HardCopy Release Notes

HardCopy 7.2 (October 2008)

3D-PDF landscape mode support

It is now possible to select the page orientation when using SoToPDFAction, using the new method

SoToPDFAction::setLandscape( const SbBool enable )

HardCopy 7.1.1 (June 2008)

No new features were added. See the fixed bugs section.

HardCopy 7.1 (April 2008)

3D-PDF and U3D export format

Direct output to 3D PDF is supported starting with Open Inventor 7.1. Note that, unlike the vector output classes in HardCopy, these classes output the actual 3D geometry and attributes from the Open Inventor scene graph. The format used in 3D PDF (U3D) is quite compact, but you can also use Open Inventor’s geometry simplification tools to reduce the complexity of the scene before generating the output file.  Acrobat Reader version 8 or higher is recommended for viewing 3D PDF files.  Please read the documentation for the new action classes (below) to understand the limitations of the U3D format relative to the Open Inventor scene graph.

New Hardcopy actions available :

See $OIVHOME/src/HardCopy/Samples/PDFExport

HardCopy 7.0.1 (February 2008)

No new feature was added. See the fixed bugs section.

HardCopy 7.0 (December 2007)

No new feature was added. See the fixed bugs section.

HardCopy 6.1 (March 2007)

No new feature was added. See the fixed bugs section.

HardCopy 6.0 (March 2006)

No new feature was added. See the fixed bugs section.

HardCopy 5.0 (August 2004)

HardCopy 5.0 is a major improvement over version 4.0 in terms of quality and performance.

Very Fast Hidden Surface Removal for Large Scenes

A new HLHSR (Hidden Line Hidden Surface Removal) mode, HLHSR_RASTER, is now available.

Performance of the previously available HLHSR modes is poor for large scenes and decreases rapidly with increasing numbers of lines and triangles in the scene. The new mode uses an image-based technique which is much more accurate, has very good performance, and takes advantage of graphics hardware. The quality settings allow a range from very fast, low quality (quick preview) to slower but higher quality. Generally this new mode gives the best combination of performance and image quality.

To specify this mode, use the following method:

SoVectorizeAction::setHLHSRMode(SoVectorizeAction::HLHSR_RASTER)

To specify the quality of the the raster image generated by the HLHSR_RASTER mode, use the following new method:

SoVectorizeAction::setHLHSRRasterQuality()

Gouraud Shading Supported with PostScript Level 3

The Gouraud shading model is now supported with PostScript level 3 output.

To select the Gouraud shading model, use:

SoVectorizeAction::setShadeModel(SoVectorizeAction::SMOOTH)

To select PostScript level 3, use:

SoPSVectorOutput::setLevel(3)

Buffered Output for CGM Binary Output

CGM binary output is now buffered. This provides performance improvements on some operating systems. The environment variable OIV_CGM_HARDCOPY_BUFSIZE allows you to specify the buffer size.

Enhanced Example Program

The HardCopy example program has been enhanced to take advantage of the new features added in HardCopy 5.0. It now includes the new HLHSR algorithm (HLHSR_RASTER), various output formats (A4, A3, A2, A1, A0), and selection of Gouraud shading (for PostScript level 3).

Example: $OIVHOME/src/HardCopy/Samples/ivPlot

HardCopy 4.0 (April 2003)

New Methods in SoVectorizeAction

When displaying coplanar lines and polygons, e.g., gridlines on a surface, you will sometimes see an effect called stitching - the lines appear broken.

To reduce stitching, you can use the following new methods of SoVectorizeAction to apply an offset to different kinds of shapes in your scene:

Improved Performance in SoVectorizeAction

Line Pattern Size

SoAnnotation Node Support

HardCopy 3.7 (March 2002)