Kanzi 3.0 release notes¶
New features¶
These features are new in Kanzi 3.0:
New concepts
Pages.
Use the Page nodes to create the structure of the user interface in your application, and the Page Host nodes to manage navigation requests and transitions between Page nodes under a Page Host node. For example, you can use Page and Page Host nodes to create different parts of the user interface in your Kanzi application, such as Page Host nodes Home, Media, Navigation, or Settings screens, each having their own hierarchy of Page and Page Host nodes.
Compositions. Use compositions to isolate parts of your application and view each as a separate item in the Preview. Opening a part of your application in a composition is as simple as double-clicking a Page in the Pages window, or a prefab in Prefabs.
See Using the Page and Page Host nodes and Using node prefabs.
Kanzi Engine scripting. Use JavaScript scripts to use Kanzi Engine to program the logic of your Kanzi applications.
Kanzi Studio and Kanzi Engine plugins. Use plugins to extend the functionality of Kanzi.
Brushes.
Use brushes to set the background of 2D nodes. In Kanzi all 2D nodes by default have transparent background.
See Using brushes.
New layouts and controls
Trajectory Layout 2D.
Use the Trajectory Layout nodes to arrange items along a trajectory path.
Dock Layout 2D and Dock Layout 3D.
Use the Dock Layout nodes to place nodes relative to each other along the sides of a Dock Layout node.
Grid Layout 2D.
Use the Grid Layout nodes to arrange nodes in a grid.
Viewport 3D.
Use the Viewport nodes to set the size of a render target surface onto which content is projected.
Page.
Use the Page nodes to create the structure of the user interface in your application, and the Page Host nodes to manage navigation requests and transitions between Page nodes under a Page Host node. For example, you can use Page and Page Host nodes to create different parts of the user interface in your Kanzi application, such as Page Host nodes Home, Media, Navigation, or Settings screens, each having their own hierarchy of Page and Page Host nodes.
Slider 3D and Slider 2D.
Use the Slider nodes when you want to allow users to change numerical values using a visual indicator between a minimum and a maximum value.
Toggle Button Group 2D and Toggle Button Group 3D.
Use the Toggle Button Group nodes to allow users to select only one option from a set of options that are mutually exclusive.
Grid List Box 2D.
Use the Grid List Box nodes to create scrollable lists of items arranged in a grid.
New tools
Preview tools. With the new Preview tools you can do much more right in the Preview. You can create and position 2D objects, create and edit text blocks, add triggers, create and position cameras, and zoom and pan around the Preview.
Pages and Transitions editors enable you to create and organize the structure of pages, and customize the transitions between pages in your application.
State Tools and State Transition Editor enable you to create and manage states, and to customize the transitions between states in your application.
See Using state managers.
Assets shows all assets in your Kanzi Studio project.
See Importing.
Nodes shows all items in the screen of your project. Here you can create new objects and organize the structure of your project. In Nodes you can see in a thumbnail the preview for each item.
Feature improvements¶
You can now easily customize different instances of a prefab.
Added support for importing curves from the .fbx file format.
See Using spline trajectories and 3D assets.
Groups are superseded by Styles.
See Using styles.
Shortcuts are now Bookmarks and you can use them only as a quick way to access resources in your Kanzi Studio projects. To access the resources using application code, use kzb URLs.
See Using bookmarks and Using kzb files.
You can now add properties and triggers using the context menus in the Properties and Node Components windows.
Properties and triggers are now shown in separate windows allowing for even more workflow flexibility.
New user interface.
API changes¶
Kanzi now has a C++ API to enable you to write Kanzi applications faster and makes them easier to maintain.
See Tutorial: Hello world! tutorial and Kanzi Engine API reference.
Note that graphics, resource, animation, and loading systems are still in C. In the future Kanzi releases we will continue the effort of converting the API to C++.