nTop 4.9 is here! This release features our new transparency feature that helps you toggle and set the transparency value of a block and can be enabled from our new right-side panel, allowing you to inspect different objects without adding extra, unnecessary clicks. We also have an update to our unit system, which enables you to customize it. As with every release, nTop’s dedicated support team is ready to answer your questions. Please visit support.ntop.com to gain access to helpful tutorials and support articles.
Transparency
We’ve added a display feature that allows you to toggle and set the transparency value of a block in the display panel. (See the below Right Side Panel feature for where to find the display panel)
What It Does: The feature allows the user to change the display state of a rendered object in the scene from opaque to transparent. You can also adjust the value of the object’s transparency should you find the default setting not ideal for your rendered view.
Transparency can be enabled for any rendered object, so we encourage users to experiment with the feature and find valuable uses for their workflows. Here are a few great uses we’ve discovered for using transparency when working with complex geometry in nTop:
- Inspect the internal geometry of any part.
- Spot hidden or unintended internal features with ease.
- Visually compare two or more objects.
Tips:
- You can toggle transparency via the checkbox in the display panel or by using the keyboard hotkey T, with or without the display panel open.
- When the transparency is toggled “on,” you can adjust the value of transparency with the slider or the numerical input located under the checkbox.
- GPU acceleration setting does not have an impact on transparency
Right Side Panel
We’ve added a Right Side Panel to give you more easily accessible and viewable information and display settings when needed.
What It Does: There are currently two tabs within the Right Side Panel - Information and Display. The Right Side Panel will stay open until closed, allowing you to inspect different objects without adding extra, unnecessary clicks.
- Information
- You can now view the function information for a block. You can scroll through the Right Side Panel for blocks with numerous inputs that may run off the screen. The Right Side Panel will stay open until closed, enabling you to quickly understand block information as you select blocks in the notebook.
- Most of the content from the existing Information tab of the Block Details flyout window was moved to the Right Side Panel except for the Block version dropdown and the caching dropdown, which will temporarily remain in the original location.
- Display
- You can now glance see and modify the view settings for a block.
- Most of the content from the existing Display tab of the Block Details flyout window was moved to the Right Side Panel except for Simulation plots, which will temporarily remain in the original location.
Tips:
- You can toggle the Right Side Panel via the icon at the top-right corner of the nTop application or by using the keyboard hotkey Ctrl + 2. Note: you can now toggle the Left Side Panel via the icon at the top-left corner of the nTop application or by using the new keyboard hotkey Ctrl + 1.
- When the Right Side Panel is open, you can select the object in the viewport and view/modify the display setting more quickly.
Unit Enhancements
We’ve added capabilities to customize how units display in certain Simulation blocks. In the Units tab of the Settings window, you now have many more options to control the units in your file.
What It Does:
In the Units tab of the Settings window, you will now see four separate sections with new capabilities:
- Unit system
- In addition to Metric and US Customary, there is now a “Custom” system where you can mix and match Metric and US Customary units of your choosing.
- Base units
- No changes here.
- Compound units: You now have the ability to choose document units pertaining to:
- Force
- Pressure
- Frequency
- Heat flux
- Thermal conductivity
- Power
- Energy/Torque
- Specific Heat
- Reset
- At the bottom of the settings section, you can select “Reset” to reset any changes to the nTop defaults for your chosen Unit system. Note: When a “Custom” unit system is chosen, this will reset to the default Metric units.
In addition to the above improvements, users will now see their Compound unit selection chosen in the Units tab of the Settings window display as the units in the following five Simulation blocks:
- Isotropic Thermal Property
- Orthotropic Thermal Property
- Heat Generation
- Surface Heat Flux
- Point Moment
Block Updates
- The icon for Transformable types was changed (shown below)
Bug Fixes
- We fixed an issue with the Distance Along Direction block that caused it to output the wrong field for any vector other than <0, 0, 1>. Since the result was incorrect, we did not version the block. Version 1.0.0 now has this bug fix.
- We fixed an issue with blocks in the Notebook Inputs section that would not build when inputs were modified.
- We fixed an issue where Custom Blocks created within a workflow and then exported did not show any sections upon re-import.
- We fixed an issue with the error log not appearing in the correct position when the Left Side Panel was open.