Changes for v0.2.0 alpha are:
- No changes, just a recompile for Max 9 / 2008 (32-bit only)

Changes for v1.0.323 Beta include:
- Adds support for mi_img_best_type
- Fixes mi_img_format_identify to make it case insensitive
- Various fixes to mi_img_image_write
- Frame History toolbar now allows frame saving, importing and individual removal

Changes for v1.6.5 are:
- Fixes a bug with the texture unit waveform animation exporting incorrectly

I must have missed this one... I just noticed that Blake Robinson has recompiled his VDF Importer, SDF Importer and GEO Importer / Exporter for Max 9 and 2008 (32-bit only).

Changes for v1.6.4 are:
- Modified installation tool to be more flexible with searching for the Max installation location
- Fixes a bug with the Mesh Scale modifier not working with TriObjects

Changes for v1.04 are:
- Adds support for custom object shader (HLSL) through the 'DirectX Shader Material' of Max
- Adds support for custom HLSL pre- and post effects through the 'Scene Effect Loader' utility in Max
- Click-VR now automatically updates itself if a new version is available
- The DirectX libraries have been updated
- Non-dynamic spot light bugs have been fixed
- Fixes minor occlusion culling bugs
- Lightmaps now work on objects containing special characters in their name
- The wrong plugin path for 3ds Max 2008 in the installer has been fixed

Click-VR Visualizer is available for Max 5 to 2008 and costs €1,180. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v1.0.322 Beta include:
- Fixes consistency of random number generation between platforms
- Fixes potential geometry box crash for motion blurred objects
- Improved precision of triangle intersection routines
- Optimisation to triangle intersection routines, quicker rejection decisions
- Fix to handle materials marked incremental that have not been defined before

Changes for v1.6.3 are:
- Modified the 'Normalize Mesh Scale' feature to apply the 'Mesh Scale' modifier only to meshes
- Adds a 'Mesh Scale' modifier which scales meshes locally
- Adds a 'Select Negatively Scaled Objects' item to OgreMax menu
- Adds a 'Normalize Mesh Scale' item to OgreMax menu
- Modified mesh export so that only animated meshes affect the final bounding box and sphere radius
- Fixes a bug that prevented objects attached to biped bones from being exported

Changes for v5.x.65.0 are:
- Fixes the About box crashing on showing directory location of config file
- Adds an option to export customised vertex normals
- Mesh options have been moved to their own tab

Crytek have released the first version of the Mod Software Development Kit for Crysis. Among loads of other good stuff, it contains updated versions of the CryENGINE2 Exporter and the PolyBump plugin for Max 8, 9 and 2008 (both 32-bit and 64-bit).

Be warned, the SDK is 406 MB in size...

This utility lets you have an interactive real-time Virtools viewport in Max, allowing you to see your models in the Virtools Engine without having to export and load it into Virtools Dev.

The plugin will only work if Virtools Dev 4 is intalled on your system.

Changes for v4.0 are:
- Add support for 64-bit Max 9 and 2008
- Set-up of walk objects is now much easier
- Various bug-fixes and optimizations

Changes for v1.14 are:
- Recompiled for Max 9 and 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Fixes a bug with smoothing groups on the Ego object

Big thanks go to Conny Klasson for organising the source code for me to recompile!

Changes for v1.0.321 Beta include:
- Adds support for mi_api_taglist_reset and mi_vector_transform_T
- Adds support for mi_api_registry_begin / _registry_add / _registry_lookup / _registry_end
- Fix to mi_lookup_color_texture strictly type image tags
- Adds displacement mapping support for subdivision surfaces and non-box triangle meshes
- Fix to ensure fallback shaders are installed when MI Importer is rewound
- Fix to polygonal displacement mapping to account for surface curvature when interpolating
- Fix to manual profile selector if profile detection fails
- Fix to mi_api_output_type_identify to handle no type string
- Fix to mib_illum_lambert, mib_illum_phong and mib_illum_ward to correctly handle instance light list
- Adds reference count to object definition tags, allows for reassignment
- Fix to mib_illum_blinn, mib_illum_cooktorr and mib_illum_hair to correctly handle instance light list
- Fix to NURBs tesselation to handle weightings and floating point inaccuracies

Changes for v1.1 are:
- Adds GI support for finalRender
- Fixes 64-bit and 32-bit cache incompatibility with certain grid spacings
- Fixes Fume grid unlinking from animated point helper during simulation
- The non-adaptive grid now works
- The preview window now works on Vista
- Adds a number of new MAXScript functions
- Fixes a bug in the ffxWorldPtToIndex MAXScript function

FumeFX (including 2 simulation licenses) is available for Max 7 to 2008 and costs $845. Additional simulation licenses can be purchased for $195 for a pack of four. The upgrade can be downloaded from the Sitni Sati members area

Changes for v1.6 are:
- Adds support for attaching objects to skeleton bones
- Adds support for exporting multiple objects into a single node
- Adds visibility flag settings to both Object and Scene Settings dialogs
- Adds more logic to Standard-to-OgreMax material conversion
- Adds a menu item to the OgreMax menu allowing export of current scene materials
- Adds a help file, viewable from the OgreMax menu
- Adds a menu item to the OgreMax menu allowing export of the current material library
- Adds an OgreMax icon to every dialog
- Adds texture coordinate rectangle settings to the Object Settings / Billboard dialog
- Adds note track export for externals
- Modified the 'Save Screenshot' dialogs to display image formats supported by Ogre
- Modified the behavior of the shader program 'Refresh' button on the OgreMax Pass page
- Modified the exporter to export note tracks into node objects
- Modified the export of user data to separate files
- Removes the 'static' setting from the Mesh and Plane tab pages
- Fixes a bug with the shadow texture receiver material being saved incorrectly
- Fixes a bug with the material exporter when exporting a disabled OgreMax material
- Fixes a bug with the render system not updating when the Scene Settings change
- Fixes a bug with the number of plane segments not be exported
- Changes the name of the 'Shadows' tab page to 'Environment'
- Moved the Environment Range and Fog scene settings to the Environment tab page
- Moved the Bitmaps tab page contents to the Materials tab in the Scene Settings dialog
- Rewrote and reformatted all the documentation

Changes for v3.10 Build 292563 are:
- Fixes rendering of plants (holes in leaves)
- Fixes rendering of transparent Vue objects in front of native objects
- Improved shadow computation with MentalRay
- Improved atmosphere contribution for large distances
- Improved shadow computation for native objects when used with reflective materials
- Improved blending of the horizon in spectral atmosphere rendering

Ozone is available for Max 7 to 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit) and costs $199.

Changes for v1.2.2 are:
- Fixes a crash when attempting to export unsupported map types
- Adds checkboxes for 'export hidden' and 'export comments'
- Adds better support for full paths vs relative paths in textures
- Fixes a crash on shaders with missing textures
- You can now export up to 4 sets of UV coordinates
- Prep work for 2008 version

Changes for v1.3.18 are:
- The filling objects function is now stable
- A few bug-fixes

This version of glu3D is available for Max 9 and 2008, and costs €495. A demo version is available here.

nPower Software have started beta testing of their upcoming translator plugin Revit to Max. nPowers Revit to Max bi-directional translation solution is planning to be the most advanced Revit to 3ds Max translation tool on the market, allowing you pass Revit data seamlessly back and forth between Max and Revit without polygonal data loss.

I'm not sure if the Beta test is open to anyone, but the download link and more information can be found here.

TrueGlass is a faster simplified version of the l_glass shader, which was never finished. It is good for simulating glass- and liquid-like materials.

The Include file for Max can be downloaded here.

NodeJoe, the schematic material editor for Max, is just about ready for release. The final product should be shipping by the end of February, and the developers have put up a load of interesting videos showing off the features.

NodeJoe will be available for Max 6 to 2008 and will cost €280. An old beta version is available here.

Changes for v1.5.0.3 are:
- Adds support for Max 9 and 2008 (32-bit only)

Snap2Terrain is available for Max 4 to 2008 and costs $89. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v3.5 are:
- Adds support for Max 9 and 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for render elements
- Adds real 3D motion blur when used together with finalRender Stage-1 R2

Pyrocluster is available for Max 6 to 2008 and costs $345. For registered users, the update costs $95.

Changes for v1.5 are:
- Adds support for Max 9 and 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit)

finalFlares is available for Max 6 to 2008 and costs $299. For registered users, the update costs $95.

Changes for v1.5 are:
- Adds support for Max 9 and 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit)

finalDOF is available for Max 6 to 2008 and costs $199. For registered users, the update costs $95.

Changes for v3.05B include:
- Fixes export of ScaleXYZ controllers
- Fixes Max 2008 build path project setting
- Fixes UV coordinate, mirror and wrap export/import
- Adds a new warning for unsupported UV parameters
- Adds languages 407 and 408 to the Max installer search
- Position curves are now imported as 3 float curves rather than 1 3D position curve
- Fixes export of animated visibility
- Fixes transforms on instances of skinned meshes

Changes for v3.10 Build 292547 include:
- Improved shadow computation with MentalRay
- Improved atmosphere contribution for large distances
- Improved computation of shadows for native objects when used with reflective materials
- Improved blending of the horizon in spectral atmosphere rendering

Ozone is available for Max 7 to 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit) and costs $199.

Changes for v1.0.318 Beta include:
- Adds a renderMI command line option to allow specification of the sub-region to render
- Adds a renderMI command line option to allow accumulation of sub regions to a BMP file
- Adds Max 9 & 2008 64-bit plugins
- Fixes NURBs tesselation to handle cases with no vertices
- Adds script wrappers for simple XML parsing
- Adds support for Displacement mapping on polygonal surfaces
- Changed scene database to refer to geometry boxes via object instances rather than definitions

Changes for v1.32 are:
- Adds a new tabbed interface
- Fragments now inherit animation from the original object
- Fixes mapping scale for fragmented area
- Adds pre-defined material for fragmented area
- Adds rift width and jitter amount properties for fragmented objects
- Reactor hit and explosion now works properly in all system units
- Adds material presets for reactor
- Exploded objects now keep their animation until explosion
- Shooting and explosion now keep undo/redo buffer
- Particle debris references can now be changed interactively
- Particle debris viewport display can now be changed interactively
- Renamed objects now also change their names in lists
- Fixes a few non-critical bugs

RayFire Tool is available for Max 9 and 2008, and costs $195.

TurnTool ApS have started public beta-testing of their new TurnToolBox2008, which now has support for 64-bit Max 9 and 2008. You can find all the details here.

Changes for Build 292547 include:
- Improved light management when switching from Vue interface to Max
- Improved shadow computation with MentalRay
- Improved atmosphere contribution for large distances
- Improved computation of shadows for native objects with reflective materials
- Improved Python interface for object import (centering, scaling, etc.)
- Addition of a render progress bar within the new License Server
- Addition of Activity Log files to the License Server
- Addition of network setup and License distribution information to the License Server
- Improved hybrid motion blur
- Improved rendering boolean operations when involving terrains
- Better results when dropping duplicated objects
- Fixed anti-aliasing over still regions when using field interlacing
- Improved network rendering for scenes containing image sequences
- Improved boolean intersections with transformed polygonal objects
- Updated text editor
- Better rendering of one-sided and fuzzy materials
- Improved blending of the horizon in spectral atmosphere rendering
- Fixed atmosphere export in several pictures formats
- Improved resume render when radiosity is applied to the scene
- Updated depth buffer for close-up geometry

Vue 6 xStream is available for Max 7 to 2008 and costs $895. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v2.20a are:
- Fixes garbage padding data in animation binary files

I'm guessing most of you have heard the news about the upcoming release of Max 2009. Unfortunately, none of your Max 9 / 2008 plugins will work in Max 2009, they will need to be recompiled.

It looks like the Max SDK has changed very little, so it really is just a case of recompiling the plugins. This (hopefully) means that we won't have to wait too long for the recompiled versions to come out. I'll try to ensure that all of the plugins I updated to Max 9 over the last 18 months will be available very soon after Max 2009 is released.

Changes for v1.0b are:
- Adds support for 64-bit Max 9 and 2008

RTTGroup is available for Max 6 to 2008 and costs €295. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v1.0.317 Beta are:
- Fixes mi_trace_shadow_seg to handle a potential floating point inaccuracy
- The render view toolbar now updates correctly if options dictate diagnostic sampling mode active
- Fixes a potential crash bug when aborting from Local Based BSP
- Fixes Maya plugin to correctly export mib_cie_d light shader
- Fixes a potential crash bug for object definitions without box data
- Fixes to polygonal mesh displacement functionality

Occlusion Pass Generator (OPG) is a utility that allows you to create occlusion passes with the click of a button. The plugin allows you to control all the relevant parameters and even keep bump / opacity / displacement maps in the calculations.

Boomer Labs have released their freeware plugins for Max 9 and 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit). The following plugins have been recompiled: Beep, MirrorImage, NoiseLoop and Saturate. You can get them all here.

3D Architecture Animation Creator is a scripted plugin which can help designers quickly create animations, especially architectural growing animations. It gives you easy control over the creation of position, rotation, scale and visiblity animations for multiple objects.

The Pro version additionally gives you control over the speed of the animation, batch adjustment of pivot coordinates and the ability to add a certain amount of randomness to your animation.

3D Architecture Animation Creator is available for Max 6 to 2008 and costs $99 for the Standard version and $199 for the Pro version. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v1.0.316 are:
- Replaces FreeImage library with updated v3.10.0 (adds OpenEXR and JPEG2000 support)
- Removes additional ILM OpenEXR library
- Fixes a potential crash with PNG Metadata
- Bug Reporter for Plug-In scenes now creates a copy of scene during transmission
- Adds option to require 'Alt' key to be pressed for 3D navigation

Andy Murdock is selling Automatron at a reduced price until the end of February. It is now available for $149 per license instead of $195. A license is good for Automatron 1.x on two computers owned by the same user for Max 8 and higher.

This is an automatic and visual render pass manager. The passes can be composited directly in Max to check them, and the pass parameters are stored in the Max file. It works with all of the standard and 3rd party renderers.

Pass Manager is available for Max 9 and 2008, and costs $350. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v1.0 are:
- No changes, but Jerry has added a version for Max 8

Changes for v1.0 are:
- the plugin is no longer in Beta, this is the final version

Jerry has also kindly made the source code available here.

Changes for v2.4.1 are:
- Adds support for Max 9 and 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- 'Remove Overlap' is no longer restricted to 'From Center'
- Adds a 'Reverse' checkbox
- Fixes a small bug with the outlining function

Changes for v1.0.315 Beta are:
- Fixes mi_api_data_begin - incorrectly handling incremental flag
- Fixes potential crash bug on incremental texture changes
- Adds support for mi_mem_summary
- Adds compatibility functions for Linux Maya 2008 mayabase shader library
- Fixes mi_mem_int_reallocate

Changes for v0.2 beta are:
- Fixes a few problems with BerconTile
- Adds UVW coordinate transformations to BerconNoise
- All maps now properly gray out non-used parameters

Beta02 is NOT compatible with the Beta01 maps. Old scenes containing Beta01 maps will crash.

The VisuMotion 3D Stereo Camera Plugin adds stereo rendering capabilities to Max, needed by anyone creating content for 3D stereo displays. The easy to use 3D camera supports any desired 3D display technology with 2 to 9 views. All parameters are animatable and can be adjusted directly in the viewport. You can also switch display types without additional adjustment of the 3D parameters. Images can be previewed directly on a 3D display, and the plugin comes with a compositor which can output the rendered frames to a variety of file formats.

3D Stereo Camera is available for Max 7 to 2008 and costs €269. A demo version is available here.