Full log is here:
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Dev:Ref/Release_Notes/2.66/Usability#Matcap_in_3D_viewport
Implementation notes:
- Matcaps are an extension of Solid draw mode, and don't show in other drawmodes.
(It's mostly intended to aid modeling/sculpt)
- By design, Matcaps are a UI feature, and only stored locally for the UI itself, and
won't affect rendering or materials.
- Currently a set of 16 (GPL licensed) Matcaps have been compiled into Blender.
It doesn't take memory or cpu time, until you use it.
- Brush Icons and Matcaps use same code now, and only get generated/allocated on
actually using it (instead of on startup).
- The current set might get new or different images still, based on user feedback.
- Matcap images are 512x512 pixels, so each image takes 1 Mb memory. Unused matcaps get
freed immediately. The Matcap icon previews (128x128 pixels) stay in memory.
- Loading own matcap image files will be added later. That needs design and code work
to get it stable and memory-friendly.
- The GLSL code uses the ID PreviewImage for matcaps. I tested it using the existing
Material previews, which has its limits... especially for textured previews the
normal-mapped matcap won't look good.
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