These two plugins allow Max to import and export files in the FiLMBOX v3.5 *.FBX format. The plugins support export and import of geometry, position and rotation animation, morph targets, UV texturing and Character Studio.

The MDL Plugin Suite is a set of plugins for Max that aid in the creation of custom content for Bioware's game Neverwinter Nights. With the tools, you'll be able to import and modify models from the game, create entirely new models with animation, and export files in the MDL file format used by the game.

This is an early version of a visual flow-chart style material editor. I wish I could tell you more about it, but the site is in Japanese, which I don't understand :o) There is more information and a screenshot here

Changes for v1.048 are:
- Give your scenes new life by making them truly interactive using the TurnTool Scripting System
- Reduced price on TurnTool Web3D software product
- Multi texturing. Combine diffuse and reflection texture maps to create the coolest glossy effects
- Automatic dynamic clipping planes
- Multiple render passes. Customize the order in which the objects in your scene are drawn

This one is for all German speaking visitors to the site! C.A.I. Systeme GmbH are offering a free 2 week test drive of the EON Raptor Web Studio v1.0 from EON Reality, Inc.

As a registered tester, you also get the oppurtunity of buying the plugin at a 15% discount at the end of the test phase. More information about this deal is available here.

About the plugin: EON Raptor Web Studio (Raptor) is a Max 4 and 5 plugin that enables you to display and interact Max content in real-time with intuitive controls. Simple interactive behaviors can easily be authored without opening additional programs outside Max.

The purpose of this utility is to provide users of both VIZ 4 and Max 5 the highest possible degree of file and feature compatibility between these products. This is accomplished by copying unique VIZ functionality (dlls and scripts) from your VIZ installation directories into your Max installation directories. Some of these features will work exactly as they do in VIZ and other features work with certain limitations.

I've only just noticed that all of the links for BlurBeta plugins were dead. I have now updated the links for max 4, but the links for older plugin versions are still dead until I find out where they are now being stored.

It looks like the links have been dead for a while, but if no-one tells me that they don't work, then I can't fix them.... So please send me a mail if you notice anything not working.
Dave

Changes for v1.09.01b are:
- True instance rendering is supported
- Global photon maps are supported
- Irradiance map algorithm has been improved
- VRayMtl has been optimized to handle secondary light bounces more efficiently
- Distributed rendering has been improved
- Added option to automatically save irradiance/caustic/photon maps at the end of rendering
- Minor bug fixes
- Interface improvements, mainly in VRayLights

Changes for v4.1.3.0 are:
- Fixed a bug concerning texture mapping
- Compatible with Max 5

Changes for v1.0? are:
- fixed DXT1 alpha channel support

Changes for v1.01.16 are:
- Fixed Max crash when bitmaps with negative output were used to define hair parameters
- Fixed ShagView conversion to cloth. This was broken in 1.01.15
- Fixed export to external applications (MaxMan)
- Fixed incorrect geometry hair thickness, broken since 1.01.14

The fixes are available here for registered users:
Max 3
Max 4 & 5
Max 3 Educational
Max 4 & 5 Educational

This is a large selection of extremely useful functions for MAXScript.

Changes for v5.02 are:
- Added the following functions: isDeformable, numPoints, getPointPos, nodeGetBoundingBox, nodeLocalBoundingBox

This render effect simulates camera defocus. It allows you to set different iris shapes and increase light flares. Quite useful when you want to blur background to get nice DOF effect.

This is a large selection of extremely useful functions for MAXScript.

Changes for v1.01 are:
- the plugin has been recompiled to make use of the updated nvDXT.lib from nVidia.

More information is available at the nVidia developer site.

SimbiontMAX is a powerful collection of plugin procedural shaders, 3D maps, and materials based on the DarkTree engine. It includes 10 new shaders, 24 new procedural maps and a collection of 110 procedural materials.

SimbiontMAX is a powerful collection of plugin procedural shaders, 3D maps, and materials based on the DarkTree engine. It includes 10 new shaders, 24 new procedural maps and a collection of 110 procedural materials.

This is a modifier that lets you mirror texture vertices, material ID's and smoothing groups across a mesh. Basically you select the faces that you want to mirror to and pass them to the modifier.

The limitations are that it must be a tri-mesh, the modifier should not be instanced if you use a mirror node, and for best results make sure your selection does not cross the mirror plane.

Changes for v1.1 are:
- Auto Load Targets now supports animated objects as morph targets
- Current channel entry added to keyframing rollout
- Camera list rollout now only appears when a view-dependant morph channel is selected
- You can now minimize the Display floater
- Morph-O-Matic logo has been added in the MoMMaterial
- Pivot sub-object display bug has been fixed

Morph-O-Matic is available for Max 3 to 5 and costs $199. You can get the update to v1.1 here.

NormalRender generates a bitmap of normals from a high resolution (high polyon count) 'source' object, which you can then apply to a low resolution 'target' object. Both objects must have identical texture map coordinates at the time the normal map is generated.

A 'host' hardware shader-based material is needed to view the results of the normal map interactively. The Max 5 'Metal Bump' shader is ideal, but you may also use 3rd-party hardware shader plugins as well.

Note: NormalRenderis provided as-is, as an unsupported example of how to generate normal maps for use with real-time shaders in Max 4 and 5.

NormalRender was developed with the Max 4 SDK and is thus compatible with Max 4 and 5. You can use it with any proprietary hardware shaders inMax 4 and 5 (i.e., proprietary .dlt plugins that implement hardware shaders as texture map plugins) and/or with the built-in Viewport Manager Shaders in Max 5, such as Metal Bump.

Paralelo Computação have updated all of their Fly3D import and export plugins to work with the Release Candidate 2e of their Fly3D game engine.

This is a 3d Painter that lets you paint into a bitmap or vertex colors. The bitmap painter is implemented as a material while the vertex painter is implemented as modifier. Other than that they both have the same painter tools and behave the same way.

This is a simple float spring controller. Basically it adds secondary motion to a float controller motion curve by attaching a 0 length spring to the curve positional data.

I have just opened the new Max 5 database for freeware plugins, at the moment there are just 2 plugins in there... You can find the new page here.

Dave

Welcome to the new Max 5 database of freeware plugins. I'm not sure how many plugins will end up in here, as many of the plugins for Max 4 should work in Max 5.
Dave

Di-O-Matic are offering their Morph ToolKit and Morph-O-Matic plugins for a limited period as a bundle. This deal gives you both plugins for the price of one: $199 (normally $295).

More information here.