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PolyLoupe 0.2.0

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@Fr3nezy Fr3nezy released this 08 Oct 17:50
· 4 commits to main since this release
v0.2.0
549666a

The PolyLoupe cube, half Rendered and half Wireframe across the split view

PolyLoupe now views 3D parts as well as 3D art, and makes final renders. This release adds STEP
files, Manufacturing and 3D Art workspaces, Move/Rotate/Scale tools, a Render tab with lights and
soft shadows, better glass and car paint, and a Performance mode for low-end PCs.

What's new

Parts and manufacturing

  • STEP / STP files open through OpenCASCADE. The CAD kernel lives in its own DLL
    (polyloupe_step.dll), loaded only when a STEP file is opened, so startup and every other
    format are unaffected. Assembly parts, names and colors are kept. The meshed result is cached
    in %LOCALAPPDATA%\PolyLoupe\cache\step, so the second open is instant. STEP files also get
    Explorer thumbnails.
  • Manufacturing and 3D Art workspaces. Manufacturing (STL, 3MF, STEP, PLY) shows millimeters
    and print tools. 3D Art (glTF, FBX, OBJ, DAE) keeps meters, textures, UVs and animation. The
    workspace follows the file type; the switch is at the left of the viewport toolbar.
  • Move (W), Rotate (E) and Scale (R), like Blender, with a gizmo that stays steady while you
    drag and Ctrl snapping (15° steps, 0.1 scale, grid moves). Lay on face, Auto orient and Drop to
    bed for print orientation. Export Model saves the result to STL or 3MF.
  • Part materials. One color (picker and hex field) or the file's own materials. With one
    color you can pick a material: FDM plastic (PLA, PLA Silk, PETG, ABS) and resin with layer
    lines, nylon SLS, or metal (polished, satin, brushed, blasted).
  • Surface wear: Grain and Scratches, from CC0 ambientCG maps, over any material.

Rendering

  • Render tab: resolution presets (viewport, 1080p, 1440p, 4K, square, portrait or custom),
    2× and 4× supersampling, transparent background, a framing guide, and the turntable export.
    F12 renders and saves the image.
  • Lights: a key light that follows the HDRI or goes where you put it, plus up to 5 more, each
    with color (temperature presets), intensity and direction. Drag their handles in the viewport:
    Overlays > Lights shows them, and adding a light turns them on.
  • Soft shadows on the model and on a shadow floor, with a softness slider, and a studio
    backdrop.
  • Glass and car paint: transmission, clearcoat and better reflections.
  • Compare shading styles on the same model: a split view with A and B in different modes
    (for example Rendered on one side, Wireframe on the other) and a soft gradient across the
    divider. Exported images and turntables keep the comparison exactly as the viewport shows it.
  • Two MatCaps from Blender: Clay Warm and Basic Bright, with Blender's diffuse and specular
    layers.

Everyday use

  • Performance mode (Preferences > Viewport > Graphics) for integrated GPUs and older PCs:
    no anti-aliasing, the view at 100% scale on high-DPI screens, lighter shadows. Exported images
    keep full quality.
  • Lighter on the GPU: the 3D view is redrawn only when the image would change, not when you
    hover the interface, and shadows are redrawn only when lights or the model change.
  • Starts about 180 ms faster.
  • Update check: once a day PolyLoupe asks GitHub whether a newer release exists and shows a
    banner with a Download button. Preferences > Check for updates turns it off. Nothing is
    downloaded or installed by the app.
  • The overlays switch (Shift Alt Z) also hides the split view guides.
  • Measure: Delete removes only the last measurement. Models whose buffers exceed 256 MB open.

Notes

  • STEP loading is dominated by OpenCASCADE building the exact geometry; the meshing runs on all
    cores and the result is cached. Big assemblies can still take several seconds the first time.
  • The 0.1.x "filament color" and "model colors" options are replaced by part materials; a color
    chosen in 0.1.x is not carried over.
  • The installer is about twice the size of 0.1.x because of OpenCASCADE.
  • PolyLoupe is GPL-3.0-or-later; OpenCASCADE is LGPL 2.1 with its exception, and its notice is
    installed with the app. The two Blender MatCaps and the ambientCG maps are CC0.

Install

Download PolyLoupe-Setup-0.2.0.exe below and run it (Windows 10/11, x64). It updates earlier versions in place. The installer isn't code-signed yet, so SmartScreen may show "Windows protected your PC": choose More info > Run anyway.

SHA-256: b5aa026de357211503ac01c413844a2ed2dc716445b01d6e0a31e2621f702dd6

Known limitations

  • Draco and meshopt compressed meshes aren't decoded yet; points and lines aren't drawn.
  • MP4 turntables need ffmpeg on PATH (winget install ffmpeg); GIF works without it.
  • Windows only for now.

In breve (IT)

  • File STEP/STP tramite OpenCASCADE, in una DLL caricata solo quando serve; risultato in
    cache, la seconda apertura è immediata. Miniature in Esplora file anche per STEP.
  • Due aree di lavoro: Manifattura (STL, 3MF, STEP, PLY: millimetri e strumenti di stampa) e
    3D Art (glTF, FBX, OBJ, DAE: texture, UV, animazione).
  • Sposta (W), Ruota (E), Scala (R) come in Blender, gizmo stabile, snap con Ctrl, Appoggia su
    faccia, Orienta automaticamente, Export STL/3MF.
  • Materiali del pezzo: plastiche FDM, resina, nylon, metalli, con usura (grana, graffi).
  • Tab Render: risoluzioni, supersampling 2×/4×, sfondo trasparente, turntable; luci
    aggiuntive (fino a 6) da trascinare nella vista, ombre morbide, vetro e vernice auto migliori.
  • Confronto tra stili di shading sullo stesso modello, con gradiente; i render includono il
    confronto. Due MatCap da Blender: Clay Warm e Basic Bright.
  • Modalità Prestazioni (Preferenze > Vista 3D > Grafica) per PC poco potenti; meno lavoro per
    la GPU anche in modalità normale.

PolyLoupe is free software under the GNU GPL v3 or later.

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