Blender 2.49 RC2

Blender 2.49 RC2 brings users the convenience of using an efficient software for 3D modeling, rendering, animation, post-production, interactive creation and playback. Available for Windows, Linux, Irix, Sun Solaris, FreeBSD or Mac OS X.

Major Features:

1. Modeling
   • A range of 3D object types including polygon meshes, NURBS surfaces, bezier and B-spline curves, metaballs, vector fonts (TrueType, PostScript, OpenType)
   • Smooth proxy style catmull-clark subdivision surfaces
   • Boolean mesh functions
   • Editing functions such as extrude, bevel, cut, spin, screw, warp, subdivide, noise, smooth Soft selection editing tools for organic modeling
   • Python scripting access for custom tools
2. Animation
   • Armature (skeleton) deformation with forward/inverse kinematics, auto skinning and interactive 3D paint for vertex weighting
   • Non-linear animation mixer with automated walkcycles along paths
   • Constraint system
   • Vertex key framing for morphing, with controlling sliders
   • Character animation pose editor
   • Animatable lattice deformation
   • Ipo system integrates both motion curve and traditional key-frame editing
   • Audio playback, mixing and editing support for sound synchronisation
   • Python scripting access for custom and procedural animation effects
3. Realtime 3D/game creation
   • Graphical editor for defining interactive behavior without programming
   • Collision detection and dynamics simulation
   • Python scripting API for sophisticated control and AI, fully defined advanced game logic
   • Supports all OpenGL lighting modes, including transparencies, Animated and reflection-mapped textures
   • Playback of games and interactive 3D content without compiling or preprocessing
   • Audio, using the fmod toolkit
   • Multi-layering of Scenes for overlay interfaces
4. Rendering
   • Very fast inbuilt raytracer
   • Integral support for the famous Yafray render engine
   • Oversampling, motion blur, post-production effects, fields, non-square pixels
   • Environment maps, halos, lens flares, fog
   • Various surface shaders such as Lambert, Phong, Oren-nayar, Blinn, Toon
   • Edge rendering for toon shading
   • Procedural Textures
   • Ambient Occlusion
   • Radiosity solver
   • Export scripts available for external renderers such as Renderman (RIB), Povray, Virtualight
   • UV texture editor with various mesh unwrap modes
5. Interface
   • Flexible user configurable window layout
   • Powerful object-oriented data system
   • Anti-aliased fonts with international translation support
   • Windows for animation curves/keys, schematic scene diagram, non-linear video sequence editing, character animation action editor, non-linear animation mixer, image/UV editing, file/image selection and file management
   • Inbuilt text editor for annotations and editing Python scripts
   • Consistent interface across multiple platforms
6. Files
   • Save all scene data in a single .blend file
   • .blend format supports compression, digital signatures, encryption, forwards/backwards compatibility and can be used as a library to link to from other .blend files
   • Read / Write TGA, JPG, PNG, Iris, SGI Movie, IFF, AVI and Quicktime GIF, TIFF, PSD, MOV (Windows and Mac OS X)
   • Native import and export for DXF, Inventor and VRML files, with python scripts available for many other 3D formats
   • Create stand-alone executables containing interactive 3D content or play back with the 3d web browser plugin