• Save/Revert to Version - track development using simple shortcuts to save versions of your work, and to revert to the last saved version in the event of errors.
• Automatic Portal Creation - create and position portals instantly to take advantage of portal culling, and improve rendering.
• Conditional Breakpoints - debug your scripts more quickly and efficiently by setting conditions for your Schematic breakpoints.
• Quick Find commands for Schematic and Level Manager - find elements by name or part of their name.
• Set Save Options for image files in Level Manager - change the save settings for one or several image files at a mouse-click.
• Script Colors and Script Sorting - give your scripts different colors for easy identification; organize them by name, owner, color, or class type.
• Easier (re)Linking in Schematic - new timesaving ways to create and edit links.

• Automatic Shortcut Remapping - remaps orphaned parameter shortcuts contained in Virtools Object Files (NMO) on loading the file.
• New Parameter Operations - over forty new paramOps, allowing easier access to and manipulation of important information.
• New functions for existing BBs - several building blocks have been enhanced with additional functionality.

• Uses the latest graphics component (DirectX Graphics) of DirectX for increased performance for all DirectX compliant graphics cards.
• Adds support for cutting edge hardware support such as Pixel and Vertex Shading (building blocks in development).
• Optimized Vertex Buffers and improved Anti-Aliasing.
  

Among the other improvements to rendering in Dev 2.1 is the possibility to force software or hardware rendering and the addition of a Config File, that enables screen dumps, sorting of transparent objects and more.

SDK

As well as filling in some of the gaps in the SDK documentation, several new possibilities are available to programmers in Dev 2.1. A few examples:

• Ability to activate a callback function each time a material is set as "current".
• Support for debugging in Release as well as Debug mode.
• CubeMap support for both DirectX (versions 7 and 8) and OpenGL rasterizers.
• Capability to create and render Vertex Buffers.
• Additional utilities and tools in base libraries.
• Enhanced documentation.

• RenderOptions property - forces software or hardware rendering among other things.
• GetObjectName command - returns the name of a specific object.
  

• Animation Recorder - records the movements of an object or group of object, saving this information as an animation ready to play back at any moment.
• Filter Texture - applies custom filter effects to textures.
• Hardware Level - checks the type of 3D graphics acceleration provided by the current video card driver.
• Lens Flare - simulates a 'lens flare' by rendering a Light with a specific Texture.
• LightMap - generates and displays lightmaps (a texture used for lighting and shadow effects).
• Volumetric Fog - creates a volumetric fog effect for a given Group of 3D Entities.
• ShadowStencil - creates sophisticated real-time shadow effects.
• Time Settings - changes any of the time settings (max. frame rate, delta time etc.)