Greetings, commander! There is a new version of Notepad++ published under the name Notepad++ v8.5.3. For those unfamiliar with it, Notepad++ is a free and open-source code editor and Notepad replacement that runs on Windows. It supports several programming languages, multiple tabs, plugins, and is based on the powerful editing component Scintilla.

Here are the updates from Notepad++ v8.5.3:

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Notepad++ v8.5.3 bug-fixes and new features:

  • Fix session file data loss issue.
  • Fix Explorer context menu “Edit with Notepad++” needs restarting os to appear issue under Win 8/10.
  • Fix Explorer context menu “Edit with Notepad++” not installed for multiple users issue.
  • Fix Explorer context menu “Edit with Notepad++” double entries in some applications (Winzip).
  • Make Explorer context menu “Edit with Notepad++” translatable.
  • Add the UTF8 character ability for Run & Macro menu.
  • Add hide/show ability of Control Characters (C0 & C1) and Unicode EOL.
  • Fix Change history margin in the black color issue.
  • Improve “Remove consecutive duplicate lines” command performance.
  • Project Workspace “Save a Copy As” confusion issue.
  • Make “Remove consecutive duplicate lines” support more line breaks.
  • Fix the UDL deletion issue.
  • Fix RTL not working on FindInFiles progress window.
  • Fix search results output alignment for large file searches.
  • Several GUI Enhancements.


Note that your Macro and Run commands saved in Notepad++ v.8.5.2 (or older) may not be compatible with the current version of Notepad++. Please test those commands and, if needed, re-edit them.
Alternatively, you can downgrade to Notepad++ v8.5.2 and restore your previous data. Notepad++ will back up your old “shortcuts.xml” and save it as “shortcuts.xml.v8.5.2.backup”.
Renaming “shortcuts.xml.v8.5.2.backup" -> “shortcuts.xml”, your commands should be restored and work properly.


You can learn more about Notepad++ by visiting the Official Website, and Forums. You can download Notepad++ v8.5.3 Here. And this is all for today! Enjoy Notepad++ and provide your feedback about it so it can get better.

One vision, one purpose! Dream Textures v0.2.0 has been published recently by the developers of Dream Textures. For those who are not acquainted with it, Dream Textures is a plugin for Blender that uses AI Generative Adversarial Networks to generate realistic-looking concept art, background assets, and more for Blender from a simple text prompt. It allows you to create textures that tile perfectly with no visible seam by using the 'Seamless' option. You can also use it to create quick variations on an existing texture. It requires GPUs with a massive amount of RAM to generate big textures (about 12GB or higher for 512x512 textures). Here are the updates from Dream Textures v0.2.0:

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This update brings ControlNet, optimization, and nodes!

Check out the new render engine to get started with the node system.


What's New
ControlNet
ControlNet gives you a lot more control over image generation. It has been fully integrated into the new render engine, as well as in the Image Editor and texture projection panel.

Here are some things you can do with it.


  • Turn a pose into an image








  • Colorize a Grease Pencil sketch








  • Render a scene from a basic mesh








  • Improved texture projection fidelity, and image editing with ip2p







Optimizations
PyTorch 2.0 is now bundled with the release. This brings the new SDP attention, which reduces memory and generates faster. This new optimization is enabled by default.

A new CFG End optimization is also included, which can be used to disable classifier-free guidance after a certain percentage of steps. This can be great for quick prototyping.

The optimization UI is also improved to provide a better overview of what each option does. The time each generation takes is now displayed below the "Generate" button.

Render Engine
A dedicated "Dream Textures" render engine is now available. It provides the node system and acts as an alternative to engines like Cycles or Eevee.

Learn more about the render engine and node system in the wiki.

Full Changelog


You can learn more about Dream Textures by visiting the Official Website. Download Dream Textures v0.2.0 Here. And that's all for now! Have fun and enjoy Dream Textures!

Vinifera March/April 2023 Updates
Apr 21, 2023 - 15:37
Hello ladies and gentlemen! This one is for those who want to modify Tiberian Sun. Have you ever heard of Vinifera? Developed by [url=https://ppmforums.com/user-1676/cchyper/
CCHyper[/url], Vinifera extends the modding features from Tiberian Sun and Firestorm, and it is completely open-source.

This tool is in an early development stage, so the releases are all considered unstable. However, it is already being used by some Tiberian Sun mods. One of the main problems of early development stages is the complete lack of friendly documentation. If you know C++, you can see the code for each of the extended abilities by browsing here. The other problem with the current development stage of Vinifera is that we have to manually collect the recent changes to inform you its progress for you. And this is what we could collect so far starting from March 2023 to now:

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Recent changes:

  • Fixes a crash when unable to generate a list of available multiplayer objects for the PlaceUnit and/or PlaceInfantry developer command(s).
  • Implements IsLegalTargetComputer for TechnoTypes.
  • Adds a command line argument to hide the version string from the tactical view for non-release builds.
  • Implements IsCurleyShuffle for AircraftTypes.
  • Implements ReloadRate for AircraftTypes.
  • Adds IceStrength to RulesClass, and IceDestructionEnabled scenarioClass.
  • Write to the log when changing the default value of IsNewTheater for NARADR.
  • Adds a command line option to disable the console pop-up in developer mode.
  • Increases the buffer size for tutorial messages loaded from scenarios.
  • Fixes a bug where the build string would not print correctly in the log files.
  • Fixes a bug related to IsDemandLoad, IsDemandLoadBuildup, and IsFreeBuildup where the game would try to incorrectly free memory it did not allocate.
  • Makes the warnings printed when objects with IsNewTheater fail to remap the filename more verbose.
  • Fixes an issue where SearchPaths were not loaded correctly in TS Client builds.
  • Show an error message when an invalid search path is defined using the -CD command line argument.
  • Adds check for NewINIFormat when calculating the "move to cell" team script.



Regarding the new tags:

IsLegalTargetComputer (For techno types such as infantry, vehicles, aircraft, etc.): Can this object be the target of an attack or move command by the computer?  Typically, only objects that take damage or can be destroyed are allowed to be a target. This flag is also subject to "IsLegalTarget" being "true".

IsCurleyShuffle (For Aircraft): Should this aircraft shuffle its position between firing at its target?

ReloadRate (For Aircraft): This is the rate that this aircraft will reload its ammo when docked with a helipad.

IceStrength: Defines the strength of ice. Higher values make ice less likely to break from a shot.

IsIceDestruction: Can ice get destroyed when hit by certain weapons?


While Red Alert 2 with Yuri's Revenge has many extension projects such as Ares, Phobos, Kratos Lite, Rock Patch, among many others, Vinifera is the best option in terms of modding extension abilities to Tiberian Sun modders available so far.

You can check more information about Vinifera by visiting the Forums at PPM, Official Website, and Discord Channel at C&C Mod Haven.

You can download the latest development version Here. There are two versions, and one of them is specific for users from TS Client.


And that's all for now!

Hello ladies and gentlemen! The crew from OpenSAGE Blender Plugin has recently released a new beta version of their tool to test how normal maps are exported now. According to them, it is supposed to be fixed. For those unfamiliar with it, OpenSAGE Blender Plugin is a plugin for Blender to export its 3D models into W3D and W3X file formats used in Command & Conquer Renegade, Command & Conquer Generals, Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth games, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, Red Alert 3, and Tiberian Twilight. Here is what was shared about it:

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Note:
This is still in beta, and the behavior may change between releases. Also, bugs might still occur, which we'll try to fix as soon as possible. So feel free to report bugs and issues in the #w3d-blender-plugin channel on OpenSAGE Discord. Also, see Troubleshoting for more information.

Changes:

  • Correctly export normal mapped materials


If you would like to test it and provide feedback to them, download the latest pre-release of their Blender plugin here.

You can find more information about OpenSAGE Blender Plugin by visiting the Official Website, and Discord Channel. And this is all we can offer for today regarding OpenSAGE Blender Plugin!

Greetings, Comrade General! Reinforcements have arrived at Fading Dusk. Askhati has recently made Fading Dusk Beta 00.01 available for download. For those who are not acquainted with it, Fading Dusk is a modification for Tiberian Sun: Firestorm. It brings the Forgotten and CABAL to the battlefield, among with new missions and enhanced gameplay. Here are the words from Fading Dusk Beta 00.01 announcement on Discord:

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The Fading Dusk mod for Tiberian Sun: Firestorm is finally available for public download! The mod has graduated from internal Alpha testing to public Beta testing and can now be downloaded from ModDB by anyone wanting to give it a try. We hope you will enjoy the four factions and handful of missions we have created so far and join us for some game online! If you wish to provide feedback or find others to play with, our Discord server is now also open. See you in the Tiberium wastelands, commanders!"

- Link to ModDB download: https://www.moddb.com/mods/fading-dusk/downloads
- Link to Discord server invite: https://discord.gg/e5c7sYxfju




For further information about Fading Dusk, visit the Forums at PPM, ModDB Profile, and Discord Channel. Grab the latest version of Fading Dusk by clicking Here. That's all, folks! Stay tuned at PPM for more news coverage on Fading Dusk!

Hello ladies and gentlemen! Notepad++ v8.5.2 has been released by the developers of Notepad++. For those unaware, Notepad++ is a free and open-source code editor and Notepad replacement that runs on Windows. It supports several programming languages, multiple tabs, plugins, and is based on the powerful editing component Scintilla.

Here is what we know about Notepad++ v8.5.2:

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Notepad++ v8.5.2 Release is available here:
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/news/v852-released/

  • Enhance the “Edit with Notepad++” context menu and fix several issues.
  • Make Find/Replace dialog swap/copy button usage more explicit.
  • Fix unexpected caret column jump post brace match.
  • Add hits in-progress increased number to Search Progress dialog.
  • Add an HTML Hexadecimal column and more items to the ASCII panel.
  • Add the ability to do leading spaces with Column Editor.
  • Add programming language support for Hollywood.
  • Fix dock panels' visual glitch while finding in search results.
  • Fix Mark dialog’s Copy Marked Text button is not a macro-able issue.
  • Dark mode enhancement: make focused combobox more visible.
  • Fix find dialog flicker issue.
  • Enhance the Notepad++ icon’s display in the system tray.
  • Fix some options in the Mark dialog that are not remembered through the session issue.


Thank Arkadiusz Michalski & FadeMind’s help with debugging.
Thank also all people who have reported context menu results on RC publication.
Especially thank Bjarke Pedersen (aka GurliGebis) for his fixing bugs (and making the Notepad++ context menu on Win11 happen).


You can check more information about Notepad++ by visiting the Official Website, and Forums. Grab the latest version of Notepad++ by clicking Here. And that's all regarding Notepad++ for now. Stay tuned at PPM for more news about Notepad++!

Blender 3.5 is now available!
Mar 30, 2023 - 02:52
One vision, one purpose! A new version of Blender was released moments ago by their staff. For those who are not acquainted with it, Blender is the most complete free 3D modeling tool, a must-have for anyone who is into game development or modding. Here is a video spotlighting the new features of Blender 3.5:





If you are curious about Blender, visit the Official Website to obtain further information about it. Blender is available for download Here. You can read the full changelog from Blender 3.5 Here. That's all, folks! Stay tuned at PPM for more news coverage on Blender!

Hi everyone! Reinforcements have arrived from Starkku. He has recently created a new tool called PalTool. It is a command line tool that performs certain operations on JASC and Westwood Command & Conquer palette files used in Tiberian Dawn, Red Alert 1, Tiberian Sun, and Red Alert 2. Here is what you need to know to use PalTool in your projects:

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PalTool

Command line program for performing certain operations on JASC and WW C&C palette files. Does not supplant basic palette editor functionality, at least not as of current.


Usage: PalTool.exe palette_file [output_palette_file] [-a, -m, -r, -c, -t, -s, -p]
-m | Modify colors based on alpha.
-a [number] | Calculate alpha using the average of color values. The number is what the cumulative color value is divided by to get the average, which defaults to 3.
-t [hue|saturation|light|red|green|blue|alpha|brightness|rgb|gradients] threshold-value [new-alpha-value] | Modify alpha based on a threshold. The value listed after determines the threshold type. Defaults to 'saturation' if an invalid value is specified. Colors that pass the threshold value have their alpha set to the new value. The rest are left untouched. No threshold is not valid. The new alpha value defaults to 1. Both threshold & new alpha values should be numbers from 0 to 255.
-s [hue|saturation|light|red|green|blue|alpha|brightness|rgb|gradients] | Sort colors. The value listed after determines the sort method. Defaults to 'rgb' if an invalid value is specified.
-g [startindex] [count] [saturation_threshold] | Sort parameters. The start color index, number of gradients, and saturation split threshold for gradients sort (0-1.0) default to 1, 8, and 0.33, respectively.
-b | Output 6-bit RGB color components instead of 8-bit (only if JASC palette).
-d | Print debug info about palette to console.
-r | Do not save alpha values in the output palette (only if JASC palette).
-c | Save output as WW palette, not JASC palette.
-p | Save a 256x1px PNG image containing one pixel of each palette color.


You can find more information about PalTool by visiting the Official Website. Download PalTool. That's all, folks! Stay tuned at PPM for more news coverage on PalTool!