How do I upgrade to the latest version?
Version 8.0.2
Released: Monday, Februari 8th, 2010
Free upgrade from version 8.0. Consult the release notes for version 8.0 for the upgrade details from versions older than 8.0
Changes since 8.0:
- Updated translations: Russian, Spanish, Polish, Farsi, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Urdu and Ewe
- Select a layer by double clicking on it
- Moving a layer by dragging it is now relative to the camera orientation
- Possibility to attach a light layer to a camera layer
- Minimum resolution has been reduced to 16 x 16 pixels
- Option to include fonts in the template file
- Bugfix: model layer now uses the normals as stored in the .x file
- Bugfix: dropdown menu is no longer rendered in disabled style after displaying a dialog
- Bugfix: FX properties are now visible in picture layers using the Fullscreen and Skybox effects
Version 8.0
Released: 2010-1-14
Version 8 introduces 3 versions:
| EASY |
€ 29.95 |
Free upgrade for registered users! |
| PRO |
€ 49.95 |
Upgrade for registered users: € 19.95 |
| iTV |
€ 249.95 |
Upgrade for registered users: € 219.95 |
- EASY, PRO and iTV versions. Choose Settings > Switch to EASY/PRO Version to switch.
- New layer: Container layer
- New layer: Lightning layer
- New layer: Lense Flare layer
- New layer: Voxel layer
- Playlists. Choose Settings > Playlist Window to display the playlist window
- Shell window. Choose Settings > Shell Window to display the shell window
- New menu item: File > Export as Template...
- Blackmagic DeckLink output (only in iTV version)
- Support for multi-monitor systems
- Advanced time tags in the text layer
- Options dialog: choose Settings > General Options...
- Vertical align composition effects in the text layer
- New light layer properties: Shadow Softness, Beam Colour, Flare Size and Flare Colour
- Shadows and lightbeams are now generated by text, EPS, picture, model and sketch layers
- New text layer effect: Single Sided
- New text layer property: Encrypt
- New picture layer effects: Single Sided, Skybox and 2D in Foreground
- New particle layer effects: Pointing Upwards and Pointing towards Flight Direction
- New particle layer properties: Chameleon, Effect Size, Launch Colour, Launch Colour Tolerance, Grid and Target Layer
- New sketch layer effects: Attached Layers point Upwards and Attached Layers follow Sketch
- New scroller layer property: Transparency
- New plasma layer effects: Horizontal, Vertical and Radial Gradient
- New sketch layer effect: Square
- New model layer property: Colour
- New passe-partout layer effects: Vertical Bars and Horizontal Bars
- All demo shows that come with the installer now have the widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio
- When editing, the active layer is rendered with a local coordinate system. This can be turned on/off by pressing <F2> or by choosing Settings > Show safe Area + Arrows
- Optimized rendering for realtime applications
- Advanced IPC commands and command line options for system integration
- Option to export as compressed AVI with transparency info (compressed 32 bits RGBA)
- Bitmap fonts: press the new Select Bitmap Font button in the <F6> font dialog. Use Alphabix to create bitmap fonts
- Video layer can play animated GIF files
- Video layer is updated when timeslider is moved
- Attach borders to picture, video and video capture layers
- Volume property in audio and video layers
- Maximum number of particles increased from 1.000 to 10.000
- Maximum number of characters in the text layer increased from 500 to 1000
- Maximum show duration increased from 3 to 60 minutes
- Use IE proxy settings option in the internet options dialog
- Premultiplied alpha channel in SDI output and video export
- Support for UNC paths
- Intuitive camera position mouse control
- Proper Would you like to overwrite? messagebox when saving show with all media files
Version 7
Released: 2007-7-24
Price: € 39.95, free upgrade for registered users!
- Software Antialiasing
With software antialiasing your exported video and picture files always look super sharp, no matter what graphics card, video driver and hardware antialiasing settings you are using. A nice side effect is that you no longer have to keep the render window visible when exporting
- Create videos with resolutions bigger than your desktop
For example you will be able to create the highest HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 on a 1024 x 768 desktop. Resolutions good enough for printing are also possible, like creating a 4000 x 4000 picture for use on a party flyer. In the File > Set Show Resolution... dialog you can select a view of 50%, 25% or 12.5% to indicate that the exported resolution should be 2, 4 or 8 times bigger than the render window
- Post-Processing
In version 7 you can select an effect file in the camera layer. This effect is applied to the whole render window as a post-processing effect. All filter effects including blur, median and charcoal can be used
- Support for shader model 3
Advanced effects like median filters, morphing effects and fractals are possible with shader model 3. Of course these effects will only work if your graphics card also supports shader model 3 (Geforce 6, ATI X1800 or better)
- Effect properties
Effect files used to abuse existing properties to make them controllable by the GUI. In version 7 effect files can add properties to layers. For example it is possible to create a Mandelbrot fractal effect that adds the properties Max Iterations and Colour Cycling Speed to the picture layer. Another example is plane-to-donut morph effect that adds a Morp Stage property to the picture layer
- Subtle material effects
Combine lighting, texture mapping and reflection mapping in any ratio: fine-tune your materials from dull to 100% reflective
- New file formats
Stills and numbered frames can be exported in the following file formats: BMP(24 & 32 bits), TGA(24 & 32 bits), JPG(24 bits), GIF(8 bits), TIF(24 bits) and PNG(24 & 32 bits)
Version 6
Released: 2007-1-18
Price: € 39.95, free upgrade for registered users!
- Sketch layer: animate EPS files created with Bixelangelo
- Full unicode support: select the unicode character set in the Media > Change Font dialog
- Browser panel with Back, Forward, Refresh, Stop Loading and Home buttons, URL combo box and status bar
- All media files including textures, videos, models, effects and .BT show files can be downloaded from the internet by using paths starting with "http:"
- Hyperlinks: add links to layers with the new menu item: Layer > Active Layer Properties
- Successive shows: automatically open and start a new show when the current show ends with the menu item File > Show Properties
- Video and audio files can be streamed from the internet. Choose Settings > Internet Options to turn streaming on/off
- New menu item: File > Save Show + All Media files which is handy when copying shows to/from another computer or a web server
- New menu items: Favorites / Add to Favorites and Favorites / Organize Favorites
- New menu item: Settings > Internet Options
- Textures, meshes, models and pools are shared between layers and successive shows: shows load faster and use less memory
- Support for multiple webcams
- BluffTitler can create AVI files bigger than 2GB (OpenDML Extensions)
- New model layer property: Specularity
- Correct rendering of Hebrew, Farsi, Arabic, Thai and Khmer
Version 5
Released: 2006-5-1
Price: € 39.95, free upgrade for registered users!
- Smooth scroller layer
- Support for DirectX effect files
- Bump Mapping (normal maps)
- Cube Mapping (with .DDS files)
- Multi-Texturing effects
- Tonal Art Mapping (realtime hatching)
- Realtime filter effects in the picture, video and video capture layers
- Text morphing effects
- New particle layer property: Z-Bias
- Revolved font type
- Filmstrip support in the picture layer
- New model layer property: Transparency
Version 4
Released: 2005-12-19
Price: € 39.95, free upgrade for registered users!
- 3D model layer
- Shadows
- Lightbeams
- Cloth simulation in the picture and video layers
- Dynamic content: use BluffTitler to read RSS news feeds or as a photo browser
- New picture layer property: Bounds
- 3 new text layer properties: Decoration Density, Bounds and Character Size
- Maximum number of characters increased to 500
- Possibility to move the drop-down menu to the tool window and back
Version 3
Released: 2005-7-1
Price: € 39.95, free upgrade for registered users!
- Optimized code resulting in ultra smooth realtime performance
- 6 new pixel font effects: Pixels, Cornered Pixels, Rounded Pixels, Floating Cubes, Floating Spheres and Floating Cylinders
- 3 new particle effects: Blobs (meta-balls), Spheres and Pipes
- 5 new text compositions: Spiral, Roll, String, Left and Right
- 2 new texture modes: Masking and Additive Reflection Mapped
- 3 new text layer Properties: Transparency, Decoration Size and Font Size
- 5 new plasma effects: Line Segments, Circles, Triangles, Rectangles and Rays
- Passe-partout layer
- New menu item: Layer > Attach Plasma
Version 2
Released: 2004-9-1
Price: € 30, free upgrade for registered users!
- Cool new skinnable GUI
- Optical kerning
- Draggable keyframes
- 2 new particle layer properties: Trail Density and Rotation
- New camera layer property: Arm Length
- Undo/redo functionality
- 32 bits AVI export
- New menu item: Layer > Attach Border
- New menu item: Layer > Attach Particles
- Presets
- Plasma layer
- Particle layer
- EPS layer
- Video capture layer
- Audio layer
- Command line options
- Video textures
Version 1
Released: 2003-8-5
Price: € 30