Version 1.1.2 of MorphoTester fixes a bug that originated in version 1.1.0 that affects DNE calculation when using implicit fair smoothing.
This release also introduces a new feature: it is now possible to export and visualize implicit faired (smoothed) surface meshes. Surfaces can be smoothed prior to calculation of any topographic metric and smoothed surfaces are automatically exported. Batches of smoothed surfaces can also be made from directories of surface files. This helps users to replicate previously published DNE values that were produced using implicit fairing, and to produce new DNE values that are directly comparable to values from those studies. As in previous versions, it is still possible to use IF to smooth surfaces in the process of calculating DNE while not smoothing meshes for calculating RFI and OPCR.
A note on implicit fairing: the DNE protocol used in my dissertation research does not include implicit fairing, and in a forthcoming paper (Pampush et al., in revision) co-authors and I tentatively suggest that implicit fairing is not necessary for future analyses. Implicit fair smoothing is a redundant mesh processing step if surfaces are smoothed in Meshlab or Amira prior to analysis in MorphoTester, and not using implicit fair allows for a more uniform data analysis protocol when also calculating RFI and OPCR. At the same time, DNE values previously published using implicit fairing are not directly comparable with values produced without implicit fairing. In any case, patterns of differences between species or other groups should be consistent whether or not implicit fairing is used. Tools for implicit fairing are provided so that users have flexibility in calculating DNE and other topographic metrics.