For all of you that are based in Europe, take a look at the EndUserEvent site. This is one of the best CG events of the year, and it's taking place again at the end of June in Utrecht, Holland.

It's not a huge event, which is a big plus, and it takes place in a pub, which is an even bigger plus. They have some great speakers this year, and they will also be in the pub most of the time, ready for a chat. I'll be there again this year, and I'm doing a talk for the first time, which will be good for my nerves :o) Good thing it takes place in a pub!

Registration has opened up, and for the amount of talks you get from some big names in the industry, it really doesn't cost that much. Hopefully some of you will come along, and make sure to say 'Hi' if you see me.

Changes for v1.0.4 are:
- Adds support for Max 2014 (64-bit only)
- General bug-fixes

Laubwerk Plants Kit 1 is available for Max 2010 to 2014 and costs €149. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v1.7 are:
- Updated to Ogre 1.9
- Adds support for Max 2014 (64-bit only)
- Adds a Y-up axis check box
- Morpher has been succefully tested on Max 2014

Changes for v2.0.4 are:
- Copy/Paste in the Style Editor now works between RailClone objects
- Fixes a potential lockup saving large scenes when the Style Editor is open
- Right click on spinners no longer resets to wrong values in the Style Editor
- Segment->Rotation to more than one axis no longer generates squeezed objects
- Parameter limits are now properly updated in the Max rollout
- Fixes alignement of Civil Engineering->Curb elements in the Library

RailClone Pro is available for Max 9 to 2014 and costs €190. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v2014 include:
- Adds support for Max 2014
- You can now interactively fit clothing and props to any Poser figure
- Adds support for copying morphs from figure to figure
- Hidden parameters can now be displayed so they can be interactively modified
- Adds the Pixar OpenSubdiv library
- Rendering speed improvements
- Adds Bullet physics
- Adds a comic book preview mode
- Adds 9 new human and cartoon figures
- Adds magnet and deformer weight map support
- Adds magnet and deformer weight map painting tools
- Adds an interactive raytrace preview
- OpenGL speed optimizations
- Grouping tool improvements
- Morph brush improvements
- Adds material compound nodes
- Adds support for gamma correction

Poser Pro is available for Max 2010 to 2014 and normally costs $499.99. For a limited time you can purchase a license for $399.99.

Changes for v2014 are:
- Adds support for Max 2014
- There are too many fixes and features to list, but you can find a changelog here

OCTAdesign is available for Max 2010 to 2014 and costs €4500. For users with no subscription, the update from 2013 costs €1400. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v0.5.8 beta are:
- You can now choose between three benchmark settings: low, medium and high quality
- Recompiled using the latest libraries (Qt 5.0.2/5.1 Alpha)

Changes for v1.0.3.0 are:
- Implements per pixel hidden surface removal
- Improved auto UV mapping in the Paint Setup wizard

realityPaint Pro is available for Max 9 to 2014 and costs $199.95. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v3.3.4 are:
- Fixes a bug in p_HairTK with negative values in hair color

Changes for v2.6.3 are:
- Adds 63 new Upholstery materials
- Bug-fixes

V-Ray Material Presets Pro is available for Max 2010 to 2014 and costs €140.

Changes for v1.1 are:
- You can now pick your target mesh with multiple patterns selected
- All of the sample scenes are now included

SciFi Pattern Generator is available for Max 2008 to 2014 and costs €26.

Changes for v5.0.52 are:
- Adds support for Max 2014 (64-bit only)

PolyTrans-for-MAX is available for Max 8 to 2014 and costs $395. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v2013.04 are:
- Removes annoying messages in the listener
- Temp camera created by mScrub is now hidden

mScrub is available for Max 2010 to 2014 and costs €2.

Changes for v1.0.1.51406 are:
- Fixes a script error in local and network partitioning
- Fixes a bug with the 'Vary Randomness Over Time' option
- The By Name... pick dialogs no longer ignore hidden objects

Stoke MX is available for Max 2010 to 2014 and costs $495. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v1.3.2 are:
- The installer now includes Max 2014 installation
- Adds new distribution mode random sequence but unique map first
- Adds limit linear/random selection to similar with a Hue range
- Adds random x/y - offset to source bitmaps
- Fixes the material editor rendering not updating
- Fixes name filtering not working correctly in Max 2013
- Fixes missing maps in material preview when loading a folder with fewer bitmaps
- Fixes Crossmap not rendering correctly in mental ray when in bump map slot
- Fixes texture output having no effect in mental ray

Crossmap is available for Max 2010 to 2014 and costs €39. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v2.0.3 include:
- RailClone has been completely rewritten
- Adds a graphical Style Editor
- Adds multiple generators by object
- Adds array generators, based on two splines or dimensions
- Adds multiple Base Objects (splines) by object
- Adds node operators: sequence, randomize, mirror, arithmetic and others
- Adds selectable segments according to spline properties, using Conditional operator
- Adds segments by spline's material ID using Generator->Limits or Conditional operator
- Random material mode is much more flexible, using the Material operator
- Adds area clipping (include and exclude) using closed splines
- Adds a new display mode: Points-cloud
- Adds exported parameters to parametrize models much more easily
- Adds Stadium seats to the Library (Bleachers category)
- Library items have bben improved for 2.x new features
- Adds support for Max 2014
- And much more... see the demoreel, tutorials and help reference for more details

RailClone Pro is available for Max 9 to 2014 and costs €190. A demo version is available here.

This MAXScript extension allows you to quickly access and select Biped bones using a graphical representation of your Biped rig. It is for non-commercial use only.

Changes for v2.3 are:
- Adds support for CC and Stamping on Backburner renders
- Adds a Chromatic Aberration effect
- Adds an sRGB color space toggle
- Adds an 'Estimated Time' display on image
- Adds a flyoff option to save all current image elements
- R/G/B channels intensity can now be viewed as monochrome
- Film Strip now shows information about an image when the mouse is over it
- Adds preferences for better handling of gamma
- Significant performance optimizations
- Adds support for 'Automatic Gamma' in Max 2014
- 'Batch Process' has been greatly improved
- Adds online help button as a flyoff under preferences button
- Vignette rollout has been renamed to 'Lens Effects' rollout
- Channels dropdown now toggles between RGB and Alpha mask with a single click
- Removed the 'Automatically Jump to VFB...' option
- All Gamma related preferences have been grouped to their own page
- 'Store CC settings in scene' and 'Store Stamper information in scene' are now on by default
- Gamma spinner reset mode is now 'Original image Gamma' by default
- Stamper boolean variables are now shown as 'on' / 'off' instead of 'true' / 'false'
- MAXScript expressions as Stamper variables are now evaluated only once
- 'Batch Process' has been removed from the General Preferences window
- Cosmetic improvements to pixel information dialog
- VFB+ no longer fails to load if the MAXScript heap size is too small
- Vignette effect is now included in saved images
- Image-saving while rendering material editor swatches has been fixed
- Sending a 32 BPP image to Photoshop no longer raises an exception
- Fixes a problem with the region rectangle in the VFB/Viewport
- Pressing the 'Reset' button on the curves control now works properly
- Fixes a delay when zooming in and out in some configurations
- RTT script patching no longer fails silently if the file is read-only
- Disabling RTT support in the preferences is now always respected
- Fixes exceptions if the RTT script was not properly patched
- Ctrl+Shift+Drag region render now respects preview render size
- Fixes image flickering when using the Color Correction Spinners
- Batch apply CC now works if image save mode is 'CC disabled'
- Loading an image now respects specific gamma overrides
- Fixes a problem when render region was left in editing mode before render
- Fixes unresponsive UI when clicking on a dropdown in the Stamper form while rendering
- Changing Max UI colors now also works correctly with the VFB+ UI
- Fixes a problem with VFB+ hotkeys focus

VFB+ is available for Max 2009 to 2014 and costs $19. A demo version is available here.

Changes for Build 051113 are:
- Adds support for Max 2014

A&G Tool Co., Inc. are running a Spring sale this week from Monday to Friday offering a 25% discount on all of their software products (Studio Light Rig, Studio Light Rig preset packs, Bevel Mill and Studio HDRs). Head over to this page for more details.

Changes for v2.9.18.0 are:
- Fixes a crash in the Viewer mesh filtering, adds some extra checks in related calls
- Fixes the armv7s problem in the iPhone fat binary

Granny Exporter is available for Max 6 to 2014, and is part of the Granny Toolkit which costs $17,500.

Changes for v1.0.2.12 are:
- The Lasso Selection Tool now has a Freehand option
- Drag & drop image maps from the Manager onto the mesh surface has been re-implemented
- Fixes the Saturation Up/Down and Hue Up/Down tools
- Fixes a problem with the Highlight Remover type of the Light Adjustment Brush

realityPaint Pro is available for Max 9 to 2014 and costs $199.95. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v2.4.6 are:
- Adds 'Reference Pose' setting to the 'Mesh Animations' page of the Object Settings dialog

OgreMax is available for Max 8 to 2014 and costs $250. A demo version is available here.

Imagination Technologies Ltd. have announced that beta testing is about to start for the Max version of their Visualizer plugin, an interactive raytraced renderer based on Brazil renderer technology which allows scenes to be viewed and modified in real-time using Max's modeling, animation and lighting toolsets.

The Caustic Visualizer offers broad compatibility with native Max and Mental Ray materials and lights, including the MIA materials, and offers not only interactive viewport raytracing, but also final 'production' renders. Its performance can be vastly improved when used together with a Caustic raytracing acceleration board. For more information on registering for the beta check out Caustic's website.

Caustic Visualizer will be available for Max 2012 to 2014. If the price for the Maya version is anything to go by, it will probably cost around $299 when released.

Multi Slicer Pro is a commercial MAXScript that cuts objects using the slice modifier, and which allows any number of slices while retaining the modifier stack and providing you with an interface to control the parameters of the modifiers added to an object. As a result you have a setup that allows you to create complex object animations.

Multi Slicer Pro is available for Max 2008 to 2014 and costs $59. A demo version is available here.

QuadSphere is an object plugin that creates spheres made of quads, which are useful for low polygon modeling and mesh subdivision. Unlike TurboSmooth, with QuadSphere you can specify a level of subdivisions that is not power of 2. The maximum number of subdivisions in the full version is 32. Another advantage is that the areas of the faces are more evenly distributed than using a Box with TurboSmooth. Additionally you can unify the Materials IDs, create hemispheres with or without caps, and convert the object to poly with a single click.

QuadSphere is available for Max 9 to 2014 and costs $2. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v2.4.5 are:
- Adds support for Max 2014
- Adds 'Export Format / Ogre Binary Version' setting to the global settings dialog
- Adds 'Export Format / File Names' setting to the global settings dialog
- Adds 'Submeshes' tab to object settings page
- Adds the 'Remove Bone Translations' settings to the Mesh Animation dialog
- Adds logic to prevent materials with the same name from being exported
- Moved the 'Skeleton' settings from the 'Meshes' page to the 'Animations' page
- Modified .scene, .model, and user data exporting to include an XML declaration
- Updates the XML format for exported meshes
- Updates the mesh merging feature to work with the submesh custom render queue settings
- Fixes a bug with the the subentity 'renderQueue' setting not always being exported
- Fixes a bug with the subentity render queue/priority always being written to main/0
- Fixes a bug with the query and visibility settings sometimes not being set

OgreMax is available for Max 8 to 2014 and costs $250. A demo version is available here.

Helixometry is a geometry plugin for Max that creates helix shaped meshes. All of its controls are animatable. The biggest benefit to this over the spline helix is the ability to taper the thickness of the mesh, twisting and turning capabilities, and a non-uniform radius parameter.

Helixometry is available for Max 2012 to 2014 (I think) and costs $2.

Changes for v2.7.27 are:
- Adds support for Max 2014
- Adds support for Multiscatter
- Camera manipulation in FIRE now uses an orbit camera model
- Fixes a Maxwell material UI problem when selecting sub-components in the material navigator
- Fixes gamma being applied twice in the Max render image view
- The draft quality setting in the render options panel now works
- Fixes Max Hair objects with non-identity pivots being in the wrong position

The Maxwell 3ds Max plugins come with Maxwell Render, which is available for Max 8 to 2014 and costs €895. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v1.65.00 are:
- Adds support for the VRayBmpFilter texture map
- Fixes a bug with rendering thumbnails in batch mode

Project Manager is available for Max 2009 to 2014 and costs $75. A demo version is available here.

Until May 15th, Siger Studio is offering a 25% discount on all of their products and membership plans. Products include all of the SigerShaders, V-Ray Studio Setup Pro, V-Ray Material Presets Pro and much more.

This commercial MAXScript allows you to generate cool looking structures or architectural elements on top of your meshes with a single click. Select some faces on the target mesh, pick a custom pattern mesh and that's it. The resulting geometry isn't limited to the area defined by the faces, making it possible to have overhanging protrusions.

Pattern Generator is available for Max 2008 to 2014 and costs €18. According to a post by the author at ScriptSpot, the price may be coming down to €9.99

Stoke MX is an easy to use particle simulator designed to simplify the creation of high volume particle clouds driven by velocity fields. Supported velocity field sources include FumeFX and Ember simulations, other particle animations from Particle Flow, Thinking Particles or external particle file sequences in PRT or RealFlow BIN formats, Max SpaceWarps etc.

Stoke MX is based on Krakatoa and Ember core technologies, and is a valid Krakatoa MX rendering particle source. It supports all Krakatoa MX PRT objects as 'Distribution Sources' to seed dynamic particles based on other particles, and accepts Krakatoa Magma and Krakatoa Delete modifiers for channel post-processing and particle culling. Stoke MX produces PRT file sequences that can be loaded with Krakatoa PRT Loaders, and its particles can be meshed directly using the FROST particle mesher.

Stoke MX is available for Max 2010 to 2014 and costs $495. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v11.5 include:
- EcoParticle technology can now make EcoParticles collide with EcoSystem instances
- Many improvements have been added to the Render Stack
- The material summary was redesigned for improved display and manipulation
- Material management from the World Browser received several productivity enhancements
- Adds a new Color Channel Editor (Color curves) to the Post Render Options
- Many productivity enhancements were added to the world browser
- Camera attributes can now be frozen to avoid unwanted modification
- Cameras can now be saved and reloaded as Vue objects files
- Adds RenderNode GI prepass-only rendering
- And more...

Vue xStream is available for Max 2008 to 2014 and costs $1495. A demo version is available here.

Changes for SP13 are:
- Adds installer support for Max 2014 and Max Design 2014
- Fixes problems with local edge settings and sub materials in finalToon
- Max camera map modifier is now supported
- Adds a Server option to start in maximized mode
- Fixes some artifacts and flickering with interpolate blurry in the A&D material
- IES lights have been significantly improved

finalRender is available for Max 2009 to 2014 and costs €995 (Standard) / €1295 (Studio Edition) / €495 (finalToon). A demo version is available here.

Changes for SP3 are:
- Adds 'Look Ahead Position' option to SurfacePos and VolumePos
- Adds installer support for Max 2014 and Max Design 2014
- Fixes some random crashes in volumeBreaker
- Fixes an issue with an incorrect boolean when Simulation Start has a User Defined value
- Fixes an issue within the position operator
- Fixes an Intersect issue along with the Texmap *Color Output
- pAttach offset on moving objects has been fixed
- pAttach now functions properly in child alignment
- Fixes an issue with pAttach only changing position
- Fixes pAttach adding an unwanted offset
- Fixes an issue with Spin changing only the direction on cached particles

ThinkingParticles is available for Max 2010 to 2014 and costs €1495. A demo version is available here.