Boxshot 3D Packaging Mockup Software

News

Boxshot 5.0.4

27 Apr 2019

We keep improving OpenGL preview. This update adds environment lighting and antialiasing so OpenGL scenes look even better than before. It also fixes some problems that you reported. More details are inside.

Environment Lighting

In Boxshot 4 environment maps were used only for reflections, in version 5 they also define the ambient lighting of the scene. Here is the raytracing preview of the same scene rendered with two different environment maps:

Scene rendered with different environment maps

The shapes and materials are the same, it is only the environment image that’s been changed. See the difference? You can easily change the whole look of the scene by loading a different environment map, or by simply rotating the existing one! The problem is that with raytracing preview it may take up to a few seconds before the noise settles down and you can see the lighting pattern.

So we addressed this problem in this update and added environment lighting to OpenGL preview. Here is the same scene with the same two environment maps rendered by OpenGL driver:

Scene rendered with different environment maps

Looks pretty close, right? You see all the highlights made by the environment lighting in the fast OpenGL preview mode.

Here is another example of environment-based lighting. This time I used a more complex environment map - a room with a bright window. Here’s what it looks like in OpenGL. Done in less than a second right in Boxshot preview:

Scene with complex lighting rendered with OpenGL

Here is the same scene rendered with raytracing for about a minute:

Scene with complex lighting rendered using raytracing

The light pattern is very similar on both images. Of course, OpenGL can’t render all those nice shadows that raytracing provides, but at least you can configure lighting much faster. Combined with sunlight shadows this makes OpenGL preview quite a powerful tool.

Other Improvements

Besides that, we’ve added a few features and fixed some issues you reported. Here is the list:

  • OpenGL preview got antialiasing: edges get nicer when you stop moving the camera;
  • Fixed roughness effect for decals in OpenGL preview;
  • Background shaking fixed in raytracing preview when moving the camera;
  • Job names with dots are now displayed well;
  • Large images loading fixed;
  • OBJ format loading improved, the default OBJ material is now white;
  • Fixed decals on mugs and coffee cups (and probably on some other shapes);
  • Improved floor reflection decay in OpenGL preview;
  • Sample scenes in Welcome Screen have been updated.

Note that Boxshot 5 may spontaneously crash on Mac and we still can’t handle that, unfortunately. We haven’t heard of the similar problems on Windows, but it may happen there, as well. Please save often and report all the crashes if they happen - it really helps.

Cheers!