Vortex Studio 2023.9 Change Log
- Marc Lievin
- 1 What's new?
- 1.1 Vortex Studio Download for Windows
- 1.1.1 What’s changing
- 1.1.2 Why it matters
- 1.1.3 Additional details
- 1.2 Vortex Editor Renderer Transparency Settings
- 1.2.1 What’s changing
- 1.2.2 Why it matters
- 1.3 Remote Debugger Initial Support for the Unity Streamed Terrain.
- 1.3.1 What’s changing
- 1.3.2 Why it matters
- 1.4 Vortex Human and Vegetation deprecation
- 1.4.1 What’s changing
- 1.4.2 Why it matters
- 1.4.3 Additional details
- 1.1 Vortex Studio Download for Windows
- 2 System Requirements
- 2.1 License Requirements
- 2.2 Supported Platform
- 2.3 Hardware Requirements
- 2.4 Software Capabilities
- 2.4.1 Mongo DB
- 2.4.2 Qt
- 2.4.3 Python
- 2.4.4 Unreal Engine Integration
- 2.4.5 Unity Integration
- 2.4.6 Supported Compiler
- 2.4.7 Simulink/MATLAB
- 2.4.8 Supported 3D model File Types
- 2.4.9 Vortex Human
- 2.4.10 Vortex Vegetation
- 2.5 Licensing
- 2.5.1 Compatibility Notice
- 3 End-of-life Notice
- 4 Minor Improvements in Vortex Studio 2023.9
- 5 Fixed Issues in Vortex Studio 2023.9
- 6 Known Issues in Vortex Studio 2023.9
What's new?
Vortex Studio Download for Windows
What’s changing
The installation application and its individual packages for Vortex Studio are now available online from the CM Labs' Asset Store.
Why it matters
When a new version of VortexSetup is launched, it immediately makes all newly released packages accessible to the public.
Additional details
See https://cm-labs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VSD239/pages/318210491/Download+and+Installation#Vortex-Studio-Download for more information.
Vortex Editor Renderer Transparency Settings
What’s changing
Now, the transparency quality displayed in the Vortex Studio Editor is even more customizable.
The value picked will depend on how well your graphics hardware performs.
The option can be found in the Options page under the Display category.
Why it matters
The capacity to perceive items in three dimensions and effectively place and choose them may be impacted by the transparency quality.
Remote Debugger Initial Support for the Unity Streamed Terrain.
What’s changing
The Vortex Remote Debugger now allows you to see the heightfield beneath the mechanism as it is streamed from Unity.
Why it matters
The process for mechanical engineering's troubleshooting and tuning is more effective thanks to simple access to debugging tools.
Vortex Human and Vegetation deprecation
What’s changing
Human and vegetation extensions are no longer accessible.
Content that already exists will still load with a warning.
In a later edition, support for these extensions will be dropped.
Why it matters
For advanced rendering, Vortex Studio is switching to the Unity and Unreal engines, but Vortex Human and Vegetation may still be used in legacy projects.
Additional details
Content using these features should be reviewed to replace their usage:
To mimic the collisions, plain collision geometries should be used.
To render the objects, Unity should be used.
Moving characters can be achieved with a script or an animation path extension.
For the avatar functionality, a script and a camera can replace the behavior.
System Requirements
License Requirements
Starting with Vortex Studio 2023.7, no license is needed to run a simulation of content created with Vortex Studio Editor (or purchased from CM Labs).
Since “running a simulation” is unlocked on any single computer, applications such as Python, Unity, or Unreal can be used to run a simulation containing Vortex Studio content, no matter the operating system, as long as the system is supported by Vortex Studio.
Vortex Studio Create applications, including Vortex Studio Editor and Vortex Studio Debugger, still requires a license.
Whenever a Vortex Studio Activate feature is used in a simulation, a Vortex Studio license is required.
Supported Platform
Windows
Vortex Studio 2023.9 runs on the following platforms:
Microsoft Windows 10 (x64), version 22H2.
Microsoft Windows 11 (x64), version 22H2.
Linux
Not all features are available on the Linux operating system. See Features and Capabilities Overview for more details.
2022.8 is the last version supporting CentOS7 or equivalent.
An update to the latest Ubuntu LTS and equivalent operating systems is in progress.
Currently, Vortex Studio on Linux can only open content created on Vortex Studio (Windows) 2023.3 or earlier until this issue is fixed in a later release.
Using an earlier version of Vortex Studio on Windows to create content still works on Linux.
Hardware Requirements
Recommended Configuration for Vortex Create Applications
CPU Intel i7-9700 or better
RAM 32GB
GPU
Intel, NVIDIA, or AMD
at least 4 GB VRAM, Vulkan 1.3
Any computer running Vortex Studio Create or Activate must support AVX2 instructions set.
Software Capabilities
Mongo DB
Mongo DB is the database engine used in Vortex Activate.
The version supported is Mongo DB 4.2.
Qt
Vortex Studio uses a custom version of Qt 5.15.2.
Python
Unreal Engine Integration
Vortex Studio 2023.9 supports integration with Unreal Engine version 4.27.
Unity Integration
Vortex Studio 2023.9 supports integration with Unity Unity 2021.3.22f1 LTS.
Supported Compiler
Vortex Studio 2023.9 supports Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 (VC14) compiler and above.
GCC 7.3 is the supported compiler on Linux.
Simulink/MATLAB
Real-time UDP protocol of Simulink/MATLAB is supported.
Vortex S-Function block in Simulink is supported.
Supported 3D model File Types
The following 3D model file types can be imported into Vortex Studio Editor.
.cive, .dae, .fbx, .flt, .ive, .obj
.osg2, .osga, .osgb, .osgs, .osgt, .osgx, .shp
Vortex Human
In the editor, humans can be represented as a capsule and moved around with a script or an animation path extension.
Visualization of humans can be done in a simulator using Unity or Unreal.
Vortex Vegetation
In the editor, plants and trees can be represented as collision geometries.
Visualization of Vegetation can be done in a simulator using Unity or Unreal.
Licensing
Vortex uses RLM by Reprise Software™ for licensing.
See Licensing for more information.
Compatibility Notice
Between the Windows version and the Linux version
Between any Vortex version
Record-and-Playback as well as Keyframe files created with previous versions may not work with Vortex Studio 2023.9.
End-of-life Notice
Python 3.8 needs to be used.
Feature Snap to Surface in the Vortex Editor was removed.
Minor Improvements in Vortex Studio 2023.9
In addition to features documented in the “What's New”, minor improvements have been made during the development of Vortex Studio 2023.9:
ID | Summary |
|---|---|
VP-46620 | VortexSetup supports Asset Store for anonymous download |
VP-43828 | VortexSetup is no longer seen as a potentially dangerous application by Windows |
VP-46661 | Unity Integration - automatically set the API Compatibility level |
Fixed Issues in Vortex Studio 2023.9
Various bugs and workflow issues have been fixed during the development of Vortex Studio 2023.9:
ID | Summary |
|---|---|
VP-46614 | Cable Straps are not rendered properly during simulation |
VP-46651 | Unity integration - If Vortex is not found, the Unity application just hangs and must be manually killed |
VP-46682 | Demo Scene: Deleting the LAV mechanism introduces an invalid object in Unity |
VP-46851 | Vortex Remote Debugger: potential crash when an Soil Bin with Heightfield is loaded |
Known Issues in Vortex Studio 2023.9
ID | Summary | Workaround |
VP-41437 | When a sound is created such that the listener and the emitter are exactly at the same location, or the listener is moving together with the emitter such that it is precisely above it, the sound that the operator hears becomes garbled. | This happens for monaural sound track when the listener and the emitter are moving in tandem while being either too close or aligned vertically. The workaround is keep the sound emitter and the listener separate and make sure they can't be move in a way where they could align with each other. |
VP-43810 | Memory blocks dumped, when terminating the application. | None. This memory leak is not growing, it's memory that should be returned before the end of the process. Requires a 3rd party update. |
VP-44315 | Memory leak related to VxContactMaterial when there is a contact upon termination of a VxCore application. | Removing all parts and collision geometries before destroying the VxUniverse ensures that any ongoing contact is invalidated before destroying the VxUniverse. Optionally, using the higher level VxSim API and loading content created in the Vortex Studio Editor seems to work around this issue as the content is automatically unloaded before the application is destroyed. |