Newsletter

This newsletter informs you about the latest progress of software related to growth grammars. In order to be informed about updates of the GroIMP software, please use the monitoring features of the groimp project at Sourceforge.

GroIMP 1.2 is now available for download. The new features are:

• added GroPhysics (using JBullet as physics engine)
• added new layout algorithm for 2D view
• added point cloud as primitive
• added virtual laser scanner
• added implicit volumes to raytracer
• added supershape primitive

GroIMP 1.1 is now available for download. The new features are:

• added a new 3D view using GLSL (provides realtime procedural textures, shadows, transparency)
• new GroIMP icon
• improved ODE support

GroIMP 1.0 is now available for download. The new features are:

• added GPU-Raytracer Sunshine for PT, BPT, and spectral rendering (experimental)
• added support for ODEs
• added OpenAlea plugin
• improved X3D plugin (now uses XMLBeans to generate XML parser)
• added Object Inspector (hierarchical and flat)

The gallery was extended and contains now even more examples. There is also a submission form to provide own examples to the community.

There is also a Wiki available to provide tutorials and share ideas with others.

GroIMP 0.9.8.1 is now available for download.

The new gallery at grogra.de is now online. It provides a lot of examples and technical notes.

GroIMP 0.9.8 is now available for download. The new features are:

• X3D import and export for 3D objects
• Improved RGG toolbar
• Algorithm to avoid collisions
• Node folding in queries

GroIMP 0.9.7 is now available for download. The new features are:

• DXF/OBJ import for 3D objects
• parallel version of the radiation model which makes use of multiple processors
• new examples shapes, Ludo, Sierpinski3D

GroIMP 0.9.6 is now available for download. This includes the 3D-CS construction set of Michael Henke and a lot of bug-fixes and minor enhancements of existing features. The license has changed from GPL v2 to GPL v3.

GroIMP 0.9.5.6 is now available for download. This is mainly a maintenance release with some bug-fixes and minor enhancements of existing features. Some new features are:

• New example 'City Generator'
• New derivation modes 'parallel non-deterministic' and 'sequential'.

GroIMP 0.9.5.4 is now available for download. The new features are:

• Graph rotation systems and an implementation of vertex-vertex algebras.
• Integrated Javadoc API documentation.
• Export from tables to XLS/CSV/TXT/PDF/HTML.
• EPS output for wireframe display.

GroIMP 0.9.5.3 is now available for download. This is mainly a maintenance release with some bug-fixes and minor enhancements of existing features.

GroIMP 0.9.5 is now available for download. The new features are:

• A light model computes the amount of absorbed and sensed radiation. It uses the complete geometry and lights of a GroIMP scene.
• The built-in raytracer computes high dynamic range images (HDRI). These can be exported to the OpenEXR HDR image format.
• New sun/sky shader for use in a sky object.
• Geometric computations (e.g., line-surface intersections) are supported for all geometric nodes.
• A lot of minor enhancements.

Results of the seminar "Artifizielle Wachstumsprozesse" (artificial growth processes) have been uploaded to grogra.de. They were made by students of architecture.

GroIMP 0.9.4 is now available for download. The new features are:

• A DXF filter exports the geometry of a scene as a set of polygons to the DXF format.
• GroIMP can be used as an HTTP server, the responses of the server being implemented by RGG models.
• The built-in raytracer has been improved, now the complete geometry of GroIMP is supported.

GroIMP 0.9.3.2 is now available for download. It mainly contains bug-fixes and minor enhancements of existing features. The really new features are:

• The XL compiler supports the declaration and usage of variable arity methods.
• A project may contain several RGG, XL and Java files. In addition, JAR files can be included.
• There exists a built-in raytracer. It is able to render a scene consisting of primitives. NURBS are not yet supported.
• Work on an RGG tutorial started. Choose File/RGG Tutorial in the menu to open the tutorial in its current state.

GroIMP 0.9.3 is now available for download. The new features include:

• GroIMP's 3D view contains an option to use OpenGL for realtime rendering.
• Operator overloading and new conversions (boxing conversion, unboxing conversion, auto conversion) have been added to the XL programming language and implemented in the compiler.
• The XL compiler produces true Java byte code. This speeds up the execution of typical models by a factor of three. Using this new feature, the XL compiler has been tested in-depth. E.g., the whole GroIMP platform itself has been compiled successfully by the XL compiler.
• A 2D view on the topological structure of the graph, including layout algorithms.
• JFreeChart has been integrated. Thus, plots of datasets can be drawn easily within GroIMP. For an example, see the ABC model.
• Minor enhancements.

A draft of the XL language specification is now available. Please note that the specification has not yet been completed.

GroIMP 0.9.2 is now available for download. The new features include:

• The implementation of the XL programming language has been completed.
• Compiler messages contain hypertext links to their source code locations.
• Manuals are available via the Help-menu
• A jEdit-plugin integrates the powerful text editor jEdit into GroIMP.
• An XL console provides an XL command line for querying the scene.
• A lot of minor enhancements.

GroIMP 0.9.1 is now available for download. The new features include:

• NURBS curves and surfaces
• Several NURBS construction techniques (skinning, sweep, surfaces of revolution, ...)
• New objects (box, light, sky, ...)
• Export to POV-Ray, a free ray-tracer
• An Examples-plugin allows an easy access to examples for GroIMP. It is opened via the menu File/Show Examples.
• Project layouts are saved in project files and restored after a project has been opened.
• Look & Feel of the Swing user interface is configurable.
• Java 3D's vecmath-package is now built in. Thus, the installation of Java 3D is not required anymore.

• This newsletter is launched.
• GroIMP 0.9.0 is now available for download.