Hugin-2011.2.0 RELEASE NOTES

ABOUT

Hugin is more than just a panorama stitcher. 

Hugin can be found at
* SourceForge:  http://hugin.sourceforge.net/
* Launchpad:    https://launchpad.net/hugin


DOWNLOAD

The 2011.2.0 source tarball can be downloaded

* from SourceForge at
http://sourceforge.net/projects/hugin/files/hugin/hugin-2011.2/hugin-2011.2.0.tar.bz2/download

* from Launchpad at
http://launchpad.net/hugin/2011.2/2011.2.0/+download/hugin-2011.2.0.tar.bz2

This is a source code release.  For executables see below.

This tarball is equivalent to rev/changeset 3d9649aa241a in our Mercurial
repository, where it is also tagged 2011.2.0

Verify its SHA1SUM
79dfdac229b4e58f50c893c1238bdd0921ad9da6  hugin-2011.2.0.tar.bz2

EXECUTABLES

Users communities produce executables for their respective platforms.

These executables are then added to the download section on SourceForge at
http://sourceforge.net/projects/hugin/files/hugin/

A number of users have built recent snapshots and executables are likely to be
announced within a few days of this tarball release.

Watch http://groups.google.com/group/hugin-ptx for the announcements of binary
releases.  If you don't see a binary for your platform it has most likely not
been produced yet.  Consider stepping up to the task.  Instructions at

http://wiki.panotools.org/Development_of_Open_Source_tools#Supported_Platforms

Announce your build on http://groups.google.com/group/hugin-ptx


SPLASH SCREEN

To promote artists using Hugin the project has adopted a user-contributed
artwork to enrich the splash screen of this release.

Read more about the Fafleralp panorama and author/contributor David Haberthür at
http://hugin.sourceforge.net/releases/2011.2.0/


CHANGES SINCE 2011.0.0

Little time has passed since our last release and yet there is new major
functionality.  Hugin has received a Python scripting interface and new
lens calibration tool.  A critical bug affecting a significant number of
Mac users has been fixed and many general improvements have been made.


_Lens Calibration Tool_

Lenses are designed to follow a perfect geometric model.  For rectilinear
lenses, a straight line in the depicted scene should be straight in the
picture.  This is not always the case:  most lenses have an inherent
deviation from the perfect model, resulting in imperfections such as
pincushion or barrel distortion in rectilinear lenses.

Adherence to the perfect geometric model is desirable for aesthetic purposes
and indespensible to achieve proper alignment when stitching images.
Hugin can calculate lens distortion parameters on the fly when optimizing
a project, however this requires more control points and more computational
effort than a project starting with a calibrated lens, and is prone to more
errors.

The new lens calibration tool calculates the distortion parameters of a
lens based on an input image.  The input image must contain straight
lines, ideally many of them at different distances from the center of the
lens, covering at least one quadrant of the image.  The calculated
parameters are valid for a given combination of focal distance,
aperture (F-stop), and sensor.

The values, saved into a lens profile, can be used in Hugin to achieve
a better stitch, or on single images taken with this lens / settings
combination to achieve a more aesthetically pleasing outcome.


_Python Scripting Interface_

Hugin now exposes some of its data structure and functionalities through
a Python module.  To get started with scripting, start your Python
interpreter and type:

   >>> import hsi
   >>> help (hsi)

Standalone Python programs can access a panorama object with Hugin's
functionality.  It is possible to develop complete command line and
even GUI tools based on this module.

The Python Scripting Interface does not work on Mac OSX yet.


_Python Plugin Interface_

Hugin can now run Python scripts inside the application.  In an enabled
Hugin binary, a new "Actions" menu gives access to system-wide plugins
distributed with Hugin.  Moreover, plugins can be written, modified,
customized in the user's own directory.

Currently there are only a few plugins available, but we expect the
body of available plugins and functionality to grow organically as
the interface is being made available to the general public.

The Python Plugin Interface does not work on Mac OSX yet.


_Other Improvements_

* PTBatcherGUI has matured to become the default processor for
  stitching projects.
* ICC profiles saved in output.
* Support for newer Olympus camera.
* Improved auto cropping.
* New mask type: exclude region from all images shot with the same lens
* Copy&paste of masks in Mask Tab
* Show extent of active masks and crop in Mask Editor
* Fix for critical issue affecting stitching on Mac OS X Leopard.
* Many more improvements and bug fixes.


_Libraries and Build_

The Python interface introduces new dependencies:
* SWIG >2.0
* Python


UPGRADING

Upgrading from previous versions of Hugin should be seamless. If you do have
problems with old settings, these can be reset in the Preferences by clicking
'Load defaults'.

It is strongly recommeded to set the default control point detector to
Hugin's CPFind.  It is the only control point generator endorsed by Hugin.
Third-party generators may be compatible with the plug-in architecture.


COMPILING

Users compiling from source refer to the dependencies listed at
http://wiki.panotools.org/Development_of_Open_Source_tools#Dependencies

and the build processes listed at
http://wiki.panotools.org/Development_of_Open_Source_tools#Build_your_Own_Test_Builds

More information in the README and INSTALL_cmake files in the tarball.


KNOWN ISSUES AND WORKAROUNDS

Panosphere Overview window seperated from the content
https://bugs.launchpad.net/hugin/+bug/726997


There is a known problem building Hugin with CMake 2.8.5rc2.
Workaround: Upgrade to a newer CMake version.


Mac OS X Users at Tiger and Lion: this version of Hugin contains an openMP enabled 
enblend and enfuse. These versions don't run on Tiger and currently not on Lion either. 
Please use the Tiger-compatible enblend and enfuse from the enblend-enfuse-4.0 folder 
in this dmg. You can specify alternative "external" enblend and enfuse from the Programs 
pane in the preferences after installing these special version by following the instructions 
in the README in the enblend-enfuse-4.0 folder. 
https://bugs.launchpad.net/hugin/+bug/814280

An updated list of issues deemed to be critical, including discussions
and workarounds is in the issue tracker.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/hugin/+bugs?search=Search&field.importance=Critical


THANKS

Thanks to all the contributors to this release and members of the hugin-ptx
mailing list, too many to mention here.

Hugin can be found at http://hugin.sourceforge.net/ and at https://launchpad.net/hugin


CHANGELOG

A detailed changelog can be found in the file Changelog.