge Slide' tool to slide the first vertex selected along a vector parallel to the edge
  • Use the 'Divide Slide' tool to divide the selected edge into 2 edges and then slide the new vertex along a vector that is parallel to the original edge
  • Use the 'Divide Snap' tool to divide the selected edge into 2 edges and then snap the new vertex to another vertex in the model
  • Added a 'Triangle Copy' module so that selected triangles can be copied from a layer to either an existing layer or a new layer without deleting the selected triangles after the copy operation
  • Modified the AccuTrans 3D internal database to more efficiently use the RAM on the computer. Also modified all the functions that access the internal database
  • Ported the AccuTrans 3D code from 32-bit to 64-bit
  • Ported the AccuTrans 3D code from Borland C++ Builder 3 to Embarcadero C++ Builder XE3

New in AccuTrans 3D 2012.1.0 (May 8, 2015)

  • Added an option that renames all layer names with the same name followed by a unique number ranging from 1 to N (where N is the total number of layers)
  • An image larger than the DEM landscape can be used as the UV texture
  • Edit boxes were added so that boundaries of a small section or region of a DEM landscape can be set accurately
  • Fixed a problem for material attributes where the integer value was not always properly calculated when converting the floating point value to the integer value
  • Added a root Component to the exported MDL file to fix the 'root not found' error that STK displays when it reads a MDL file that does not have a root Component

New in AccuTrans 3D 2012.0.0 (May 8, 2015)

  • Incorrect handling of network file paths was fixed
  • The algorithm for creating extrusions based on the VRML Extrusion node has been modified to prevent unwanted rotation of the spine-aligned cross-section plane around the Y axis. An option was also added to make miter joints at the spine points
  • Added an option to the TrueType Font extrusion module so that the only vertices used for the converted text will be the original B-spline control points for the glyphs
  • Added an option to the TrueType Font extrusion module so that the height of the characters is based on the original vertex coordinates defined for the glyphs
  • Added an option to the TrueType Font extrusion module so that the height of the converted text string is based on the height of all characters in the text string

New in AccuTrans 3D 2.13.0 (May 8, 2015)

  • Modified XYZ file support for a new feature that could be called XYZZ where the first Z is for a top surface and the second Z is for a bottom surface. When a XYZZ file is read a watertight mesh is automatically created
  • Added reading of embedded textures from XGL and ZGL files
  • Added reading and writing of embedded textures for VRML files
  • Added support for reading Collada DAE and Google Earth KMZ files

New in AccuTrans 3D 2.12.3 (May 8, 2015)

  • Fixed a problem where the default layer color was set to black instead of white
  • Fixed a problem in the File Extensions dialog box that displayed the file extensions incorrectly

New in AccuTrans 3D 2.12.2 (May 8, 2015)

  • Added support for writing KMZ files for Google Earth

New in AccuTrans 3D 2.12.1 (Nov 27, 2010)

  • Added an option that uses the OpenGL view window to convert a 3D mesh to 2D lines which are outlines drawn around the outer edges of all visible layers. The lines will be in the XY plane placed at Z equals zero.
  • When converting a DEM landscape to a polygon mesh, an option was added to drop from the mesh those polygons that are just at sea level while keeping all polygons below sea level.
  • Added support for using an OpenGL off-screen PBuffer (Pixel Buffer) instead of using the main OpenGL view window when creating images for some use which means that the main OpenGL view window can be partially or completed covered during the operation.

New in AccuTrans 3D 2.12.0 (Sep 15, 2010)

  • Added initial support for reading and writing modo LXO files plus batch creation of clip maps which are saved to modo LXL files.
  • Fixed a problem where some 3DMF files were not read.
  • Reading DXF files: fixed problems where elevations were not being added to the POLYLINE entity in versions R13 and newer and constant width was not being used for the LWPOLYLINE entity.

New in AccuTrans 3D 2.11.7 (Sep 15, 2010)

  • Fixed several small problems.

New in AccuTrans 3D 2.11.6 (Sep 15, 2010)

  • Added scroll bars to the main window and various dialogs so that the windows will display on laptop computers using screen resolutions less than 1024 by 768 pixels.
  • Adjust object module: When the 'rotate about origin' feature is selected the coordinate system axes will display in the center of the view window and the 3D object will disappear out of the view window if it is far enough away from the origin. Added an option to turn off the display of the axes so that the 3D object appears in the center of the view window.
  • Added an option to display a background image in the OpenGL view window.
  • Added an option to save UV texture coordinates when saving clip map objects to LWO files.
  • Reduce polygons module: calculations are slightly faster and four radio buttons control how many vertices are added or deleted for each movement of the scroll button.
  • Stage was modified. A texture image can be displayed on the stage and the stage can be used outside of the 'Avatar and Animation' module.

New in AccuTrans 3D 2.11.5 (Sep 15, 2010)

  • Toolbar changes: revised icons, added a popup toolbar and a toolbar under the Tool Palette, added variable gaps between the buttons and increased the custom toolbar layouts from 1 to 5.
  • Added an optional lock to block the reset of the camera pivot point to the center of the object by clicking the middle mouse button with the cursor over an empty area of the view window.
  • Added an option that allows the camera to rotate around the local coordinate system of the 3D object.
  • Added additional light parameters for output to a Kerkythea scene file.
  • Added a new control that simulates holding down the 'ctrl' key when using keyboard shortcuts.
  • Added an option that allows polygons to be hid temporarily to see inside a mesh for the 'Modify Quads', 'Triangle Delete', 'Triangle Fracture' and 'Triangle Relocation' modules.
  • Layers for 'holes' and 'shared edges' created from one water-tight check are automatically deleted when the next water-tight check is done if the names of those layers have not been changed.
  • Added an option so that text from a DXF or VRML file can be saved to a DXF file as either 3D objects or as DXF TEXT entities.
  • Added an option so that text in a VRML file can be converted to 3D objects.

New in AccuTrans 3D 2.11.4 (Sep 15, 2010)

  • Added an option so that an alpha channel mask can be saved to a Kerkythea scene file for each PNG image from a Chief Architect project.

New in AccuTrans 3D 2.11.3 (Sep 15, 2010)

  • Fixed a problem where long texture file names were being truncated when reading VRML files.

New in AccuTrans 3D 2.11.2 (Sep 15, 2010)

  • Added support for RWX avatar tag numbers from 55 to 81.
  • Added support for VRML files including lights and cameras that were written by Chief Architect.
  • Added writing of Kerkythea XML files. Camera and lights from a VRML 2 (97) file are written to the XML file.

New in AccuTrans 3D 2.11.1 (Sep 15, 2010)

  • Blocked warning messages about quads that should not have been displayed during the building of DXF regions and exploded blocks.

New in AccuTrans 3D 2.11.0 (Sep 15, 2010)

  • The help file was transferred to HTML Help from WinHelp so that the help file can be displayed on computers using the Vista operating system.