Upgrade Policy And Multithreading

[archaeotect]

Hi,

 

I'm thinking about buying GrowFX. The trial version really convinced me. GrowFX seems so complex and flexible, but I was surprised how quickly you can achieve good-looking results. Still, I have two questions before purchasing:

 

- In another thread a developer mentioned on July 25th that a new version will soon be finished and released. What is the upgrade policy if I purchase now? Should I wait for the new version so I won't have to pay for an upgrade right after my initial purchase or will it be free? What is the general upgrade/update policy?

 

- In another thread in this subforum a member asked about multi-threading metamesh creation and was told that you are trying to find a method to implement this. The metamesh transitions between meshes look great but I also experienced significant lags (and 5 idle cores), so I wanted to ask how multi-threading is coming along (or if it's even possible)?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

archaeotect

[Eduard]

Hi,

 

All updates within the 1.x versions you'll get for free. Update 2.0 we're planning not soon, I think it would be in 2013.

 

Regarding the multithreading for metamesh, yes of course we'll try to implement it. But now we're implementing a feature called "After mesh modifiers", which allows to calculate the animation (eg wind) very quickly (without mesh calculation in each frame).

 

Thanks for your interest in our product!

 

Cheers

 

[sakura13]

Will the price goes higher with Version 2.0 or will it be the same like now? Oh and what is with the persons, they have Version 1.0 give it a upgrade package?

[Eduard]

Will the price goes higher with Version 2.0 or will it be the same like now? Oh and what is with the persons, they have Version 1.0 give it a upgrade package?

Yes, version 2.0 will be the same price, it will not change. For users using version 1.x will be a paid upgrade, I think with a 50% discount.

 

Cheers

[archaeotect]

Thank you very much for your replies. I've just made the purchase. Looking forward to create some vegetation!

[3DMK]

welcome &Happy vegetation creation!

[mabulsoud]

Hi,

 

I don't see the point of starting a new thread with the almost the same topic, but I'm very interested in purchasing GrowFx, I have used it before at my old firm and was very impressed, I want to buy a personal version as I work as a freelancer now, this of course makes upgrading a big issue for me.

 

Now that you are up to version 1.9, and I can only assume that version 2.0 is just around the corner with your excellent rate of upgrades, You have already mentioned that holders of a 1.x licence will get a 50% discount on version 2.0, my question is, does this hold true also for buyers of 1.9, or will it be possible for us to upgrade to 2.0 for free as I would assume it'll just be a matter of months till we have version 2.0

 

Thanks

[Eduard]

Hi,

 

I don't see the point of starting a new thread with the almost the same topic, but I'm very interested in purchasing GrowFx, I have used it before at my old firm and was very impressed, I want to buy a personal version as I work as a freelancer now, this of course makes upgrading a big issue for me.

 

Now that you are up to version 1.9, and I can only assume that version 2.0 is just around the corner with your excellent rate of upgrades, You have already mentioned that holders of a 1.x licence will get a 50% discount on version 2.0, my question is, does this hold true also for buyers of 1.9, or will it be possible for us to upgrade to 2.0 for free as I would assume it'll just be a matter of months till we have version 2.0

 

Thanks

 

Hi,

 

I think the update will be free for users who purchased less than 6 months before the release of version 2.0. Ie if we release until July 2013, you'll get an upgrade for free! If after July - 50% of the price.

I just don't know when we release 2.0, and maybe we'll be releasing more versions within 1.9.x...

 

I'll be glad to see you among our customers!

 

Cheers

[peleus]

Thanks for confirming this. Might as well be updated with the version release date then.

[numerobis]

 

I think the update will be free for users who purchased less than 6 months before the release of version 2.0.

 

Hi,

 

I'm really attracted by the current 50% discount and consider to buy a license.

But since we are already at 1.9.5 now and i think v2.0 can't be that far away anymore, my question would be if this free update offer is still valid. 

[Eduard]

Hi,

I'm really attracted by the current 50% discount and consider to buy a license.

But since we are already at 1.9.5 now and i think v2.0 can't be that far away anymore, my question would be if this free update offer is still valid. 

 

Yes of course, it's still valid! I hope we'll complete and release version 2.0 this winter...

I'll be glad to see you among our customers!

[numerobis]

Sounds good! Thanks for your quick response... now i'm going to talk with my credit card..

[numerobis]

Sorry i have to ask again, because i can't find anything about the upgrade to v2 in the description... only in this thread.

When i buy today, i will get the update to v2 for free, yes? Is this promise confirmed somewhere in the invoice or my account?

Or how does it work?

 

And the other question:

I'm working with Maxwell Render. Is there any feature limitation in growfx regarding this combination? 

[Eduard]

Sorry i have to ask again, because i can't find anything about the upgrade to v2 in the description... only in this thread.

When i buy today, i will get the update to v2 for free, yes? Is this promise confirmed somewhere in the invoice or my account?

Or how does it work?

We don't know the exact release date of version 2.0. But in any case, if this happens before the end of May (which is highly likely), you'll get this version for free!

 

And the other question:

I'm working with Maxwell Render. Is there any feature limitation in growfx regarding this combination? 

GrowFX works fine with all renderers!

 

Thanks!

[Dexter]

Looking forward to purchase this plugin soon. As growfx have already reached Version 1.9.9. Will I get Version 2.0 as free upgrade? 

[Eduard]

Looking forward to purchase this plugin soon. As growfx have already reached Version 1.9.9. Will I get Version 2.0 as free upgrade? 

 

Yes of course, you'll get ver 2.0 for free. I very much hope that it will be this year.

 

Cheers

[Pawel]

Hi Eduard,

 

I've had GrowFX since the version 1.8.6. I used it on Max 2014 version. I would like to use the plugin on Max 2017... I downloaded the demo version 1.9.9 SP3 and installed it, but it says Demo Version... What do I need to do the get the full version?

 

Thanks,

 

Pawel

[Eduard]

I've had GrowFX since the version 1.8.6. I used it on Max 2014 version. I would like to use the plugin on Max 2017... I downloaded the demo version 1.9.9 SP3 and installed it, but it says Demo Version... What do I need to do the get the full version?

 

Hi Pawel,

 

If you've downloaded the demo version, then it will say that this is a demo version.

You need to download the full version from the user panel.

 

Cheers

[Le Besnerais]

Hello

 

where is the user panel?

[Eduard]

Hello Le Besnerais,

 

50 minutes ago, Le Besnerais said:

where is the user panel?

 

https://exlevel.com/mygrowfx/

[Rokas]

Having found this topic about v2 and seeing date the posts were made (back in years 2012 2013) makes me laugh... and cry... in tears.
It is "half life 3" all over again. (Hope you understand the reference).
If you don't, it means: "Next major version probably will never be released..."
Prove me wrong and I will be a happy camper.

Also back to post one in this thread:
Current gfx meta-mesh is slow as snail.. Even slower than max native blob mesh.. 

 

Did a test- 6889 vertex snow cover like object. GrowFX Metamesh- 3 minutes, Blobmesh 3 seconds.

Nowhere near Thinkbox Frost like we would all want.

 

Multi-threaded meta-mesh would be great to have in growfx version 3. My grandchildren would be grateful, probably.

My current wishes:
1. Node based UI, so you can see everything in one view, not multiple popup windows like it is now:

 

2. Not backward parenting child objects logic. It is counter intuitive.
If I want to change branch length based on its position on parent, that parameter should be available from branches length parameter, not only from its parents parameters.

Node based layout should solve this by default.

3. Library. Now is none. I can only learn from best I`ve seen (free) Krrol growfx plants: https://exlevel.com/forum/index.php?/profile/812-krrol/  Kudos Krrol

4. Some getting started tutorials.
I watched some Spanish YouTube videos which are the best training source so far. (Official documentation is fine for general understanding though, but no official material is good as "hands on" training.

 

P.S.

Going from version 1.9.xx to 1.10 is misleading and deceptive numbering and marketing. Everyone expects  v2.0.  It was not version 1.09.

 

TL;DR 
version 2 was planed in year 2013. I almost lost hope. Software felt behind initial hype, industry trends and standards. 

[Eduard]

On 03.02.2018 at 8:30 PM, Rokas said:

Having found this topic about v2 and seeing date the posts were made (back in years 2012 2013) makes me laugh... and cry... in tears.
It is "half life 3" all over again. (Hope you understand the reference).
If you don't, it means: "Next major version probably will never be released..."
Prove me wrong and I will be a happy camper.

 

Hi Rokas,

 

We constantly have to postpone the development due to various requests from customers to add different features. User interface of version 2.0 is develops from scratch, where we use only algorithms. So, any changes in the current version should be copied to the new version, this also takes some time.
We can simply ignore all requests for 3-4 months to finish version 2.0. Do you think this is normal?

 

 

On 03.02.2018 at 8:30 PM, Rokas said:

Also back to post one in this thread:
Current gfx meta-mesh is slow as snail.. Even slower than max native blob mesh.. 

 

Did a test- 6889 vertex snow cover like object. GrowFX Metamesh- 3 minutes, Blobmesh 3 seconds.

Nowhere near Thinkbox Frost like we would all want.

 

MetaMesh has a completely different operating principle, unlike BlobMesh. It is adapted to create plants using simple cylinders in places where there is no fusion of branches.
If you're satisfied with the quality of the mesh (see screenshot below), then we can add it as a new mesh builder. Keep in mind BlobMesh is no UVW generation, and we'll need to use the UVW generator from Metamesh. I think it's works fast.

 

MetaMesh vs BlobMesh
BlobMesh Polys: 110068, Verts: 55036
MetaMesh Polys: 82468, Verts:41236

 

 

On 03.02.2018 at 8:30 PM, Rokas said:

Multi-threaded meta-mesh would be great to have in growfx version 3. My grandchildren would be grateful, probably.

 

Our MetaMesh algorithm has sequential operations, and it's impossible to run in parallel. But we have ideas how to implement this, but it's very difficult in any case.

 

 

On 03.02.2018 at 8:30 PM, Rokas said:

My current wishes:

My answers:

1. This will be in version 2.0.

2. I didn't understand anything. Please show on the screenshot how you want it to work?

3. Krrol is our employee in Exlevel. And soon we'll add all her plants to our free library.

4. We can create good tutorials, but after the release of version 2.0, we'll need to create new tutorials. If I knew that it would take a long time, of course we'd have created new tutorials for a long time ago.

 

 

On 03.02.2018 at 8:30 PM, Rokas said:

P.S.

Going from version 1.9.xx to 1.10 is misleading and deceptive numbering and marketing. Everyone expects  v2.0.  It was not version 1.09.

 

Now we're preparing a new feature for drawing with a mouse and modifying the lines by control points in the viewport. How do you propose to release this update?

Or let users wait for this feature in version 2.0?

 

 

On 03.02.2018 at 8:30 PM, Rokas said:

TL;DR 
version 2 was planed in year 2013. I almost lost hope. Software felt behind initial hype, industry trends and standards. 

 

I understand your concern, but now we're all doing it to finish it faster.

 

Thanks!

[Rokas]

15 hours ago, Eduard said:

 

Hi Rokas,

 

We constantly have to postpone the development due to various requests from customers to add different features. User interface of version 2.0 is develops from scratch, where we use only algorithms. So, any changes in the current version should be copied to the new version, this also takes some time.
We can simply ignore all requests for 3-4 months to finish version 2.0. Do you think this is normal?

 

i didn't understand what you mean by You use only algorithms in v2.0, I understand about changes in this version must by copied to v2.0. It sure slows You down to work out details in both versions...

Don't ignore bugs reported, but leave new features for next version. I think that would be normal.

 

15 hours ago, Eduard said:

 

 

MetaMesh has a completely different operating principle, unlike BlobMesh. It is adapted to create plants using simple cylinders in places where there is no fusion of branches.
If you're satisfied with the quality of the mesh (see screenshot below), then we can add it as a new mesh builder. Keep in mind BlobMesh is no UVW generation, and we'll need to use the UVW generator from Metamesh. I think it's works fast.

 

MetaMesh vs BlobMesh
BlobMesh Polys: 110068, Verts: 55036
MetaMesh Polys: 82468, Verts:41236

 

 

I would definitely want to play with that. If there would be an option to use faster metamesh for some trees/situations/previews while working with a object, before deciding if needs a better/slower metamesh. That would be great!

This change alone is worth new version! I would wait for that. No need to hurry to implement in next minor version.

 

15 hours ago, Eduard said:

 

Our MetaMesh algorithm has sequential operations, and it's impossible to run in parallel. But we have ideas how to implement this, but it's very difficult in any case.

 

I hope You do have ideas. In this computing age, using one processor for heavy tasks is bad practice. Typical growfx user probably have 8 threads of CPU and with threadripper more and more users start to have 32 threads.

 

15 hours ago, Eduard said:

 

My answers:

1. This will be in version 2.0.

 

Excited.

 

15 hours ago, Eduard said:

2. I didn't understand anything. Please show on the screenshot how you want it to work?

 

 

15 hours ago, Eduard said:

3. Krrol is our employee in Exlevel. And soon we'll add all her plants to our free library.

 

Plants from Krrol lacks some standardization using texture files, But gorwFX skills are superb.

 

15 hours ago, Eduard said:

4. We can create good tutorials, but after the release of version 2.0, we'll need to create new tutorials. If I knew that it would take a long time, of course we'd have created new tutorials for a long time ago.

 

Never is too late. We will wait.

 

15 hours ago, Eduard said:

Now we're preparing a new feature for drawing with a mouse and modifying the lines by control points in the viewport. How do you propose to release this update?

Or let users wait for this feature in version 2.0?

 

Definately the feature if v2.0! Leave some goodies for v2 and have some marketing material to show it off for new users to get this plugin.

 

15 hours ago, Eduard said:

I understand your concern, but now we're all doing it to finish it faster.

Keep up the good work.

 

15 hours ago, Eduard said:

 

Thanks!

 

No problem.

That is my perspective. Hope you find it usefull.

 

[Eduard]

20 hours ago, Rokas said:

i didn't understand what you mean by You use only algorithms in v2.0,

We use only algorithms from the current version, but all UI are developed from scratch, because it will be a node based user interface. And this is another project, so we need to copy all changes from the current version.

 

20 hours ago, Rokas said:

Don't ignore bugs reported, but leave new features for next version. I think that would be normal.

I think you're right.

 

20 hours ago, Rokas said:

I would definitely want to play with that. If there would be an option to use faster metamesh for some trees/situations/previews while working with a object, before deciding if needs a better/slower metamesh. That would be great!

This change alone is worth new version! I would wait for that. No need to hurry to implement in next minor version.

Ok, we'll add it in the future.

 

20 hours ago, Rokas said:

 

You didn't correctly understand the principle of the Parameter: Length. It's necessary to influence to the child paths parameters, depending on the length of the current path. For example, on a branch grow leaves, and when the branch grows from zero to 2cm, we need the leaves to also grow from 0 to their length. To do this, we open Parameter: Length for branches, set the Source parameter range = 0.0 ... 2.0cm, and add an Affect to the leaves length. Then adjust the Factor graph so that at the beginning the value is 0, at the end = 1.0.

To make the branches short at the top of the tree, You need to add an Affect from the branch distributor (this can be the Path distr or PathPos distr), from Parameter: Path position. From there You can influence to the length of the branches.

 

 

20 hours ago, Rokas said:

Definately the feature if v2.0! Leave some goodies for v2 and have some marketing material to show it off for new users to get this plugin.

In 2.0 there will be a node editor, this is a very big feature, and I think it will be enough to this update. Also there will be some new nodes, and also it will be possible to create some interesting links. For example, the radius of the trunk mesh can be linked with the Distributor in point > Offset for branches. As a result, the branches will grow exactly from the surface of the trunk.

So, I think soon we'll release an update as 1.10.0, and now users can use the new ability to draw and modify branches in the viewport.
After this update, we'll develop only version 2.0.

 

 

20 hours ago, Rokas said:

That is my perspective. Hope you find it usefull.

 

Ok, I'll take note of all your advice.

Thanks!

[Rokas]

I would highly suggest not to include new abilities to draw branches in v1.xxx

It would create more questions and more bugs,- features to alter... thus interrupting your v2 develpment.

 

It is a major improvement- it deserves to be robust and well developed. 

You will have to make v2 announcement with improvements and new features.

And this sure sounds like nice new feature. If it was in v1.xx you could not say it is new feature...