Alpha 0.11.0

New features:

• Allow MIDI mappings to specify channel per variable
• Allow MIDI mappings to specify a default value per control variable
• Add support for MIDI output devices (Settings -> MIDI)
• Add support for MIDI encoders
• Add ability to set an offset to the tap tempo (Settings -> Audio)
• Add ability to reset tap tempo downbeat (see API changes below)
• Add None option for audio input devices

Improvements:

• Upgrade to Processing 4.3, Java 17
• Syphon backend for faster Display & Preview windows (Mac only)
• More reliable deleting and moving of layers up and down via API

API changes:

• Add send_midi_message API method
• Add bpm, tap_tempo_offset, set_tap_tempo_offset, beat_index, set_beat_index, and request_reset_downbeat API methods
• Add get_display and focus_editor_window API methods
• Rename move_layer_* API methods to request_move_layer_*
• Rename delete_layer API method to request_delete_layer

Bug fixes:

• Fix bug where Syphon was referenced on Windows when it shouldn't be
• Fix bugs where stopping displays did not work correctly
• Fix bug where editor layout could not be resized

Tech improvements:

• Refactor client app into TypeScript
• Upgrade JRuby and a bunch of libraries & packages

Removed features:

• 32-bit Windows builds have now been dropped

Alpha 0.10.0

New features:

• Add support for rendering Syphon inputs on Mac (Settings -> Syphon to list inputs, use get_frame API to access frame as PImage)

Improvements:

• Display go to code tab shortcut prompt when code editor empty (UX fix for #13)
• Update preview pane icons
• Add icons to project, layer, console, and state variable context menu items

Bug fixes:

• Fix issue where rendering CodeInput would break client (should fix #12)

Tech improvements:

• Extract and refactor component library into an external package (now called refinery-ui)
• Lots of behind the scenes tidy up & improvements for the client application

Alpha 0.9.0

New features:

• Add code tab search (View -> Go to Code Tab... or Command/Ctrl + P)

Bug fixes:

• Fix issue where context menus were positioned incorrectly
• Fix issue where new layers would not appear in the interface if the sketch isn't running (fixes #10)
• Ensure the default frame rate is set to 60 (should fix #11)

Tech improvements:

• Better state synchronisation across windows
• Better server process handling (now, reloading the interface window doesn't kill the sketch!)
• Improved error handling and views to help report bugs

Alpha 0.8.0

New features:

• Add preview panes to showcase master or selected layer output in the interface (Settings -> Layout)

Improvements:

• Actually detect the available display devices and show their resolution (Settings -> Display)
• Change execute all to only execute code tabs open in the code editor

Notable bug fixes:

• Filter audio devices to only show input devices (Settings -> Audio)
• Improve stability when restarting the sketch

Alpha 0.7.0

User interface changes:

• Completely overhauled design based on a custom-built UI component library and style guide
• Gone is the unwieldy grid layout, say hello to a new layout with resizable & collapsable sidebar panels
• Updated toolbar with actions to create layers, code tabs, and move many menu actions into the native menu (File, Sketch, etc)
• Right-click context menus with actions for code tabs in project panel (Edit, Delete), layers (Delete), and state variables (Inspect, Attach to MIDI, Delete)
• Add Layout tab to settings to configure sidebar panes (Settings -> Layout)
• Add Credits tab to about window (content previously under License tab)

Tap tempo improvements:

• Added a progress indicator to the tap tempo to show the current beat position within a bar (currently has a fixed length of 4 beats)
• Added Sync button to the tap tempo to synchronise the tempo offset with the current time and reset the current beat position within a bar (can be called from API using request_sync)
• Ability to set the tap tempo by typing a BPM value (can be called from API using request_set_bpm)

Code editor improvements:

• Added keyboard shortcuts to execute all code tabs (Command/Alt + Shift + Enter) and to close the current code tab (Command/Ctrl + W)
• Add Execute all button (in dropdown next to Execute button)
• Ability to show or hide the result message from executing code (Settings -> General)
• Ability to configure code editor font size (Settings -> General)

Other new features:

• Added FPS counter (bottom left of code editor)
• Ability to click and drag on FFT to select bands and copy associated code to clipboard
• Ability to customise canvas size independently of display size (Settings -> Display)
• Added menu action to clear current layers (Sketch -> Clear Layers)
• Filter state based on the currently selected layer (configurable in Settings -> General)

Notable bug fixes:

• Fix issue where projects were not loaded correctly on Windows
• Fix issue where default draw code would not initialise for a new code tab with layer
• Fix issue where window settings would not persist
• Fix issue where master opacity would not apply to frames sent through Syphon or Spout

Tech improvements:

• Vastly improved front-end code with test suite for component library
• Some optimisations around socket message handling to improve front-end performance

Removed features:

• The ability to have multiple code editors open at the same time is gone due to the UI refactor but it may be introduced again in future via the ability to split the editor panes (or something along those lines)
• The “Render Draw Code Overlay” feature has now been removed. This feature was a first attempt at some kind of live code / UI rendering over the top of the visuals. Use the “Enable Transparent Window” feature now instead (Settings -> General)
• The feedback survey link was removed. You can send all feedback to [email protected] for now
• 32-bit Linux builds have has been dropped due to discontinuation of support by the Electron team

Alpha 0.6.1

Bug fixes:

• Fix issue where state variable value was incorrectly displayed when dragging on slider

Internal:

• Refactor more aspects of the client application to clean up technical debt

Alpha 0.6.0

A new version of Visor for 2020! This release mostly contains behind the scenes improvements but also offers a number of user-facing changes.

New features:

• Added experimental support for a transparent interface (Settings -> General)
• List loaded MIDI variables (Settings -> MIDI)

Improvements:

• Group state variables by layer in state interface
• Remember window position and dimensions when restarting Visor
• Convert about modal to window

API changes:

• Allow optional argument for on_beat to specify how many beats between firing

Bug fixes:

• Fix zoom in shortcut to not require the shift key to be held down
• Fix issue where MIDI variables would sometimes not appear in state variable attachment modal

Internal:

• Improve the efficiency of socket handling in the server application
• Refactor many aspects of the client application to clean up technical debt
• Use the latest versions of node, electron, react, and other packages

Alpha 0.5.0

Finally, a new version of Visor is here! This release contains a number of quality of life changes to improve usability and provide a more robust experience.

New features:

• Added Spout support
• Added ability to customise Java configuration (Settings -> Java Settings)
• Added keyboard shortcuts to switch between code tabs
• Added button to execute all code tabs sequentially (Sketch -> Execute All Code Tabs)
• Added ability to copy contents of the console to clipboard

Improvements:

• Bump Processing version (to 3.5.3) and bundled OpenJDK version
• Remember MIDI devices and loaded mappings when restarting Visor
• Maintain tap tempo between sketch restarts
• Add code editor keyboard shortcuts to Learn Hub

API changes:

• Added MIDI variable getter that returns default value if not defined (get_midi)
• Renamed background_transparent to background_fill

Bug fixes:

• Fixed bug that prevented Syphon from initialising
• Prevent interpolate function from tanking frame rate
• Call draw method on layers that aren’t visible (just don’t render them)

And many other minor improvements and bug fixes.

Alpha 0.4.0

Noteable features:

• Embed Java
• Upgrade electron version
• Contextual interface in stage manager for string variables (text area)
• Update default code
• Add options to create code tab modal to also create a layer of the same name (and vice-versa for the layer modal)
• Bug fixes

Alpha 0.3.0

Noteable features:

• Code tabs
• Layers
• Support for multiple MIDI input devices
• Learn hub (tutorial, keyboard shortcuts, reference)
• Feedback survey link