Changes for v1.4.4747.0 are:
- Adds support for the latest version of Prepar3d
- Includes the latest versions of the 3ds Max Tools

cebas VISUAL TECHNOLOGY Inc. have released a trial version of thinkingParticles 5. It comes with a few limitations that are mostly production environment and rendering related features, as well as having no time restrictions.

Restrictions in the trial version include:
- Max 2013 support only
- Particles can't be rendered
- Meshes can't be created except for viewport display
- Materials are not supported for rendering output
- Particle caching is unavailable for the trial version
- Physics Simulation caching is not supported
- thinkingParticles scenes can't be saved
- Black Boxes can't be saved
- 3rd party plugin support is unavailable for the trial version
- Particles can't be exported
- External Particle is not available (Mesher/Snapshot)
- NVIDIA PhysX is unavailable for the trial version
- TD-Tool support for creating tP Particle Systems is not available

ThinkingParticles is available for Max 2010 to 2013 and costs €1495. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v3.2.0.14156 are:
- Adds support for Max 2013 (32-bit and 64-bit)

Changes for v2.5.15 are:
- Adds 210 new Wall materials

V-Ray Material Presets Pro is available for Max 2010 to 2013 and costs €110.

Changes for v1.1.09d are:
- The Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package is no longer needed for Max below 2013

MultiScatter is available for Max 2008 to 2013 and costs €200.

Changes for v2.0.2 are:
- Adds the ability to change new node properties to 'By Layer' in NLM Preferences
- Fixes an NLM crash when an object is isolated in a scene with XRefs in Max 2012
- Fixes an NLM crash when using the 'attachSelectedObjecs' script by Soulburn
- Box mode is now set when clicking on a folder
- Info and Settings windows are now focused if they are open but hidden
- Fixes the UI being incorrectly sized if Max is closed with NLM minimized
- Layer parameter callback stability has been further solidified
- Adds OS version to error log reports

Nested Layer Manager is available for Max 2009 to 2013 and costs €12. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v2.6 are:
- Fixes an issue with Channel List highlighted color
- Fixes Extract to Scene sometimes failing

Morph-O-Matic is available for Max 6 to 2013 and costs $249. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v1.4.2 are:
- Bug-fixes

Changes for Build 1779 are:
- Bug-fixes

Changes for SP11 are:
- Fixes a few issues with caustics producing inaccurate surfaces as a result
- Rare incidents of crashing with extruded splines have been addressed
- Rare incidents of the velvet shader causing Max to crash have been addressed
- Gradient 3d map rollout is now added
- Issues with tension and curvature shaders are also fixed

finalRender is available for Max 2009 to 2013 and costs €995 (Standard) / €1295 (Studio Edition) / €495 (finalToon). A demo version is available here.

Helix Pro is a glorified version of Max's helix spline shape. Helix Pro gives you the ability to control every aspect of a helix from bias, to knot count, to start/end radius, as well as the size and space of each revolution.

Features include:
- Start/End radius
- Height/Radius bias control
- Number knots/side that make up helix
- Number of turns
- Height of helix
- Radius randomizing option
- Height randomizing between each revolution
- Animatable controls
- Smooth/Linear spline interpolation
- Figure 8 option for making braids or ropes

Helix Pro is available for Max 9 to 2013 and costs $2.

Changes for v1.5 are:
- Adds a converter utility from Mesh Army Knife to Edit Mesh modifier and vice versa
- When painting with 'Paint Scatter', painted objects now have better names
- Vertex Ticks can now be switched on and off in Mesh AK in all subobject modes
- Selections can now be saved, loaded and merged
- Vertex movements can now be reset or grabbed from somewhere in the modifier stack
- Vertex movements can now be grabbed from another object with the same vertex count
- Selected vertex positions can now be averaged
- Adds a vertex collapse button
- Soft selections can now be locked
- UV coordinate mapping can now have an increment
- Adds support for Max 2013 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Drops support for Max 4.2 to 2009

Changes for v1.1 are:
- Bullet mass is now size relative
- Adds on/off gravity for bullets
- Adds standard and custom bullet shapes
- Adds spin and spin variation
- You can now emit bullets from any 3D surface, following normal direction
- Adds breakable bullets on impact point
- Adds bullet debris
- Bullets are now visible on render by default
- Internal Thinking Particles tool has been renamed in English
- Export has been enabled in the Demolition Master UI
- Adds 'Create Snapshot Geometry' from TP (not enabled in the UI)

Demolition Master is available for Max 2010 to 2013 and costs €25. A demo version is available here.

The Siger Texmap Sikkens Color Solid is a scripted 2D texture map plugin which contains all 1624 colors defined in the Sikkens 4041 color range. It is compatible with V-Ray, finalRender, Brazil, default scanline render. From Max 2010 upwards it is also compatible with mental ray.

Siger Texmap Sikkens Color Solid is available for Max 2009 to 2013 and costs €5.

Changes for v2013 are:
- Adds support for Max 2013 (32-bit and 64-bit)

OCTAdesign is available for Max 2010 to 2013 and costs €4500. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v2.8 are:
- Adds support for Max 2013 (32-bit and 64-bit)

3ptools Lite is an extensive toolset for 3D modelling in Max, focusing on ease-of-use and automation of technical tasks. It is designed to invoke the experience of line-drawing in a 3D environment by letting you paint strips of geometry in an intuitive manner. 3ptools Lite is a slimmed-down version of an upcoming plugin and is free to use for non-commercial purposes.

Changes for v0.5a Beta2 are:
- Fixe minimize/maximize/close not working when MXSE is in an extendend viewport

Changes for v2.86.00806.03320 are:
- Updates PhysX 2.8.x and 3.2
- Updates APEX 1.2
- Adds APEX Clothing support in PhysX 3.x mode
- Adds new Clothing Sphere shape types for rigid bodies
- Clothing baking data is now saved into the modifier
- Adds Latency Modes
- Fixes a tooltip memory leak
- Minor UI tweaks (wording and typos)
- Fixes some UI rollout widths for windows fonts at non-default size
- Multi-editor controls are no longer enabled when not appropriate by RB type
- Fixes Max 2013 toolbar docking issues
- Fixes several viewer crashes
- CTW values are now all being updated properly on import
- Fixes crashes on previewer window usage
- Clothing baking fixes
- PhysxIntegratorClient fixes for ParticleFlow and mCloth developers

Changes for Build 1778 are:
- Bug-fixes

Demolition Master is a tool based on Thinking Particles for making quick and easy destruction. It will obviously only work if you have Thinking Particles installed. Features include:
- An interactive dynamic demolition system
- Procedural bullets
- Concrete, wood, glass and steel materials with specific parameters
- Full destruction control
- Instant debris creation for concrete, wood, steel and glass materials
- Instant interaction with FumeFx (FumeFX isn't required to use the plugin)
- Thinking particles tool, so you can refine all parameters for your needs
- TP dynamic solver, concave and convex objects supported

Demolition Master is available for Max 2010 to 2013 and costs $25. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v1.58.04 are:
- Adds support for Particle Flow
- RayFire Shooting has been put back into the package
- Adds support for PhysX plugin 2.86
- Adds support for using Concave simulation meshes for Dynamic and Sleeping objects
- The Material Preset list has been modified
- The 'Home Grid as Ground' property is now in the Simulation Properties List

RayFire Tool is available for Max 2009 to 2013 and costs $325. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v5.04 are:
- Adds support for Max 2013 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for State Sets

This version of RPManager is available for Max 2013 and costs $300. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v4.67 are:
- Fixes RPMPropHolder so it won't error when multiple transform options are captured
- Fixes standalone RPM preview macroscript not working without predefined RPMdata

This version of RPManager is available for Max 9 to 2012 and costs $300. A demo version is available here.

During the month of August, Last Jedi Outpost is running a special offer for both of their commercial plugins (Ky_Trail Pro and Ky_Color Variator). The deal offers three licenses for the price of two, five licenses for the price of three and ten licenses for the price of five.

The Siger Texmap NCS Color Solid is a scripted 2D texture map plugin which allows convenient input of the NCS (Natural Color System) color code. It is compatible with V-Ray, finalRender, Brazil, default scanline render. From Max 2010 upwards it is also compatible with mental ray.

Siger Texmap NCS Color Solid is available for Max 2009 to 2013 and costs €5.

The MXSEditor GUP provides a powerful MAXScript interface to the MAXScript editor (MXSE) and the underlying Scintilla component. It not only allows the MXSE to work in an extended viewport, it offers many other possibilities. Scintilla knowledge is a plus if you want to control the editor. A lot more information on the plugin can be found here.

Changes for v1.64.54 are:
- Code for Translations links to Local\Network paths has been rewritten
- You can now save materials from selected objects to the library
- Adds the ability to export/import settings
- Fixes some issues with object rotation

Project Manager is available for Max 2008 to 2013 and costs $75. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v0.1.2.27 are:
- Adds support for orthographic cameras
- Adds support for normal maps to the Indigo Material
- Implements camera near and far range as section planes
- Adds an exposure value for IBL in the Environment Map
- Fixes a number of bugs

Changes for v1.02 are:
- Fixes a bug that stopped the intersection mesh from building in Max 2013
- Increases stability

Form is available for Max 9 to 2013 and costs €50.

Changes for v3.17.14 are:
- The FBX mesh importer can now read vertex colors
- Fixes several problems supporting Photoshop CS6
- Fixes a problem with the topology mismatch dialog
- Removes several warning dialogs that should not appear in batch mode
- Fixes a bug that caused inverted derivative maps in the 3D viewer using DX9/DX10
- Recompiled with the latest libraries (Optix 2.5.1, OpenRL 1.1R2, JRE 1.7u5)

Changes for v1.1.6 are:
- Adds global Hue/Saturation/Value modification
- Adds Tile mapping mode
- Adds BerconTile input mapping support
- Adds automatic color harmonization using 7 different selectable color harmony modes
- Adds inverse color ordering
- Adds inverse luminance ordering
- Source bitmap should now appear in the Max asset tracker
- Changes some UI elements and naming
- Fixes an occasional crash when using per object mapping mode
- Fixes a crash in the Max 2013 plugin

Color Extract is available for Max 2010 to 2013 and costs €29. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v1.1.5 are:
- Adds a new Color Match mode for input map
- Adds an installer for easier installation
- GUI improvements

Crossmap is available for Max 2010 to 2013 and costs €39. A demo version is available here.

Walls & Tiles is an easy-to-use Max material that creates procedural walls and floors based on multiple single bitmaps. The auto-loader loads bitmaps from a folder into the corresponding layers for bump, diffuse, reflection and displacement, without the need to manually load every single bitmap by hand. Once loaded, you can select one of 11 bond patterns, set the size, randomize position, color and surface, and you are ready to go. The Real-World mapping mode simplifies the use of wall textures in scenes by eliminating the need for individual UV-maps per object. If you want to create bond patterns with a repeating pattern, you can use the Linear Sequence instead of a randomized distribution.

Walls & Tiles is available for Max 2011 to 2013 and costs €39 during the beta period. The final release will cost €59.

Tension Morpher is a modifier plugin for Max that quickly and easily adds realistic stretch and squash effects to parts of animated characters and objects. It also can be used to create wrinkles and preserve the volume on deforming meshes. Click here to see a video of the plugin in action.

Tension Morpher is available for Max 9 to 2013 and costs €30.

Changes for v3.9.4 are:
- Fixes a random bug with distributed rendering using exclude areas by Forest object
- The Distribution map is now properly reallocated by the Asset Tracker
- Swaps the VRay/MentalRay materials for HQ Free plants
- Forest Color now correctly identifies geometry elements

Forest Pack Pro is available for Max 9 to 2013 and costs €180. A demo version is available here.

Thanks to the guys at zwischendrin.com, I've got three vouchers to give away that give you a €20 discount when purchasing SnowFlowPro. The vouchers are valid until the end of this month, and will be given to the first three readers that contact me at the email address at the top of this page.

They also wanted me to mention that from now on they'll be randomly picking five people out of their new Facebook 'likes' each month to get a 10% gift voucher valid for all purchases totalling at least €5. Full details can be found here.

Changes for v2.9.9.0 are:
- Fixes an instability in the IKAimAt routine
- Fixes a rendering problem in the Studio animation set editor with invalid animation
- ModelIndex hint is now properly respected in the Studio file load
- Fixes an error in the mod support for preprocessor batchable commands
- Replaces animation set source replacement with a name-based rebinding function
- Errors are now propogated correctly out of container::BindToCharacter
- Fixes an infinite loop in the sibling data capture portion of character binding
- Fixes a scale-related rendering error in the Aim At IK interface for the Studio
- Fixes input/output renaming for State Machine nodes that are the child of a Blend Graph

Granny Exporter is available for Max 6 to 2013, and is part of the Granny Toolkit which costs $17,500

Changes for v2.7.10 are:
- You can now render using more than 64 threads
- Fixes pretessellated displacement with multimaterial meshes
- Fixes potential crash with color Multilight if an emitter slider is set to zero
- Fixes a bug with grass distribution applied to a high-poly mesh
- Fixes a bug with flipped normal maps and motion blur
- Loading large MXS files with deep hierarchies in Maxwell Studio / MXED is much faster
- Fixes loading DXF files with invalid triangles in Maxwell Studio / MXED
- Cancelling 'export selection to MXS' now works in Maxwell Studio / MXED

Maxwell Render is available for Max 8 to 2013 and costs €895. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v0.3.50 beta are:
- Adds subsurface scattering
- Adds bump maps (they are automatically converted to normal maps)
- Adds normal/bump map modifiers
- Adds a new sky model: Hosek-Wilkie
- Adds transmission channel - color and texture
- Adds connection between reflection 0 and 90
- Fixes reflections on dispersed glass

Changes for Build 1776 are:
- Adds 'Infinity Toolz', a utility plugin which simplifies scene referencing functionality

Changes for v1.4.4 are:
- Adds support for Max 2013 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Minor bug-fixes

Hair Farm is available for Max 9 to 2013 and costs $699.95. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v1.3 are:
- Adds the ability to independently turn on/off the color components variation
- Adds the ability to control the range of variation using texture maps
- Adds the ability to vary parameters depending on object wire color
- Adds the ability to change colors without variation
- Adds the ability to preview a range of hue variation in the material editor window
- The trial period has been increased to 14 days
- Fixes minor bugs

Ky_Color Variator is available for Max 9 to 2013 and costs €29. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v3.4.125 are:
- Adds support for Max 2013 (32-bit and 64-bit)

Changes for v1.64.33 are:
- You can now import .3ds, .obj and .fbx files in same way as Max scenes
- Fixes issues with read / write settings in Max 2013
- Fixes some minor issues with the interface
- Fixes some minor issues with merging and replacing models

Project Manager is available for Max 2008 to 2013 and costs $75. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v2.01.04d are:
- Fixes a bug with long animations (more then 3400 frames)

CityTraffic is available for Max 2008 to 2013 and costs €200. A demo version is available here.

Jiggle is a modifier plugin for Max that quickly and easily adds realistic secondary motion to parts of animated characters and objects. It can simulate fat and muscle movements and skin sliding effects. It is multithreaded, allowing you to work with high resolution meshes.

Jiggle is available for Max 9 to 2013 and costs €20.

VFB+2 (Virtual Frame Buffer) is an advanced frame buffer for Max. It features an intuitive user interface, render history capabilities, a powerful color adjustment engine, a highly customizable frame stamping module and many more features that will help you improve your rendering workflow. Best of all, it all happens right in the VFB, saving you the cumbersome process of cloning multiple frame buffers just to check out changes, or opening your render in external image editing software to test out color adjustment options.

It works with any renderer which uses the Max frame buffer, e.g. Mental Ray, FinalRender, V-Ray (when not using the V-Ray VFB).

VFB+ is available for Max 2009 to 2013 and costs $19. A demo version is available here.