KineBody Pro

Movable 3D Human Model






Release Notes:
KineBody Pro Movable 3D Human Model:

Webapp & Android App versions

(last updated 240505: 'Known issues' section)


R24.04 (240430)

Principal changes for this release include:

Sliders for 8 different body movement modes, are now available for KineBody Pro Viewer Edition. (Previously, a PoseTools subscription was required for using sliders). The sliders include numerical readouts, and most offer editing, for precise & instantaneous positioning. For more info, please visit our Features page.

Suspended subscription offerings, for our Android Edition: Subscriptions for PoseTools & AnimTools add-on feature sets are being suspended indefinitely, for our Android Editon. Our free Viewer Edition for Android will still be available. Also, subscriptions for use with our webapp edition remain as available as ever.

We’ve stopped offering subscriptions because of ongoing difficulties with Android’s file writing & reading capabilities, whereas saving & reading files is a principal features of our PoseTools subscription. We’ve looked into alternative file saving & reading methods, so far without luck. We plan to continue such investigations, but can't promise a solution anytime soon.

Transition plan: If you have a current Android subscription of PoseTools &/or AnimTools, you can continue to use the features of that subscription (including those in the latest updates), until your next billing date. After that, subscription features will be unavailable.

Usability enhancements for all Editions, such as: Merge mode for loading repositories, renaming saved poses, 1:1 translation movement, and more. For a full list, please see the table below.


App Features & Documentation

(abbreviations: View = Viewer edition; Pose = PoseTools add-on; Anim = AnimTools add-on)
View Pose Anim Topic Description
New Sliders Sliders for body movement (spin/tilt/dial/horiz/vert/dist) are now available in the Viewer Edition. Furthermore, users can edit each slider’s numeric value, to move to any desired position instantly. Controls for showing & hiding slider banks are also enabled.
Adjustable cursor size For mouse users: the colored arrow cursors can be enlarged or reduced, via controls in the Layout panel.
Improved Fat axes For improved visibility, rotation axes are now rendered as 3d prismatic objects; as a result, they appear larger or smaller depending on distance.
1:1 translation When translating the body horizontally &/or vertically, by dragging across the viewing area, the translation of the body matches the translation of the cursor or touch center. This capability works the same regardless of distance.
Modifier (shortcut) keys for joystick Keyboard keys 1-9 can now be used to temporarily replace the current joystick mode with any of the other available modes. The key numbers are associated with the position of the alternate mode button in the movement palette. This scheme supplements the existing modifier keys (combinations of [Alt],[Ctrl], and [Shift] ).
Autofit to visible The autofit capability has been modified, so that when some bones are hidden, the fit is confined to visible bones only, instead of the entire skeleton. Alternatively, fit to the entire skeleton (regardless of bone visibility), by holding the Ctrl key while pressing Autofit.
Merge and Replace modes, for loading repository files When loading a repository file, incoming contents (poses & animations) can be added to existing contents, via a new Merge option. Incoming pose names are given another suffix to distinguish them from existing poses. Alternatively, you can select Replace mode, to clear the existing content before loading new content (= same as past KineBody versions).
Pose numbering Sequence numbers for new saved poses and animations (e.g., 'my pose-001') no longer use leading zeros (so, 'my pose-1'), & they’re no longer limited to 3 digits ('my pose-12345' etc).
Pose renaming Repository pose names can be edited (except for the numeric suffix), either individually, or groupwise (all poses with same name root, or all poses regardless of root).
Group mode for show/hide bones Bones can be shown or hidden groupwise, via a new button in the show/hide bones panel, which lets you toggle selections between individual or group. (This supplements the existing capability, which uses modifier keys; with the new button, a keyboard is no longer required). Also note: the Show/Hide button panel has been relocated, into the ‘Show’ subpanel on the right of the window.
Revised controls for background element positioning For positioning background images or videos, (violet) buttons for selecting movement modes (in-plane or zoom) are now provided adjacent to the corresponding (white) body mode selection buttons (in-plane body translation or distance), The ’Move’ checkbox (in the Show subpanel/background section) is no longer necessary and has been retired.
Locking for background image/video Background elements can be ‘locked’ to the KineBody skeleton, such that any body translations (horiz, vert, dist) will be accompanied by matching background element translation and/or zoom. This capability works only for joystick movements, and for touch users, it doesn't include two-finger translation gestures.
New position calibration, for background images & videos. The position variables (horizontal, vertical, and zoom) for background images & videos, as shown in the Show subpanel, have been redefined to work with the new background 'lock' feature (introduced above). The former zoom parameter has been replaced by 'projected image height' (in meters), while horizontal & vertical (also meters) are now measured relative to the body center (in ribcage).
'In front' mode for background video You can move a background video into the foreground, to access its native controls (time slider, playback speed, etc). This replaces the ‘Fullscreen’ capability included in previous KineBody versions.
Spacebar to start/stop animation For keyboard users: Animations can be started or stopped by pressing the spacebar, when playback controls (Fwd, Rev, Pause) are in focus.
Known issues
Resolved: 240505
MacOS/Sonoma + Chrome When launching the app using the latest Mac OS (Sonoma) with Chrome-family browsers (Chrome, Edge, Safari, Opera), the app hangs at the start with the message ‘Could not initialize shaders’. This problem doesn’t occur when using the FireFox browser, with the Sonoma version. If you encounter this issue, please consider using FireFox while we work to resolve this issue.
Retired Android Edition For Android users: In-app subscriptions, for PoseTools and AnimTools feature sets, are being suspended indefinitely. Our Android Viewer Edition will still be available for download, from Google Play.
Documentation New pages :
Saving & Restoring Poses - Background (This & the next 3 pages replace the former page Saving Poses)
Saving & Viewing Named Poses
Backing Up & Restoring the Repository
Deleting Poses
Renaming Poses
Saving KineBody Pro Files to Android

Revised pages :
Show or Hide Bones (re: group mode)
Modifier Keys (re: 1-9 for joystick, Ctrl for Autofit)
Adjusting Layout (re: resize cursor)
Loading & Viewing Poses from a File
KineBody Pro Written Instructions: Contents (supersedes ProInstructions.php)


R22.11 (221118)

Two major changes, this release: A) Major reorganization of the app modules, plus B) an Android version of the app.

Reorganization of App Modules

I) Introducing our new free edition, officially titled 'KineBody Pro', but we'll also refer to it as our 'Viewer' edition. Features include:
  • Full six degree-of-freedom body viewer, allows you to view body
    from any perspective (via joystick and buttons)
  • Import saved poses or animations from file
  • Copyright License
  • Multiple body types
  • Adjustable layout
  • Save images
  • Identify bones


II) New KineBody Pro subscriptions: PoseTools and AnimTools:
III) Retiring:

NEW ! KineBody Pro Android App (Beta)

A downloadable & installable app, available from Google Play Store, featuring:


App Features & Documentation

(abbreviations: View = Viewer edition; Pose = PoseTools add-on; Anim = AnimTools add-on)
View Pose Anim
New Google Play subscription controls For Android App users:
  • Subscription panel shows status & billing or expiration date, for each subscription. Plus buttons: Order, Refresh, Cancel.
  • Order Form pop-up, for selecting subscription & Agreements.
Coarse/medium/fine (CMF) button Allows users to select the sensitivity of operation, for the joystick, sliders, and step rotations. Press to select sensitivity cyclically; applies the level globally, and holds it until changed. Supplements existing 'keyboard-activated' coarse/medium/fine adjustments, but no keyboard is required.
Improved Biaxial neck & lumbar control The biaxial joystick control for neck & lumbar groups has been completely redesigned, making it substantially more intuitive.
Tooltip system Multiple improvements to tooltips:
  • Enable or disable tooltips globally, by checkbox (in the "(?)" menu).
  • Automatically hide any tooltips, when dragging in the viewing area.
  • Longer time delay for activation: was 0.5s, now 1.0s .
Webapp Subscription panel Adaptations to new product structure:
  • A single 'Order' button replaces multiple 'Add' &/or 'Renew' buttons.
  • New button = 'Your Account'.
  • Separate line for 'Free Trials' removed; now shown as PoseTools and/or AnimTools products.
Animation editor table Improved table mechanics:
  • Checkboxes for selecting rows
  • Selected rows indicated by alternate background color (instead of font color)
  • New icon for moving rows
Copy/Paste menus
(in Edit panel)
Each of the three menus in the Edit panel (Select (body) DOFs, Select joints, Select groups) now has an adjacent 'Clear' button, to quickly and easily clear the menu selections. For the 'joints' menu, this replaces the function of the 'None' option, which has been removed.
Miscellaneous Version and platform info: helpful info when contacting us for support. Reveal via right-click or longtap on title block.

Site migration: our move from kineman.com to kinebody.com is complete. You can access all website content using either website name, but URL's based on kineman.com will be redirected to the equivalent page on kinebody.com.
Fixes Numerous corrections and tweaks throughout the app.
Retired
  • KineBody Basic (our original free version) is no longer available.
  • KineBody Pro Experimental Edition is no longer available. In its place, we're offering a new Android app version.
  • Copyright panel is no longer present. New Copyright Policy (within Terms of Service) applies to all versions.
Documentation New pages : Revised pages : Videos :

Additional features for Webapp users



R21.02 (210210)

Basic Pro
New New name !! KineBody is the new name for KineMan: to better reflect that both Male or Female skeletons are now available. The new name will be used for both the Basic and Pro versions of the software.

In addition, our online subscription management system will be called 'KineBody Store', superseding 'KineMan Subscriptions'.

A note about URL's: For accesssing the app (Basic or Pro) and documentation, you can use either www.kinebody.com or www.kineman.com in the URL. Note that all 'kinebody.com' URLs are handled by redirecting your browser to an equivalent page at kineman.com, and that name will show in your address bar.
Female skeleton (Adapted from 'updated male' skeleton)
  • Realistic bone proportions & overall height, configured to match average American female anthropometric data (ANSUR II 50% percentile female: https://www.openlab.psu.edu/ansur2/ ).
  • Overall height: 1.61m.
  • Specialized bone shapes for female pelvis (sacrum, coccyx, ilium/ischium/pubis).
  • Alternative configurations for pelvic joints (L5S1, sacro-iliac, and ilio-femoral).
Updated male skeleton (Relative to original KineMan skeleton)
  • Realistic bone proportions & overall height, configured to match average American male anthropometric data (ANSUR II 50% percentile male. Important changes include:
    • Overall height: 1.74m (prev 1.85m).
    • Proportionally taller head, shorter neck.
    • A gradual transition in cervical bone widths, C5-C7, 'flaring' to match T1.
    • Ribcage: Slightly taller, relative to width & depth.
    • Shorter tibias.
  • Reconfigured joints to match the updated bone geometry & proportions. Important changes include:
    • Reconfigured shoulder joints (sternoclavicular, acromioclavicular, and glenohumeral), to accomodate new bone geometry.
    • Flatter initial angle for clavicle.
    • Enlarged gap between ribs and scapula, to prevent interference at some angles.
    • Enlarged gap at C7T1 joint, to better match gaps at neighbor spinal joints.
  • Corrected joint axes at tibio-femoral joint: to better align longitudinal axis with tibia.
  • Coccyx bone now included (!)
Original KineMan (male) skeleton Intended for continuing projects that began with earlier versions of KineMan.
'Body' subpanel &
'Select Body' menu
Allows instantaneous change of body type.
Touch input Now supported, for Windows devices with touch-input, & Chrome browser, for fundamental actions:
  • Move body in three directions simultaneously, using two-finger gestures.
  • Move body parallel to screen, or change distance, using one-finger gestures.
  • Identify bones, select joints, show or hide bones, via simple tap gesture.
New ‘pseudo cursor' shows in viewing area, as a replacement for regular (mouse-input) cursor.

Android and iPad/iPhone support is unchanged: Pro subscribers can access a touch-compatible version via our 'experimental' edition (see link below). This edition has not been updated to the features of this release. We hope to offer the full new KineBody capability for these devices in the near future.
Movement by numeric input Change body position or joint angles by editing desired values in number boxes that accompany sliders.
Re-packaged 'Show & Hide Bones' feature Our Standard Edition now includes the 'Show & Hide Bones'feature - formerly available only with the Advanced Option.
Group-oriented Show & Hide Bones For keyboard users: hide or unhide multiple bones at a time, in common groups (e.g. Skull, Left Arm, Right Foot,…), via simple shortcut key + click action.
Adv Export/Import poses For Advanced Option only: Create or read an editable text file containing body position (6DOFs) and all joint angles. Choose between two sign conventions: universally right-handed, or anatomical (L/R symmetric).
Improved Show & Hide Bones features
  • New home for controls = left margin, replaces context menu in former version.
  • Undo/redo buttons, dedicated to show/hide bones operations.
  • New mode indicators:
    • colored lightblue border around viewing area, when Show/Hide Bones mode is active
    • messages announcing Entering or Leaving the mode
  • New shortcut keys:
    • temporarily Expose hidden bones, via [Alt][ x ] or [Alt][ / ]. (Previously, [Ctrl][Shift] or [Ctrl] ).
    • select all bones in a group, via [Alt][ z ] or [Alt][ . ].
  • Buttons to expand/collapse the Show/Hide button section; + expand automatically when entering the mode.
Delete multiple poses from repository
  • Simple operation: Select saved poses from multiple-select menu, press Delete button, see confirmation message.
  • Multiple-select Menu is located in Save/Restore subpanel extension, and shared with 'Export' feature.
Redesigned & relocated Layout panel
  • New, independent full-width toolbar (formerly located in Layout subpanel). The toolbar can be repositioned vertically to any of 3 positions, via switch.
  • Layout controls' sizes & fonts are proportional to the window height &/or width. They're not affected by ‘Resize controls & text’ or 'Resize text' sliders/numberbox.
  • Plus, new controls: see next section.
New layout adjustments
  • Custom width, height, or aspect ratio for viewing area. These dimensions are saved & restored between sessions.
  • All viewing area dimensions limited to 'available' width and height, now shown in associated table.
  • Window Margin adjustment: designed for touch input users, to permit easier access of controls near edge of screen.
Simplified ‘Last pose’ mechanism The last pose from a previous KineBody session is shown automatically at the start of a new session.
Revised modifier keys
  • Medium and fine adjustment are now available for the KineBody 'joystick' mode: while dragging over the viewing area, hold [Ctrl] for medium, or [Ctrl][Shift] for fine control. (Same as for sliders).
  • The modifier keys previously defined to effect temporary substitution of the movement axis, have been changed as well. For Windows keyboards, the changes are:
  • Hold key(s): to change to
    [Alt]
    [Alt][Ctrl]
    [Alt][Ctrl][Shift]
    the 1st (top) single DOF mode
    2nd “”
    3rd “”

    For Mac keyboards, use the Command key [⌘] instead of [Ctrl], in the combinations above.
Miscellaneous
  • New default cursor: Orange & blue circle with white pointer : indicates mode to identify bones (highlighted in orange) & select joints (“” blue).
  • Faster startup, via postponed loading of Youtube interface software: now loaded as needed.
  • New indication for selected movement mode = enlarged button (instead of changed background color).
Larger viewing area The maximum viewing area size for our Basic Edition is now 720px on a side (formerly 512px).
Fixes Numerous corrections and tweaks throughout the app.
Retired The biaxial ‘flex/ext + ab/adduction’ movement mode for joints (associated with icon = magenta ‘C’ and yellow ‘↔’ arrows) (owing to difficulty to operate & explain.)
Sliders for moving body and joints are no longer available in the Basic (free) Edition. If you require these features, they’re now available only in KineBody Pro (our subscription edition).
Documentation New pages :
Pro Instructions: Exporting & Importing Poses,
Pro Instructions: Show & Hide Bones,
Pro Instructions: Adjust Layout
Pro Instructions: Move by Number
Pro Instructions: Experimental Edition
Pro Instructions: Select a Body
Troubleshooting

Revised pages:
Pro Instructions has been split into separate topical pages, so this page now serves as Table of Contents, for Pro Instruction Help.
Help Topics has a new Body Options section, providing some background information .
Pro Instructions: Saving Poses has been updated to reflect changes in the Auto-save and Delete Pose features.

Retired pages:
The Limitations (regarding mobile devices) page has been revised and absorbed into a new page ProInstructions_Expt.php.



************* Note: the product name changes here: above: KineBody; below: KineMan. *************



R18.06 (180602)

Basic Pro
New Experimental version We're introducing an 'experimental' version, accessible only to KineMan Pro subscribers, which makes it possible to use KineMan with mobile devices. It offers 2 primary differences over our regular desktop/laptop version: touch inputs, and compatibility with mobile operating systems & browsers. Details are provided below. To access the experimental version, use this link: https://www.kineman.com/expt/webappPro/index.php
Touch screen controls
(experimental)
Drag on viewing area, for body or joint movement:
  • One-finger dragging, using mode from movement palette (same as non-touch)
  • Two-finger dragging, for body translation in 3D
Drag along sliders, for body or joint motion
Bone identification & joint selection, by tapping: 1x to identify bone(s), 2x to select joints

View tooltips via ‘longpress’ on any control
Special handling for page scroll

Click here for instructions for using touch controls (preliminary).
Mobile platforms
(experimental)
KineMan's mobile capabilities have been targeted to work on the following combinations of operating system & browser:
Operating System
Browser
Chrome Firefox Safari Opera
Android ----- -----
iOS -----
Some regular (desktop) features of KineMan Pro are not available, on some of these combinations. Known limitations are described here.
Furthermore, this list is neither exhaustive nor guaranteed. Please see our Terms of Service for details.
Hide/show sliders Hide sliders, to increase viewing area.
Show them, for alternative control with numeric readouts.
Two ways to invoke.
'Step rotation' panel relocates to lower left.
Adv Pseudo-DOF The Unlimited ROM feature now allows you do manipulate degrees of freedom that are normally disabled. For example, at the knee you can introduce a valgus or varus displacement (which isn't possible with the regular KineMan knee as there is no ab/adduction DOF).
Warning before close A warning will appear, whenever you try to leave the KineMan application (via the Back button, new URL, close browser, etc.). This will allow you to change your mind, or save poses or animations (in Pro).
Improved Reorganized menus The multiple menus & links (Intro, Features, Help, Pro, Contact, Terms, etc) have been consolidated into just two menus (Help & Main) in the top bar, and they're now labeled with icons.
Redesigned Show/Hide Bones (SHB) interface Launch SHB menu via ‘longtap’ (mouse or touch input), or right-click (mouse input).
SHB menu appears & remains until dismissed.
Show or hide any number of bones.
‘Expose’ button & mode, to reveal hidden bones in dark tint.
Disable show/hide, to permit joint selection during SHB operations.
Special cursor for SHB use (when using a mouse).
New instructions, at the Pro Instructions page.
New tooltip manager Permits improved styling and controlled location.
Enhanced controls Expand all right-side subpanels, via doubleclick in upper right corner
(Pro) ‘Onetime’animation playback: reclick Fwd/Rev Play button to jump to Start/End, resp.
Fixes Slider wrapping: As sliders shorten, their contents no longer wrap around; the contents are now shortened if possible, then truncated.
Autofit (broke in recent Chrome update), now fixed and faster.
Adv (Mac, iOS) Graphic color pickers replace 'hex' color input boxes, in Pose Tracing tools.
Documentation New pages: Limitations (for Experimental edition), Instructions For Saving Files Using iOS

Modified: Instructions + Hints section within the App (now include Touch instructions), Terms of Service, Terms of Sale, Pro Instructions


Special Documentation Release (171023)

New Animation tutorials A series of 6 tutorial videos is now available, providing extensive instruction for how to play, create, and edit animations using KineMan Pro. Also available are 2 downloadable KineMan Repository files, containing demo data for use with the tutorials.

For more information, please visit our new Tutorials page.


R17.08 (170808)

Pro Edition
Improvements New method for saving repository to disk Owing to browser changes, a new/simpler Save Repository approach is used:
1) Set the filename in KineMan panel,
2) Press Save button;
This saves multiple steps, compared to previous versions (i.e.: view content in new tab, right click,‘save as’,select name &path), but forgoes simple path selection.
Animation features
  • Auto-save the current animation
  • 'Reset view' allows manual removal of unwanted displacements
  • Smarter reset of animation time, after editing time parameters
  • Reset a time-shifted animation, to start at 0
  • Back & forth playback mode
  • More keyframe intervals
  • Option to clear editor when loading new animation
  • Prefixes ( >, =) for keyframe names, to clarify status
Confirm saves Brief confirmation message shows after saving a named pose (using Save Pose, Append, or Replace buttons) or animation.
Fixes Miscellaneous, minor


R17.05 (170531)

Pro Edition
New Bundling: Simplified Structure Six former subscription modules (Standard + 5 Options) are now consolidated into just two:
  • Standard Subscription: as before, plus 2 former Options: Save Poses & 6 DOF Body Motion

  • Advanced Option: new, incorporates former Unlimited ROM, Pose Tracing, Show& Hide Bones Options
    plus, substantial new features (see below).
Transition Plan: For current subscribers, no action/changes required. All former capabilities are available in new modules, and any subscriptions that included Unlimited ROM, Pose Tracing, & Show& Hide Bones Options will be automatically converted to an Advanced Option for a matching term, at no charge.
New Prices: < Coming soon ! >
New Features:

Animation Major new capability, allows you to create and playback animated poses.
Standard subscription allows you to
  • load saved animations
  • play/pause a timed live sequence (or ‘morph’ poses manually via slider),
  • adjust rate & repeat mode, & step thru keyframes.
Advanced Option provides tools to
  • create animations from kineman poses (current or saved) & timing parameters
  • edit the animations (add/delete/reorder poses, change timing), with undo/redo feature to facilitate experimentation.
  • save them (to KineMan Repository, & from there to disk).
Editing New capability in Advanced Option, allows you to copy & paste portions of poses (i.e., selected joint angles or body position DOFs), from one KineMan pose to another. Select joints individually or in convenient groups.
Advanced Posing Advanced Option includes:
  • ‘Left-Right Symmetry’ feature, allows you to move symmetric joints in unison, with a single control.
  • Pose Flipping: for any pose, create its mirror image, relative to your choice of 3 screen-oriented planes.
Background Video Advanced Option now allows you to
  • import videos of various types, from local disk or youtube, into the KineMan viewing area background.
  • shift or zoom the video, within the KineMan viewing area.
  • control playback (play/stop, jumpToStart, and step fwd or back; monitor time), via a new non-hidable panel, - helps to circumvent limitations of native video controls.
  • access & modify special video parameters, via ‘Fullscreen’ view
Enhanced Controls Standard subscription allows enhanced use of existing controls, by use of [Ctrl], [Alt] &/or [Shift] keys:
  • select coarse/medium/fine or zero movement for sliders
  • select 90,10, or 1 degree increments for Step Rotations
  • [Ctrl]-undo (or redo) allows you to lock joint angles while navigating history, allowing more experimentation with body positions
'Simple' Body Rotations Rotate the body about screen-fixed horizontal or vertical axes, via new sliders, in Standard subscription. Temporary rotation axes are shown in purple (solid or dashed).
Responsive, Adjustable Layout Standard subscription provides multiple features to fit KineMan Pro graphic elements to the ever-growing variety of screen dimensions & resolutions, including:
  • automatic window layout for new screens, with subsequent locking of control & text sizes during window resizing.
  • sliders for manually resizing controls & text, or text alone, to your preference
  • adjustment of viewing area size, to fixed dimensions or aspect ratio, via menu
  • ‘reset layout’ button, to undo customizations, or redo automated fitting for different window size or zoom.
  • layout parameters are saved automatically between sessions.
Improvements:

Control Panel Reorganization & more:
  • New 'Move' subpanel contains Moving joint menu, Unlimited ROM checkbox, and new LR Symmetry switch.
  • New 'Subscriptions' subpanel, shows the expiry date of current subscriptions, plus buttons to Add or Renew.
  • Other new subpanels include Edit, Animate, & Settings, containing new features described above.
  • Collapse All Button (upper right) simplifies use of subpanels; [Ctrl]-click to Expand All.
Dormant Mode KineMan Pro subscribers can now login to the app even when all their subscriptions have expired, to access a ‘dormant’ edition. This edition operates like KineMan Basic, but shows disabled Pro controls, as a reminder to which controls are available, and which module (Standard or Advanced) is required to activate them.

The dormant edition does not include a Presenter license – for that, you need a paid Standard subscription.
Miscellaneous
  • Show & Hide Bones (Advanced Option) context menu can now be launched via right-click, without holding the Ctrl key (except for when targeting hidden bones).
  • Scapulo-thoracic constraints, which keep the scapulae close to the ribs while moving, are now removed whenever Unlimited ROM is selected (Advanced Option).
Other:

Show/Hide Bones Changed show/hide menu access: now, only need to right-click on bone ([Ctrl] isn't required).
Changed method to reveal hidden bones: now, use [Ctrl][Shift] while hovering (previously, [Ctrl] only).
Fixes:

Large screen usage Bone identification and selection didn’t work correctly, on large screens (toward the right side); now fixed.


Pro & Basic
New: Cursors Orienting arrow cursors, of various shapes & colors, indicate which axes you can rotate about, and which way to drag for a given axis. New cursor icons are used for body shift & distance modes.
Single DOF Rotations KineMan's joystick now supports single axis at-a-time rotation for all axes. For the body, this means you can now choose spin OR tilt rotation, if desired; previously, the only choice was spin AND tilt. For joints, each DOF can likewise be moved independently. Axes can be selected via the Movement Palette (next).
Movement Palette Buttons show current cursor choices available, depending on the joint (or body) and its orientation, and allow you to ‘hold’ the mode. (Alternatively, select modes temporarily via modifier keys, while dragging.
Axis Colors Joint rotation axes now appear as magenta, yellow, and cyan lines, while remaining red, green, & blue for body motions. Axes for neck and lumbar group are shown as dashed lines, to indicate that rotations about these axes are not strictly coupled to the cursor arrow directions.
Improved

Mac Compatibility Apple MacIntosh users can & should use the 'Cmd' key instead of 'Ctrl', as a modifier; plus other miscellaneous tweaks to handle Mac mouse & keyboard input.
Joystick For a joint axis oriented normal to the screen (or nearly so), rotate by dragging circumferentially around the joint center. When the axis is away from normal, drag linearly across the (projected) axis.
Body distance: now uses vertical cursor movement only (previously, diagonal).
Bone Colors Bones in combined states (of hovered, selected, & hidden (Advanced Option)) are shown in 'combined colors', e.g., violet (~ orange+blue), when both selected & hovered. In Advanced Option, joints selected for copy/paste operations are shown using dark blue coloration for their respective (distal) bones, while hovering in the Edit subpanel.
Other:

Internet Connection All new versions of KineMan require an internet connection at startup, to validatate the webapp origin.
Modifier Keys Revised usage of modifier keys, to select rotation axes while dragging: For body, rotate about dial axis by holding [Ctrl][Alt] while dragging (prev: [Alt] only). For joints, rotate about cyan axis by holding [Ctrl][Alt] while dragging (prev: [Alt] only).
Documentation Path Most documents describing operation & features have been relocated, from the root directory (www.kineman.com) to www.kineman.com/docs. You should update bookmarks to any such documents, accordingly.
Instruction Video We've created a short instructional video, which explains how to do some basic operations in KineMan (all versions). It's primarily oriented to new users, but experienced users may find it useful for understanding new features such as the orienting cursors & movement palette. To view, see the Help menu, at 'Basic Operation (video)'.


Basic (only)
Improved Larger Viewing Area In KineMan Basic, the max viewing area size now varies in proportion to the window height (superseding the previous max dimension of 512 pixels in either direction). Controls & text are now sized in proportion to the window height as well.
Single Agreement The initial KineMan Basic panel, that requires agreement to our Terms of Service, is presented only once per browser session.
Changed Joystick For joints, the biaxial rotation capability has been removed, because it was deemed too challenging for casual users. In its place, two independent single axis rotations are available.
Phasing Out Chrome App Version Our Chrome App version of KineMan Basic (available at the Chrome Web Store) will not be upgraded. Chrome Apps have special requirements that are incompatible with our latest changes. Also, the Chrome Web Store has been ramping down support for Chrome Apps, and will soon discontinue offering them altogether. So likewise with our Chrome App: we’ll be redirecting interested Chrome App users to our web app and discontinue the Chrome webstore offering altogether as of July 1, 2017.


R16.02 (160225)

Pro Edition
New Features: Improved subscription bundling, prices, & ordering
ProPlus Subscription Package
  • Combines Standard & all 5 Options
  • Offers simplified ordering for many subscribers
Discount Plan for Options
  • Automatic 1/3 off when ordering 3 or more Options
  • Equivalent substitute for obsolete Plus package
  • Permits mixing & matching of terms
  • Permits serial subscriptions with ProPlus parts
Ordering Process & Forms
  • Simpler New Subscriber form
  • Separate forms for packages vs individual parts
  • Simpler widgets + Order Summary block
Price Reductions
  • 1 month Standard now available
  • Save Poses reduced 25%, all terms
Improvements Discontinued Plus Package
  • Replaced by discount for Options
Revised Documentation
  • Subscription Help & About
  • Terms of Sale
Fixes Shoulder Mechanics Scapula would stop following ribs, after pressing Undo: now fixed.




R15.12 (151210)

New Product Bundling
Pro Edition This release of KineMan Pro introduces a new 'flexible bundling' plan. Essentially, the overall Pro feature set remains the same, but the features are offered as either Standard features (common to all Pro subscriptions) or Options (which you can select to match your needs).

This new approach allows us to offer KineMan Pro at a substantially lower subscription price. Furthermore, the Options can be selected for shorter terms (1 month, as well as 4 or 12). And to streamline your workflow, you can add an Optional feature while you work, via a new 'in-app' subscription capability.

The breakdown of features into Standard & Optional products is detailed below.
Standard features
provides essential capabilities
for all Pro users
  • Articulated hands & feet
  • Group motions: Neck & lumbar spine
  • Load repositories & select poses
    • Allows you to import & view poses from files.
    • (Creating pose repositories requires the Save Poses option, below)
  • Autofit capability
  • Save images
  • Presenter license
  • Unlimited viewing area size
  • No ads
  • plus all of the Core features offered in KineMan Basic edition.
Options
allow you to choose the advanced
Pro features you need
  • 6 DOF body motion (dial rotation, step rotations)
  • Show or hide bones
  • Unlimited joint ROMs
  • Pose tracing (transparent background, background image, comic style rendering)
  • Save poses & repositories

  • Options can be added while you work, as in-app purchases.
    GUI elements for most Options are displayed, but disabled & shown
    in a lighter tone, until subscribed.
Basic Edition: Two app types
  • Web App (classic)
    • Accessible from anywhere, using Chrome or Firefox (www.kineman.com/new/webapp)
  • Chrome App (new)
    • Looks & behaves like an installed app
    • Can be used offline*
    • Shortcuts can be added to the taskbar or start menu in Windows
    • Uses Google login; avoids ‘Terms of Service’ Agreement panel at start

    * But note: user documentation is only available at our website.
Terms of Service KineMan Basic is now designated to be used for personal use only.One ramification
of this is that public display of KineMan graphical content is permitted only for subscribers
of our Pro edition. For additional details, please see our Terms of Service.


Additional Improvements
Pro: Unlimited ROM Replaces 'enable limits' switch
Reversed logic: Check a box to remove the limits
Misc
  • Simpler name entry for images & poses, by removal of the [Done] buttons
    Carriage return is sufficient to complete the entry.
  • Buttons renamed: Backup -> Save Repository; Restore -> Load Repository
  • ‘0’ button is active only with the 6 DOF Body Option
  • Corrected ‘parentage’ for some bones, when using Show/Hide Bones context menu.
  • 'lastPose' is only available with Save Poses Option. Pose menu includes 'lastPose' only when available & useful.
Pro & Basic:

Layout New top & bottom margins, contain:
  • Menus
  • Bone & joint identification box
  • Undo/redo buttons
(Related joint info is now consolidated with Bone identification,
by pressing [Ctrl] & [Alt] while hovering.)
Security Full site https
(previously, only applied for subscriber interactions; now site-wide.)
  • improves privacy for users
  • prevents hackers from impersonating site, and tampering with data
Misc
  • Common names or descriptors for all joints
    (while hovering over scientific names in joint selection menu)
  • Simplified Hints panel
  • Removed the uniaxial joystick mode for joints (via Ctrl-Shift)
  • Group joints (neck & lumbar spine) are now only available in Pro edition.
Basic only:

Ads removed Top and bottom ads removed from the app page, permits larger viewing area on small screens.
(Ads may still appear elsewhere on the Basic app page, and elsewhere at kineman.com).
Limited viewing area size The viewing area for the Basic edition is limited to 512 pixels in both directions.
(For an unlimited viewing area, subscribe to KineMan Pro).


R15.06 (150612)

Pro Edition
New Features:

hover titles for
additional info
Pose Tracing
Saving Poses
More
Improvements Show or Hide Bones


Basic Edition
Improvements:

hover titles for
additional info
Other:


R15.03 (150310)

Basic Edition Pro Edition
New Features:

hover for quick intro;
click for details
Improvements:
Fixes:
  • Bug whereby clicking on a slider caused deselection of a selected joint.
  • Bug in step rotations, where, for some alignments, the body faced 180 degrees opposite to intended direction.
Other
  • Bone or joint selection is now disabled when the [Alt] or [Shift] key is depressed.
  • AutoFit is no longer available in KineMan Basic.
  • Dial rotations are now accessible by pressing [Alt] while dragging (in a circular arc around the screen center).
  • Access to the Show/Hide menu is now possible via [Ctrl] right-click
    (instead of regular right-click).
  • AutoFit has been relabeled 'Fit', and is now a Pro-only feature.


v1.2 (140915) (Pro only)

New Features:
  • Step rotation & ‘0’ buttons
    combined with DOF6 mode selector in new subpanel
  • Enable/disable joint range limits
Improvements:
  • Distance slider: improved action for close up viewing (circumvents frustrating process to increase distance). Red highlighting is obsolete.
Fixes:
  • Show/hide context menu: options were incorrectly disabled, now fixed.
Other
  • Qualified for use with the Opera browser
  • Added Acknowledgements page


v1.1 (140619) (Pro only)

New Features:
  • Articulated hand, includes 18 additional joints, 25 additional DOF each.


v1.0 (140420) (Pro only)

New Features:
  • Subscription system, offers 4 or 12 month terms, along with 7 day free trial, plus User Account pages.
  • 6th DOF for body position, including: dial angle slider and joystick zone, ‘casual’ mode for angle readouts.
  • Presentation license
  • No ads (after subscriber sign in)





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Original bone data created & licensed by Longchamp Labs/21st Century Solutions Ltd; FFI see www.anatomium.com. Bone & joint data file formats and content are copyright Neosim R&D.