Merry Stykzmas! Bugfix Build 205 Available

Just a quick note to wish you a "Merry Stykzmas" and to let you know that a bugfix build of RC 4 is now available for download.

Here's what's fixed in Build 205:

• General


• Fixed bug where interface was showing "Classic"-style buttons on Mac PowerPCs. [1248]


• Figure Manipulation


• Fixed bug where nodes were not being shown on a selected figure when switching to the PolyFill tool. [1251]


• Fixed bug where it was possible to have multiple figures selected, but when you clicked on the drag node, it would only drag one of them


• Fixed bug where deleting multiple segments at once could put the figure into an odd state where the nodes don't turn red when you click on the figure with the Select tool. [1245]


• Added option to use CTRL-click (Win) or Cmd-click (Mac) to add segments or remove segments from a selection; this is an alternative to using the SHIFT key (which continues to work as before). [1241]


• Changed selection behavior so that if you just click on a single figure (or component) of a selected group of figures (or components), the other elements become deselected and the thing you clicked on becomes the only selection. [1242]


• Fixed bug where creating new figures with the node size set to anything else other than "Normal" would first create the line with normal sized nodes, and then afterwards it would "snap" to the selected node size. Now it operates seamlessly. [1238]


• Fixed bug where hitting the Enter key while creating a segment with right-click-and-drag would generate an error. [1239]


• Export


• Fixed bug where exporting to QT wouldn't alert you properly if you were exporting to an existing file path.


• Fixed bug where exporting to QuickTime would sometimes cause the progress window to "hang" at the the beginning of "Prepping for export".


• Added warning dialog if you choose to export an animation to a size larger than the current stage size. [1249]


• Import


• Fixed bug where some Pivot .stk files were not importing properly (lines were at strange angles) [1252]


• Menus


• Fixed bug where no recent documents where displayed in the File menu after you closed the last open Stykz document (on Mac this was represented by having an "Open Recent" menu item with no submenus). [1250]


• Playback


• Fixed bug where the onionskin was not being redisplayed after exiting the StykzPlayer. [1246]


• Fixed bug where clicking the close box to stop playback would sometimes cause the StykzPlayer to pop back open again and continue playing. [1243]


• Palettes


• Properties


• Fixed bug where the mixed-state checkbox would sometimes not be clickable.
• Fixed bug where the current document would not re-activate after clicking the lock icon (which would prevent you from moving or deleting a figure after you unlock it).


• Frames


• Fixed bug where trying to resize the Frames palette as soon as the first document opens would generate an error dialog. [1244]


• Preferences


• Fixed bug where color selection for selected/unselected nodes didn't apply to the color outline on static nodes (they still showed blue/red regardless of the color you picked).

Enjoy!

The Stykz Development Team

Stykz 1.0 Release Candidate 4 is Now Available!

I'm happy to finally be able to announce that Stykz 1.0 Release Candidate 4 is now available for download at the main Stykz site. This is the LAST version of Stykz to be released before the official 1.0 release, which I intend to put out before the end of the year (hopefully on or just after Christmas).

This version contains a number of features, a long list of bug fixes, improved performance in a number of areas, and the GIF animations are compatible with just about every app that we've tested (Mac and Windows)! The list of fixes/changes are long, but here are the highlights:

• Fixed issue with documents not opening properly under Snow Leopard.


• Added new Welcome Center which lets you open a recent document, open a blank doc, get help, link to tutorials, etc.


• Reworked the architecture for manipulating figures to make it as accurate as possible - there should be no more rotate/scale issues.


• Made polyfills more "intelligent"; if you add a node to a figure where the "parent" and "child" of the node you added is part of a polyfill, the new node you added becomes part of the polyfill.


• Added support for directly opening .styk and .stk files.


• Added ability to lock a figure so that it you can't modify it in any way.


• Added automatic saving and automatic backup


• Modified interface of the Properties palette so that mixed selections would show as mixed and not as just the value of the first selected object in a group. Fields with mixed selections display as empty; checkboxes show a dash (Mac) or filled-in square (Win); color swatches show a diagonal slash through them.


• Added decimal precision for width, angle, and length (and you can set how to display the precision in Preferences).

You can see the complete list of everything done for this release by going to the Release Notes page on the Stykz web site.

Two things to be aware of though:

1. Since a number of issues prior to RC4 were related to corrupted preferences, RC4 will automatically reset the preferences to the "factory" settings, so you'll need to go to the Preferences dialog and re-set them the way you want them.


2. Similarly, there were some issues with upgrading older .stykz documents properly, so all pre-RC4 .stykz files will need to be run through another conversion to work properly with RC4.

This release has gone through a LOT of testing, including having a small group of dedicated testers on the Stykz forums working with builds and reporting issues, so although no software is bug-free, this one should hopefully have a lot fewer bugs than previous versions. Of course, please use the feedback mechanism to let me know know of any issues you find.

Hope you enjoy RC4, and I look forward to getting 1.0 out the door in the coming weeks.

The Stykz Development Team

Stykz and Snow Leopard

With Apple just recently releasing Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6), I've received a couple of questions about whether there are any compatibility issues with Stykz on Snow Leopard or not.

I'm happy to say that Stykz operates just fine on Snow Leopard - in fact as far as we can tell it works just as well as it does on Leopard (10.5) or Tiger (10.4), so if you were delaying in updating to Snow Leopard, you have one less excuse! :-)

Happy animating!

The Stykz Development Team

Stykz 1.0 Release Candidate 3 Now Available!

Stykz 1.0 Release Candidate 3 is now available for download at the main Stykz site. This version contains a bunch of bug fixes, improved performance (especially under Windows), and stability enhancements. The list of fixes/changes are pretty long, but here are the highlights:

• Improved performance (almost 200%) when pivoting, stretching, creating, or distorting segments (especially on Windows).
  
  
• Fixed the "add node"/"delete node" error when using the Subselect tool. (I got a lot of reports on that!)
  
  
• Fixed the bug where creating a second segment with the Add Line tool would sometimes create it from the wrong starting point.
  
  
• Stykz now makes sure all Library .styk files are verified before adding them to the Stage (just in case you used an older .styk file that might be in the wrong file format).
  
  
• Added Undo support to layering of figures/segments, and fixed a bunch of bugs related to Undo.
  

You can see the complete list of everything done for this release by going to the Release Notes page on the Stykz web site.

I REALLY hope this is the last release before 1.0... (fingers crossed).

(BTW: If you're using Stykz for Windows, make sure you read the "Important" screen when you run the Installer related to the changes in the "Stykz for Windows" desktop folder. If you have any questions about that, you can let me know.)

Anyway, have fun using RC 3, and as usual, let me know if you find anything!

The Stykz Development Team

Thoughts about a"Single Window" mode for Stykz

Based on the feedback we've been receiving, we're planning on putting out an optional "single window" mode for Stykz. This is currently targeted for a 1.1 or 1.5 version (some "official release" between the 1.0 and 2.0 releases).

Here's a mockup of what we're thinking:


If you have any suggestions or feedback on this, please let us know.

Thanks!

Stykz Development Team

Stykz Release Candidate 2 Now Available!

Stykz 1.0 Release Candidate 2 is now available for download at the the main Stykz site. This version contains a bunch of bug fixes, stability enhancements, and a couple of minor "features" (actually just rounding out existing functionality):

• Added a "Reset to Defaults" button in the Preferences window.
  
  
• Added the ability to optionally change the color of circle fills and/or polyfills when you set the line segment color of a figure. (If Stykz determines that the figure you're attempting to change the line segment color of has a circle or polyfill in it, you'll get a dialog with choices on what to affect.)
  

Of course you can see a comprehensive list of everything done for this release by going to the Release Notes page on the Stykz web site.

* * * * * * FILE FORMAT CHANGE * * * * * *

This version has a slightly different file format, so if you open any documents that were created prior to RC2, you'll get a "File Format Update" dialog box. If you go ahead and update, Stykz will make a backup copy of the original before it starts the update. Once a document has been updated, it won't have to go through the process again unless there's another file format change down the road.

During the updating of the document, it will also verify all figures and segments and fix anything that might have become corrupted from the earlier betas. Note that there is a small chance that your document may have a polyfill that was corrupted and could not be fixed. In this case, the corrupted polyfill will be automatically deleted from the document, and you'll have to re-add it again manually.

So once the update has completed, check every frame of your animation to make sure it's OK before you delete the backup file.

This release is hopefully the last one before the 1.0 official release, but if there are still a bunch of bugs to deal with, we'll do an RC3.

Enjoy RC 2, and let us know if you find anything!

Stykz Development Team

Stykz Release Candidate 1 Now Available!

Stykz 1.0 Release Candidate 1 is now available for download at the the main Stykz site. This version contains a LOT of bug fixes, plus a the following new features:

• Multi-level Undo/Redo support (see the full overview of Undo here)
  
  
• File associations are now hooked up so you should be able to see icons for documents and double-click on documents to launch Stykz
  
  
• A revised Preferences window broken out into sections so everything is clearer and easier to understand:
  
  
  
  
  
  
• You can now save the window positions of your documents and specify where the first window opens when Stykz launches (Preferences/General)
  
  
• You can specify the default stage size you want to use for new documents (Preferences/General)
  
  
• You can define how you want onionskins to look, both their color and opacity and can choose solid colors if you like (Preferences/Interface)
  
  
• You can specify the color of the backdrop (Preferences/Interface)
  
  
• The Frames palette automatically reloads frame thumbnails so your Stykz documents no longer have to hold them, significantly reducing the on-disk size of your animation file
  
  
• You can navigate the Library palette using arrow keys or type-to-match - it will jump to the first match and show the selection as you arrowkey around
  
  
• You can choose to select colors from the built-in Websafe Color Picker (turn on the "Web" checkbox before picking your color):
  
  
  
  
  

Note that you can see a comprehensive list of everything done for this release by going to the Release Notes page on the Stykz web site.

This release contains all the functionality of the final 1.0 version, and between now and the 1.0 release all that we will be working on are bug fixes and rounding out the Undo.

Enjoy!

Stykz Development Team

Sorry to do this, but...

... the delivery of Stykz 1.0 for Mac/Windows needs to be pushed back (again). I didn't anticipate having some health issues or for Undo to be as difficult as it has been. So the timeline has been adjusted to move the release date for Stykz 1.0 for Mac/Windows to June 7.

The Stykz Development Team

Stykz for Linux Delayed; Windows/Mac Still on Track

In the process of working on the public beta for Linux that was due on the 14th, we ran across a significant performance-related issue that will take a several weeks to resolve. As such, the Linux public beta has been retargeted for 6/30, with the official 1.0 changed to 7/31.

The official 1.0 release of Stykz for Mac and Windows is still on track for 5/21; if for some reason this changes, we'll post an update.

The Stykz Development Team

So much to do, so little time... (Timeline Shift)

The release announced today is a major upgrade, and signifies the last Win/Mac Public Beta for Stykz 1.0... don’t worry, Undo is still coming, but it will be in “Release Candidate 1” (the next release after this one) and will most likely be the last feature added to Stykz 1.0 before its official release. The way this is going to go is:

• Last Public Beta (this one)


• Release Candidate 1 ("RC1") – Includes bug fixes from the public beta and Undo support


• Release Candidate 2 ("RC2") – Includes bug fixes only, along with working on support files (help/tutorials/etc.)


• Final 1.0 Release

Now as you can see, it’s currently April 23, and there's still Undo to add, bug fixes on the list left to do as well as for any found during this last Beta and the RC1/RC2 releases, so there’s unfortunately no way to release 1.0 as planned on April 30.

The release date for Stykz 1.0 has been moved back to May 21, which is only another 3 weeks but should give enough time to get everything done. The Linux releases have been affected as well.

Hopefully there will be no more need to push back the timeline, and we appreciate your understanding.

The Stykz Development Team

Stykz/Windows (Release 3) and Stykz/Mac (Release 5) Now Available!

I’m excited to announce that Windows Release 3/Mac Release 5 is now available for download at the Stykz web site. This version contains a LOT of bug fixes, stability increases, performance enhancements and the following new features:

• "Insert Frame" and "Delete Frame" are now menu items (Edit menu), so you can execute them with shortcut keys.


• You can now delete selected segments with the Delete/Backspace key or through the Edit menu.


• You can turn off the ability to switch between Select and Subselect tools by double-clicking (in Preferences).


• You can set the default frame rate and GIF animation export frame delay time (in Preferences).


• Abilty to show or hide antialiasing for the currently displayed frame (for Windows only atm...)


• You can now create new segments by choosing the Add Line or Add Circle tool in a more "Pivot-like" way: click once to "plant” the starting node, then move the mouse to where you want it to be (the segment will track with the mouse), and finally click again to plant the end node. This takes the place of the old way of just clicking on a node to get a fixed length segment that you had to adjust later, and is much more intuitive than right-click-and-drag. BTW: The "Notes for Pivot Users" window has been revised to include instructions about this and to make the layout more intuitive.




(From the "Notes for Pivot Users" dialog)



• There are now some additional “tool-based instructions” that show up in the lower-left corner of the stage when you choose tools like the Polyfill or Add Line/Add Circle tools to walk you through making a polyfill, using the "click/click" method for creating segments, etc. These can be turned off in Preferences as well, if you like.


• You can now duplicate segments by simply clicking and dragging them. You use the Subselect tool, click anywhere on the segment and drag... a translucent proxy of the segment moves with the mouse until you get over a node where the node is surrounded by a red circle. Release the mouse and the segment attaches to that node. You can do this between figures or within the same figure, and if you release before you have a highlighted node displayed, the action is automatically canceled.


• You can drag figures out of the Library palette to the desktop by holding down the Alt (or Option) key when you drag it. This is a lot easier than having to open a folder and hunt down the .styk you’re trying to send someone.


• The "known bug" about clicking on vertical/nearly vertical segments has been fixed.


• A new "Commands" palette has been added that lets you add/edit/delete buttons that trigger actions in Stykz. The default Commands palette ships with a layout that is very similar to the button layout in Pivot, but of course you can modify it to suit your needs. It's fully resizable so you can have as small or as large a window as you want in whatever orientation suits you. Here's what the Mac version looks like (from the main site) and the corresponding Windows versions:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Of course there's a lot that can be done to extend and enhance the functionality of this palette, but this should be a good start!

Note that you can see a comprehensive list of everything done for this release by going to the Release Notes page on the Stykz web site.

Oh, and this release includes a bunch of .styk files for use in the Library - numbers 0-9 along with a handful of .styks done by Ipwnall from DarkDemon including a cityscape, a couple of different grounds, grass, a sword, etc. On Windows it gets installed in the My Documents/Stykz folder and on Mac it's included on the .dmg.

Enjoy!

The Stykz Development Team

Stykz/Windows (Release 2) and Stykz/Mac (Release 4) Now Available!

I am happy to announce that Windows Release 2/Mac Release 4 is now available for download at the Stykz site or through "Check for Updates" in the current version of Stykz.

The main things available in this build are:

• Nodes can now either float on top of segments or be interleaved with segments – your choice! You can set the way you want it to be 90+% of the time in the Preferences window, and then switch the node method on/off through the View menu for temporary changes.


• The StykzPlayer is now a window with a close box, and I’ve made other changes to make it easier to stop playback at any time and at any framerate


• The Frames palette was completely re-engineered so that large files with hundreds of frames would open very quickly and not display cut off or overlapping frames.


• Onionskins have been darkened so they don't get lost on bright monitors


• Performance has increased across the app for most actions, especially in manipulating complex figures... the increase ranges from 125% to 500%, depending on what you’re doing.

Of course there were dozens of bug fixes and a handful of enhancements that you can read about on the Release Notes page.

The intention is to finish with any additional features and bug fixes by April 15 so that the last two weeks before April 30 can be used to focus on support items and to get the Linux version to its first beta state.

Enjoy!

The Stykz Development Team

Windows Public Beta Release 1 Debuts... Mac Timeline Shifts

On Saturday, Feb 21, at about 3:30pm CST, Stykz for Windows Public Beta Release 1 was made available to the public, and was announced initially on the Droidz and DarkDemon forums along with the forums at Stykz.net. There were dozens of downloads and feedback started to pour in, delaying the updating of the main Stykz.net web site with the announcement of Stykz/Windows.

The feedback that we received was a mixture of congratulations and a handful of specific bugs that really affected the experience of Pivot users trying their hand for the first time with Stykz.

Even though Stykz/Windows has only been out for about a day, it became clear to me that there are too many issues that have been identified that affect *all* platforms (plus the addition of Undo) to get done in time for the originally proposed Mac 1.0 release on February 28.

So the decision was made to put the Mac 1.0 release on the same time track as the Windows 1.0 release, which is for April 30. Additional Beta releases will be put out between now and then, every 1-2 weeks or so. (If you have downloaded Stykz/Windows or Stykz/Mac, make sure you have your "Check for Updates" turned on in Preferences, so you can get automatically notified when new betas are made available.) The Linux release was adjusted as well, since after the development of Windows/Mac 1.0, there shouldn't be much to do except tweak a few things for Linux, so it's been moved forward a month to May 31.

We know this is going to disappoint those using Stykz/Mac who were looking forward to getting a final release next week, but we really think it's for the best.

If you want to download Stykz/Windows Beta Release 1 or Stykz/Mac Beta Release 3, go to http://www.stykz.net and click on the download links.

The Stykz Development Team

Reminder: Windows Public Beta This Weekend!!

Just a quick reminder to let you know that the Windows Public Beta Release 1 is set for this coming Saturday, February 21. This version will work on Windows XP and Vista, and includes support for a more expanded "Pivot Compatiblity" mode, and export to Animated GIF format, among other things. Here's an example of a simple "falling" animation, designed in Stykz and export to GIF from the program:


Enjoy!

The Stykz Development Team

Stykz for Mac Beta 2 is Now Available!

 
After four long weeks of bug fixes and enhancements, the second Public Beta for Mac is available for download at http://www.stykz.net.

This version of Stykz builds on the popularity of Beta 1 by adding several new features:

• Ability to import Pivot 2 .stk files, which means that Stykz will be able to use thousands of already created .stk files so that animators won't have to recreate work that is easy to download and import.


• You can export the currently displayed frame as a PNG, JPG, or GIF image


• You can export all the frames in an animation to a sequence of PNG or GIF images.


• We added an indicator in the title bar of a document window and in the Window menu to indicate a document that needs to be saved.


• A new StykzPlayer window was added for playback that shows up automatically that lets Stykz get better performance in playback.


• You can now move any selected figures to the center of the current stage by choosing “Move to Center Stage” from the Arrange menu.


• We added shortcut keys to most menus items to make things easier to access.


• A “Revert to Saved” menu item was added to the File menu to allow for discarding all changes made to a document.


• You can now create a circle by just choosing “Circle” from the Figure menu.


• We have made it a lot easier to move Stykz figures (.styk files) into and out of the Library: at the bottom of the Library palette are buttons to add/rename/delete items in the Library, to open the actual Library folder on your hard drive, and to refresh the list if you choose to add files to the Library folder while Stykz is open. You can also drag .styk files from the desktop directly to the Library palette to quickly add .styk files into your Library.


• You can now specify that any figure, including those in your Library, can be used for new documents in the Preferences window

In addition to the features listed above, fixed a whole bunch of bugs so as we approach the 1.0 release Stykz will be as bug-free as possible. To see a list of everything we’ve done, see the Release Notes.

Note that this version has been re-engineered for better performance and that required a file format change; so when you open any .stykz files you created in Beta 1, you will be prompted to convert to the new format (a backup of the original is made just in case).

The next targets on the horizon are the first Windows Public Beta on February 21, and the official Mac 1.0 release on February 28. You can always see the current timeline at the Stykz forums by going to http://tinyurl.com/stykzdevtimeline, and the features we’ll be adding to future versions of Stykz by going to http://tinyurl.com/stykzdevroadmap.

As always, if you run into any issues, or have any comments or suggestions, please use the “Send Feedback” menu item in the Help menu, or send email to stykzman@stykz.net.

Enjoy!

The Stykz Development Team

Sneak Peak on Upcoming Windows Public Beta

We're working hard on getting ready to release the Mac Beta 2 of Stykz, but at the same time we've been getting the first Public Beta of the Windows version of Stykz ready as well. Here are some screenshots of Stykz for Windows:


(Click for a larger image)


(Click for a larger image)

Of course we have some interface refinements and other adjustments including testing to do, but we wanted to keep you posted on our progress. Just FYI, Public Beta 2 for Mac is due out this week, and Public Beta 1 for Windows is due next month (2/21/2009). Enjoy!

Sneak Peak on Upcoming Beta 2 Features

In addition to streamlining playback and fixing bugs, several features have been added to Stykz that will be available in Beta 2 in addition to Pivot .stk import:

• Most menus have new shortcut keys added to make it easier to access those menu items
  
  
• A new "Export Frame" menu item gives you the ability to export the current frame to a PNG, JPEG, or GIF image (in either Edit or Preview modes)
  
  
• A new "Revert to Saved" menu item allows you to ditch all changes made since the last save
  
  
• New buttons on the Library palette let you get quick access to the folder where .styk files are stored so you can move them in and out and refresh the list
  
  
• The display of static and hidden segments (and their nodes) was modified depending on whether a figure is currently selected or not, and with which tool.
  

These changes should allow for easier animating and more flexibility while working with Stykz. And there's more to come!

Beta 2 to Include .stk Importer - Here's a Sample

After the basic importation code was in place, I looked for a reasonably complex stick file to import, and found one on the Droidz.org forum called "advisor" created by Nazareno. To give you an idea of how this looks, the images below show the comparison between Pivot and Stykz Beta 2 (pre-release).

(Click on the thumbnails below to see the comparisons at full size.)

Here they both are in the Figure Editor (Pivot) and selected (Stykz):



And here they are in the animation (Pivot) and deselected (Stykz):



These are not 100% exact, but they are very close and we'll be working to make sure we get as close as we can to the original .stk.