Blender 2.49b

What's new in this version:

Updates:
- Update for new OpenAL windows library.
- Update Japanese translation.
- Upgrade extern/xvidcore to version 1.22. This fixes Xvid crashing on linux 64 bit.
- Updated Blender/Python API and GameEngine docs.

Various Bugs:
- SoftBody, vertex groups were not notified on deletion & fixes for Mass and Spring Painting
- Softbody, non mesh objects missing initializers [bug #18982]
- Self Shadow Vertex Colors, improved blur method to give more even results.
- Converting nurbs to a mesh ignored smoothing for Alt+C and from python.
- Object Active to Other, Fix python error when running in local view.
- Ancient resource leak where checkPackedFile would open a file and never close it.
- Fix for uninitialized memory use with X11 keyboard and tablet events.
- Fix for building with CLang (LLVM)

Render Bugs:
- Using LightGroups override for material doesn't work for preview renders.
- Render Stamp, error in setting the alpha value when drawing text into a char buffer.
- Lumma Matte, Fix in low value setting. Originally checked against the wrong channel (chroma) instead of the luminence channel. Changed default value for high value to 1.0 from 0.0
- Baking selected to active with nearby dupliframes objects crashes blender [bug #19029]
- Fix for high energy sunlamps, turning specular black [bug #18837]

Game Engine Bugs:
- Saving runtime on Windows didn't work with python2.6
- Let IPO's animate the ref value for KX_BlenderMaterial's
Game Engine Python Bugs:
- Converting a mesh from a python argument was broken but happened to work in some cases.
- Memory leak fix for action.channelNames.
- Was writing to freed memory when freeing a python object in some cases.
- Removing GameLogic.EvalExpression(), was unstable.
- Crash fix when casting a ray to the same location as the object.
- Fixed KX_PolyProxy returning improper VertexIndex with mixed triangles and quads with using .getVertexIndex() and .v1, .v2, etc. [bug #19254]
- Fixed obj.sendMessage() with 4 arguments crashing blender [bug #18963]

Game Engine Bullet Bugs:
- Crash fix when a parent compound object didn't have a physics controller.
- Fix for the torque actuator x -& y-axis not working.
- Sequencer Bugs
- IPO curve-deletion resulted in non-working effect
- easy retiming only allowed enlarging of strips, now shrinking is also possible (easy retiming: use the right display handle of input strip and shrink or enlarge, will make the speed of the strip exactly fit the effect strip's length)
- frames after end-of-display of input strips can now be accessed.
- frame blending can now be done on more than two frames, enabling really fine grained motion blur if you speed up a sequence with high factors (bigger than two).
- Scene-Strip rendering with compositor scenes failed, if they had no camera attached.
- Fixed hdd-audio for sample formats other than 16 bit (8 bit eg).
- Import/Export Bugs
- FBX Export, Incorrect formatting that broke some converters.
- BVH Motion Capture Import, Did not support single rigid body objects. [bug #18949]
- OBJ Import, fix for importing of transparent faces from .mtl files - ZTrans now is set for them as well. (improves import from SketchUp)
- Collada export, Empty material slot would raise a python error.
- Collada import, fixes for increased Sketchup interoperability and more.
- Quake MAP Export, empty nodes were not exported, also noticed files were invalid if there were no meshes or surfaces.
- Quake MAP Export, had support for single triangular brush unnecessarily disabled.
- Quake MD2 Export, Fix for vertex normals [patch #19206]
- Python API
- Mathutils (quat_a*quat_b) was broken, returned (quat_a*quat_a) instead.
- Support for editing properties IpoCurve.driverBone and IpoCurve.driverBone2 and modifies IpoCurve.driverChannel to allow OB_ROT_DIFF.
- Documentation corrections.
- Support for rendering background scenes different from the active scene.
- scene.render.render() now behaves the same in interactive and background mode
- scene.render.saveRenderedImage() now works correctly in background mode
- Armature active bone can be set.

New:
- 16bit SGI image loading
- When BLENDER_FORCE_SWAPBUFFERS env variable is defined, a function is enabled that fixes flickering for some Intel and Radeon cards.
- Python API - Particles
- Draw As variable and dict
- Strand render toggle
- Object, psys variable in duplicate
- Material, Strand render variables
- Texture, Use colorbands
- Lamp, Spot buffer type selection
- Game Engine Physics support for reinstancePhysics mesh from Python and the dynamic actuator.
- ReplaceMesh Actuator option to replace the physics mesh and display mesh + python api options.
- Video and blend file demo.
- Mouse focus sensor "pulse" option to pulse TRUE when the object under the mouse changes.
- EDL importer for the sequencer. supports...
- audio, video edits
- fades, wipes, speed changes (video only)
- importing from multiple reels