Since the last blog update, the dev team worked on internal improvements concerning the interface between Blender 2.5 and Freestyle. The context issue reported in the last blog post was partially addressed, and now the branch is capable of .blend files having multiple scenes. Freestyle module parameters can be independently specified for each scene. The compositor should work with multiple Freestyle-based scenes as expected.

The remaining context issue is the question of how to provide style modules with a way of accessing the current scene being rendered. We have been contacting core Blender developers to discuss the most appropriate extension of the Freestyle Python API design.

In the meantime, the branch has been merging those changes made in the trunk. On November 24 the long-awaited Blender 2.5 Alpha 0 was finally released. The Freestyle branch has incorporated all functionality in the Alpha 0 release including the new splash screen (below).

The render of the week is a set of images offerred by Nakeyta Schulz. Precise models, approximate ambient occlusion (AAO) and strokes with Freestyle all together result in a very descriptive appearance. Node-based hatching and “fake” tone are also nice additions. Check out his blog for more renders and the node setup for the fake tone. Thank you Nakeyta for sharing the Freestyle results with us!