Re: [Closed REQ 5123]: Re: ANNOUNCE: Geomview for X, 1.5

["Mark Phillips" <mbp>]

> I would appreciate it, if its possible to also announce a "whats new" 
> paragraph or a copy of the "Changes" file for the 1.5 release. 

A copy of the list is below.

> There doesnt seem any way to find this out, short of downloading the
> whole package over the net.

This list is included in the README file in our pub/software/geomview
ftp directory.

--Mark

====================================================================
Here is a list of CHANGES occuring from version 1.4.3 to version 1.5
====================================================================

   Substantial improvements to the 3D graphics in the X11 version of Geomview:
	- Uses X Shared Memory extension (when available) for
		quick rendering of polygons and lines to X11 framebuffer
	- Support for 1, 8, or 24 bit deep X displays added
	- Optional dithering for 8 bit displays
	- Dithers 1 bit displays
	- Optional zbuffering (for hidden line/surface removal) added
	- Smooth shading added
	- Support for line thickness > 1 added
	- Clipping planes added

   Numerous fixes/additions to the X11 Geomview Motif interface:
	- Window positioning commands work (under most window managers)
		except for the Load and Save panels
	- fixed edit menu
	- added ability to type in RGB values in color panel
	- added numeric displays for sliders on material panel
	- added option menu on camera panel for choosing
		hidden surface removal method
	- added toggle button on camera panel for activating/deactivating
		dithering of colors (only shows up in 8 bit mode)

   Unlike the beta-release X graphics, the new version transmits complete
	images, not polygons, to the X server.  It's faster for local
	displays; can be slow when the display-to-geomview connection
	traverses a slow network link.

   Geomview motions:

     INCOMPATIBLE bug fix in the GCL command language:
	Motions defined with respect to the object itself, e.g.
	 (transform world world world translate 0 0 1)
	had been interpreted with the wrong sign.  This is now fixed.
	Application programs which depended on this bug (including gvclock
	and stereo) need to change accordingly.

     Documentation fix: GCL rotations (transform/transform-incr/transform-set)
	are given in radians, not degrees.

     New motion-animation commands:
	The (transform ...) command now allows a simple form of animation.
	If given an amount of time, it arranges to move by exactly that amount
	during approximately that many seconds, either at constant speed
	or with smooth start and stop.

     Scaling now happens with respect to the selected "center" object,
	not the object's own origin.  There's a new (transform ... scale ...)
	subcommand.

   Keyboard input:
     New (event-keys) and (event-pick) commands can suppress geomview
	interpreting keyboard input as commands and rightmouse-clicks as
	picking, in graphics windows.  Useful for modules which want to impose
	their own interpretations on events.

   Non-Euclidean spaces:
     Newly created cameras now correctly live in the current (possibly
	non-Euclidean) space.   They had been always Euclidean,
	despite misleading window titles.
	
   N-D projection:
     New "nOFF" object is a collection of 0-, 1- or 2-dimensional polygons
	in N-dimensional space.
     N-D coloring projection axes can be with respect to any coordinate system.

   Two-sided surface coloring:
     The "backdiffuse" material field, if defined, is interpreted as the
	reverse-side's diffuse color.  Works whenever software shading
	is enabled (i.e. always on generic-X systems); also works on those
	SGI systems whose hardware supports two-sided GL lighting.  There's
	no control panel for this feature yet but GCL commands can, e.g.
	(merge-ap world { material { backdiffuse .7 .5 0 } })


   There were a number of portability improvements in the X version,
	fixing bugs for Sun/Solaris, HP-UX, Linux, DEC OSF, AIX.

   Code is now more careful to avoid floating-point exceptions, which
	cause trouble on some machines.

   Yacc and lex, which were needed for one library, are no longer essential.