After updating GPU rendering for Eevee in 1.7.6, it was later found there were also some issues with GPU rendering in Cycles. 😮 While the issue of Cycles render progress was taken care of, some other issues with the Python API surfaced within the startup script.
Cycles GPU Rendering
When Barista starts a render, the GPU device has to be manually set, that way Blender uses the correct device for rendering, otherwise it simply defaults to the CPUs. Sometime during the 3.x updates, the way Barista handled the device setting was no longer accessible, so this portion is being re-written, so it can work again, and cannot fail in the future.
Testing The Startup Script
Because this part of the startup-script has caused an issue, the plan is to audit the entire startup script, and make sure there are no other sections of the API that have functionally changed. With 1.8.0 bringing custom scripts to the table, this script cannot ever fail before the custom code, making this a priority before returning to 1.8.0 development.
With GPU rendering being the main concern, it has become the top priority for Barista development. Because of the time involved, If there is also an issue with simulation baking in the script, chances are it will get patched in a 1.7.8 release.
Release Timeline
While I always hate to put deadlines on these releases (something tends to interrupt development), it's become my highest priority, not just in Barista but across all of my projects. Having such an issue simply isn't acceptable, so I'm looking to fix it before it affects many people. The Eevee issue that was resolved yesterday in 1.7.6, was actually found earlier that morning, so I'm hoping to fix this within the same amount of time.