Blender 2.64 it’s finally here! By this I mean here on my computer… it’s been out for more than a week and I was unable to install it (on windows 7 – 64 bits). A kind soul from the community directed me to this page in the bug tracker and then it worked.

I didn’t get to explore it much as I’m on a deadline right now, just the new Wireframe tool. Actually this was the reason I was so eager to install the upgrade, I have some lattice-thing structure in the project I’m working on right now, and I thought this could save some time. I was glad for this new tool and a bit disappointed too: it is too basic for what I wanted… I used a similar tool in Max and I could set the resolution of the tubes, change their rotation, generating various elements like banisters and windows. The new Wireframe tool is still at entry level, generating only what you can see in the following test (subdivided cube – similar to the lattice I needed to get):

Wireframe tool location and settings

What I needed had to have this kind of intersections:

So the new tool didn’t help me after all.

Still it is a great and needed addition to Blender, maybe it will get improved, and by now I think it can be used instead of the wire material, with a good control over thickness. There are also two options for the offset, and though I checked “even”, the corners of the cube are not evenly thickened, as you can see in the first screenshot.

A second cool thing about the new Blender: it is still compatible with the Layer Names addon I started to use in the previous release :).

I know this doesen’t sound like a proper “new release feature” but I was heartbroken when I “lost” the window builder addon I had found two releases ago… Hope that gets rewriten too…

I am a big fan of naming layers and having them in a nice window with properties on the side (I use to forget which layer I’m putting objects in, even when I’m organised, no two projects are exactly alike), and I think this should be the default Layer usage in Blender. The existing layer tool could stay as a shortcut.. or not.

Layers addon

Next I’ll have to update myself on Cycles using the new release, I’ve been looking forward to this.

Have a nice blending day! 🙂