HOOPS Visualize 3DF Long Term Support
- Michael Merrifield
Updated Feb 5, 2025
As part of our efforts to better support partners we changed how we handle releases for HOOPS Visualize 3DF about four years ago. Our goal was to better balance partners who want new functionality and those who desire long term product stability.
Long Term Support Releases
Starting with 3DF release 27.00 we shifted to a modified versioning of the 3DF releases. 3DF moved to align closer to the other HOOPS products release plan. Certain release branch for HOOPS Visualize 3DF will be designated as “Long Term Support”. They will be supported for four years from initial release, and will favor stability over new development (after 2 years). Through the lifetime of an LTS release, feature enhancements and defect resolution will slow and become more risk averse to reduce the likelihood of introducing destabilizing changes into that release stream. We will not include many new features in the LTS release after its first year. If you are interested in the latest features for HOOPS Visualize 3DF, then you will need to upgrade to the latest version.
The sections below describe which portions of an LTS release will be most stable and how an LTS release will progress in the level of development activity and risk tolerance over its lifetime.
Continuity of Functionality
We will use the term “continuity” to describe the syntactic compatibility and behavioral consistency of a piece of functionality between releases of HOOPS Visualize 3DF. Here are some examples of a break in continuity:
A change to an API function signature
Removing functionality
Deliberately changing the screen output
Changing the version of a third-party dependency or operating system
Some breaks in continuity may be very small, others may be very large. Some breaks in continuity may technically be an improvement to the product, but we must be sensitive to those changes since some partners may depend on the behavior exactly as it is.
Within an LTS release there will be different levels of commitment for preserving continuity for different components of HOOPS Visualize 3DF. This will allow us to promise a high level of continuity for sensitive functionality while also providing the flexibility to adapt and advance other areas of the product.
Here are the general categories we will use for the level of continuity within an LTS release:
Stable. These items will be the highest priority for preserving continuity.
Limited. We will make a Best Effort to preserve continuity for these items, although we may make compromises when there is compelling justification to do so.
Unstable. These are items where we do not promise continuity; we may modify the behaviors and capabilities of the functionality. This often applies to new functionality in HOOPS Visualize 3DF or to functionality where the underlying technology is rapidly evolving. In those cases we may choose to change our behaviors to adapt to changing technology or to improve our design. Additionally, this designation often applies to Deprecated functionality or to functionality where the underlying technology is near the end of its lifecycle.
Development and Release Policy
The Development Policy describes how an LTS version will progress from very active development to more conservative, risk-averse development.
Year | Features | Defects | Minimum number of Releases |
1* | Active feature development | Aggressive defect resolution We will include all standard defect resolution, including changes that may cause discontinuity in product behavior. | 3 |
2 | Limited feature development | Moderate defect resolution We will only include defect resolution that is unlikely to cause discontinuity in product behavior. | 2 |
3 | No Feature development | Conservative defect resolution We will only include defect resolution that is very unlikely to cause discontinuity in product behavior. | 2 |
4 | Critical defect resolution only. We will only include defect resolution that is extremely unlikely to cause discontinuity in product behavior. | 1 |
* The first year of an LTS and non-LTS 3DF release will look the same as far as defects and features.
Non-LTS 3DF Releases
Any release not designated as an LTS release reaches its end of life after approximately one year. Once the next major version of 3DF is released, updates will end for previous non-LTS releases.
3DF Release Stream Support Timeframe
The following illustrates the initial transition to the LTS Release model for 3DF and the effect on recent 3DF release streams:
3DF 24.x - This was treated retroactively as an LTS release branch, supported through Jan 2023 (i.e. 4 years after 24.00 was released).
3DF 25.x - This was the first non-LTS branch after 3DF 24 LTS. It’s lifespan was about 1 year.
3DF 26.x - This was the second non-LTS branch and also had roughly a 1 year lifespan.
3DF 27.x - Initially released in January 2022 as the second LTS release with a lifespan of about 4 years. The lifespan of the previous LTS release overlapped the superseding one in its first year.
This pattern will repeat (i.e. 3DF 30.x becomes the next LTS release).