Category: development

Real HDR 1.5 preview: read more about some of the new features that we have planned for this release.

Real HDR 1.4 defined a huge new step in PhotoBooth module, while this new 1.5 version will now complete the main roadmap of what has been designed in 2018 for Real HDR in general. The idea behind this tool was to create a quick and reliable utility to generate .EXR maps/textures to be used in any 3D software and render engine. The first releases were thin in features and very experimental while now we are defining more and more where Real HDR is going.

The release date of this new version is defined for the first half of May. As always any upgrade of the tool will be free for the existing users who will be notified by an “upgrade” button in the login screen. Besides the completion of the SkyLight core and the polishing of PhotoBooth module, there are some new experimental features such as gradients, a GPU softening tool, an important fix on the .RHD parser (that will break compatibility with previous .RHD files – my fault, sorry, but had to be done), and other minor bug fixes here and there.

• PhotoBooth Background Gradients (user requested feature) – read more about HDR Gradient Background

• PhotoBooth GPU Blur for SpriteLight stencils (user suggested feature)

• SkyLight Fast Clouds (new feature for any hardware)

• SkyLight Voxel Clouds (new feature for high-end GPU) – read more about SkyLight soft shadows.

Real HDR 1.5 will be available from ~May 10, 2019 for 149€ for a permanent portable license (all existing users will have a right to a free upgrade, as always). In the meanwhile, we started the R&D for next releases and we are open to any suggestion. You can write in the comment here below and if you want to share your renders created with Real HDR we are always happy to see your works!

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Article from software development blog – Real HDR (https://www.real-hdr.com)

Real HDR 1.5 will feature the first implementation of a new Gradient Background system. This feature has been requested by many users and it is now capable to simulate outdoor skies or any other kind of gradient shades directly in the PhotoBooth mode. The gradient is 100% GPU made and includes five colors for the tropical, subtropicals and polar zones.

The intensity is dimmed compared to the SpriteLights and DarkMarks emitters since the area defined by these gradients is massive and so it can be the intensity generated.
As always the users’ feedback will define new possibilities and tweaks for this new tool.

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Article from software development blog – Real HDR (https://www.real-hdr.com)

One of my favorite features of nowadays CGI is how light and shadows behave. When I started doing digital images, way back with 3D Studio Max 2, I was experimenting a lot to obtain soft shadows (or any kind of soft “anything” like reflections, caustics, refractions…) I remember the excitement playing with raytraced shadows and/or shadow maps followed by the “magic” of the Radiosity.

In this period, I am trying to add some deep controls in the SkyLight modules of the upcoming Real HDR 1.5, that can let the artists manage how the shadows behave. Obviously, the direct sunlight in a clear sky situation produces much sharper shadows than in a foggy, cloudy, polluted and humid day condition. This is why I am spending more time than I expected for this new release. I want it to be capable to automatically adjust the shadow settings and HDR color intensity in function of the overcast percentage to guarantee consistency.

I think that during this month I reached a new point and it is time to share with you the state of the development. This will bring Real HDR’s SkyLight module to a totally new level also thanks to the precious feedback I got from all of you.

PS: I uploaded here a rar archive with some sample .exr files that I used to test my development. They are very low-res but can be used for any purpose…feedback, comments, and critics would be super appreciated.

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Article from software development blog – Real HDR (https://www.real-hdr.com)

Recently a user reported a problem in loading a .RHD file into Real HDR 1.4 and we gave high priority to the issue. Turns out that the problem is not in the software itself but in some OS settings (Windows at the moment, have to test on Mac later). In fact for some reasons, we found out that our regional related settings suddenly changed on some computers in the agency. Practically the decimals were not divided with the “.” but by the “,” and the .RHD parser got mad trying to read/write the data stored in the files.

Here some images showing how we restored these values as Real HDR expects them, but I am going to figure out a way to dynamically adapt to user settings (for me and “,”  or “-” numerical punctation are wrong but for some other user they can be correct).

So if you are experiencing some problems loading and saving .RHD Project files, here is the solution

Here you can set the date and time division “/” that it is important for the program to start properly:

and finally, the Additional settings panel to define the decimal division:

The post Windows Regional Settings appeared first on Real HDR.

Article from software development blog – Real HDR (https://www.real-hdr.com)

Starting from today it is possible to purchase Real HDR from our new e-store.
This decision was taken because of multiple reasons including a better UX, a more understandable e-commerce system, EU VAT and GST tax reasons, simpler invoicing methods for B2B, more payment methods, reliable transaction APIs, simpler bundle options for our tools, Country restrictions and the future possibility to include coupons and gifts.

In one sentence: OUR NEW E-COMMERCE

Also, stay tuned because a lot is coming out in the next few months.

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Article from software development blog – Real HDR (https://www.real-hdr.com)

Our latest update of Real HDR 1.4 is finally out and can be downloaded from here.
For some reasons, the very first days of every release are always giving me lot of problems with false positive. I still have to understand why this happens. We purchased a signing certificate to codesign our software and installer; we tested the files both from url and upload using Virus Total service and I also uploaded the .exe files and archives to Microsoft Defender Security Intelligence to obtain a whitelisting of the release.

Today we passed this final step so I assume in 24 hours from now there should be he definition of our software in the new Microsoft thread definition. Microsoft says it may take up to 30 days but I’d like to be more optimistic

Anyway, there is a full list of new features and bug fixes on this link and we all hope you may find this new release useful and it may prove helpful in your CGI production’s pipeline.

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Article from software development blog – Real HDR (https://www.real-hdr.com)

There is a new HiDPI option in the upcoming Real HDR 1.4. Since the application is not resizable (at least for the moment, but it is my goal to make it responsive in the future) the UI size in pixels is fixed at 1024×512 pixels. This looked fine on PlaySys’s computers and represented a good and functional compromise in FullHD resolution.

THE PROBLEM: Mac Retina displays and other high-end monitors have an impressive resolution of ~4K and the fixed window size of Real HDR looks very small on them. A user recently wrote to me “it’s quite hard to navigate without a magnifying glass ” and indeed it is.

THE SOLUTION: The solution is quite dumb at the moment but effective. I added a flag to redimension the size of the window and to upsize the UI graphics. At the moment of writing, I am simply doubling the size from 1024 to 2048 and I want to hear some feedback from users before marking this problem as solved. Also note that for the moment Real HDR always starts at 1024 x 512, so a Retina user has to activate the option every time. As said, this option is still experimental and I count to release a patch after receiving users feedback without interfering with whom is using non-HiDPI display.

high-res image

roadmap

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Article from software development blog – Real HDR (https://www.real-hdr.com)