Release Notes ===============
Bug Fix: for Loop/Morph Basic Animations being classified as Complex animations
Bug Fix: for Gallery fractals not rendering
Bug Fix: for final assembly of movie failing with sandbox exception
Bug Fix: for Quicktime Player not opening after movie rendered
Bug Fix: for Make Video not working with either variation weights or variation parameters
FA 4 has been released!
There is a little snag as the In-App Store has not been activated. So a fix for that was submitted to Apple for their review.
Pardon our “dust” while we update the website with tons of new information.
This is our largest update yet. Continue reading FA 4 has been released!
This is our largest release ever with so many new features!
The monster new addition is the First Ever Fractal Animation Sequencer.
Let’s look at all of the new non-animation related features first.
This version has been released by Apple.
Changes for Version 3.2.2 (Video Animator)
This release fixes compatibility issues that affects certain Macs having multiple GPUs.
Added support for Multiple GPU rendering (usable only on Mac Pros).
Improvements:
1) You can now use multiple render devices together for rendering.
Advice: Don’t select both CPU and GPU for rendering at the same time. It is substantially slower than using the GPU alone.
On the 2013 Mac Pros, select both GPUs, but not the CPU for rendering. This will give you roughly twice the render speed compared to using a single GPU.
2) Added “Force OpenCL program rebuild” as OpenCL troubleshooting tool to Render device selector and Preferences
3) Added Sampling Level statistics to render logs and Render State window
Some feel this is a better way to measure render progress
4) Added changes to KeyFrame window to allow duplicate keyframes
can drag and drop a keyframe in keyframes window to create duplicate
can edit the duplicated keyframes in Triangle editor and change them – useful for keyframe animation
5) Rendering progress dialogs are no longer auto-hidden when you switch to another app
Bug Fixes ====================
1) Fix for render device selection not working correctly on some multiple GPU Macs
2) Fix for Triangle Editor changes made to a specific keyframe that are not showing up in frames window and not being properly saved
This app update has been released to the Mac App Store by Apple.
Changes for Version 3.2.0 (Video Animator)
This primarily bug fix release emphasizes getting perfect quality fractals from GPU rendering.
Mavericks 10.9.1 has a change that breaks the cached OpenCL rendering code for users using the Intel Iris Graphics GPUs. This change does not affect Nvidia or ATI discrete GPUs. Intel CPU based rendering is unaffected.
News Update (Jan 15, 2014): All 3 apps have been updated for this issue.
All 3 apps have had an update sent to Apple which fixes the problem. Apple’s Christmas shutdown for all App reviewers will delay the mandatory review by Apple. So you may not see the free update on the Mac App Store until the New Year or so.
Workarounds until the Update is Released
Continue reading Hotfix Updates for Fractal Architect & Serendipity
330 variation types are included (more to follow).
A Fractal Architect 2 update (version 2.4.4) has been released by Apple that fixes problems seen only on OS X Mavericks. (2012 15″ Macbook Pro’s and 2013 Macbook Pro’s with Nvidia discrete GPUs are affected).
On Mavericks only, many of you with 2012 & 2013 Macs will now have access to either an Intel HD 4000 or an Intel HD 5000 GPU which can be used for rendering. The advantage is faster rendering and lower power consumption per render.
If available, GPU rendering can be enabled through the Preferences menu. Go to the Render Options tab on Preferences and press the GPU radio button. The program will appear to hang for up to 1 full minute as the OpenCL program is compiled for your specific GPU. The Intel GPU compile times are especially long. When you see the radio button switch to the GPU, the compile is finished. Please be patient with this step.
The Render device setting is sticky and will stay in affect the next time you restart the app. (There will be no compile delay then – with the exception of when an OS X upgrade happens.)
If GPU rendering is not supported, you will not see the CPU/GPU radio buttons.
Fractal Serendipity
Update: Fractal Serendipity’s mis-categorization as an iOS app by Apple has been corrected and an update version 2.4.4 has been released.
Changes for Version 2.4.2 (Firestorm)
Improvements =========
1) You can drop a dragged fractal onto the Preview window’s Frames button and it will be appended as a new keyframe.
2) All random transforms now have their Rotates property set (Rotates property allows looping animations to rotate the transform). Prior behavior was that the Rotates property is randomly set – which could cause some fractals to not show looping animations.
3) Cross-Breeder can now pull keyframe changes made by you when editing the keyframes with Triangle editor.
4) Fractal document is auto-saved before Animation rendering.
Triangle Editor’s Quick-Spin Interpolator BugFixes ========
1) Fixed: Using Quick-Spin interpolator to change variation weights might change the wrong variation weight.
2) Fixed: Quick-Spin interpolator would apply the wrong interpolation value when you choose one of the interpolated thumbnail images.
3) Fixed: Quick-Spin interpolator would not reset the fractal back to its original state, if no interpolated thumbnail image was chosen.
Other BugFixes ========
1) Fixed: Loop-Morph Animation producing all-black frames
2) Fixed: Flame Text view (shows fractal definition as XML text) might show the wrong frame or thumbnail’s definition.
