Update 1.1.0 - The Shape Builder Update

Real Time Workflow

Automatic Compilation & Draggable Input Fields

Any changes made during the creation of your own 4D shapes are now compiled and rendered in real time. No more compile button, no more guessing positions/dimensions. It all updates as you make changes!

The shape builder now makes use of draggable input fields. Just hover over an input field, like a position or dimension option, and drag! The position, rotation, and dimensions of the shape will update in real time depending on how far you drag, making for a much more user friendly workflow with immediate feedback.

More Artistic Options

This shape builder system was originally designed to be able to give you as many tools as you need to be as creative as you want and build fun stuff in an extra dimension. This update adds a bunch of new things so you can really let the artist in you run wild.

Material Patterns

Nodes now have a series of patterns you can pick as part of the material settings for the shapes. You can now set 4D textures that will give the shape some variation in its colour.

Material Only Operator

Introducing the "Material Only" operator. This allows you to combine a shape with a previous shape, but in a way where the material of the second shape is imprinted onto the first where they intersect. This allows for some really fun things like a 4D eyeball or a face on a 4D character.

As a bonus, this feature only evaluates a shape in the final stage of the rendering, meaning it is very computationally cheap, looks better and is far more flexible compared to having to combine several shapes via the other boolean operators to add variations in colour.

Background Colour

You are no longer limited to a boring blue background! You can now set the background colour to whatever colour you want. I hope this encourages you all to try some creative things such as designing 4D environments, creating an atmosphere, or just because you think another colour would complement your creation better than just blue.

New shapes

The Cubinder has been added as a new shape to the shape builder. It is a fun primitive shape with flat surfaces but not always disappearing in an instant unlike the cube.

The A-B Capsule has also been added. Rather than defining a length and then rotating it, this capsule lets you set two points that the capsule stretches between. This should make it far easier designing things like 4D creatures, where you want one capsule to carry on where the other left off.

Shape Roundness

You may have noticed in the playground you can set the roundness of some shapes like the cube or cylinder. Well this feature is now in the shape builder! The Cube, Cylinder, Cubinder, Cone and Prisms can now have rounded edges.

Copy and Paste

On top of these changes, copy and pasting nodes have also been added (Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V) to help speed up the work flow a little more.