Natsura 0.6.1.0

Unified effector and mapping shape, assemblies workflow 1.0, picker UI, cook trigger purge, rigged Nanite export

• title: Natsura 0.6.1.0
• description: "Unified effector and mapping shape, assemblies workflow 1.0, picker UI, cook trigger purge, rigged Nanite export"
• date: "2026-05-20"
• badge: "v0.7.0.0"
• houdini: "20.5, 21.0"
• previous: "0.6.0.5"
• Effectors: unified multiparm shape shared with assembly decoration; picker UI for effector slots; up-vector control (orbit, align, flatten); same effector assignable multiple times to one node with different responses and maps.
• Assemblies: workflow finalised at 1.0 (import → rig → classify → decorate); rigged Nanite skeletal assembly export to Unreal wired end-to-end; random part selection retired, distribution is mapping-only; tested at very large library scales.
• Performance: cook triggers removed from outside-cook code; spans panel 4Hz → 1Hz heartbeat; toolbar redraw churn reduced; toolbar actions no longer write prefs. Stale channel refs are the next active bug class.
• UI: 2-parm portable mapping form across the toolkit; picker UI replaces native add menus on map / decorator / effector slots; Natsura main menu + dev dropdown; display toolbar reorganised and context-sensitive; recipe spawn (no second cook on placement); native hotkeys; workspace panel with tear-off tabs; Guide replaces Tips Panel.
• Grow 1.x, switch 1.0 and mappable_parms archived; existing hipfiles migrate on load.
• natsura::direction_effector::1.0 — uniform direction effector
• natsura::autocode_effector::1.0 — utility for preparing effectors inside decorations
• natsura::effector_template::1.0 — template for ingesting effectors inside decorations
• natsura::assembly_edit::1.0 — pivot and per-element tweaks, utility inside assembly resource
• natsura::assembly_pack::1.0 — pack assemblies into instanced output, utility inside assembly resource
• natsura::partition_assemblies::1.0 — split large datasets into chunks for parallel processing, utility inside assembly resource
• natsura::visualize_assemblies::1.0 — inspection (motion, pivots, rigs, colours), utility inside assembly resource
• natsura::pivot_edit::1.0 — pivot adjustment of assemblies, utility inside assembly resource
• natsura::import_assembly::1.0 — bring assemblies in from external sources, internal utility of resource
• natsura::rig_to_assembly::1.0 — convert a rig to an assembly representation, experimental. go from simulation to assembly decoration.
• natsura::fuse_tree_rig_and_skin::1.0 — utility for grafting tree skeletons, useful for grafting assemblies onto simulation
• natsura::grow::1.0, natsura::grow::1.1, natsura::grow::1.2 — use 2.0; pre-0.6 scenes migrate on load
• natsura::switch::1.0 — use 1.1
• natsura::mappable_parms::1.0 — redundant under 2-parm mapping
• grow 2.0 unified effector_list multiparm (absorbed graph_operation_count)
• grow 2.0 recipe spawn populates trunk preview, decorator drag slot, follow rows on placement (no second cook)
• grow 2.0 custom right-click menu replaces native
• grow 2.0 orbit / align / flatten (up) modes on effectors
• grow 2.0 tab menu spawns recipe
• grow 2.0 menuscript-driven live parm update; no OnInputChanged proliferation
• grow 2.0 trunk decoration skeleton fix
• grow 2.0 pack/unpack workaround for single-point-remaining decoration bug
• core_grow opexist guard before object merge (no invalid-path spam)
• core_grow removed invalid string new parm ref
• core_grow stamps Natsura version on node for upgrade tooling
• simulate display settings + colour restored
• simulate skeleton split out post-cook
• simulate bypass switch when no APEX graph present (no empty-cook errors)
• simulate POSTPROCESS chain (attribwrangle, edgetransport, color)
• simulate source_radius copy-to-points fix
• core_simulate object-merge stack subnet
• core_simulate profile outputs added
• core_simulate cache-if removed where misfiring
• execute_logic parent_id → id_parent across schema
• execute_logic dynamic invoke setup
• execute_logic illegal-graph handling restored (regressed in 1068)
• All effectors prefixed experimental_ in tab menu while contract settles
• Up-vector control: orbit, align, flatten — control the frame of growth, not just the heading
• Ancestor effector reads vectors from parent, grandparent and further up the lineage
• Same effector assignable to one node multiple times, each with own response and map (for layered behaviours)
• Signal names collision-resistant; / → _ so paths work as names
• Rename tracked via channel ref to parm (was Python, brittle)
• Menus cached (too many to update live)
• Multiparm: fixed-size 32 slots across grow + assembly decoration
• assembly_decoration effector support via shared list
• assembly_decoration flipping fix: face-gravity correction + unified rotation across opposing whorl elements
• assembly_decoration sub-component rig support in classify
• assembly_decoration random part selection removed; distribution is mapping-only
• assembly_decoration mapping default range auto-picks
• surface_decoration 2-parm mapping shape
• surface_decoration gather_controls thread-pool parms exposed
• surface_decoration removed stale OUT_decorate_package ref
• surface_decoration defensive hscript on map_blend
• clusters_decoration deprecated this release; use assembly_decoration for module placement
• trunk_decoration, core_decorate, core_decoration 2-parm mapping shape
• 2-parm portable form: {name} + {name}_map, shared execute_mapbutton action (handles promote, unlink, replace from either parm)
• All map expression links on float parms removed; the map value drives the parm directly
• map, map_if, map_blend 2-parm shape
• map_blend redundant map_if branch removed
• ingest_mappings standardised parm refs
• ingest_mappings broken expressions cleaned by upgrade pass
• switch 1.1 map-driven gates respect 2-parm shape
• wrangle signal-naming pass
• core_fetch invalid string new parm ref removed
• Pickers replace menureplace add menus on map / decorator / effector slots
• Picker bucketing: already on this grow / on other grows / orphan
• Preview decorators (trunk_preview, leaf_preview) and intrinsic vectors in their own columns
• Per-slot menus: unlink, duplicate, jump-to, replace
• ~1,100 LOC Python + comparable DialogScript removed
• classify sub-component rig support
• classify viewport-based attribute + group assignment
• classify refreshes assembly_decoration multiparm on change
• assembly_resource template + editing updates
• build_assembly_rig nearpoint-lookup autorigging with cycle removal
• create_proxy outputs bounds / VDB / medial axis / particles; optional leaf removal
• identify_shared_instances flat instanced structure for duplicates
• Pipeline tested at very large library scales
• scan_to_parts nearpt method replaces VDB (VDB kept breaking)
• scan_profiles scatter-based rebuild
• scan_extend_profiles multitrunk extension
• import_highpoly SOP input from graph
• bake supersampling + seam handling
• surface_wizard internal cleanup
• sopcreatenaniteassembly rigged Nanite export wired end-to-end (grow → fuse → skin → export → USD)
• export_unreal_nanite_assembly wired through fuse + skin chain
• Wind sidecar: <name>_wind.json alongside USD
• Wind tools experimental; not a runtime match for Unreal wind, just enough to see where the wind layers are while setting up the rig
• Natsura main menu dropdown + dev dropdown (dev tools out of the main menu)
• Display toolbar: reorganised, MMB scroll, dev moved to far right
• Display toolbar: context-sensitive grow / switch / split by graph-port count on current selection
• Toolbar dropdown: license key, update check, support info, projects, examples, docs
• Recipe spawn: trunk preview + empty decoration / effector slots + follow rows on placement; no second cook
• Native hotkeys (file-driven via Houdini's loader): toggle stowbars, pause cook
• Grow uses action button scripts instead of menu callbacks (faster, less script churn)
• Workspace panel: toolbar + guide / attributes / spans tabs, tear-off floating
• Python panels in folder structure; dev panels moved to separate dev project
• Guide (was Tips Panel): markdown format, search across names + content, prev/next, multiple libraries
• Multiparm right-click batch-set channel expressions
• Panel scene tracking moved to background service (Qt signals); spans and simulate-selector still poll for scoped state the service doesn't cover
• upgrade/v0_6/grow_nodes.py runs on load: migrates pre-0.6 effector slots, realigns follow rows, cleans orphan channel refs
• migrate_unified_effector_list: moves misaligned follow snapshots; clears obsolete effector_text_fields
• afterscenesave.py stamps hip with Natsura version
• Back-compat: pre-unification hipfiles load (graph_operation_count silently ignored, effector_list loads normally, per-row instance parms migrate)
• Cook triggers removed from outside-cook code (UI, menus, graph layer)
• No node.geometry() or cook-dependent parm.eval() outside cook
• Declarative state: parm rawValue / type metadata / userData; readers read declarations
• APEX-auto-from-sops: ad-hoc groups (groups not guaranteed to exist at that stage)
• Spans panel: 4Hz → 1Hz heartbeat (cheap signature check; full driver sweep only on change)
• Toolbar capability-fade + category-aware fade reduce redraw churn on prefs changes
• Toolbar actions no longer write prefs (was rebuilding toolbar on every prefsChanged, killing open dropdowns)
• Effector rename no longer breaks attribfromparms refs
• Auto-merge enable condition #-1 → #
• Surface decorator map refs cleaned via upgrade
• clear_stale_follow_depths widened (unified + legacy multiparm names)
• Trunk decoration skeleton on grow
• Decorator multiparm sorting
• Simulate display settings + colour
• source_radius copy-to-points
• parent_id → id_parent applied across core_grow.preview_code, assembly_decoration.editgraph1, simulate.POSTPROCESS, execute_logic.graph_process_main (all-or-nothing; partial application breaks the schema)
• Stale start = -0.041666666666666664 channel keyframes stripped
• Stale channel refs is the active bug class right now. Symptoms: parameters not updating after edit, slot values detached from their source, defaults reasserting unexpectedly. Sending us the scene is the fastest path to a fix.
• Residual double / triple cooks on some scenes. Most cases were resolved by the cook-trigger purge; the remaining ones show up as duplicate cook markers in the editor log on what should be a single-cook edit. Root cause not yet isolated.
• Forking controls on grow are limited. Current parms don't cover all the branching cases artists want; wider controls planned for a later release.
• Flatten + phyllotaxy controls are sensitive on perfectly upright branches — getting a flat layout of secondary branches off a near-vertical leader can produce unstable rotations. Perturbing the leader slightly off vertical works around it.
• Maps plugged into decorations don't surface their attributes on the decorator parm UI. The map drives the value correctly downstream; only the parm-side attribute list is wrong.
• Nanite skeletal assemblies imported to Unreal can appear to have instances at the root in the skeletal mesh editor. Fix in-engine by switching preserve-area to voxelise; the issue also goes away if you spawn the tree as an instanced skinned mesh. Unclear if it's a Natsura-side or Unreal-side issue; continuing to investigate.
• Effectors prefixed experimental_ until contract settles across grow + assembly decoration
• Wind tools experimental; not a runtime match for Unreal wind
• Analytics opt-in, off by default
• Houdini 20.5 and 21.0