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Paragraphic Testing phase 2 started
Development of the new cross-platform parametric 2d design app Paragraphic is has taken another big step towards release. While it's not feature complete yet the core features are now in place and a second testing phase with a larger group of testers has started.
You can follow the continued development of the app at the Paragraphic development blog. There you can also sign up if you're interested in being a tester, or just to get a notification when the app is eventually released.
Vectoraster 8.6.0 released
A new update of Vectoraster 8 has now been released, with a new dynamic arc point shape and dynamic point offset transformation, along with a number of fixes and smaller improvements.
Changes and improvements
- New Arc point shape, for drawing dynamic arc shapes and lines with variable arc angle.
- New Point offset transform, a new variable X,Y offset available in Point transform that visually moves the points without changing the measuring location like the raster pattern distortions, allowing for more control of point alignment and making complex patterns.
- Improved license check redundancy for situations when the main license server is not working properly.
- Fixed disabling Point aspect scaling while set to vary dynamically would still apply aspect scale.
- Fixed Fill opacity parameter being shown even when it had no effect due to fill being turned off.
- Fixed colors loading incorrectly from some older format Vectoraster files.
You can download and update from free from within Vectoraster, or download the new version via the product page linked below. If you've bought the app via the Apple App Store the update should be rolling out there as well today.
Patternodes 3.3.1 released
A new maintenance update of Patternodes 3 has been released.
Fixes and improvements:
- Fixed Apply Function node and Apply Element node not working as expected in selected apply to modes.
- Improved license check redundancy for situations when the main license server is not working properly.
Server move and temporary issues
Following a server migration of lostminds.com we had some temporary issues making the website and license system unavailable for about an hour on August 22. The issues have now been resolved, but we're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.
There is a backup system in place for the license system if lostminds.com is unreachable, but it seems that for the specific issue that happened this time this redirect didn't work as lostminds.com was still reachable and responding even though the databases were down. Hopefully we can use this experience to make the system more robust in case something like this happens again in the future.
Paragraphic development update, testing phase 1 started
Development of our new cross-platform parametric 2d design app Paragraphic is progressing more or less according to plan, and it's now getting close to a finished product. While it's not feature complete or stable enough for release all the major systems are now in place and a first testing phase with external testers is under way. Hopefully this will yield a lot of good feedback on what works and what doesn't.
You can follow the continued development of the app at the Paragraphic development blog. There you can also sign up if you're interested in being a tester, or just to get a notification when the app is eventually released.
Patternodes 3.3.0 released
A new update of Patternodes 3 has been released. This time it's a feature update with some new features for repeating and replacing elements in designs.
The inspiration to some of these new features comes from our new parametric design project Paragraphic, check it out at paragraphic.design and follow it's development if you're interested.
New features and improvements:
- New Repeat Function node, allowing you to repeat elements with a transformation similar to the Apply Function node. This makes it a lot more convenient to make some gradual scale or offset transforms and adds greater control.
- New Select from group option in the Replace node, allowing you to select the replacement element from an input group instead of using the entire group. This makes it much easier to make patterns with mixed elements without needing Element lists. Just connect all your elements to the replace node and set how to select the replacement from the group.
- Pack and Element info nodes now have an Ignore stroke option to get size and pack elements disregarding and stroke width.
- Fixed function period offsets still being applied even if the change periods option was unchecked.
- Change node apply to Single selection now works with negative offsets as well as positive.
- Fixed some macOS 14 UI layout issues.
- Improved export file writing error handling.
- Fixed some incorrect warnings in disabled nodes.
Vectoraster 8.5.11 released
A new update of Vectoraster 8 has now been released, fixing some UI issues and restoring the use to dynamic values for some optional parameters.
Fixes and improvements:
- Fixes not being able to dynamically vary optional parameters like additional point scaling and additional point rotation.
- Fixes tabbing between min/max value fields for newly enabled dynamic varied parameters.
You can download and update from free from within Vectoraster, or download the new version via the product page linked below. If you've bought the app via the Apple App Store the update should be rolling out there as well today.
Vectoraster 8 now available on the App Store
With the 8.5.10 update released today Vectoraster is now also available to purchase on the macOS App Store:
The application will still be available to purchase outside of the App Store as well and this change should not affect the functionality of the application. Future updates will continue to be released both the App Store and non-App Store version, so you'll get the same functionality regardless of version. It will however not be possible to convert an App Store purchase to a license for the non-App Store version or the other way around.
Vectoraster 8.5.9 released
A small update of Vectoraster 8 has now been released. This update fixes some minor compatibility issues with macOS 14 and addresses some sanbox file-access related issues some users have been experiencing.
You can download and update from free from withing Vectoraster or download the new version via the product page linked below.
SketchFighter 4000 Alpha v1.2.7 and v1.2.8 updates
A pair of small updates have now been released for SketchFighter 4000 Alpha, this update mainly fixes some issues where the game would run too fast on some new macs with high or variable refresh rate displays.
- Fix for the game running too fast on high refresh rate monitors on M1/M2 macs
- Minimum OS requirement is now macOS 10.13. Users with older macOS versions can just keep using 1.2.6 this is just related to fixing the issue above on newer macs.
Vectoraster 8.5.8 released
A new update of Vectoraster 8 has now been released. This update modernizes some underlying file reading and writing code that should improve future (and current) compatibility and might get around some tricky permission issues. Along with this there are a couple of other little fixes and improvements.
Changes and improvements
- Fix generation of innermost spiral raster points when generating line rasters.
- New setting to automatically convert background color colorspace to match point color (for CMYK exports for example).
- Add clipping rect to exported SVGs.
- Changes to export file writing and saving APIs.
- Changes to file reading handling when importing source files APIs.
Paragraphic prototype development
I've been working for a while on a new parametric graphic design project that I'm calling Paragraphic. It will aim to combine some of the key ideas and strengths of Vectoraster and Patternodes, but wrapped in a slightly more traditional UI, and crucially available cross-platfrom for both Windows, macOS and linux.
It's still very early in the development, but as a sort of experiment I've decided to start a development blog of sorts for the project. Inspired in part by some indie-game developers it'll feature progress reports on the development and some discussions about the thinking behind the structure of the app.
If you want to learn more about this project or and follow the development going forward, click below. You can also sign up already if you're interested in helping out as a tester during development, or just getting a notification when the app is eventually released.
Vlobs 1.1.5 update
A new update to the puzzle game Vlobs, has now been released just in time for the holidays. While the previous updates only targeted the mobil version, this one now brings all platforms up to date on both mobile and desktop, Apple App store and Steam.
Changes and improvements:
- Improved bomb and block clearing special effects.
- Added leaderboard row for the player ranked one step above your score, so you know what to beat to advance.
- Added billions score number format separator and adjusted leaderboard layout to fit higher scores (Wow Player#503!).
- Fixed issue with global leaderboard ranking not being shown correctly unless you were in the top 20.
- Separated fancy graphics setting into individual antialiasing, shadow quality, post-processing and particle settings.
- Continuing a game with the current best score will no longer show the new best score effect each time.
- Fix combo tiles sometimes being incorrectly rotated when continuing a game on a rotated level.
- Game now defaults to windowed mode instead of full screen on first launch.
You can the game on all kinds of platforms using the buttons below, or click read more to get more information.
Get Vlobs on the App Store (iOS, macOS)
Get Vlobs on Steam (windows and linux)
Vectoraster 8.5.7 released
A new small update of Vectoraster 8 has now been released. This is another small update that fixes some UI issues in recent versions and macOS updates.
Vectoraster 8.5.6 released
A new update of Vectoraster 8 has now been released. This is a smaller update that primarily fixes some issues on macOS 14.
Changes and improvements
- Fix issue with collapsed bottom UI panels still showing on macOS 14.
- Improved load times for files with large source images.
- Removed deprecated EPS export format on macOS 14 and later (still available on earlier macOS versions).
Patternodes 3.2.3 released
A new update of Patternodes 3 has been released. This update is a maintenance release fixing some issues and making smaller adjustments.
Changes and fixes:
- Some improvements to connection socket snapping and highlighting of suitable sockets.
- Fix a rare issue where it would be impossible to add connections to specific valid node sockets.
- You can now no longer connect node graphics connections to inputs/outputs in the same node, avoiding the infinite recursion error you'd get before when trying to do this.
- Fixed nodes created with drag and drop files would not align properly to grid snap.
- Removed deprecated EPS export format option that is no longer supported on macOS 14 and later (still available on older versions).
macOS 14 EPS format support dropped
It appears that Apple has removed system support for the EPS format in macOS 14 Sonoma, which means that sadly importing or exporting EPS files in Vectoraster and Patternodes will no longer work on macOS 14.
This was unexpected, so unfortunately current versions of Vectoraster and Patternodes will not give you any warning about this and may behave erratically trying to load/save EPS data as they relied on these system features. It's unlikely EPS format support will come back at this time, so if you're still working with EPS files, now is a good time to switch over to SVG or PDF.
Vectoraster 8.5.5 released
A new update of Vectoraster 8 has now been released. This adds some initial CMYK color support and interface optimizations along with a couple of bug fixes.
Changes and improvements
- Added support for CMYK and other non-rgb color models in static colors (varying dynamic point colors will still convert to RGB in rendering and exports). CMYK colors are only supported in PDF exports.
- Improved interface performance.
- Improved support and handling of pasting graphics as source image layers.
- Fixed bug where exporting to CSV or SVG would result in the preview going blank.
- Fix issue with new source images pasted in getting the wrong initial size.
- Fix issue with importing vector graphics with very large sizes causing memory issues.
Patternodes 3.2.2 released
A new update of Patternodes 3 has been released. This update is a maintenance release fixing some issues and making smaller adjustments.
Changes and fixes:
- Fix issue with importing vector graphics with very large sizes causing memory issues.
- Fix Group Arrange node not arranging elements with change mode set to a selection instead of all elements.
- Fix incorrect text size in Element Text nodes imported from Patternodes 2 files.
- Improved handling of file access errors on import.
- Added Lost Minds Mastodon link to Help menu.
Vlobs Android removed from sale
Sadly, due to wide ranging compatibility issues on Android we're removing the Android version of Vlobs from sale in the Google Play store for now. It's been a lot of work from launch to get the game running on all different Android devices and OS versions, and still we've just enountered more new issues. So until we're sure we can offer a quality version on Android we're removing the game from sale on Google play. It might come back in the future, it might not.
This will not affect any other platforms, and people who have already bought the game on Android will still be able to play it and get future updates.
Vectoraster 8.5.4 released
A new update of Vectoraster 8 has now been released. This adds some new functionality with support for complex unicode characters in text rasters (like SF symbols and ligatures) and some new point index options where you can chose to vary raster parameters based on the row or columns in the raster pattern for some new interesting effects.
Changes and improvements- Added new point Row, Column or Row+Column index source options, letting you base parameters on the row or column of the point.
- Added support for complex multi-byte unicode characters like SF symbols and ligatures in text rasters.
- Added Lost Minds Mastodon link to Help menu.
- Added some more helpful information to error messages when failing to load files.
- Fix issue with importing vector graphics with very large sizes causing memory issues.
Vlobs 1.1.2 update
Another smaller update to the puzzle game Vlobs, this time just an update to the mobile versions as it primarily fixes some device compatibility and orientation bugs.
Changes and improvements:
- Mobile version compatibility changes.
- Fix risk of getting stuck in wrong board rotation when saving/loading game in different device orientations.
- Improved bomb special effect with new screen shake.
- Performance improvements.
You can the game on all kinds of platforms using the buttons below, or click read more to get more information.
Get Vlobs on the App Store (iOS, macOS)
Get Vlobs on Steam (windows and linux)
Get Vlobs on Google Play (android)
New Mastodon.social account for updates
We now have a Mastodon account, so if you're using that platform please follow for news and updates on our software.
Vlobs 1.1.1 update
After the big 1.1 update of Vlobs here's a follow up with some smaller fixes and improvements.
Changes and improvements:
- Improved antialiasing to make the game less blurry on low resolutions.
- Improved adaptive camera zoom on smaller phone screens.
- Show a hint message about placing vlobs if you tap the Next panel.
- Fixes a bug some tile graphics could get out of sync with board rotation.
- Fixes a possible bug with locks count getting out of sync.
- Fixes vsync framerate issues on some platforms.
Also, after the introduction of the global leaderboards in v 1.1 I'm completely blown away by the scores some of you have been getting in the game. It's far beyond what I expected, and I guess goes to show some of you really have enjoyed the game (maybe a little too much). Play in moderation kids!
You can get it all kinds of platforms using the buttons below, or click read more to get more information.
Get Vlobs on the App Store (iOS, macOS)
Get Vlobs on Steam (windows and linux)
Get Vlobs on Google Play (android)
Patternodes 3.2.1 released
A new update of Patternodes 3 has been released. This update adds a number of smaller improvements and fixes across a number of areas.
Changes and improvements:
- The Group Arrange node can now sort elements based on size.
- Improved precision hovering and clicking connections in the node editor.
- Dropped/imported graphics are now get their physical size set automatically in the new node.
- Improved error messages on file access permission issues when importing files.
- Correctly handle complex unicode-pair characters (like SF symbols) in the Value Substring node.
- Fix incorrect size issue on scaled animated svg exports.
- Fix incorrect physical size shown for imported vector graphics.
- Fix animated artboard background being static in animated svg exports.
- Fix Edit menu Copy artboard bitmap copying vector graphics.
- Remove incorrect file permission dialogue when exporting animated svg file.
Vectoraster 8.5.3 released
Another smaller patch of Vectoraster 8 has now been released with some fixes and smaller changes, this time relating to file imports.
Fixes and improvements
- Fixes issue with incorrect physical sizes when importing image source layers.
- Better error messages on file access permission issues when importing files.
Vlobs 1.1.0 released!
A big 1.1 update of the casual puzzle game Vlobs has now been released!
Changes and improvements:- New combo multiplier tiles for risk/reward balancing.
- New upcoming vlob display for more strategic gameplay.
- Improved score display showing current group score and combo for more arcade feel.
- New global highscores leaderboard where you can see how you compare with other players.
- New lock block mechanic for later level locking and unlocking action.
- Automatic board rotation on mobile to fit non-square levels to landscape/portrait mode.
- New level up score bonuses (try to combine with combo multiplier!).
- Improved special power visual effects.
- Track and show some gameplay stats in the main menu.
- Engine update for improved performance, stability and compatibility.
- Adjusted vlobs dot spawning chances over the levels for more even difficulty curve.
- Best score level is now saved along with the score.
- Correctly update the connection selection vignett when game board rotates or resizes.
- Restores previous vlob to place after a special power has been used.
- Fix issue with changing device orientation while Game UI is transitioning in.
- Fix cursor location after selecting special power.
- Fix fullscreen state not being saved on macOS 10.15 after using window fullscreen toggle.
You can get it all kinds of platforms using the buttons below, or click read more to get more information.
Get Vlobs on the App Store (iOS, macOS)
Get Vlobs on Steam (windows and linux)
Get Vlobs on Google Play (android)
Vectoraster 8.5.2 released
Another smaller patch of Vectoraster 8 has now been released with some bugfixes and smaller changes.
Fixes and improvements
- Point size is now renamed Line length for simple line points.
- Properly deactivate color well and close the color picker when hiding an active color parameter.
- Fixes the preview sometimes not reverting correctly back to the current time after exporting an animation.
- Fixes an issue where the source layers list would not display correctly after reordering sources.
- Fixes some precision issues in applied Multiscale when using the slider instead of the scale field.
- Sparkle version checking framework updated.
Patternodes 3.2.0 released
A new update of Patternodes 3 has been released. This new version adds new string connections and some new associated nodes, letting you connect and work with strings and text in a lot of new ways.
Changes and improvements:
- String value connections allow you to now connect text string values between nodes and parameters just like values.
- New Value String node to define and combine linked strings.
- New Value Substring node to extract parts of strings.
- The Data Table node can now also output strings for table cells.
- New editor context menu item to center the nodes in the view, and an option in the settings to always do this on file load.
- Element Text node can now use both size modes and tracking adjustment for any length text for better consistency with dynamic text input.
- Updates some components for future compatibility, raising minimum required macOS version to 10.15.
- Fixes a bug in the Table data editor panel when toggling the first row headers option while editing a table cell.
- Stroke width is now included in path bounds calculations when set, even if stroke opacity is 0.
Vectoraster 8.5.1 released
A smaller patch of Vectoraster 8 has now been released. This updates some legacy components for future compatibility and fixes some issues introduced in the 8.5.0 update.
Changes and improvements
- Updates components for future compatibility, raising minimum required macOS version to 10.15.
- Fixes a bug where animation exports would not correctly apply a scaled export size.
- Fixes using the animation export panel size slider while the height or width field is active.
Vectoraster 8.5.0 released
A new bigger update of Vectoraster 8 has now been released. The new version brings support for multiple custom point shapes, something that has been requested for a long time. So now you can use a set of different imported shapes or images for the points, and use them in sequence, at random or based on your sources. Along with this the backend has also been rebuilt a little to make rendering and generation more responsive along with a bunch of other improvements and fixes.
Vectoraster 8.5.0 Changes and improvements
- Multiple custom shape support use different imported point shapes based on sources, index or at random.
- Improved generation/rendering with better performance, responsiveness and stability.
- Source opacity point removal with a new alpha threshold parameter. Makes it easy to remove points regardless of size where the source image is transparent.
- Animated GIF import support for Video source layers.
- Point fill opacity can now be applied to bitmap custom shapes as well.
- Fixed a bug with Multi-scale where clicking Apply button while typing in a value would not apply the scale.
- Fixed an issue with quicktime video exports dropping frames if the encoder was busy.
- Fixed a bug where animation export panel size fields would show the wrong values.
- Fixed a bug where some settings would reset when re-opening the settings panel.
Patternodes 3.1.4 released
Another update of Patternodes 3. This new version adds a new node that helps making periodic alternating value animations much easier to set up along with some other fixes and improvements.
Changes and improvements:
- New Time Period value node making it easier to set up periodic alternating value animations.
- Group Apply Function node now has an index offset parameter when unsing index input.
- Increased the max number of supported variables in the Math node to 10.
- Added a warning to GIF animation exports explaining some format framerate limitations.
- Fixed an issue with quicktime video exports dropping frames if the encoder was busy.
- Fixed a crash when adding a new node index node directly connected to a group apply function node.
Vectoraster 8.4.11 update
Another small update of Vectoraster 8 has been released today. This update fixes a couple of issues with bitmap based format exports and makes the animation timeline a little easier to work with.
Bug fixes- Fixes a bug with jpg export pixel aspect.
- Fixes an export dialogue bug whith bitmap format height/width would not be displayed correctly.
- Clicking in the animation timeline now deselects any selected value field, so you can use spacebar to play/pause.
Vlobs 1.0.3 and 1.0.4 updates
Another couple of small updates have now been released for Vlobs, on the App store for iOS and macOS and the steam Windows and Linux versions.
Changes and improvements:
Version 1.0.4
- Progress is now saved if you quit during a game so you can continue later.
- Save game window size if it's been resized and restore next time game is launched.
- Properly center window mode game window when using multiple displays.
- Fix some shadows on mobile at later level far camera distances.
- Better connection select spotlight size based on game zoom level.
- Better game window size based on monitor resolution when switching to windowed mode.
- Added little name labels to the special power icons to help remember what they do.
- Added a dialogue asking once if you want to turn off fancy graphics if the game is running very slowly.
- Fixes a graphical glitch with moving blocks on some devices.
- Fixes a bug with the game over screen highscore display after restart.
- Fixes a bug with the time bar max value after restart.
We're also working on an Android release, and a version is currently in testing. There are however some issues we've yet to resolve, so it's uncertain if/when when it will be released. If you're interested in testing the Android version you can contact us and you'll be invited to test the current version.
Get Vlobs on the App Store (iOS, macOS) or Get Vlobs on Steam (windows and linux)
Vlobs 1.0.1 and 1.0.2 updates
Since the original release of Vlobs we've now sent out two smaller patches, the first 1.0.1 just for iOS and now the second 1.0.2 for iOS and desktop platforms. The first brought a big improvement for mobile players in the form of portrait mode support, and the second now fixes some other small issues.
Changes and improvements:
- Portrait support on mobile!
- Prevent board clicks while the board is animating to avoid misclicks.
- Removed gray vlob color as it was a little too similar to the black.
- Better Settings and Credits menu scaling on narrow screen mobile devices.
- Fix bug that could sometimes cause incorrect game over on the last vlob placed, even if it should have saved you.
For those of you who've wondered we're also working on an Android release, and a version is currently in testing. There are however some issues we've yet to resolve, so no promises on when it will be released.
Get Vlobs on the App Store (iOS, macOS) or Get Vlobs on Steam (windows and linux)
Vectoraster 8.4.10 update
A small update of Vectoraster 8 has been released today. This update is just a bug fix to a bundle validation issue that caused an error message when trying to start v8.4.9 on some systems.
Vlobs 1.0.0 released!
The full 1.0 version of the casual puzzle game Vlobs has now been released!
You can get it all kinds of platforms using the buttons below, or click read more to get more information.
Get Vlobs on the App Store (iOS, macOS) or Get Vlobs on Steam (windows and linux) or Get Vlobs on Itch.io (windows, macOS and linux)
Vectoraster 8.4.9 released
A new update of Vectoraster 8 has now been released. This update updates SVG support, fixes some bugs and adds a nice new convenience feature to re-center source layers when updating the document size.
8.4.9 Changes and improvements
- Improved SVG image mode imports/rendering (Upgrade to IJSVG 3.0 framework).
- Added an option to re-center centered source layers on document size change, making it easier to resize a document to a new source image.
- Added link to user Discord channel in Help menu.
- Fixed being able to select the source measurement channel parent item in the parameter sources menu and not just the items.
- Removed a tooltip in the sources menu that was interfering with selecting items in submenus.
Patternodes 3.1.3 released
Another smaller update of Patternodes 3. The new version fixes a couple of issues in the new expression variable parsing introduced in 3.1.2 along with a couple of other smaller fixes and improvements.
Fixes and improvements:
- Added an option to Pivot point node to ignore stoke when automatically aligning the pivot, useful for stroked elements that will later be scaled.
- Fixed an offset issue with pivot-offset elements reprated with the Radial repeater node.
- Fixes the Math node variable detection picking up decimal separators in expressions as variable names.
- Updated and corrected the Math node reference documentation.
- Fixed dark mode selection type icons.
Patternodes 3.1.2 released
Another update of Patternodes 3 has been released. The this new version adds some imrpovements to SVG imports and rendering and adds some long awaited flexibility to the Math node variable parameters. These now adapt automatically to the variable count and names you use in the expression.
New features and improvements:
- Math Node now has support for up to 8 variable parameters that are automatically named and shown based on the expression.
- Improved SVG image mode imports/rendering (Upgrade to IJSVG 3.0 framework).
- Fixed bug where typing in new values into an animated value field would revert the value displayed in the field.
- Fixed bug with undo/redo in expression parameter fields.
- Fixed a bug with some rare SVG path commands parsing.