2.4x - 2.5x reverse compatibility?

General Forums Blender and CG Discussions
1

We’re still rolling on the Ninja Delivery commercial. But the latest tasks have made it painfully clear how far the 2.5x NLA editor has to go to be up to the 2.4x level of functionality. While the Ninja ad will continue with 2.5x, this has created some doubt about using 2.5x for the upcoming, bigger project. So I was wondering, if a project is built under 2.49, how much can be easily ported to 2.5x once they get it looking sharp in the still buggy features? I was about to experiment when it dawned on me that hundreds have probably looked into this in more detail than I could. So if you know:

(note that as of writing, “2.5x” means “2.56a”, although this might change as new versions come about)

I am assuming most plain 2.49 models will load fine in 2.5x, along with materials/textures. How about nodes? How about modifiers that exist in both versions (mirror, subsurf, etc.)?

Will keyframe animation port well from 2.49 to 2.5x? I am almost scared to ask, but… will Actions port well? How about animated materials and lights?

Do armature rigs port well? Do vertex weights keep their functions?

Will links port well? The project will have heavy linking, so the fewer problems resetting those links, the better…

Anything else that might seem worth a mention, please do mention it. I am very sad that 2.5x looks to not be usable for the project, and making the 2.49 files easy to port when it becomes prudent is very dear to me…

2

Most things port… materials are the same,nodes etc… animation gets converted to the new system … particles have a new system too…

If you save file In .2.5 then open it in 2.4 it’ll mostly open fine, but Goo.g that way you will lose animation and particles…

Your best bet is to open your files I 2.5 to see for yourself if the features you need work ok.

Just remember to save it with a new name!

3

Gotcha, thanks! :slight_smile:

4

Once I loaded a animation I made on 2.49 with armature 1 action and softbody simulation to test out how it looked with freestyle, the only broken thing I found out was a the UVproject setup I used, all the rest was perfect.
On another animation I found out that animations that use scripts to works (like a wheel script I was using) are completely out because of the api changes… well that’s kind of obvious but seems important to say anyways.

5

Thanks for confirming the scripts part (and for the UV warning, of course!). I expected that, and if 2.49 is used, all scripts produced will be designed in a way to make them more easily portable to 2.5x!

6

No problem ^^