Ready for Big Sur!
Thursday, November 12, 2020
Timeline 3D v5.2 was released today on the Mac App Store (both in-app and education version).
I rewrote all of the rendering code to use Metal/Swift migrating from OpenGL/C++ which should keep it compatible with Apple platforms as they evolve. For example, it renders with the new M1 chip that was just announced.
I also updated the user interface to the new Big Sur patterns including dark mode, which looks pretty cool. Kenichi Yoshida, who has been contributing beautiful illustrations to Timeline 3D for over a decade, has updated the icon to match the new Big Sur style.
I hope you enjoy the update. Thanks for your continued support. Some of you have been with me on this journey for over 15 years! If you are feeling generous, please consider leaving a positive review on the app store. Cheers!
Labels: Big Sur, Dark Mode, timeline 3D, update
Timeline 3D - Reimagined for OS X Yosemite
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
I am pleased to announce the release and immediate availability of Timeline 3D for Mac (v5), a significant update to our award-winning timeline software for Mac OS X. Completely redesigned for OS X Yosemite, Timeline 3D provides a new interface to support the creation of larger and more complex timelines. Timeline 3D helps present chronologies and historical events in full screen and with a 3D perspective.
We also launched our new website and updated help documentation to support the new version.
I encourage you to send feedback to me at support@beedocs.com. I look forward to hearing what you think of the new version. Cheers!
Important News: The Future of Timeline 3D
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
To all of my loyal Timeline 3D customers, thank you very much for your support! I have some exciting and important news regarding Timeline 3D for Mac and iOS. First, the bad news...
Yosemite and Timeline 3D v3
Timeline 3D v3 and Easy Timeline for Mac are not compatible with Yosemite OS X 10.10. I built the core functionality of these apps 6-7 years ago on features of the operating system that are no longer supported by Apple. I will be discontinuing Easy Timeline from the App Store immediately. Timeline 3D v3 for Mac will continue to sell for those customers running OS X 10.6—10.9.
If you are interested in running Apple's beta of Yosemite, please be aware that there is not yet a version of Timeline 3D that will run on it. My suggestion is to use our iOS app until we are able to ship a new OS X application (more info on that below).
Timeline 3D in the Future
For several years, I have been anticipating these changes and have been developing technologies to support a transition. My goal for Timeline 3D is to allow a seamless experience across your Mac, iPhone, and iPad. I was pleased to see Apple reveal a similar vision for their platforms at this year’s WWDC.
Many of the next generation features are shipping in the iOS app already and will be coming to a brand new OS X version of Timeline 3D over the next few months. This strategy has many benefits.
Timeline 3D for OS X benefits:
Speed and Stability — Build on modern OS X frameworks and technologies.
iCloud sync with other Macs and with iOS
Retina display support for 3D presentations.
Better animations and lighting in 3D timelines.
Faster, smarter, and more accurate date parsing in all localizations
Per-timeline localization — For example, build a French timeline if you are in the UK
Auto-save and document versions
3D web exports using WebGL
Simplicity — No more tweaking fonts and image sizes to get a timeline to fit on a page.
Continuity Features — Seamlessly move between Apple devices without loosing your place.
App Store Distribution — Timeline 3D for OS X is coming to the App Store!
Timeline 3D for iOS gains:
Support of iOS 8 features and devices
iCloud sync with Macs and other iOS devices
Movie Export — Render HD movies of your 3D timeline.
Continuity Features — Seamlessly move between Apple devices without loosing your place.
Please note that this ground-up redesign means that some features that have been a part of Timeline 3D for Mac will not be available immediately on the new version, for example, event rows and event colors. As I bring new features to Timeline 3D, they will be added to both platforms at the same time whenever it makes sense to do so.
Timeline 3D for OS X will support OS X 10.10 and above. The new Timeline 3D for iOS will support iOS 8 and above. I expect to launch the new versions soon after Apple officially launches their new operating systems later this year.
Pricing
Timeline 3D is going freemium. For free, anyone will be able to download Timeline 3D for OS X or iOS, make and edit timelines, and present them in 3D. You also will be able to sync timelines over iCloud and share timeline documents using AirDrop or Dropbox. There is no time limit and no limits to the number of timelines or events that you can create and present.
If you are a regular user of Timeline 3D, there will be an option to purchase unlimited exports, in which case the app will never present an in-app purchase option to you again.
If you prefer an à la carte option, then exporting your timeline will require an in-app purchase. There will be a fee each time you print or export a PDF, PowerPoint slideshow, Keynote slideshow, HD Movie, or WebGL website. For example, if you use the timeline occasionally for a homework project, the software should be much less expensive for you than it is now.
The new pricing model is designed to allow people to use the core features of Timeline 3D without paying (there are no free trials in the App Store). It also allows schools to install a usable version of Timeline 3D on every iPad and Mac for free. It allows current customers to make the switch without paying to gain access to their existing timelines, and it enables you to send your timeline document to someone who does not yet own the software without requiring them to purchase.
Conclusion
I am excited about the future of Timeline 3D. The work I am doing now builds on over 10 years of experience with timeline software and thousands of support conversations. I am also a bit nervous, because I know that it may be a bumpy few months during the transition for some of you. I am committed to making the transition as fair and as painless as possible for existing customers.
If you have any questions, please contact me at support@beedocs.com. To stay informed of betas and launches, please subscribe to this blog and connect to our twitter account.
Labels: iOS, Mac OS X, timeline 3D, update, Yosimite
A Close Look at Timeline Pixels
Thursday, July 12, 2012
I just published a free update to Timeline 3D (v3.6) and a free update to Easy Timeline (v1.4) is on it’s way through the App Store approval process as well. These new updates improve on the sharpness and clarity of your timelines and I wanted to show it off a bit.
Looking at the new retina displays on the iPhone, iPad, and new MacBook has made it easier for me to see pixels on non-retina devices. This has brought to my attention things in my current products that can be improved.
Take a look at this close up image from the most recent version of Timeline 3D.
Do you see how the four descender lines have different shades and different widths? This is because they didn’t line up in space exactly at pixel boundaries. Take a careful look at the pixel wide transition at the edge of the photo as well.
This image is at 400% scale from a non-retina display so in normal use these flaws are much less noticeable. However, they have the subtle effect of making the timeline look fuzzy.
Here is a screenshot from the new version that I shipped today:
Compared to the image above, the lines and image borders are much more consistent and crisp because I've improved the pixel alignment of the graphic elements.
I hope that you enjoy this update and that your timelines look better than ever before!
Labels: graphics, pixels, screenshot, update
Bug is squashed
Friday, August 05, 2011
Sorry folks, I released some cool Lion features in the 3.2 release yesterday but managed to introduce a serious bug in Snow Leopard which prevented existing documents from opening. That is the bad news.
The good news is that thanks to Elise and some patient customers we have found the bug, fixed it, and posted a new update less than 24 hours. Please download the 3.2.1 upgrade which is working great on Lion -and- Snow Leopard.
Once again, I apologize for the mixup. Those kinds of bugs are the most embarrassing.
Just Posted 3.0.27
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
I just published an update to Timeline 3D (3.0.27). You can use "Check for Updates" to upgrade.
This update fixes some serious bugs that were affecting customers using Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5). It also has other stability and usability fixes for all customers. If you using Leopard and you have been frustrated by v3, please try this latest version and let us know if it has improved for you.
We are continuing to work hard to improve the software and we appreciate your patience and your bug reports.
v3 Beta Update
Thursday, February 17, 2011
I wanted to give you some updates on the Timeline 3D (v3) beta:
We are now accepting pre-orders from all customers who purchased Timeline 3D between 2005 and 2010. We started sending out invitations to our class of 2010 this afternoon.
Several hundred people have been trying out the beta. We have already fixed most of the bugs that customers have reported.
We have decided to provide a free v3 upgrade to everyone who became a Timeline 3D customer in 2011. Once we officially launch the software, we will send new license codes to you via e-mail.
Our worst bug: About 1% of our v3 customers are experiencing problems when they try to register the software. It appears that some of these cases are specific to Leopard and I am working to fix that bug. In other cases, it may be a conflict caused by 3rd party software that changes the way that files are written to disk (3rd party security or search software for example). If you are experiencing this kind of problem, please contact us and we will ask you to provide information on your particular configuration so that we can narrow down these conflicts.
We have not set an official launch date yet, but it will probably be sometime in March. We will let you know as soon as we can commit to a specific date.
Thanks to all of you for your support. This beta process has been going very well so far and we couldn't do it without you.
Performance Bug with Mac OS X 10.6.2
Monday, November 23, 2009
I am sorry to report that a bug in Mac OS X 10.6.2 is causing a dramatic performance decline in the 3D mode of Bee Docs Timeline.
If you have not updated to Mac OS X 10.6.2, please do not upgrade yet!
We measure the performance of the 3D mode in frames per second (FPS). The more frames per second that can be generated, the smoother the animation in the full-screen presentation mode will be and the quicker a movie can be exported.
The exact frames per second depends mostly on your graphics card and the size of your timeline as well as the way that we have implemented our software code. For example, I have a test timeline of about 30 events that runs on my MacPro at 60 fps. As a rule of thumb, frame rates above 30-40 fps will look smooth and frame rates slower than that will appear to be choppy or jumpy.
Apple released an update to Mac OS X earlier this month (10.6.2) that introduced a bug to their graphics technology that affects this performance. That timeline that I mentioned in the previous paragraph now renders at about 1 fps, which is unacceptable for most real world uses.
This is a bug that is affecting any software products that rely on this specific graphics technology. I have contacted several of the other developers who are having issues to compare notes. I have also been working with Gary C Martin from Scotland, who developed the 3D mode with me. Finally, I have been trading e-mails with my contacts at Apple to make sure they know about the problem and to seek their advice.
The first rule of solving any bug is to narrow the problem down to a simple, consistent example that always demonstrates the bug. I have been able to develop such a test case that I have sent to Apple and to a couple other developers to help them understand the problem in detail.
There are a few options for solving this. One is to provide Apple with all of the information that they need to reproduce and fix the bug. They have that information now, so hopefully they will fix it in the next update, but Apple does not share their plans publicly so we'll have to wait and see. They tent to release Mac OS X updates every few months so it might be a while even if they fix it in the next update.
We are also trying to develop an Bee Docs Timeline update ourselves so that we can get you a working 3D mode without waiting for Apple to fix their bug. I have an idea that I have tried with my test code that makes me hopeful that we can come up with a solution in the near future. It is a major change of the way our 3D technology works so I will want to put it through a good amount of testing before we release it. However, I am hopeful that we can get it out in the next week or so.
Thank you to everyone who has sent us detailed descriptions of the problems they are experiencing, especially those of you who have been polite about it despite the frustrating bug. I am sorry for each one of you that has been impacted by this. We are doing all that we can to fix it quickly and I trust that the developers at Apple are doing likewise.
I will post another blog entry when we have a release ready to ship. I may also create a technical post for developers that describes the work-around we are implementing. You can also follow my twitter feed for more incremental status updates.
Labels: beedocs, bug, Mac OS X, performance, update
Export Performance Update
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Each week Elise and I meet to discuss our observations of customer support trends and feedback. Over the past few weeks we have noticed quite a few concerns about the performance of 3D movie exports. So that is what I have been focussing my development efforts on.
In a release last week, we improved the export performance a little. Later today we will release v2.9.3 which further improves the speed of 3D movie exports. Since I have been measuring the performance of different types of exports I put it together in a chart for you to see and comment on.
There are two charts. The first is a comparison of variety of export types on my MacPro (PDF). The second chart is the same exports measured on my MacBook (PDF).
I would like you to note three things in the chart...
The first thing to note is that setting Motion Blur to "best" slows down the export by about a factor of 10x. We built the Motion Blur feature at the request of two customers who were using the software in film and television broadcasting. We wouldn't normally build a professional feature for so narrow an audience but obviously we love the exposure that these types of customers can bring to the software. All that to say, you should probably leave Motion Blur off (the default) but if you insist upon using it then I would suggestion saving it until you are rendering a final draft of your timeline.
The second thing to note is that there was one particular combination of settings (the Keynote export at the default slide size with Motion Blur turned on) that really blew up the export time. It is literally off the chart. This combo also sometimes resulted in flickering images in the final movie. Observant customers sometimes noted very low usage of their CPU too.
This was my fault. I was sending the graphics card (GPU) images too big for it to handle at that particular export size. It is now fixed in v2.9.3. Thanks to those who had the patience to carefully describe their experience so that I could find and fix this.
Third thing to note is that the exports are getting faster over the past 3 releases. In particular, the exports without blur are very fast now. For example, the Apple TV setting which is a nice general purpose export takes 24 seconds for an 8 event timeline with photos on my MacPro.
I've been doing some more radical optimizations for the major 2010 release which will further optimize the export performance but I wanted to get all the less invasive improvements our to you as soon as possible. As always, we would like to know how things are working for you. Thanks!
Labels: beedocstimeline, export, performance, update
New Release of Bee Docs Timeline (v2.8)
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
I just published a free upgrade for Bee Docs Timeline 3D. Use the "Check For Updates" in the Timeline 3D menu to upgrade or you can grab the latest from our download page.
We have had a serious bug in the software that began to show up recently. Because of the recent performance improvements we have implemented, people are creating ever larger and more complex timelines. When customers drag in hundreds of very large images (such as full-resolution images from a digital camera) it could cause a corrupted save and loss of timeline data.
This bug didn't affect the automatic importers or imports via the build-in photo browser. In fact, this bug seems to have only affected about 1 out of every 2,000 active customers but it was obviously a frustrating bug for those it affected.
This release solves that problem by scaling down all images that are added to events. I have completely restructured the document file format for the 2010 release next year which will further enhance the speed and stability of file saving but this change should eliminate the bug for now.
Scaling the images on import also improves 3D render times and reduces file sizes for everyone. You should notice no change in image quality unless you are printing wall size posters on a high resolution printer. If that is the case, you can turn this feature off in the Preferences before importing your event images.
There are a few other bug fixes in this release based on our most common support requests, so please upgrade when you get a chance. See the release notes for details. Thanks!
Bee Docs Timeline 2.6 - Released!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Today I posted the 2.6 update to Bee Docs Timeline. This update contains a lot of “housekeeping” improvements that I wanted to get in there before turning my attention to the next major release. As usual, there are also some new fun features in the update.
I was happy to have Gary C Martin involved on this release to help me work a little more 3D magic. A few of our professional customers from film and broadcast television have requested a way to export video timelines with the background as an alpha channel (transparent). This would allow them to layer the 3D timeline movie on top of custom graphics using tools such as Final Cut Pro or Motion.
To do transparent backgrounds correctly was no easy task because wanted to make sure the feature supported motion blur, semi-transparent chart backgrounds, lighting effects, etc... However, we’ve done it in 2.6 and made subtle improvements to other aspects of the 3D rendering while we were at it.
We are working on a new demo video to show off some of the potential of this new feature. In the mean time, if you would like to try it, look for the “Include Alpha Channel” checkbox in the QuickTime export panel. Keynote does a good job of layering transparent movie files if you don’t have access to professional video editing software.
Our automatic importer for Things has been a popular feature since we added it last month. We also received feedback from other customers who are fans of another task manager called The Hit List by Potion Factory. So we have added an automatic importer for The Hit List is this release.
The Hit List was included in the recent MacHeist sale and has been getting rave reviews on Twitter so check it out. Whether you are using Things or The Hit List to manage your tasks, we hope you enjoy the integration with Bee Docs Timeline.
In the housekeeping category, saved document sizes up to about 40% smaller now if you are using lots of images. Also, PDF exports can be compressed which makes them more appropriate for sharing via the web or e-mail. There are some subtle improvements to the typography of date ranges. I’ve also modernized some of behind-the-scenes processes. For example, movie export is better at using disk space efficiently.
Version 2.6 is a free upgrade. So please use “Check for Updates” in the “Timeline 3D” menu or download Bee Docs Timeline today!
Timeline Software Update
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
I have just posted an updated version of Bee Docs' Timeline (v1.3). This version fixes a rare but pesky bug that causes the foundation date labels to disappear during certain date ranges.
You can download the new version from the Bee Docs' Timeline web page
Labels: bugs, timeline software, update