Minecraft support

• Updated Minecraft assets to 1.20.2.
• Added armor, with armor editor for applying trims and leather dye colors.
  • Armor can be easily added to characters by parenting the armor object to the character and enabling "Inherit Pose" on the armor.
• Added "Enchantment glint" effect for timelines.
  • Texture, scale, speed, and strength can be changed in an object’s Appearance tab.
  • Speed and strength can additionally be modified globally in Render settings.
• Maps from Minecraft worlds can now be imported as textures.
  • [Your Minecraft World]/data/map_[number].dat
• Imported glowing sign text is now emissive and outlined.
• Added special blocks for paintings and item frames.
• Blocks with the 'random_offset' tag are now randomly offset on the Y axis (grass, ferns, etc.).
• Added "floor_box_uvs" setting for .mimodel files, making the model simulate Minecraft Bedrock's UV behavior.

Features

• Added "Inherit Pose" setting for characters, special blocks, and custom models.
  • Position, rotation, scale, and bend values of the parent’s parts are copied to each of the model’s parts that have the same name.
• Added color swatches, accessible through the new "Set color..." and "Mix in color..." options for color values in the context menu.
  • "Set color..." will simply change the color value to whichever color swatch is selected.
  • "Mix in color..." will mix the current color value with the selected swatch (e.g. dying leather armor multiple times).
• Added "Speed / Pitch" property for sounds in audio timelines.
• Added custom frame rate option when exporting a movie.
• Added Sun and Moon sprite angle and size properties under "Sky background" tab.
• Added "Outline" property for text.

Interface

• Improved dropdown menus:
  • ‘Ctrl + Scroll’ while hovering a menu will move between items.
  • Search prompt is now shown when opening a menu.
  • Keyboard navigation (Up/Down/Enter) is supported for selecting menu items.
  • Holding Shift while selecting an item will keep the menu open.
  • Hierarchy dropdown will show hierarchy path when searching.
• When drag-n-dropping a new object from the workbench, it can be instantly parented to another object by clicking on it in the timeline.
  • Clicking anywhere else outside the viewport with a drag-n-drop object now always places it in the center of the project.

Changes

• Improved block/model list search:
  • Expanded block variant searching to characters and special blocks.
  • A variant that matches the search query is automatically selected when clicking a result (e.g. Search "brick", click "Slab", Brick Slab is automatically selected.).
  • Variants of a selected item are automatically switched to while entering a search query in the workbench (e.g. Click "Stone”, search "smooth", Smooth Stone is automatically selected.).
  • Results whose names match the search query now appear in the list before results with matching variants.
  • Removed interface setting for variant search; it is now the default behavior.
• Updated context menu behavior:
  • After clicking an option and opening the context menu again, it will position itself so the cursor is above the last selected option.
  • After copying/cutting something, the context menu will position itself so the cursor is above the "Paste" option.
• ‘Shift + Right click’ on a selected keyframe in the timeline now opens the transition selector, skipping the context menu.
• Readded Author field to "New project" and "Save as" popups.
• Individual blocks for Iron Bars, Glass Panes, Fences, Walls, Chorus Plants, Fire, and Tripwire can now be fully customized in the workbench.
• Shape texture offset, repeat, and mirror options are now visible when a material or normal map is applied (without a base texture).
• Rotation wheels now snap to 0.000001 instead of 0.1 when snapping is disabled.
• Made audio Start/End time draggers look fancier.
• Splash screen now shows which Minecraft assets version is being loaded.
• Banner/shield pattern editor now displays pattern names instead of layer number.
• Blocky bending is now supported for Y-axis only limbs.
• Custom item slot interpolation is now floored instead of rounded.
• The Tutorials button now takes you to the Mine-imator 2.0 Tutorial playlist by @AnxiousCynic.
• Updated credits.

Bugfixes

• Fixed Lens dirt "Affected by glow" not working.
• Fixed Lens dirt not being affected by Distort and Chromatic aberration.
• Fixed sounds with extended End time not repeating in animation playback.
• Fixed custom fog object color not being animatable with environment timelines.
• Fixed custom fog object color toggle not being saved.
• Fixed "Randomize blocks" setting for block templates not being saved.
• Fixed material map and normal map settings for item templates not being saved.
• Fixed texture repeat fields for shapes resetting to 0 instead of 1.
• Fixed minutes counter in timeline timer not resetting when an hour has passed.
• Fixed Subsurface scattering Blur quality of 0 breaking certain render passes.
• Fixed some minor issues with block texture animations.
• Fixed crash when using custom JSON models as particles.
• Fixed clouds still being affected by fog when both fog and ground are disabled.
• Fixed inverse kinematics option appearing for some incompatible parts.
• Fixed project corruption when using certain characters in a timeline marker’s name.
• Fixed awkward behavior when zooming into the timeline.
• Fixed some dropdown menus going outside of the window on smaller displays.
• Fixed crash when attempting to open the Material tab in imported sign text timelines.
• Fixed crash when attempting to open the Material tab in item timelines with material or normal maps applied.
• Fixed camera viewport reverting to the work camera when loading an asset or workbench particles.
• Fixed "Deselect keyframe" and "Deselect timeline" shortcuts not appearing in the shortcut bar.
• Fixed the "Deselect keyframe" shortcut using the Shift key instead of Control.
• Fixed the Home Screen option creating empty projects with no filepath.
• Fixed characters from projects prior to 1.1.0 not loading properly.
• Fixed viewport selection not working if bottom-most timeline was color-filtered.
• Fixed Blend color modifier appearing squished in Simple mode.
• Fixed "Reset all values" option resetting Glow color to black instead of white.

• Updated the interface to use “Inventory”, a new interface design by Voxy.
• Updated Mine-imator logo and program icon.
• Startup changes
  • Added splash images to the startup screen.
  • Projects can now be pinned to the top of the project list.
  • Projects can now be sorted by name and date last opened.
  • Changed project thumbnail size.
• Multi-monitor support
  • Drag the timeline or secondary view out of the window to detach as a new window
  • Alternatively, click the new “Pop out”/”Reset” buttons
  • Monitor setup is saved when re-opening Mine-imator
• Added new program modes
  • Simple: Recommended for beginners, complex features/settings are hidden.
  • Advanced: For users familiar with the software, granting access to all features/settings. (Requires upgrade.)
• New world importer
  • 3D interface integrated into software
    • Left click: Rotate/Create selection
    • Middle click: Pan
    • Right click: Fly (+WASDQE)
    • Mouse wheel: Zoom towards/away from cursor
    • Shift: Ignore selection
• Increased performance and stability improvements
• After importing from a world, clicking the “Reload” option under “Resources” will update the block changes from the world (if still present on the disk)
• Added interface setting to split controls into specific tools:
  • Select tool (No gizmos.)
  • Move tool (Position arrows and planes.)
  • Rotation tool (Rotation wheels.)
  • Scale tool (Scale handles and XYZ editing.)
  • Bend tool (Bend wheels.)
  • Transform tool (Move, rotation and scale tools combined.)
• Timeline changes
  • Added icons to timelines.
  • Added icons to preview the contents of folders.
  • Added new playback buttons:
  • Skip between keyframes in select objects.
  • Move forward/back by 1 frame.
  • Play from the start of the selected region.
  • Added timeline markers.
  • Added "Ghost" toggle for timelines to hide them from the list.
  • Added "Color tagging" to help highlight and filter timelines based on selected color.
  • Added size and offset settings for interval markers.
  • Added scrollbar for timeline name list.
  • Keyframes can be selected by clicking them once.
  • Timeline selection time/frames is now displayed next to project time/frames.
  • “Loop” options have been combined into a single button, clicking will cycle the modes. (Disable looping, Enable looping, and Enable seamless looping.)
  • Timeline zooming now requires the 'Control' button to be held. (Scroll wheel now scrolls vertically through timeline, hold Shift to scroll horizontally.)
• Drag-n-drop mode when adding objects from the workbench after clicking “Create”
  • Objects are locked to the mouse and snap to the world until released.
  • Hold Shift while clicking “Create” to spawn at 0,0,0.
  • Hold Shift while dragging to toggle position snapping.
• Added basic math support for number boxes. (ex. “1/16” = 0.0625)
• Added support for common textbox shortcuts:
  • Home/End key support to jump between the start/end of lines.
  • Word skipping. (Ctrl + Left/Right)
• Added support for manual input in sun/moon time and rotation wheels.
• Added filter settings to sortable lists. (ex. Library has settings to filter each instance type.)
• Added themes (Light, Dark, and Darker) and customizable accent colors.
• Added interface scale setting for high DPI monitors.
• Added preview images for lights, cameras, and environment timelines in the workbench.
• Added "Save as" shortcut.
• Added “Cancel” option when exiting an unsaved project or exiting the software via “X”.
• Assets and files can be dropped into the software from the system file explorer.
• Added camera panning. (Shift + Drag left mouse button)
• Added "View instance" shortcut to jump to a selected object.
• Reorganized the Workbench. (ex. Lights and Shapes are in one menu.)
• Replaced the toolbar with “File”, “Edit”, “Render”, “View”, and “Help” dropdowns.
• Audio can now be previewed at different points in the resources tab.
• Holding "Control" while group-selecting keyframes will now deselect them.
• Holding “Shift” now allows for precision when dragging components.
• Shortened panel tabs now show a tooltip of the full name when hovered.
• Added "Compact panels" setting, always on if the window is too small.
• Added "Reduced motion" interface setting. (Disables most UI animations.)
• Object proportions are now correctly preserved with XYZ scaling.
• Grid overlay settings are now saved per-project.
• Added an “About Mine-imator” popup with credits and links.

Rendering

• “Render” and “Graphics” settings are now saved per-project under the “Render settings” tab in “Project properties”.
• Added Render presets:
  • Performance: Basic rendering features for faster rendering.
  • Balanced: All render effects enabled with low-mid quality settings.
  • Extreme: All render settings enabled with best possible quality.
  • Custom: Allows for complete customization of all available render settings.
• Custom render presets can be exported and imported into other projects.
• Custom render presets can be “Set as default settings” to be automatically copied over into new projects.
• Added render quality modes.
  • Flat: No shading at all, the entire scene is set to fullbright.
  • Shaded: Basic lighting and shadows, similar to Low Quality mode in pre-2.0 Mine-imator.
  • Render: All advanced render features, similar to High Quality mode in pre-2.0 Mine-imator.
• Camera effects can now be previewed in Flat and Shaded mode, and toggled with the “Enable/Disable camera effects” button.
• Added High Dynamic Range (HDR) support, allowing for much brighter & darker lighting scenarios. (Only the scene is affected. Fog, sky, etc. are not.)
  • Added “Tonemapper”, “Exposure”, and “Gamma” render settings under “Light management”. (Also available in camera timelines.)
  • There are three options for tonemappers in the render settings:
    • None: The Default setting. Faithful to how Mine-imator typically looked pre-2.0, only with more dynamic range.
    • Reinhard: One of the simplest and most common TMOs, very good at circumventing over-exposure.
    • Academy (ACES): An industry standard TMO, typically used for Movies, Photography, and more. Great for preserving the full range of highlights, shadows, and colors your creations may have.
• Rendering now uses a sampling system, which takes multiple shots of the scene each frame to produce better results for certain effects.
• Added Physically Based Rendering (PBR) support:
  • Introduces metallic and roughness properties.
  • Supports material and normal maps, using the SEUS PBR or LabPBR formats.
• Added “Subsurface scattering”. (Replaces “Bleed light” settings.)
  • Added a “Highlight” effect for subsurface scattering.
• Added alpha modes to change transparency is rendered:
  • Blended: Transparency behaves as it has previously. Has clipping issues but can be tweaked with “Render depth”.
  • Hashed: Noisy, but fixes most rendering issues with transparency.
• Added “Indirect lighting” render settings, allowing emissive objects to illuminate surroundings.
• Added “Reflections” render settings. (Screen space only.)
• Added specular highlight setting to lights.
• Added Cascading Shadow Maps, allowing for sunlight to be visible from anywhere in the scene.
• Added “Transparent shadows” setting, which allows light to pass through transparent objects.
• Added "Size" setting for light sources, determines shadow softness.
• Added “Zoom amount” setting for the distort camera effect.
• Cameras can be moved closer to objects before visually clipping through them.
• Improved Anti-aliasing.
• Improved ambient lighting.
• Improved blurring effects. (Glow, bloom, etc.)
• Improved anamorphic bloom streaks.
• Watermark is now previewed in viewports if settings are open.
• New "Padding" setting to offset the watermark from the edge of the render.
• Reworked watermark scale.
• Added "Render pass" setting to preview data used in "Rendered" mode.

Animation

• Added “Inverse kinematics” settings for limbs:
  • Target: The object that the limb should try to point/bend towards.
  • Angle target: An object that the joint of the limb will try to rotate towards.
  • Angle offset: A rotation value to offset the twisting from the angle target.
  • Blend: How much IK should rotate/bend the limb.
• Limbs that meet the following criteria will support inverse kinematics:
• The body part must have bending.
• Can only bend on the X axis.
• "Joint end" (end_offset) setting is defined. (Ex. Distance from elbow to hand, knee to foot, etc.)
• Added "Path" and "Path point" timelines.
  • Paths are constructed by adding “Path points” into path timelines.
  • Objects can be set to move along a path in the constraints tab.
  • Paths can be used to generate a mesh. (Flat or tube-shaped.)
  • Particles can use paths as a spawn region/bounding box.
  • If a path is a particle attractor, two settings are available:
  • Directional force: Adds force along the direction of the path.
  • Vortex force: Adds a spinning force around the path. (Like a tornado.)
• Added "Bézier" transition, allowing for greater customization of transitions.
• Organized the transitions list.
• Reworked “Camera shake” setting.
  • Now determined by strength and speed for individual axes.
  • Added toggle for “Positional” or “Rotational” camera shake.
• Block texture animations, wind, clouds, and particles are synced with the animation.
  • Particles will be cleared if the marker goes backwards.
• Added rotation support for particle timelines, now rotates the “Launch angle” of particles.
• Added “Wind influence” slider for objects.
• Added directional wind settings.
• Added "Twilight" toggle for environment changes during sunset/sunrise.
• Biomes are combined into one list and can now be animated.

Other features

• Updated Minecraft assets to 1.19.3.
• Default clouds texture is no longer cropped to 32x32 pixels.
• Updated default clouds settings to better resemble Minecraft clouds.
• Added new color settings for leaf blocks for 'custom' biome setting.
• Updated default particles. (Most now use “Launch angle” settings for rotation support.)
• Added new default particles; “Electric spark”, “Potion effect”, and “Teleport”.
• Added structure block file support. (.nbt)
  • Integrity can be changed to randomly filter out blocks.
  • Blocks filtered out by integrity can be inverted.
  • If available, palettes can be chosen.
• Added support for custom player heads in scenery.
• Added support for shields in the new “Pattern editor”.
• Added "Trees4.schematic".

Engine changes

• Converted Mine-imator from GML to C++.
• MacOS support.
• Linux support. (Debian/Ubuntu)
• x64 Support.
• Scenery/.schematic importing up to x10 times faster, depending on CPU cores.
• Optimized memory usage for 3D meshes, meaning bigger scenery can be imported.
• Generated scenery 3D models are cached in the project folder, allowing instant loading.
• Project/resource loading stability improvements.

Changes

• Renamed settings:
  • “SSAO” -> “Ambient occlusion”
  • “AA” -> “Anti-aliasing”
  • “Alpha” -> “Opacity”
  • “Brightness” -> “Emissive”
  • “Graphics” (Timeline panel) -> “Appearance”
  • “Background” -> “Environment”
  • "Show seconds" -> “Show intervals”
• Renamed "schematic" resources to "scenery" in the interface.
• Updated cloud name settings.
• Optimized noise texture generation.
• Loading popup will now show overall progress when loading multiple assets. (Ex. When loading a project.)
• Resetting camera position/rotation now always defaults to 0.
• Updated text when canceling movie exporting to "Are you sure you want to stop rendering?".
• Exporting images now includes a progress bar. (Similarly to movie exporting.)
• Sunrise and sunset no longer affect fog size.
• “Sunlight Strength” is now 100% by default.
• Timelines no longer use a random color for keyframes.
• Moved settings:
  • The workbench button has been moved into the viewport.
  • Moved playback time and buttons into a new timeline header.
  • Moved “Blades” and “Blade Angle” camera settings into a new “Aperture settings” group.
  • Moved “Grid snapping” to the viewport toolbar.
  • Moved “View Grid Size” to the viewport toolbar.
  • Moved the "Select all keyframes" button into a right-click menu.
  • Moved "Add folder", "Duplicate/Delete/Export objects", "Walk cycle", "Run cycle", & "Copy/Cut/Paste/Delete/Export keyframes" buttons into a right-click menu.
  • Position, rotation, scale, and bend tabs are combined in a new "Transform" tab.
  • Color and texture tabs are combined in a new "Material" tab.

Removed

• Warnings when attempting to create a project:
  • Empty project names will use a default name.
  • Duplicate project names will be given a numerical suffix.
• Custom interface color settings.
• Custom interface font setting.
• FPS interface setting. (Custom FPS can still be set in the settings file.)
• “Spawn near work camera” option. (Replaced with Drag-n-drop.)
• "Shadow blur size" and "Shadow quality" settings. (Now controlled by the “Size” setting for lights.)
• “Gigantic (8192x8192)” option for Point light buffer size.
• "Follow camera" and "Sunlight range" environment settings. (No longer necessary with cascading shadow maps.)
• "Desaturate night" environment setting.
• "Noisy grass/water" graphics setting.
• “Block glowing” / “Block glow threshold” graphics settings.
• Rotation loops setting.
• “Advanced Color Effects” button. (Now always visible.)
• "Bleed light" / "Foliage light bleeding”. (Replaced with subsurface scattering.)
• "Foliage tint" appearance setting.

Bugfixes (Since Pre-release 7)

• Fixed exporting being stuck if a 2nd window is in "Render" mode.
• Fixed crash when applying color tag to timelines if you didn't right-click a timeline.
• Fixed issues with south pointing compass and mid-day clock item in keyframes.
• Fixed audio soundwaves disappearing if too quite.
• Fixed crash when loading structure block files. (.nbt)
• Fixed window location changing to default location when importing assets.