Isadora 2.1 is Available
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Dear Community,
ISADORA 2.1 IS HERE
Today we are pleased to announce Isadora 2.1. You can download this version from the normal download page starting today.
If you have already upgraded to Isadora 2.0, you do not need to re-register. Just download, and you'll be ready to start working.
There are a handful of significant new features, and many fixes that address issues in 2.0.5. The detailed release notes are available here. We encourage you to read the release notes carefully, but here are some highlights:
One of the most important new enhancements is that you can now route all video types at the Projector. As many of you know, it used to be that the destination stage for GPU based video and Core Image video (vid-gpu, vid-CI) had to be chosen at the source. Now, it works like the CPU based video always did.
We've updated many of Isadora's video processing plugins to process all video formats (GPU, CI + CPU.) We're also offering some significant additions to our FreeFrameGL collection which you can download and install separately, including a very nice Chroma Key plugin. (Look on the downloads page under "Additional Downloads.")
There also some useful user interface enhancements, including the ability to connect multiple links from a single source and the new "Information" view, which shows help text as you mouse over actors, or their inputs or outputs.
THE FUTURE
TroikaTronix and Isadora are growing. As we evolve from a "one-man show" to a team effort, we see the places where we need to grow and improve. First, we will start publishing hard deadlines for new releases, and meet those deadlines. Second we will publish a public road map that will let you know where Isadora is headed, so that you can respond and help guide us towards the features most important to you. And finally, we will speed up our development cycle so that important new features are in your hands more quickly.
Here's the first deadline we will meet: Isadora 2.2 will be released no later than the December 31st, 2015. This will include more feature enhancements, and a significant (and very exciting) new addition to Isadora's capabilities. At that time, we will also launch a redesigned web site, publish several new tutorials to help you with devices like the Xbox Kinect or Arduino, and a road map outlining our goals for the upcoming year.
Some of the old (but still very useful) CPU based actors still need to be updated to include GPU and CI video formats so they can handle HD resolutions. By the time 2.2 comes out, all video plugins will have been enhanced to process all video formats. But, to get these to you as fast as possible, we will be offering these updated plugins via a downloadable installer. We will update this installer as new plugins become ready.
We are in the process of updating the manual. In the meantime, the documentation of the most important Isadora 2.x topics can be found in our Knowledge Base
IN CLOSING…
I want to take a moment here congratulate and thank the TroikaTronix team: Xenia Leydel (production manager); Jamie Griffiths, Montgomery Martin, and Ryan Webber (tech support); and, finally, Michel Weber and Graham Thorne (forum moderators). As many of know, while continuing my Isadora duties, I"m also deep in the midst of an artistic residency. Our team has grown into a real force, and has done an excellent job managing administrative issues, technical support, the forum and preparing the for the release of 2.1.
We are committed to improve and enhance Isadora, and to provide support that makes it easier than ever you realize your artistic vision. Thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support for Isadora.
Onward and Forward!
Sincerely,
Mark Coniglio + The TroikaTronix Team
