Change Log - ApertureViewer/Aperture-Viewer GitHub Wiki

Version 1.0.0 – The Vision Realized: Groundbreaking Visual Tools

Release Date: 2025-05-04

This release marks the first major milestone for Aperture Viewer, fulfilling the project's core vision of providing unparalleled real-time visual control for Second Life creators and unlocking new potential for Second Life as a creative platform. It incorporates a massive number of foundational features and improvements developed since the v0.10.0 hotfix release, establishing a new benchmark for in-world visual artistry.

New Features

  • Vastly Improved Procedural Starfield: A Galaxy Reborn! (Exclusive)
    • Replaces the nearly 20-year-old legacy star system with a sophisticated procedural generator, representing a significant leap in visual fidelity and the first major piece of our environmental rendering overhaul.
    • Features realistic density (hundreds of thousands of stars, Primary/Dust layers, Milky Way simulation), scientifically-informed Black Body coloration, and luminosity distribution.
    • Includes dynamic atmospheric twinkling/scintillation (with color variation, scaled by airmass/intensity) and horizon extinction (dimming/reddening).
    • Utilizes resolution-adaptive star sizing for consistent appearance across different resolutions and FOVs.

    • [!NOTE]

This is a complete rewrite with robust C++/GLSL foundations featuring numerous meticulously designed internal tunables, hinting at the ongoing evolution of Aperture's environmental rendering capabilities. (Commit: c17a470c5d)

  • New Star Wars Themed Skins (Exclusive)

    • Adds four brand-new UI themes to celebrate May the 4th: Vader, Yoda, X-wing, and Obiwan. Selectable via Preferences > Skins. (Commit: 41ab707cde)

  • All-New Aperture Phototools Suite (APS) (Exclusive)

    • Completely rebuilt central command center (Ctrl+Shift+P) integrating numerous powerful tools into one streamlined, tabbed interface. Key integrated components include:
      • Revolutionary Real-Time Post-Processing Pipeline (See below)
      • Integrated Environment Editing (Evn Tab) (See below)
      • Enhanced Avatar Controls (Ava Tab) (See below)
      • Direct UI Scaling Control (Gen Tab) (See below)
      • Integrated Viewer Camera Controls (Cam Tab) (See below)
      • Graphics Preset Management (Gen Tab & bottom buttons)
      • Centralized Quick Toggles for key rendering features.
    • (Foundation Commit: 6597c665d6)

  • Revolutionary Real-Time Post-Processing Pipeline (in APS Post Tab) (Exclusive)

    • Groundbreaking: For the first time in Second Life, achieve professional-grade image mastering live within the viewer.
    • Provides unprecedented, granular control, fundamentally changing the creative workflow and reducing reliance on external editing, with power rivaling tools like Adobe Camera Raw/Lightroom. Includes:
      • Photographic Tone Mapping: Independent sliders for Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, and Blacks, plus a nuanced Crush Blacks control with fade-out.
      • Complete Color Grading Suite: Vibrance, Saturation (with customizable Luminance Weights), and a powerful 3-Way Color Balance tool (Shadows/Midtones/Highlights) with optional Luminance Preservation.
      • Cinematic & Creative Effects: Adjustable, high-quality Film Grain (Amount, Roughness) and realistic Chromatic Aberration (R/C, G/M, B/Y shifts with Softness control).

    • [!NOTE]

Represents a deeply tuned and robust shader implementation. * (Foundation: a44d886b06, Settings: b58d175c9e, Preset Inclusion: 118011fc7e, UI Integration: 6597c665d6)

  • Integrated Environment Editing (in APS Evn Tab)

    • Directly edit all Atmosphere, Cloud, Sun/Moon, and Water parameters in real-time (requires editable local environments).
    • Includes Sky/Water preset browser with an option to hide non-user presets to reduce clutter.
    • (Part of APS implementation: 6597c665d6, Related Settings: b58d175c9e)

  • Enhanced Avatar Controls (in APS Ava Tab)

    • Provides direct controls for Avatar Hover Height and Fluid Global Animation Speed.
    • Manages complexity, rendering options (HUDs, particles, lights), physics LOD, and includes a force rebake button.
    • (Part of APS implementation: 6597c665d6, Related Settings: b58d175c9e)

  • Direct UI Scaling (in APS Gen Tab)

    • Adjust the entire viewer interface scale dynamically using a slider/spinner.
    • (Implementation: 6597c665d6, Limit Adjustments: c61522ad87)

  • Integrated Viewer Camera Controls (in APS Cam Tab)

    • Standard viewer camera controls (Orbit, Pan, Zoom, Roll) are now built into the APS.
    • (Part of APS implementation: 6597c665d6)

  • Performance-Tuned Graphics Levels (via APS Gen Tab) (Exclusive System)

    • Introduces 9 distinct graphics levels named for the key visual features they progressively enable (e.g., "HDR Foundation", "Shadows", "Eye Candy"), replacing vague 'Low'/'Ultra' labels.
    • Based on a completely custom featuretable_aperture.txt and exhaustive research aimed at solving post-PBR performance issues and providing balanced starting points.
    • (Implementation: d7235ef41c, Feature Table Build Inclusion: 0a6ab683f1, b72d982426)

  • Comprehensive Custom Graphics Preset System (via APS Bottom Buttons) (Exclusive System)

    • Save/Load Graphics Preset feature now captures all relevant graphics settings, including the entire state of the revolutionary Post-Processing suite.
    • Enables creation of complete visual styles or "filters", similar to presets in Lightroom or ACR, for the first time in SL.
    • (Preset Controls Update: 118011fc7e, UI Integration: 6597c665d6)

  • Robust Camera Preset System (in APS Cam Tab) (Exclusive)

    • Save and recall complex camera setups instantly.
    • Includes 12 Standard Camera Preset Slots (saving Position, Focus Point/Object ID, Roll Angle).
    • Includes 12 Flycam Camera Preset Slots (saving Position, Orientation [Quaternion], Roll Angle).
    • Saved Position values use global coordinates for accurate recall across sim visits. All 24 slots saved per-account.
    • (Implementation: 6597c665d6, Settings: ff92de471e, Roll Angle Methods: f90293294e)

    • [!NOTE]

A fix for ensuring Viewer Camera Roll saves correctly is pending for the next hotfix. Flycam roll accuracy remains under review.

  • Poser and Teleport History Buttons Added to Main Toolbar
    • Provides convenient one-click access. (Commit: edee978a66)

Enhancements

  • Increased Rendering Limits:
    • Reflection Probe resolution limit increased to 2048px. (Commit: 78858a1b93)
    • Camera Field of View (FOV) limits expanded to 0.1° – 179.9°. (Commit: 326595426c)
    • Maximum Glow/Bloom buffer resolution increased. (Implicit in a44d886b06)
  • Improved Default User Experience (Firestorm Familiarity):
    • Group notice location reverted to top-right (matching Firestorm default for v1.0.0). (Commit: 6bba885944)
    • Restored default visibility of the Nearby Chat bar. (Commit: 5c1637eaa5)
    • Enabled Streaming Music by default. (Commit: 4d700b48e3)
  • UI & Theme Refinements:
    • Set "Phantom" as the default Aperture theme. (Commit: ac7a49c575)
    • Updated APS floater title to "Aperture Phototools Suite". (Commit: a12f5a7f91)
    • Improved tab tooltip handling in APS. (Commit: b265664855)
    • Updated and simplified the progress view UI (login/teleport screens). (Commit: 118f958c46)
  • Settings System:
    • Defined numerous new AP* settings for PostFX, Color Balance, SSAO Sample Count, Camera Presets, etc. (Commits: b58d175c9e, ff92de471e)

Fixes

  • Flycam Preset Roll Implementation Check: Reviewed and confirmed Flycam preset roll saving logic, though overall roll accuracy for presets remains an area for improvement. (Commit: 44920d3ffe)
  • Phantom Theme Progress Bar: Corrected reversed fill/track textures. (Commit: ac7a49c575)
  • Default PBR Sunrise Environment Preset UUID: Corrected hardcoded UUID. (Commit: 3b7f897bb7)
  • Privacy Policy Text Encoding: Fixed character display in NSIS installer. (Commit: e00f2eefb6)
  • Sign Up URL: Updated link on login panel. (Commit: d5811edf37)
  • Progress Message Call: Commented out redundant call. (Commit: c61522ad87)

Upstream Sync (Firestorm)

  • Synced with the Firestorm Viewer codebase up to commit 9c4d81681a (approx. late April 2025), incorporating numerous features, enhancements, and fixes.
  • Key improvements inherited include (summary):
    • Updated FMOD Studio library (v2.03.07).
    • Fixes for compressed sculpted textures.
    • Poser tool fixes for Animesh.
    • SLURL handling improvements.
    • Optional timestamps in snapshot filenames.
    • Mouselook clicking fixes.
    • Preferences search highlight color fixes.
    • Updated translations (JP, FR, DE, CN, PL).
    • Various stability fixes.

[!NOTE] This is a summary; upstream merges include hundreds of changes. Refer to Firestorm changelogs for full details.

Known Issues (v1.0.0)

  • Performance: Advanced Post-Processing and high graphics settings can be demanding.
  • VRAM Usage: High-resolution features increase VRAM consumption.
  • Camera Preset Roll:
    • Viewer Camera: Roll does not save/load correctly (Fix pending for hotfix).
    • Flycam Camera: Roll saving/loading may have slight inaccuracies, especially near 90 degrees.
  • SSR in Snapshots: Screen Space Reflections may not render correctly in saved snapshots (Fix planned).
  • SSAO/SSR on Water: Visual artifacts can occur on water surfaces with SSAO/SSR enabled (Underlying viewer issue, under investigation).

Technical / Build System

  • Updated Windows build instructions (building_windows.md) for Aperture specifics. (Commit: e1e8af7769)
  • Included custom featuretable_aperture.txt in build. (Commits: 0a6ab683f1, b72d982426)
  • Renamed Aperture skin directory for Linux compatibility. (Commit: 6b4d941ba6)
  • Standardized Aperture branding in build artifacts. (Commit: e7c103cb7c)

Version 0.10.0 – Upstream Merge & Hotfix Release

This release incorporated critical fixes developed for Aperture Viewer alongside a significant number of updates merged from the upstream Firestorm Viewer and Second Life Viewer codebases.

Fixed

  • (Critical Workaround) Applied a temporary workaround for a severe performance bug potentially halving FPS on startup (related to texture cache loading). This workaround forced VSync/FPS Limiter ON and prevented some settings persistence, necessitating cache rebuilds. (Commit 6db8ae0a)
  • Fixed missing UI callback registrations in the older Phototools floater. (Part of dc5ee948)
  • Corrected typo in "Welcome" startup message. (0b230d86)
  • Resolved merge conflicts in pipeline.cpp. (2dba80a8)

Changed

  • Performance: Disabled the "Quick Stats" panel in the older Phototools floater. (Part of dc5ee948)
  • Installer: Disabled legacy AVX2 CPU checks in NSIS installer. (7163160f)

Upstream Integration (Highlights from Firestorm & Second Life)

  • Merged updates from Firestorm (up to commit 94574fe0) and SL Viewer release/2025.03.
  • Key improvements inherited (summary): Crash fixes, PBR/GLTF improvements, OpenSim compatibility fixes, KDU update (v8.5), texture handling fixes, UI fixes, Poser enhancements, updated translations, NaN handling.

Version 0.9.965 – First Public Beta (Pre-Release)

[!NOTE] This version featured an earlier iteration of the integrated visual control floater, then also referred to as "Aperture Phototools Suite (APS)," which was significantly rebuilt and expanded for v1.0.0.

Added

  • Initial integrated visual control floater (early APS) for lighting, camera, environment, etc.
  • Early real-time SSAO sample control (up to 128x).
  • Early Global Animation Speed control.
  • Early Luminance Weights sliders.
  • Early Global Fullbright toggle.
  • Early Viewer Saturation control.
  • 'No Light' environment preset.

Changed

  • Build tag to 'AVX'.
  • Removed fsdata/MOTD requests.
  • Increased default network bandwidth.
  • Rebranded splash screen, installer, channel.

Fixed

  • Cloud map rendering errors in early APS.
  • Shadow flickering.
  • XML widget definition issues in early APS floater.
  • Umbra theme visibility issues.

UI and Themes

  • Introduced four initial dark UI themes: Umbra, Nocturn, Phantom, Dusk.
  • Initial layout revisions for the early APS floater.

Privacy

  • Disabled LookAt/selection beacons, remote analytics.
  • Enabled local chat logging by default.

Build and Packaging

  • Initial modifications for theme packaging and versioning.

Note: This changelog primarily reflects major and user-visible changes. For a complete list of all code-level modifications, refer to the project's commit history or the diff link provided in the GitHub Release notes.