Hotfix: compatibility with Blender 4.3

Fixed

• Gem Map error displaying text in viewport.

Hotfix: Distribute

Fixed

• Distribute: error when adding new size.

Gem Colors

Gem Color

• Use material name as a new gem color property.
• New colors list in add-on preferences:
  • Extendable with custom colors.
  • Automatically saves to a json file.
  • Colors encoded to sRGB hex triplet.
• Builtin colors compatible with:
  • ISCC/NBS
  • GIA Colored Stone Grading System
  • СТО 004.2018 - определение цвета цветных ограненных камней ГемЦентра МГУ

Add/Edit Gem

• Assign color to a gem, choose from colors list or set custom color.

Select by Trait

• Add filter by color option.

Design Report/Gem Map

• New column for settings table: "Color".
  • Group gems by their color.

Gem Map/Overlay

• Use material color for gem map.

Design Report

• Export to JSON
  • In addition to HTML, export report as JSON.
  • NOTE: JSON report is missing Total row for Settings table.

GN Assets

• Update GN assets to use new Blender 4.2 features.
• Old Blender 3.5 GN assets are still used for compatibility with previous Blender versions.

Preferences

• New preference: Configuration Folder, makes it easier to backup add-on config with single folder.
• ❌ Remove Weighting Lib and Hide Built-in Lists preferences.

Fixed

• Mirror: objects location set to 0.
• Move Over/Under: object shifts on redo.
• Design Report: Total ct sums wrong column.

Hotfix: Redistribute and Material Nodes

Fixed

• Redistribute does not account for gems sizes in Blender 4.2
• Shader nodes not used with EEVEE Next.

Support for extensions platform

Automatic Updates

Starting from this release JewelCraft no longer ships with auto updater, Blender 4.2 will handle add-on updates, to make use of that follow these steps:

1. Uninstall current instance of the add-on.
2. Enable Preferences → Allow Online Access option.
3. Install add-on using drag and drop link method.
4. That will prompt dialog box to add remote repository, after adding it you can install JewelCraft from withing Blender Preferences → Get Extensions tab.
    

Hong Kong Ring Size

• Add new Hong Kong ring size.
  • Hong Kong ring size does not have a spec as far as I know, so I referenced ring size guide from one of HK jewelry providers.
  • If anyone has spec or a good reason to believe that they have correct size chart for either HK or JP ring size, then please contact me.

UI

• Rework add-on preferences tabs into expandable panels.
• Radial Instance: fix misleading tooltip.

Removed

• Remove auto updater.
  • Starting from Blender 4.2 automatic add-on updates handled by Blender.

Hotfix: Chinese translations update

Translations

• Update Traditional Chinese.
  • Thanks to @bisechen for providing translation.
• Update Simplified Chinese.
  • Thanks to @1848469517 for providing translation.

Fixed

• Chinese translation is not working in Blender 4.0.

Geometry Nodes and Gem Map overlay

Compatibility

• Raise minimum requirement to Blender 3.5
• Compatibility with Blender 4.0

Overlay

• New Gem Map overlay.
• Can be shown behind objects (default), or in front.
• By default, shows only for nearby gems, similar to Spacing overlay.
• Option for opacity control.

Gem Map

• Make use of new overlay to make it work realtime in viewport.
• Forbid running multiple operator instances and show error message when trying to do so.

Microprong Cutter

• New Channel cutter: generate simple parametric channel cutter throughout the length of the distribution.
• Separate Offset transform option for each cutter type.

Geometry Nodes

Migrate some tools to use geometry nodes, makes them more parametric and future proof (Blender eventually will remove face and object instancing functionality).

• Mirror

  • Copy object instances instead of objects.
  • Mirror instances are inside single object.
  • Old behavior (duplicating objects) is accessible through the option.
  • Mirroring along multiple axes now behaves similar to Mirror modifier.

• Radial Instance

  • Mirror instances are inside single object.

• Instance Face

  • Instead of parent to instance face object, use collection to specify objects to be instanced.
  • Scale and rotation no longer cause transform artifacts on instances (finally!)
  • Optionally create pivot point (empty) object if original objects located away from the center of the scene.

• Microprong (partially)

  • Use GN to generate Channel cutter.

UI

• Weighting library: get rid of implementation details in operators' description, make it shorter and clearer.

Fixed

• Spacing Overlay: Fix inverted instances not showing.
• Microprong Cutter: Fix handling cyclic distribution.
• Weighting library UI: Fix alignment.
• Gem Map: table intersects with tool header in viewport.

Hotfix: Design Report weighting

Fixed

• Design Report weighting a collection always results in 0.

Hotfix: auto update doesn't trigger

Fixed

• Auto update does not trigger if previously there were no update checks.

Gem proportions and Design Report metadata

Translations

• Updated Traditional Chinese by @bisechen

Add Gem

• Tweak proportions for following cuts:
  • Oval
  • Pear
  • Marquise
• Measure size by gem's side instead of height for Trillion, Trilliant and Heart cuts.
  • Affected tools: Add Gem, Select by Trait, Design Report/Gem Map
• Thanks to Maria Dmitrieva (Мария Дмитриева) for pointing that out.

Add Prongs

• Defaults:
  • Make prongs lower (a bit higher than gem table).
  • Better defaults for fantasy cuts.
  • For round cuts put prongs to the side, for easier gems on curve distribution case.

Design Report

• Include image preview from viewport in report.
• Add metadata list in preferences.
  • Use for authoring (project modeller, designer), date of the report, project ID, etc.
• Metadata entries support limited formatting:
  • {DATE} - writes current date.
  • {FILENAME} - writes project filename without extension.

Measurements

• Naming: Measurements > Additional Entries
• New entry type: Metadata.
• Give user an option to choose either object or collection as a target for measurement.

Measurements/Additional Entries system will be completely rewritten sometime later, allowing to use report templates with predefined fields.