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2.5 Release Notes

Release date: XX XXX XXXX

Beta Build

Cavalry 2.5 is currently in beta and subject to change. Installers are available to download via your account (Beta tab).

Beta builds are available to Professional licences.

Updates

The New label indicates an update since the previous beta.

New Features​

  • Referencing - import other scene files as 'Assets' and then use them like a 'Pre-Comp' enabling multiple artists to collaborate on a bigger project.
  • AV1 support for WebM export.
  • Video files that include audio are now supported.
  • Tracking tool - Track flat surfaces (planes) in video footage.
  • New Export as Project - Export the Scene or selected Compositions along with any connected Assets to a new Project directory. Work in progress.

Effects​

Scripting​

API​

Enhancements​

  • New The SkSL Filter and Shader now include an Export to Plugin window.
  • New Constrain proportions UI added for the Box and Circle Arrows.
  • New Presets now support adding Layers from the Menus, Shelf and via drag and drop. For example, an Image Shader's Scale Mode can be set to Fit Cover when an image is dropped into the Viewport.
  • New The 'splitter' position for the Scene Window and JavaScript Editor is now saved between sessions.
  • New Holding Shift when importing Assets now opens Finder/Explorer to the Scenes directory defined in Project Settings – useful when working with References.
  • New right click options to close Compositions in the Scene Window.
  • The Spherise Filter now supports lighting and transparency.
  • New Importing ProRes files on macOS now uses hardware acceleration.
  • MP4 Export now uses hardware encoding on macOS for improved export quality and speed.
  • The Layout Group now includes options for Wrapping and a new Spacing Mode.
  • Pre-Comp Overrides (also related to Referencing):
    • The order Pre-Comp Overrides appear in Pre-Comps can now be customised.
    • By default a Pre-Comp Overrides's label is defined as layerNiceName.attrNiceName but where an attribute has been renamed, just the attrNiceName is now shown.
    • New compact UI design.
    • New Reset Value to Origin command.
  • Tracking:
    • Tracking data is now saved with the Scene so it can be resumed between sessions.
    • Supervised tracking.
    • Forward/Backward tracking (previously automatic).
  • Components:
    • Any animated attributes are now revealed when any child Layers are hidden (i.e. the Component is in non-edit mode).
    • The 'spacious/compact' UI option has been removed now that re-ordering is possible.
  • Drag/drop re-orderable Arrays/Compounds.
  • 'All Caps' has been added as a style option for the Text Shape.
  • The path preview for the current Scene that appears at the top of the UI will now show relative paths when a Project is set.
  • Multi-pass Shaders/Filters are now supported for third-party plugins.
  • Cmd/Ctrl + F now activates search within Windows that support it.
  • Option/Alt + T now toggles between the Time Editor and Graph Editor.
  • The Shortcut Manager has been improved:
    • New Search by shortcut.
    • New 'All Shortcuts' tab.
    • Filtering/search in all tabs.
    • The Tabs and Search bar remain persistent when scrolling.
    • Improved 'error' indication.
    • The window is now dock-able.
    • If a shortcut belongs to a menu item within a 'sub-menu' its sub-menu name is now included. e.g. 'Align Left' is now 'Align Keyframes > Align Left'.
    • Shortcuts can now be assigned to third-party scripts.
    • Improved ordering of commands.
  • Command Search now includes Quick Actions.
  • The multi-row input connection list (Shaders/Masks/Falloffs) has been updated to support the new reorder-able UI.
  • When using any of the 'create and connect' workflows, holding Cmd/Ctrl will now load the new Layer's Attribute Editor UI. These include:
    • Right click > Add Behaviour/Utility etc.
    • The Button icon button for Deformers and Filters.
    • The Button iconAdd button on the Text Shape's string UI.
    • The Button iconAdd button on Falloffs and Shaders.
  • The Resize String String Manipulator now supports Word, Line and Paragraph.

Notable Bug Fixes​

  • New Viewport Grid Snapping now works for values that result in non-integer grids.
  • New Video containing audio is working again.
  • New Undo adding to the Multi-Row list (Shaders/Falloffs) now works.
  • New Breaking ChangeThe localSpace argument for movePoint is no longer inverted.
  • New The Q hotkey is now working again.
  • New Adding Feather in a Shape's Mask tab is no longer affected by Viewport Zoom.
  • New Reordering in the Snippet Window no longer triggers the 'new snippet' dialogue.
  • New A UI issue with Attribute Expressions and a Shape's 2.5d Position/Rotation attribute has been resolved.
  • New Ctrl + V is now working again on Windows.
  • New All Caps text styling is now retained when duplicating Text Shape Layers.
  • New The Graph Editor's Transform tool now handles non-integer keyframe values.
  • New Running the Shape > Centre Pivot command on a Group multiple times is now working as expected.
  • In-field expressions are working again.
  • Fixed a regression where right click > Replace... an image asset broke any connected Image Shader.
  • An issue where adding Feather to Clipping Masks could offset the original Shape has been resolved.
  • Fixed an edge case where individual Attribute Expressions for 2.5D transforms were not working.
  • An issue with the Stroke Utility, Inner Alignment and the Composition Boundary has been resolved.
  • The Shortcut Manager now commits shortcuts while the window remains open.
  • A crash when using api.deleteAnimation() to remove animation including Magic Easing is resolved.
  • A regression with the onSelectionChanged callback and assets has been resolved.
  • Breaking Change The incorrect bool argument is no longer required for alwaysShowVerticalScrollBar() and alwaysShowHorizontalScrollBar().
  • A crash triggered by hitting Space during tracking has been resolved.
  • A crash relating to Live Mode and loading a Range Falloff has been resolved.
  • An issue meaning animated attributes within Components could be lost has been resolved.
  • The "url" MIME type no longer incorrectly imports files as assets.
  • A memory leak exposed when using Dynamic Rendering has been resolved.
  • An issue affecting saving a Scene containing a video with an audio track has been resolved.
  • Some scenarios where the Pan icon can get stuck have been improved.
  • Improvements to Resize String.
  • 'Right click to add' has been restored for the multi-row input connection list.
  • An issue where replacing an input connection via the Scene Window list would 'replace all' has been resolved.
  • An issue related to the the default 'Compact' JSON Format preference which was causing long save times for customers using LucidLink has been resolved.
  • Missing clipping options for the Boolean have been restored.
  • Several issues with 'double transforms' have been resolved. For example, moving a Group containing a Text Shape and a Shape being used as its Text Path is now supported.
  • A crash which could be triggered by deleting and then undoing an Array's index has been fixed.
  • A crash converting a single keyframe (where it is the only keyframe) to bézier via Option/Alt + click has been resolved.

Notes​

  • The Blur Filter has been renamed to the Fast Blur Filter to distinguish it from the new Gaussian and other Blur Filters.
  • The settings for the Layer Tools and Viewport Tool Help have been moved from the Tool Settings window to the Viewport settings.