Resources

Anticipated for next release:

• Further improvements related to the Acousteer real-time engine.

Version 5.69

 NEW  on 12.12.2024

New features and improvements:

• Acousteer mapping calculations can be viewed using A-weighting or C-weighting in addition to Z-weighting***.
• Mapping read-out: If the Acousteer mapping is enabled, the status text will show the mapping value corresponding to the mouse position when hovering over an audience area***.
• Acousteer mappings supported at 1/24 octave band resolution for detailed analysis (Standard and Pro feature levels only).
• Input signal: For easier comparison of absolute levels calculations in Acousteer and in the Room Mapping modules, the input signal can be limited to the bandwidth of 100 Hz to 10 kHz.
• Improved curve editor for materials in use:
  • Order of elements in legend is now fixed.
  • Show Original option is always visible and remembered.
  • Improved curve display and interaction.

Bug fixes:

• License error 3003 should not occur anymore. Given an internet connection, in case of local problems the license is reset automatically. Only the log-in credentials have to be entered in the software again.
• Improved performance for very large projects and specific table commands.
• Improved filter import from XLD and EASE 4 files.
• Short cuts and key strokes now accepted when working in undocked windows.
• Improved scale to selection for parallel perspective and solid rendering presentations.

*** Top-voted user requests

Version 5.68.3

11.11.2024

Major Update – EASE 5 Third Edition

EASE 5 Third Edition includes all features added since the introduction of EASE 5 Second Edition as well as the following new functions and tools that were not part of the previous release version 5.67. 
 

New features and improvements:

• Introducing Acousteer: acoustic simulations in real time!
  Direct SPL mappings can now be calculated at high speed and allow for interactive model changes with immediate visual feedback. Control and display are directly integrated into the main program.
• Calculations are performed at a frequency resolution of at least 1/24th octave bands using the accurate, complex-valued GLL loudspeaker data. Selectable result bandwidths include 1/3rd octave, 1/1 octave, 3/1 octave, Mid-band (400 Hz – 5 kHz) and Broadband.
• The full audio bandwidth from 20 Hz to 20 kHz is supported allowing to model subwoofer arrangements as well as to investigate low-frequency interaction. The Interference Sum switch enables or disables complex summation.
• One can choose between the Low, Intermediate, High, and Maximum spatial resolution settings equating to up to 200 000 mapping points. The spacing between adjacent mapping points scales with project size and is larger for larger audience areas.
• A user-defined color scale can be set to fix the color for the greatest and the smallest SPL value and make mapping displays comparable. By default, an automatic scale is used based on the maximum and minimum value of the computed map.
• Loudspeakers can be activated and deactivated for the mapping. Loudspeakers can be selected by mouse in the 3D view, in the tables, via processing blocks or selection sets and then turned on or off.
• Any parameter changes as well as any model changes are applied instantly and in real time, including loudspeaker locations, aiming angles, signal processing, and environmental parameters.
• Calculations are based on a highly optimized, hybrid CPU/GPU simulation engine supporting modern CPU and GPU computation capabilities. A regular, contemporary PC or laptop is sufficient to take full advantage of the Acousteer calculation performance.
• Calculations are currently limited to direct SPL on audience areas and will be expanded in future upgrades.

Bug fixes:

• Fixed: 3D engine may not recover after sleep and hibernate due to missing resources (v68.3).
• Fixed crash upon start of calculation. Related to tessellation of the specific geometry of an audience area (v68.2).
• Fixed bug related to local culture settings that may cause EASE not to start on some systems (v68.1).
• Fixed several errors related to user-defined material labels.
• Fix: Update properties window after assigning a new material from the search list.
• Fix: Initial display of measured RT curve may not show a solid line.
• Rare error fixed when importing erroneous GLL data.
• Several performance improvements for rendering, selecting, and mapping.

*** Top-voted user requests

Version 5.67

08.10.2024

New features and improvements:

• Acoustic materials can now be modified directly from within the project***. This allows calibrating the modeled room to a measured RT in an interactive and direct way. The resulting new workflow enables the fast and efficient setup of acoustic models.
• Material properties window: For a selected material, the new window allows viewing and editing all relevant properties:
  • Material label and description
  • Absorption spectrum
  • Reset function for reverting to the original data
• Curve editor: The Materials in Use window was extended by a graphical display of all absorption curves:
  • The overlay graph can be configured to show all or only selected curves.
  • For modified materials the original curve can be shown as well.
  • Absorption coefficients can be changed in real-time simply by dragging the curve with the mouse.
  • Materials can be highlighted, hovered and selected.
  • The graph can be exported as a picture for reporting and documentation using the commands from the Tools menu.
• When modifying a material, the label of the original database material and its reference are maintained. Modified materials are stored along with the project and can optionally be saved to the global database.
• The reverberation time displayed in the Acoustic Parameters window now supports overlaying measured and calculated RT curves. When combined with the curve editor the necessary adaptations to absorption materials can be achieved quickly and intuitively.
• A new color selection dialog in the tiles view of the Materials in Use window was implemented.

Bug fixes:

• Performance of highlighting, multi-select by mouse and selecting selection sets significantly improved.
• Show points of selected audience areas also when faces are invisible.
• Fixed rare bug when loading GLLs, e.g., Crest Audio Versarray VR 218.

*** Top-voted user requests
 

Version 5.66

06.08.2024

New features and improvements:

• Loading and saving filter configurations:
  • The filter settings of any filter stage, i.e., global EQ, processing block, loudspeaker, or box input, can now be saved in a text file in XGFB format and loaded, as well.
  • This allows transferring filter settings between different objects in the project, between projects as well as between EASE and external software applications such as EASE Focus.
• Octave-band absorption coefficients in materials table***:
  • The materials in use window shows the average alpha values for the 7 octave bands from 125 Hz to 8 kHz.
  • These values are also part of the data exported to the clipboard.
• Total gain and delay for loudspeakers table***:
  • The loudspeakers table shows the total gain and the total delay representing the values summed across the filter stages of global EQ, processing block, and loudspeaker.
  • Both values are exported to the clipboard as well.
• Improved labeling for duplicate function***:
  • The automatic labeling was extended. Now existing labels are used to determine any prefixes and the next available number is used, respectively.
• The measure mouse mode shows more item details including surface area for faces and speaker model for loudspeakers.
• Curve of filter stage transfer function on tiles of processing blocks and global EQ:
  • The background of the tile is used for indicating the transfer function in a fixed range between -60 dB and +30 dB.
  • The area of positive gain is shown in light blue whereas the area of negative gain is shown in light grey.
• Update of material database: In total 91 new entries were added and 215 datasets were updated. This includes text books by Leo Beranek, David Bies, Don Davis, Michael Ermann, Alton Everest, Harry Olson, and Michael Vorländer.

Bug fixes:

• Improved default preset for loudspeakers.
• Improved scale to selection for small items.
• Room Mapping: fixed automatic picture export for A-weighting and improved labeling for STI.

*** Top-voted user requests
 

Version 5.65

02.07.2024

New features and improvements:

• Hiding room items***:
  • Faces, loudspeakers, audience areas, and listener seats can be set invisible or visible. This allows hiding parts of the room geometry for easier access to inside elements or hiding different parts or variants of the sound system.
  • The visibility setting applies to the 3D views in the main program as well as to the 3D views of the Room Mapping and Raytracing modules.
  • The visibility of currently selected items can be toggled in the Tools ribbon or using the context menu. It can also be changed via the Properties window of an individual item.
  • The visibility setting is shown in the tables. The items in each table can be grouped by visibility.
  • The setting is saved and loaded along with the EASE project. It is also imported from and exported to EASE 4 projects.
  • Hovered, highlighted, or selected items are always shown.
• Expanded management of processing blocks***:
  • Using the Create Processing Block command from the Loudspeakers ribbon, processing blocks can now be created based on the currently selected loudspeakers.
  • Currently selected loudspeakers can be added to a processing block or they can replace the loudspeakers assigned to a processing block. These functions can be accessed through the tiles in the processing block window and work similar to the update functions for selection sets.

Bug fixes:

• The folder for internal program settings has been corrected to C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Local\AFMG\.
• Bug fix when exporting to DWG and layer names derived from the project were not unique.
• Improved behavior for small mouse movements on high-resolution screens. The tolerance for spanning the selection frame was increased.
• Bug fix for invalid colors in user-defined material files.

Non-functional changes:

• Presentation colors are now stored more efficiently.

*** Top-voted user requests
 

Version 5.64

06.06.2024

New features and improvements:

• New tables for faces, audience areas, and listener seats***:
  • Faces can be viewed in a new table showing material name and surface area for each item. The table can be opened from the Surfaces or Windows ribbon menu.
  • The tabular view for audience areas shows the name, ear height and surface area for each area. The table can be opened from the Receivers or Windows ribbon menu.
  • The listener seats table shows all listener seats with their labels, locations, and orientation angles. The table can be opened from the Receivers or Windows ribbon menu.
  • The new tables support a large set of general functions described below..
• Updated loudspeakers table and materials table:
  • The loudspeakers table and the materials in use tables have been extended and refined.
  • The updated tables support a large set of general functions described below.
• General functions available through tables:
  • A table can be sorted by column, in ascending or descending order.
  • Tables can be searched for text or numerical values.
  • Items in a table can be grouped by selected properties, i.e., table columns.
  • Items in a table can be filtered based on simple parameters or user-defined rules.
  • The layout of a table can be adjusted including visibility, position and width of each column.
  • A summary line provides details about the items shown including the count.
  • Multiple items can be selected, including selecting all using Ctrl+A and selection of blocks using Shift or Ctrl keys. Highlighting and hovering is supported as well.
  • The view portion can be scrolled to the currently active row automatically by pressing Space.
• When searching the databases for speaker models or materials, a summary count is shown for each category.
• Extended result management for Room Mapping***:
  • The automated picture export now includes the distribution graph, cumulative distribution as well as A- and Z-weighted results.
  • The view settings for the distribution graph including class width are now remembered separately for each type of map.
• The temporary data folders window allows cleaning up orphaned temporary data. It can be opened from the File menu of the Room Mapping module.

Bug fixes:

• Sound received at audience areas from loudspeakers below is now considered properly in Standard Mapping, consistently with other calculations.
• Some project files using cluster-type GLLs and configurations with empty box labels could not be opened in release 63, now fixed.
• Various minor bug fixes.

*** Top-voted user requests
 

Version 5.63

02.05.2024

New features and improvements:

• Copying loudspeaker settings with options***:
  • The properties of a loudspeaker object can be selected individually for copying.
  • The Options drop-down window of the Paste command allows including or excluding coordinates (X, Y, Z), aiming angles (Ver., Hor., Rot.) as well as configuration and filter settings when pasting.
  • This is useful, for example, for copying just the filter stage of a selected loudspeaker across a number of loudspeakers or only its mounting height.
• Subtracting faces:
  • One or several existing faces can be cut out from adjacent faces, such as windows from side walls. The function can also be used to make sure that slightly overlapping faces are arranged seamlessly.
  • The command is located in the Surfaces ribbon menu and is applied to all currently selected faces.
  • Selected faces are cut from faces that are in the same plane within a distance of 1 cm. The overlapping faces are detected by EASE and cut-outs are created automatically.
• Extended loudspeaker density mapping:
  • The 3 dB mapping for validating direct loudspeaker coverage for source panning in spatial audio applications was complemented by a 6 dB mapping, providing for a greater tolerance.
  • The 10 dB mapping for evaluating number and distribution of secondary loudspeakers for the generation of a diffuse sound field in immersive acoustics remains unchanged.
    Note: The mapping file format for standard mapping and standard mapping with reflections was updated to a new version. Previous EASE versions cannot read the new version. This does not apply to AURA or Local Decay mapping files. Reading mapping files from previous EASE versions will show zeros for the 6 dB loudspeaker density mapping.
• Generating bitmap files for mappings automatically***:
  • In the mapping evaluation window, a number of mappings can be preselected by the user in order to be rendered and saved as picture files automatically in a single run.
  • Output files are written to a user-defined folder. They are labelled according to date, type of mapping and frequency selection.
  • This function is particularly useful to quickly generate a number of result pictures for reports or presentation purposes.

Bug fixes:

• Several minor bug fixes.
• Solved layout issues in error reporting form.

*** Top-voted user requests
 

Version 5.62

04.04.2024

New features and improvements:

• Solid rendering functions added:
  • Non-transparent, opaque surface styles are now available via the Presentation ribbon menu. These can be used for easier visualization as well as for a better understanding of the acoustic properties of the space. They can also be used to verify the correct geometry of the room.
  • Default colors or material colors can be used for rendering faces.
  • Face culling can be switched on or off. Helpful views of the model inside are available when using the dollhouse style with culling enabled, or without culling when rendering in combination with cutting planes.
  • Material color changes are applied in real time. This makes visual tuning of the colors very fast and easy.
  • Audience areas are rendered in transparent style.
  • X-Ray surface styles have been updated slightly.
• Joining faces***:
  • A selection of separate faces can now be combined into a single face.
  • The largest face of the selection is expanded by the other selected faces. The properties of the largest face, such as the material assignment, are retained.
  • Faces outside of the plane of the largest face are projected onto its plane before merging them.
• Adding vertices to a face***:
  • In the expanded Edit Vertices mode, additional vertices can now be inserted directly on the edges of a face by snapping to the edge and left-clicking.
  • Inserted vertices can subsequently be moved or used as a snapping source for other elements of the room.
  • Interactive cursor symbols indicate available actions.

Bug fixes:

• Fixed arrow icon for selection sets and material tiles.
• Fixed exception when all 3D views were closed but further user operations were carried out.
• Duplicate function: Fixed inconsistent cursor behavior in control bar when entering the number of duplicates.
• Fixed rare exception upon exporting in EASE project format when using loudspeaker DLL files.
• Fixed rare exception when corrupt DLL data block was set upon loading a project.
• Improved error handling for ID rendering engine.
• Improved license management: licenses can always be activated when there is at least one free User Key.
• Fixed rare NotSupportedException when exporting surfaces via DWG format.
• Fixed error related to internal management of shortcut keys, such as when quickly adding several audience areas above a face.
• Resolved specific raytracing error for projects with more than 32 000 faces.

Several bug fixes are based on the error reporting functions of EASE. Thank you to all participating users for allowing the functionality!

*** Top-voted user requests
 

Version 5.61

06.03.2024

New features and improvements:

• Isolines for mappings added***:
  • In the Room Mapping module, Isoline Plot can now be activated in addition to Patch Grid. The switch is located in the Dye menu.
  • Isolines are rendered with the resolution specified in the Legend Colors window (File menu of Room Mapping module).
  • Isoline displays are available for both audience areas as well as faces.
  • Outlines can be switched on and off using the Isoline Plot with Outlines menu item.
• Context menu for right mouse button***:
  • A context menu is shown on right-mouse click. It contains the most popular commands from the ribbon menu.
  • Which functions are available in the context menu depends on the types of the selected items.
  • Available short cuts are shown for each menu item.
• When starting mapping calculations, face groups can now be selected including any defined selection sets.
• The File Info part of the mapping now includes information about the type of input signal fed to the system as well as the environmental parameters such as air temperature.

Bug fixes:

• Update user-defined reference point after setting reference point manually and activating a constraint for a different position.
• Fix erroneous indication of invalid crossings when inserting a polygon.
• Several fixes for rare exceptions transmitted through the error reporting function of EASE. Thank you to all participating users!

Non-functional changes:

• Updated example files and noise files.
• Several ribbon icons updated due to internal clean-up.

*** Top-voted user requests
 

Version 5.60

15.02.2024

New features and improvements:

• Material color supported***:
  • A specific color can be selected for each material in a project directly from the Materials in Use window.
  • The colored rendering of the project can be activated using the Material Color switch from the Dye menu in the Room Mapping module.
  • Colors are stored along with the project.
• Importing sound system configurations:
  • Sound system configurations based on the XLD text file format can be opened as a new project or added to an existing project.
  • The import includes the location and aiming as well as the gain, delay and filter settings for each loudspeaker. Referenced speaker models are assigned automatically.
  • XLD files can be exported from EASE Focus, as well as from 3rd party software like d&b ArrayCalc and L-acoustics SoundVision.
• The View from Selection command allows switching the view position and direction of the current 3D View to a selected loudspeaker or listener seat***.
• Saving loudspeaker configurations:
  • The configuration of a conventional loudspeaker, line array or cluster can be saved to a text file in XGLC format.
  • For line arrays, the data includes the number of elements, splay angles and box types. For clusters, it contains the location and orientation of each element. For all types of loudspeakers, it includes the internal filter settings.
  • This allows exchanging configurations across EASE 5 projects as well as with other software platforms.

Bug fixes:

• Improved and extended import of noise curves in EXN format.
• Switch unit in all windows immediately after changing the unit setting. Applies to the Materials in Use window, Loudspeakers table, Acoustic Parameters and the Configurator window for cluster-type GLLs.

Non-functional changes:

• Update to .NET 8.
• Updated company name of software publisher to AFMG. This resets the software settings.

*** Top-voted user requests
 

Version 5.59

21.12.2023

New features and improvements:

• Cluster-type GLLs supported***:
  • Cluster-type speaker models are typically used for horizontal arrays, two-dimensional loudspeaker arrangements as well as some types of column loudspeakers.
  • All functions available for loudspeakers and line arrays are available also for clusters, e.g. configuring, moving, duplicating, mirroring, copying setups etc.
  • Configurator window provides schematic view for geometrical information and input configuration view for signal processing.
  • Schematic view shows a table with type, label, relative location and aiming angle of each element. For clusters which allow a user-defined setup, this table can be modified by the user and elements can be added or removed, as well.
  • Input configuration view allows viewing and modifying the gain, the input configuration, as well as the filter settings for each element. Filters can also be reset to default.
  • Case drawings and aiming lines are shown in 3D view for each cluster element.
  • Cluster configurations are supported when importing from or exporting to EASE 4.4.
  • Configuration files (XGLC) can be loaded for cluster loudspeakers, as well.
  • Feature enables systems like Holoplot X1, X2, L-Acoustics ARCS, JBL CBT series, Alcons Audio RR12, Bose MSA12X, Coda CoRAY, Outline SCALA and more.
• Importing noise curves***:
  • Standard curves like NC or RC can be loaded in the Acoustic Parameters window.
  • Defaults to pre-installed database with NC, NCB, NR, PNC, RC, and RNC files.
• GLL presets available for loudspeakers, line arrays, and clusters:
  • Presets are predefined configurations embedded in the speaker model definition (GLL).
  • Loading a preset fully replaces the current configuration.
  • The default configuration can be selected, as well.
  • For clusters, the base setups can be selected which only contain a geometrical configuration. Also, the user-defined mode can be switched on if available.
• Acoustic Parameters window updated with respect to noise levels and reverberation times.

Bug fixes:

• Improved volume calculation and hole detection.
• Updated tessellation algorithm removes tiny triangles and improves hole detection.
• Fixed critical error on Asian language systems when calculating mappings.
• Fixed rare crash when pressing Update EASE button.
• Improved error messages for defect installations of the loudspeaker database server.
• Export DWG: Fixed rare error related to leading or trailing space characters of material names.
• Fixed rare error when sending Room Mapping pictures to the clipboard.

Non-functional changes:

• Update to .NET SDK 7.0.404 and .NET Runtime 7.0.14.
• Changing numerical text fields with the mouse wheel now requires that the mouse cursor is positioned in the field instead of only hovering.

*** Top-voted user requests
 

Version 5.58.2

07.12.2023

Bug fix:

• Hotfix for rare program freeze.

Many thanks to all participating users for having allowed error reporting!

Version 5.58.1

29.11.2023

Bug fixes:

• Resolved rare but critical “NullReferenceException in IdRenderEngine” and “InvalidCastException in IdRender Engine“ errors.

Version 5.58

20.11.2023

New features and improvements:

• Exporting DWG drawing files***:
  • The Save As command on the File ribbon allows storing projects in DWG format for further use in CAD software such as AutoDesk AutoCAD or Trimble Sketchup.
  • Faces are exported as polyface meshes.
  • Materials assigned to faces are converted to layers (tags).
  • Loudspeaker case drawings are converted to polylines and grouped by loudspeaker. These elements are assigned to a separate, single layer.
  • Intended for reporting, documentation, and archiving. Full roundtrips are not supported.
• Scale to Selection:
  • Scale to fit for the selected room element or multiple elements.
  • Case drawing is considered for line arrays.
  • Available via Presentation ribbon or shortcut Space.
• Acoustic Parameters window shows the broadband noise level in dB (A) and dB (Z)***:
• Configurator window can be opened from Loudspeaker properties window.
• Material icons updated.

Bug fixes:

• Rare exception related to not-matching frequency sets of materials fixed.
• Fixed problems related to render engine.
• Fixed memory access error introduced by migration to Vortice in 5.57.
• Fixed erroneous ribbon title for selected Drawing.

Non-functional changes:

• Information message removed when using Ctrl + mouse wheel. Items behind other items can be selected using Shift + mouse wheel.
• Improved error logging for loudspeaker database.

*** Top-voted user requests
 

Version 5.57

17.10.2023

New features and improvements:

• Exporting graphics***:
  • The content of any window of the main program can be saved and exported using the Tools > Send Picture to… commands.
  • Window content can be copied to the clipboard as bitmap graphics and pasted in other software afterwards for creating reports and documentation.
  • Graphics can also be saved to different bitmap file formats for archiving and more.
• Major revision of the search lists for database materials and speaker models:
  • Increased search and update performance.
  • Updated graphics.
  • Numerous bug fixes.
• Multi-select***:
  • When several items are selected, the properties window shows a statistical summary including the total number of items as well as the specific amounts of different types of items, such as loudspeakers.
  • Also, the overall surface areas for selected faces and audience areas are shown, respectively.
• Loudspeaker properties: The delay can be viewed and set directly in the properties window in addition to the gain.
• Presentation: The visibility of the coordinate system can be toggled on and off.
• Face properties: The assigned material as well as the surface area are displayed.
• Audience area properties:
  • Additional default ear height of 0.8 m, “sitting on ground”.
  • Surface area shown..
• Editing: The anchor point can be snapped to in edit modes like Move, Duplicate, Extrude, or Rotate.
• Numerous improvements for ribbon icons.

Bug fixes:

• In Duplicate mode, the control bar now accepts short cuts when the focus is on the duplicates text field.
• Multi-select by mouse selection frame did not always include all of the drawing images, now resolved.
• Room mapping: Patch size field shows indication of current unit of length.
• Several memory leaks fixed.

Non-functional changes:

• The 3D drawing library was switched to Vortice supporting .NET 8, C# 12 and Direct3D12.

*** Top-voted user requests

Version 5.56

19.09.2023

EASE 5 Second Edition includes all features added since the introduction of EASE 5 First Edition as well as the following new functions and tools that were not part of the previous release version 5.55.

New features and improvements:

• Inserting circles***:
  • In addition to arbitrary-shaped polygons one can now define circular faces based on a center point and a radius.
  • Circular faces or holes can also be inserted into existing faces.
  • Center point and radius can both be given by manual entry or inferring from existing points and drawings. The angular resolution is 15°. A preview is shown while drawing.
• Inserting arcs***:
  • Arc segments can now be defined when drawing polygons or audience areas.
  • An arc consists of a starting point, an end point, and a point on the arc. These can be entered manually or by inferring from existing points and drawings.
  • The angular resolution is approximately 15° whereas a minimum of eight segment is always generated.
  • Multiple arcs can be inserted into a single polygon.
• Material-based scattering coefficients***: 
  • Materials can now be extended by defining the scattering coefficient in 1/3rd octave resolution. This data complements the absorption coefficient.
  • The scattering data is shown in the database search and in the Materials in Use window. 
  • It is automatically considered for AURA Mapping and AURA Response calculations. For surfaces referring to materials without scattering information, the default setting is used instead.
• Extended AURA calculations:
  • Signal-to-noise mapping is now available. The results can be particularly useful when optimizing for speech intelligibility.
• Inserting faces into faces:
  • Insert faces can now be extended beyond the boundaries of the base face. This allows more flexible drawing as well as re-using the plane of already existing faces for drawing new ones.
• In this first release of EASE 5 Second Edition numerous small adaptations and improvements have been applied, including among others:
  • Refined diagram displays for acoustic parameters, materials, filters.
  • Filter bank and filters window relabeled to filter stage.
  • Simplified GUI for inserting loudspeakers and replacing speaker models.
     

Bug fixes:

• Fixed error introduced with 5.53 when using large drawing bitmaps.
• Snapping to hidden faces not possible anymore.
• Fixed DWG import error in case of corrupt or broken surface elements.
• Fixed error for very small faces.
• Fixed error when importing corrupt line array configurations from EASE 4.
• Fixed error from uninitialized native buffer.
• Fixed exception where the owner property of a window could not be set.
• Insert polygon/audience area: Keep plane constraint when multiple vertices are located on a straight line.

*** Top-voted user requests
 

Version 5.55

15.08.2023

New features and improvements:

• Rotate function in Tools menu***:
  • Parts of the room or the room as a whole can be turned around a user-defined axis. The function can be used to adjust the orientation of copied or imported objects, to aim arrays of loudspeakers or to tune reflector angles.
  • The rotation axis can be specified freely by two arbitrary points in 3D space.
  • The rotation angle can be given explicitly as an angle or by selecting an anchor point and a target location for the anchor point. Auxiliary snapping points are provided in 5° resolution.
  • A preview of the rotated object is shown automatically.
• Saving materials:
  • Materials can be saved to a file from any of the EASE 5 databases.
  • The MAT file can be subsequently modified or used in another AFMG software.
• Selection sets***:
  • The calculation modules allow choosing selection sets wherever groups of items can be selected or activated, e.g., faces, loudspeakers, or listener seats.
  • When exporting to EASE 4.4, selection sets are saved as objects.
• New items are automatically selected after Duplicate, Add Back Side and Area Above Face commands. This is useful, e.g., to create new selection sets easily.
• The software shows an indication in the main window as soon as a new version is available. AFMG highly recommends staying up-to-date with the software version in order to take advantage of new features and important bug fixes.
• Should an error occur, the user is prompted to send the detailed error information as well as the project file directly to AFMG.

Bug fixes:

• Improved handling of several exceptions that require user actions.
• Fixed loading of GLL speaker models with erroneous presets.
• Fixed error related to inserting very small faces or areas.
• Fixed error during import of speaker model files.
• Loudspeaker table: Gain and delay show zero for loudspeakers with bypassed filter banks.
• Fixed issue with refreshing preview after changing the anchor point for Move or Duplicate modes.

*** Top-voted user requests

Version 5.54

11.07.2023

New features and improvements:

• Signal-processing functions for beam-steering and 3rd-party software:
  • The inputs of loudspeakers and of line array elements can now be equipped with filters.
  • All filter types can be applied as for the other filter stages such as High-/Low-Pass, High-/Low-Shelf, Peak, Delay, Gain.
  • Additional filter types have been introduced: FIR/Measured transfer function, 1/3rd octave, 1/24th octave filters.
  • Import of XGLC configuration files with input filters supported by 3rd-party manufacturer software such as d&b ArrayCalc, Renkus-Heinz Rhaon, or Kling&Freitag ConSequenza.
  • Import of XGLC configuration files with input filters supported by EASE Focus and FIRmaker.
  • This function concludes the full support of filter settings available in EASE 4.4.
• Add projects***:
  • Allows adding existing project files to the currently loaded project (a.k.a. Combine Project).
  • Supports EASE 5 project files (EPRJ), model files from AutoCAD, Rhino, SketchUp or Vectorworks (DWG), as well as EASE 4.4 (FRD).
  • Allows user-defined libraries of objects, such as for columns or pews, dealing with multiple sound systems or extending an existing model by new parts.
  • Added projects are automatically assigned to a selection set for easy selection and modification.
• Copying loudspeaker configurations***:
  • Copy & Paste commands for one or multiple loudspeakers as well as selection sets.
  • Copied data includes speaker model, vertical angle, line array configuration as well as filter settings.
  • Copying also possible across projects.
• New calculation functions in Room Mapping:
  • S/N ratio mapping.
  • Loudspeaker density mapping shows the number of loudspeakers reaching a receiver within 3 dB or 10 dB. This mapping is particularly useful for coverage optimization in immersive/spatial audio designs.
  • Horizontal angle mapping shows the horizontal angle of the direction of the localized source for each receiver. This mapping is particularly useful for visualizing and optimizing precedence and localization in designs of immersive systems and of delay/fill loudspeaker lines. Available only for Standard and Pro licenses.

Bug fixes:

• Improved handling of bypass settings for filter overrides.
• Prevent crashes related to update of user-defined materials.
• Fixed crash when importing a large number of GLL files into the database.
• Fixed “Volume must not be negative” exception for Measured RT setting.

Notes:

• Mapping files created with Standard Mapping cannot be read by previous versions of EASE.

*** Top-voted user requests

Version 5.53

31.05.2023

New features and improvements:

• New STI Optimizer in Room Mapping:
  • Signal level and noise level can now be adjusted in post-processing, i.e., after the mapping was calculated. This is particularly useful after long AURA calculations.
  • Corresponding STI values can be viewed and mapped in 3D.
  • The Optimize function can be used to determine the best signal level automatically, based on signal masking, S/N, and hearing threshold.
  • Available for Standard and Pro licenses.
• Extended internal filter settings ***:
  • Allows loading beam-steering settings and advanced filter configurations from line array design software via XGLC files, in particular so-called override filters used by EAW Resolution, Martin Audio Display, Steffens Systems, Harmonic Design and others.
  • Loaded filter overrides are marked in the GUI by an Override label.
  • Loudspeaker or line array can be reset to default values using a new Reset function.
• Import of 2D elements from AutoCAD and other drawings***:
  • Loading 2D elements from DWG drawing files is now supported. This includes
    • 2D Polylines
    • LW Polylines
    • Arcs
    • Circles
    • Ellipses
  • All Polylines are closed automatically and converted to faces.
  • Arcs, circles, and ellipses are sampled in 15° steps and converted to faces, as well.
• Improved navigation and orientation:
  • The bottom right of the 3D view shows an axis cross for better orientation.
  • The reference point is shown as a small axis cross instead of a filled blue circle.
  • The negative ends of the main coordinate axes in the 3D view have been shortened.
  • The mouse cursor shows a colored axis cross instead of a black one.
• Selecting items behind other items is now activated using the Shift modifier key along with the mouse wheel instead of the Ctrl modifier key. This avoids conflicts with selecting multiple items using Ctrl.
• New Filter Bank element in Filters window:
  • Invert Polarity allows shifting the phase of the entire set of filters by 180°..
  • Bypass and reset functions can be applied to the entire filter bank as well.
• Auto-gain: In the case that the maximum input voltage of a loudspeaker is exceeded, the filters of all loudspeakers are reduced by the same excess amount thus keeping their relative level relationships.
• Calculation modules support short cuts Ctrl+0, 1, 2, 3, 4 for scale-to-fit and standard view directions..

Bug fixes:

• Fixed triangle swap exception when importing EASE 4 projects.
• Fixed index out of range exception when importing DWG files.
• Correct display of material files with Chinese characters.
• Exception fixed when creating a face in a face.
• Exception fixed when loading projects with erroneous selection sets.
• Fixed exception when saving to a network drive that does not exist anymore.
• Fixed exception when projects have faces with zero surface and calculations are initiated.
• When inserting a face in a face and replacing it completely, the original face is now deleted from selection sets, as well.

Notes:

• On some systems using 12th generation Intel graphics the new axis cross in the bottom right of the 3D view may not be rendered correctly. This can be resolved by installing a specific driver update.

*** Top-voted user requests

Version 5.52

03.05.2023

New features and improvements:

• Import layers/tags from AutoCAD, Rhino, Sketchup projects***:
  • Loading DWG files from a CAD software will automatically convert layers or tags as selection sets.
  • Subsequently the faces included in these selection sets can be used as follows:
  • • • Assigning materials according to layers/tags
      • Creating audience areas for designated faces
      • Adding back side faces for parapets and clouds
      • Deleting/cleaning layers if needed
      • Keeping the project organization
• Presentation modes: All faces in the project can be hidden or shown. ***
• Selections can be restored for:
  • Different item types stored in a selection set, such as all loudspeakers or all faces in the selection set
  • All loudspeakers associated with a processing block.
  • All faces of one material via the Materials in Use window
• Speaker models (GLLs) can be removed from the local database.
• Selecting room items behind other room items under the mouse cursor is now possible by pressing Page Up or Page Down in addition to Ctrl + mouse wheel.
• US customary units: numerical entries are by default interpreted as feet instead of inches.
• The status text for loudspeakers shows the speaker model as well as the loudspeaker company.
• The configurator window for line arrays remembers the current page when switching between line arrays.

Bug fixes:

• Face in Face mode shows the face that is edited in gray instead of green.

*** Top-voted user requests

Version 5.51

05.04.2023

New features and improvements:

• Selection frame for selecting many room items by mouse***:
  • Drag with the left mouse button over the 3D view to highlight and select all items inside the selection frame.
  • Keep Ctrl pressed while dragging to add items to the selection.
  • Keep Alt pressed while dragging to remove items from the selection.
  • Subsequently modifications can be applied to all selected items or they can be stored in a selection set.
• Input configurations for line arrays and loudspeakers:
  • A new tabular overview was added to the line array configurator.
  • Box types, splay angles and gain settings are shown.
  • Input configurations as defined in the GLL can be selected. Predefined filters can be selected as provided by the GLL.
  • Input configurations and predefined filters are also supported for regular loudspeakers in addition to line arrays.
  • Loading XGLC configuration files will select the specified input configuration and corresponding filters.
• Expanded selection sets***:
  • Add button allows adding selected room items to an existing selection set.
  • Revised user interface for updating and restoring selection sets.
• Significant performance improvements:
  • All modification functions for room items have been significantly speed up, such as replacing speaker models and materials, moving, duplicating and mirroring items as well as inverting faces.
  • Speed for rendering, highlighting and selecting items has been increased significantly.
  • Fluent management of up to 10 000 faces and 1 000 loudspeakers in a project is now supported. For larger projects lags may be notable.
• Audience areas are now rendered in gray instead of purple-blue.

Bug fixes:

• At larger distances from the origin, objects may disappear in parallel perspective - fixed.
• Mute/unmute correctly updated in line array configurator GUI.
• Decimals for gain parameter of shelving filters fixed.
• Fixed erroneously linked properties between line arrays after duplicate, mirror or loading an XGLC file.
• Fixed exceptions related to GLL files with errors, specifically filter groups with non-unique names.
• Keep filters when there is only one loudspeaker associated with a processing block and the speaker model is replaced.

Notes:

• The project file format was changed. Files saved with version 5.51 will show a warning when read by predecessor versions.

*** Top-voted user requests

Version 5.50.1

07.03.2023

Bug fix:

• Highlighting of faces associated with materials or selection sets was dependent on the view angle. For certain view directions the highlight effect was not visible.

Version 5.50

03.03.2023

New features and improvements:

• Numerous new filters for signal processing:
  • Low-shelf, high-shelf and all-pass filters added.
  • High-pass and low-pass filters extended by Linkwitz-Riley and Bessel types.
  • Symmetrical peak filter added.
  • All filters available for global EQ, processing blocks, and individual loudspeakers.
• Expanded slice views and cutting planes***:
  • Upper and lower cutting planes can be freely defined and combined for all three axes.
  • Sliders for interactive adjustment of limits relative to the room model.
  • Individually configurable for each 3D view.
• Acoustic Parameters window now shows the frequency spectrum for each input signal.
• New shortcuts***:
  • Ctrl+0: Scale to fit
  • Ctrl+1 to +4: Standard view directions X, Y, Z, 3D
  • Ctrl+5: Toggle slice view on/off
• Updated and improved colors for all items in 3D views.
  • Two-folds are displayed in sand color.
  • Improved case drawings for loudspeakers.
  • Additional triangle symbol for hovered and selected listener seats and loudspeakers.
• Numerous performance improvements in render engine and hover engine for managing large numbers of faces and loudspeakers.

Notes:

• The project file format was changed. Files saved with version 5.50 cannot be read by predecessor versions.

*** Top-voted user requests

Version 5.49.1

21.02.2023

Bug fix:

• Critical fix: A project file cannot be loaded in 5.49 after changing the speaker model of a loudspeaker that is stored in a selection set and then saving the project. Saving the project from 5.49.1 will automatically correct the project file, as well.

Version 5.49

14.02.2023

New features and improvements:

• Signal processing with global EQ:
  • In the Acoustic Parameters window, global equalization and gain can be applied to the input signal that is fed to the sound system.
  • Related filters can be defined and modified through the Filters window.
  • For calculations, the gain and eq settings are combined with the filter settings for processing blocks and individual loudspeakers.
• Improved Filters window access:
  • In the properties windows of loudspeakers, processing blocks, and global EQ the filters window can now be opened directly using a new button.
•  3D Perspective view:
  • New standard perspective allows selecting diagonal views of the room model.
• Improved coordinate entry:
  • After confirming coordinates in the control bar, the focus is moved back to the text field of the x coordinate.
  • All mouse modes stay activated until they are switched off by pressing Esc or the corresponding ribbon button.
  • Various performance improvements for managing large numbers of items in a room.
  • Increased performance for importing many GLL loudspeaker data files.

Bug fixes:

• Important: Volume calculation fixed when rooms are far from the origin.
• Calculation modules reliably initialized with unit system selected in main program.
• Improved layout for Selection Sets window.

Notes:

• Application upgraded to .NET 7.

Version 5.48

20.12.2022

New features and improvements:

• Choice of input signal:
  • In the Acoustic Parameters window, one can choose among pink noise, speech according to the STI standard IEC 60268-16:2020, music (EIA 426B) and program (IEC 60268-1).
  • The signal type is automatically applied to all calculations. It is also accounted for when determining the maximum output capabilities of loudspeakers and line arrays.
• Mirror function:
  • One or multiple selected items can be mirrored in X-direction or in Y-direction.
  • For loudspeakers and listener seats the aiming/orientation angles are mirrored accordingly.
  • For faces the acoustic orientation is adjusted accordingly.
• Selection sets:
  • Selected items can now be stored as selection sets. These saved selections can later be restored and then used for viewing and modifying multiple items at once.
  • Selection sets can be labeled and sorted. They can also be updated to a new selection by adding or removing items.
  • All items included in a selection set can be viewed and selected. The list of assigned items can be expanded and collapsed.
  • Items included in a selection set can be highlighted in other windows.
  • Key properties of items are shown in the selection sets window, such as the speaker model for loudspeakers or the acoustic material for faces.
  • Multiple selection sets can be combined together. Items included in selection sets can be selected together as well.
  • Selection sets are not exclusive; they can contain overlapping sets of items. Empty selection sets serving as placeholders can be defined as well.

Bug fixes:
-    Important: Bug fix for statistical calculations based on Measured RT setting.

Version 5.47

23.11.2022

New features and improvements:

• Selecting multiple room items for modification:
  • Select items using Ctrl + left click
  • Move and duplicate several elements
  • Invert multiple faces at once*
  • Add back-side faces*
  • Assign a new material to several selected faces*
  • Replace the speaker model of all selected loudspeakers*
  • Load XLGC configuration files and apply them to several line arrays in one step
  • Create audience areas for many faces at once*
  • Delete all selected items by pressing Del
  • Deselect all items by pressing Esc
  • Multiple processing blocks as well as project materials can be selected as well
• Various editing modes can be used in two ways (*):
  • If no items are selected, a mouse mode will be activated to select and change items subsequently.
  • If some items are selected already, the ribbon button will show a corresponding number symbol and the change will be applied immediately.
• When activated, most mouse modes are automatically locked for several actions in a row.
• Move, duplicate and extrude functions support choosing an anchor point anywhere in the model.
• When inserting faces or audience areas, the reference point is set automatically to the last point inserted.
• Extended calculations in Room Mapping module:
  • Cumulative distribution supported, including threshold and mean values for top 80%, 85%, 90% and 95% of the covered area (e.g., for EN 54-32).
  • Print Value mouse mode for inserting mapping values in the 3D view.
  • Status bar shows mapping values at mouse location in Peek and Print Value mouse modes.
  • Revised diagram scaling and labeling for frequency response, echogram and distribution graphs.
• GLL files can be imported directly from zip-files, for example, after downloading compressed files from AFMG’s website.

Bug fixes:

• Fixed bug for rare cases where a project file cannot be overwritten.
• Room Mapping: Fixed error 384 that occurs when switching mappings and mapping evaluation window is minimized.

Version 5.46.1

09.11.2022

Bug fixes:

• Resolved rare “Unexpected error 50003” on Windows 7 PCs.
• Fixed frozen UI when starting the software by double-click on an incompatible project file.
• Fixed occasionally missing ribbon buttons when starting the software by double-click on a project file.

Version 5.46

25.10.2022

New features and improvements:

• Processing blocks support entire filter banks in addition to gain and delay.
• XGLC configuration files can be loaded for line arrays (Loudspeakers ribbon menu).
• After loading a project, scale-to-fit is applied automatically.
• When importing large DWG files or loading EASE projects, a progress indicator is shown.
• Selection button added to Tools ribbon menu.
• New default window layout named Sound System.
• Improved software start-up time.

Bug fixes:

• Loudspeakers table: columns for Hor and Ver angles flipped so that Ver is first.
• Room mapping shows project name correctly.
• Improved display of window asking for consent to data collection.
• Fixed keyboard focus for Insert Loudspeaker and Insert Listener Seat.
• Fixed error when undocking/docking the Line Array Configurator window. 

Notes:

• Project files saved with this program version cannot be loaded into previous versions because of the expanded processing blocks.

Version 5.45.1

04.10.2022

Initial release.