Release v0.44.0

[sebcrozet]

v0.44.0

Breaking Changes

• Removed the hw_raytracer cargo feature. The hardware ray-query backend is now selected automatically at runtime when the GPU supports it, otherwise the compute backend is used.
• Light gained a public layers: u32 field (lighting channels). Code that builds a Light with a struct literal must set it (defaults to u32::MAX); the Light::point(..) / with_layers(..) builders are unaffected.
• The egui feature now also enables the rfd dependency (native file dialogs used by the inspector).
• New dependencies: gltf 1.4 and wesl 0.4.

New Features

glTF, skinning & animation

• Load glTF/GLB models with SceneNode3d::add_gltf / add_gltf_from_memory (or loader::gltf::load / load_from_slice), returning a GltfModel (a scene node plus an AnimationPlayer holding every clip in the file).
• GPU vertex skinning (Skin3d) and morph targets (Object3d::set_morph_weights, up to 64 targets) — both run on the web backend too.
• Keyframe animation playback: AnimationPlayer, AnimationClip, AnimationChannel, Interpolation.
• Example: gltf.

Materials

• Extended PBR StandardMaterial parameters on Object3d/SceneNode3d: set_clearcoat, set_anisotropy, set_reflectance, and volumetric set_attenuation / set_thickness.
• AlphaMode (Opaque / Mask / Blend / Premultiplied) via set_alpha_mode.
• Parallax-occlusion and relief mapping from a height map: set_height_map / set_height_map_from_file, set_parallax_scale, set_parallax_layers, set_parallax_method (ParallaxMethod).
• Examples: material_pbr, parallax, fog, transmission.

Lighting & shadows

• Clustered (forward+) light culling, lifting the previous fixed light cap; enabled automatically when the GPU exposes compute/storage, with a fixed-light fallback otherwise.
• Lighting channels: per-light Light::with_layers / Light.layers and per-object Object3d::set_light_layers, to confine a light to a subset of objects.
• Per-object shadow opt-out via set_casts_shadows(false).
• Configurable soft shadows: Window::set_shadow_softness.
• Colored ambient light (Window::set_ambient_color) and distance fog (Window::set_fog, light::Fog / FogMode).
• Example: clustered_lights.

Reflections & screen-space effects

• Reflection probes (baked image or runtime cube capture), parallax-corrected: Window::add_reflection_probe, capture_reflection_probe, set_reflection_probe_image, set_reflection_capture_layers.
• Screen-space reflections: Window::set_ssr_enabled / ssr_settings_mut, with per-object Object3d::set_ssr(SsrMaterial).
• Planar mirror reflectors integrated into the default PBR material: SceneNode3d::add_reflector, Object3d::set_reflector and set_reflector_*.
• Screen-space ambient occlusion: Window::set_ssao_enabled / ssao_settings_mut.
• Screen-space refractive transmission (glass): Window::set_transmission_enabled / transmission_settings_mut.
• Examples: reflections, mirror, mirror_sphere.

Camera, exposure & post-processing

• Orthographic 3D projection: camera::Projection, OrbitCamera3d::set_projection / projection.
• Physical camera exposure: camera::Exposure (from_physical / from_exposure), applied with Window::set_exposure_value.
• Equirectangular skybox + image-based lighting: Window::set_skybox_from_file / set_skybox_from_memory / set_skybox_image / set_skybox_orientation / clear_skybox.
• Color grading and auto-exposure (eye adaptation) on the HDR resolve, via Window::hdr_settings_mut (ColorGrading, auto_exposure* fields).
• Thin-lens depth of field: Window::set_dof_enabled / dof_settings_mut (DofSettings, DepthOfFieldMode).
• MSAA: Window::set_samples(NumSamples).
• FXAA and CAS post-processing (post_processing::Fxaa, Cas) plus a pixel-inspection Loupe (LoupeCorner).
• Render layers (per-object and per-camera masks): Object3d::set_render_layers, OrbitCamera3d::set_render_layers.
• Runtime vsync toggle: Window::set_vsync.
• Examples: camera_modes, skybox, color_grading, depth_of_field, antialiasing.

Tooling & internals

• Built-in egui scene inspector: window::Inspector + Window::draw_inspector (toggle effects, edit materials/lights/cameras, switch between the rasterizer and path tracer). Example: inspector.
• GPU render timings: Window::render_timings (RenderTimings).
• Optional rt_switcher feature: drive both backends through render_3d for side-by-side rasterizer/ray-tracer comparison.
• WGSL shaders refactored with WESL conditional compilation behind a pipeline cache, plus a shader-variant validity test.