MAX Plugins.de News Archive
Archived Plugin News – August 2023
17.08.2023 - Commercial
Plugin Update: Utilities
Changes for v3.23.05 are:
- Introduces a new caching system for preview images so more assets can be displayed in Listview
- Optimizes the display of large numbers of assets in Listview
- Adds the ability to specify custom directories for preview searches
- Adds a few shortcut buttons to the panel on the Asset Tracking tab
- Adds the ability to cache assets to the database
- Introduces a caching system to accelerate asset search
- Some improvements to filtering textures by directory
- Rewrites the caching system for use with SQLite database to improve speed and stability
- Adds options to pause interactive rendering when merging models or assigning material/texture/ies
- Adds support for MariaDB version 10.8
- Provides the ability to show a map in the viewport for scene-materials
- Speeds up mass-rename/move operations for assets
- Decreases memory usage
- Provides additional options to optimize the database
- Resolves a bug related to drag and drop of textures and materials with Corona 10
- Adresses issues with database optimization
- Fixes an issue with colorizing subdirectories
- Fixes a bug that occurred on some computers during asset relinking
- Resolves a bug in version 3.21.02 when the database cache was enabled in SQLite mode
- Extremely speeds up the conversion of paths to local/network in the database
- Fixes an issue with optimizing the database with the option to remove missing files and directories
- Fixes an issue with exporting models from a scene
- Fixes an issue with exporting models from a scene with Vrscan files
- Fixes a crash during interactive rendering of materials
- Fixes an issue with artifacts during the interactive rendering of materials
- Fixes a crash during interactive rendering of Substance Shaders
- Fixes an issue with creating PBR Material when files have similar names
- Fixes an issue with storing settings for hidden directories
- Fixes a memory leak when trying to render unsupported or corrupted FBX files interactively
- Fixes some issues with interactive rendering of some 3D file formats
- Fixes an issue with converting some images to greyscale
- Fixes an issue with converting some images to other formats
- Fixes minor issues with relinking material libraries
- Fixes an issue with destroying a layer hierarchy when merging models
- Fixes an issue with the dialog 'Object Place&Paint' in versions 3.19.08-3.20.08
- Fixes a minor issue with relinking relative paths when merging models and materials
- Fixes an issue with network relative paths on the Asset Tracking tab
- Fixes an issue with installation on some systems
- Fixes a minor issue with the option 'Open with associated application'
Project Manager is available for Max 2016 to 2024 and costs $60. A demo version is available here.
17.08.2023 - Commercial
New Plugin: Utilities
This commercial MAXScript helps you quickly explore, locate and import 3D assets directly into Max. It can load any folder accessible on your machine and will find all materials, HDRI's, models and Max files inside. It will then group, organize and display these files as assets, recognizing previews, LODs, mapping channels, resolutions and other important information automatically.
It simplifies the importing and merging process for 3D models, Max files, material creation and HDRI environment maps by allowing you to directly browse, filter and drag all of your 3D assets from sources like MegaScans, PolyHaven, gameTextures, Poliigon, Arroway, etc. into the Max viewport or material editor.
It can import .max, .fbx, .obj, .3ds, .abc model and scene files, and supports Arnold, V-Ray, Corona, Octane, Redshift, Fstorm, Physical, PBR and Standard renderers.
Content Browser is available for Max 2021 to 2024 and costs $30.
17.08.2023 - Commercial
Plugin Update: Modelling
Changes for v1.1.0.1 are:
- Fixes the version for Max 2018 - 2022
- Simplifies import of polygonal patterns
- Fixes tile edge distortion
- Adds a new Orient tool mode - Ctrl+Shift+Click - vertex orientation
- Minor fixes and accelerations
QuickTiles is available for Max 2018 to 2024 and costs $60 per year. A demo version is available here.
05.08.2023 - Commercial
Plugin Update: Animation
Changes for v5.5 are:
- ShatterIt is now multithreaded (up to 4x faster)
- Bounded Cracks now computes twice as fast
- Adds the ability to delete shatter centers directly in the viewport
- Initial / angular velocity can now be added to 'static-activation at frame' fracture bodies
- Adds the ability to apply bounded crack mode until frame
- Adds the ability to create crackers for all selected curves at once
- Adds the ability to set parameters for several crackers at once
- Adds the ability to create many fracture bodies at once
- Adds the ability to set parameters for several fractures at once
- Fixes large fragments sometimes getting detached unexpectedly
- Fixes add PDI jagginess sometimes creating weird long thin triangles for concave faces
- Fixes crackers pushing the whole model when hitting unbreakable areas
- Fixes ShatterIt styles missing the extent value when not using draft mode
- Fixes ShatterIt Wood Splinters center not matching the object center in draft mode
- Fixes shatter locator sometimes generating points far from the object
- Fixes Bounded Cracks sometimes causing instabilities in static fracture bodies
- Fixes fracture default params for crackers being ignored when other splines are attached in Max
- Fixes single rbd-fbody collisions generating bounded fragments when bounded crackers are present
- Fixes bounded cracks sometimes failing for large thin models
- Fixes 'activate at frame' Fbody acquiring incorrect velocity when broken before activation
- Fixes the Crackers list not being expandable
- Fixes the possibility to assign several crackers to the same path
- Fixes small fragments breaking fracture bodies in advance
- Fixes small fragments activating fracture bodies in advance
- Fixes animated 'only break' Fbodies not breaking each other when propagation is set to local
- Fixes setting fracture Hardness around 0 not breaking the fracture body completely
- Fixes PDI bounding volume losing initial position when rbd simulation is at frame other than 0
- Fixes a huge ShatterIt slow down when the model has materials per face
- Fixes dynamic cracks detaching fragments that are too large
- Fixes add jagginess to selected fragment only from not working
- Fixes Fracture-single body collision being missed if the fbody doesn't break
- Fixes Cracker impulse Direction being set to custom if modifying any cracker textbox parameter
- Fixes reverse cracker getting removed after editing the cracker spline in Max
- Fixes collisions with animated bodies being missed if the other body is sleeping
- Fixes delete/delete all fbody not clearing pdi keys if the scene is saved with them in Max
Pull Down It Pro is available for Max 2019 to 2023 and costs €280 per year. A demo version is available here.
05.08.2023 - Commercial
Plugin Update: Import / Export
Verge3D v4.4 from Soft8Soft
Changes for v4.4 are:
- Adds a new Virtual Reality demo
- Verge3D now offers integration with WooCommerce's Composite Products plugin
- Adds a new composite product demo
- Adds new puzzles for the composite product demo
- Adds a new physics demo as a simple pinball game
- Adds new puzzles for the pinball game physics demo
- Fixes an issue with incorrect positioning of soft body anchors
- Updates the physics engine by cherry-picking useful features from the upstream ammo.js library
- The Puzzles Editor now warns you if you try to close or reload the tab with unsaved changes
- It is now possible to search in the puzzles' drop-downs
- The Object selector puzzle drop-down now displays icons for the corresponding types of objects
- Adds a new puzzle called close app which can be used to exit both mobile and desktop apps
- Adds a new puzzle for iterating through key-value pairs in a dictionary
- The get/set prop HTML puzzle has a new property called textContent
- Adds an option to enable collisions in the set camera param puzzle
- Drops support for Max 2020 and removes all legacy Python 2 code and various compatibility hacks
- Adds support for most parameters of the Gradient map
- Adds support for more Falloff map types: Towards/Away, Perpendicular/Parallel, Distance/Blend
- Fixes the annoying issue with opening Verge3D scenes in Max without Verge3D installed
- Adds a script to cleanup Verge3D settings from files
- Adds a workaround for a major issue introduced in the update 3ds Max 2024.1
- Fixes the camera FOV's discrepancy between Max and Verge3D
- Fixes an issue when the Verge3D plugin is uninstalled from Max causing a glitch in the Ribbon
- The map HDRi Environment now works with Verge3D and Max 2024
- Verge3D now natively supports Elementor, a popular framework for creating web pages in WordPress
- You can now select whether to use the v3d.net URL shortener in the App Manager settings
- The project ZIP can now be created / saved to a local file
- LZMA compression is now performed in the exporter rather than server-side
- Verge3D no longer copies the source scenes and other unneeded files into the target builds
- The ESC key now works for all dialog windows in the App Manager
- Updates the Electron framework from v19.0.4 to v22.3.15
- Adds support for full-screen mode for desktop applications
- Desktop apps now correctly display various data about the executable file on Windows and macOS
- The Augmented Reality demo has been reworked to use just Puzzles for the HTML elements
- Adds a 48px favicon to the standard application templates
- Repairs fog
- Gamma correction works again
- Removes the THREE namespace in the JavaScript API
- Fixes an issue with loop puzzles which generated lots of redundant code
- Fixes the Orbit camera jittering if a high inertia value was assigned to it via JavaScript
- Fixes black rendering and crashes happening in Safari 11-12
- Fixes a bug in the puzzle stop animate param when it only works as the last puzzle in a sequence
- Fixes the bug with VR reticle which could not be turned off after re-entering the WebXR session
- Fixes the glitch that occurred in Puzzles with the performance mode enabled
- Order-independent transparency now works properly on HiDPI screens
- Export of SCORM packages no longer requires admin privileges on Windows
- Various updates to the documentation
Verge3D is available for Max 2021 to 2024 and costs $290. A demo version is available here.