The Max Preview plugin shows the embedded preview thumbnail of Max files (Version 3 and later) in the file browser Total Commander.

This extension contains functions for comparing or returning MD5 hash values for strings and files.

The Craft Star Dome Generator was originally created as a fast navigation tool to increase the sense of orientation in a 3D environment. With it, loops and rolls become much more accurate. However it turned out it could also be used as a highly flexible way of creating any type of star dome directly in the viewport.

Changes for v3.0 include:
- More flexible noise function
- Adds 'Time Shift' to displace the track relative to the source along its trajectory
- The effect can now be saved separately as an image sequence

Di-O-Matic Inc. have announced the upcoming release of their Voice-O-Matic plugin. Voice-O-Matic 2 includes an improved new interface to accelerate your lip-sync process, audio cue to hear an example of the phoneme to make sure you are selecting the one you want, weightable phonemes so you can put emphasis on the phonemes you want to accentuate.

Voice-O-Matic 2 is currently in final development stage and the release date is planned soon. The suggested retail price is set to $349.00. Updates will cost $79. For the full PR, take a look here.

Changes for v4.0 are:
- Support for Max 6, 7 and 8
- Integration of different 3D-camera models
- Optimized algorithms for the automatic adjustment of 3D camera parameters
- The camera model and its parameters are visualized in the 3D scene
- Export of the newest image and video formats
- Support for network rendering

Despite the fact that the plugin was designed to create media for NewSight displays, it can also be used to create media for other 3D systems.

NewSight StereoCam is available for Max 6, 7 and 8, and I don't know what it costs at the moment. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v2.10 alpha are:
- Import of the scene node's user defined attribute
- Export of non-conventional vertex color channels [illum, alpha]
- Fix for the ExportEffectPropertyAnnotation exception from Akira Kudo
- Instantiation bindings of the colored Lambert shader
- Import of texture coordinates mapped to vertex colors from Maya
- Fix crash on export for complex skinned characters bones
- Validation fix for controllers
- Export inv_bind_matrix for skinned characters bones that don't influence skin
- Non-TM sampling on transforms are now in object-space

Autodesk, Inc. has posted an update for Backburner which fixes the monitor crash when selecting the task summary tab. You can get it here.

Changes for v1.01 are:
- Minor bug-fixes

Kees website has been down for a while now, so I will be hosting the plugin until things are up and running again.

Changes for v1.0.1 are:
- oMaterial evaluate improvements and new methods
- Adds evaluate method call support at MAXscript interface
- Improved batch upgrade method of scene materials to Ogre materials
- Adds support for ARGB mode for vertex colors
- Adds option to select the color mode in the export dialog
- Adds standard animation optimizer for object (keyframed) animations
- Names of the entities are now exported correctly
- Parent object name of entities is now correct
- Fixes issues with Editable Poly and large amounts of polygons
- Fixes issues with certain meshes of 32 bit index buffer
- Improves the updating process of entity skeletons
- Fixes a problem with updating hierarchy objects

greenworks organic software have uploaded a new alpha (Alpha 5) version of their XFrog plugin for Max.

Major changes for Alpha 5 are:
- Branch UV Coordinates should be correct now
- Branch Start and End Cap problem has been solved
- The Hydra and Phyllotaxis working again
- Material IDs are now working properly

You can download the Alpha version at the XFrog for Max forum.

This plugin mirrors morph targets based on symmetrical meshes. It is pre-alpha and cannot be guaranteed bug free, so be careful. You can find a couple of videos with instructions on how to use the plugin here.

Allows Max to export *.KEX and *.G3X files for use with the R/C simulator RealFlight Generation 3. KEX files are for custom models, and G3X files are for sharing aircraft variants, color schemes, and new vehicles.

Civilization IV MaxTools is a set of scripts and plugins for creating content for Civilization IV. It exports *.NIF and *.KF files.

The download link above is for the Max 7 and 8 version, if you are using Max 6 you need this one.

Changes for v2.4 are:
- Adds ghosting of animation layers
- Improved onion skinning
- Remove displacement provides a 'Walk on Spot' function

A complete list of changes and fixes in this version of CAT can be found here.

CAT is available for Max 6 to 8, and costs $995. A demo version is available here.

Autodesk have released Service Pack 2 for Max 8.

This update includes a number of critical fixes across several functional areas, including Biped, Cloth, Hair, trackview, particle flow, rendering, DX, display, mental ray and UV unwrap.

The service pack also includes all bug fixes provided in Service Pack 1 in the following functional areas: Biped, Batch Render, Hair, Material Editor, Maxscript, Script Controller, SDK, Snaps, UV Unwrap and mental ray.