MAX Plugins.de News Archive

Archived Plugin News  –  June 2004
 

Site News: No updates...

I won't be able to update the site for the next 10 days or so, as I won't be in the office. Everything will be back to normal at the beginning of July. Dave.


Plugin News: AVI fix from Discreet

Discreet have finally fixed the problem with saving AVIs that caused Max 6 SP1 to crash. Not everyone was affected, but I was... You can get the patch here.


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v1.1.62 are:
- Fixed motion blur in pwrapper
- glu3D asks for confirmation before performing a SET cache operation
- Cache bug fixed
- New source type: import particles from ParticleFlow

glu3D is available for Max 5 and 6, and costs $295. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Miscellaneous

Changes for v1.0.18 are:
- Fixes a bug with the pixel aspect ratio


New Plugin: Import / Export

Flight Studio is a sophisticated suite of OpenFlight importing, editing, and exporting tools for Max 6. Most tools that read and write OpenFlight files typically change the structure of the data, which forces timely reworks and limits the usefulness for visual simulation. This major issue has been addressed in Flight Studio so that the original OpenFlight structures are preserved while allowing the simulation modeler to edit and create new 3D elements that can be directly placed in the scene.

Flight Studio is available for Max 6, and normally costs $1495. However, TurboSquid are running an offer for the next 30 days of $995.


Plugin Update: Render Effects

Changes for v1.5 are:
- New algorithm
- Now works correctly with transparency
- Density Exponent is now called Density Balance, and gives much more control


New Plugin: Import / Export

PLY2MAX allows you to import Greg Turk's PLY Polygon files. There's already an importer plugin to do that, but it lacks reading little endian binary files.

The link above is for the Max 6 version, if you are still using Max 4 or 5, you need this version


Plugin Update: Render Effects

Changes for v1.5 are:
- No changes, this is just a recompile for Max 6


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v3.01 are:
- Fixed Actor Object not displaying in viewport after rotation
- Improved installer
- Collision option for StaticMeshes now works with UE2Runtime


New Plugin: Texturing

TerraShader is a wavelet software module which allows users to view, modify, compress, shade, model and animate enormous file sizes. Using the concept of 'Wavelet Shading', the system is designed to shade and texture files in excess of 100GB in near realtime without frame loss and no memory allocation problems. Powers-of-ten zooms and infinity zooming are well to grasp and implement, and the recreation of space - of complete space - is now at hand in the form of a wavelet shader supporting a variety of standard file formats.

TerraShader is available for Max 6, and pricing starts at $350. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v3.0 are:
- Created jamlander.chm HTML help file
- Max 5 and Max 6 version in one installer
- Added Multi/Sub Object material support
- Added new Actor Object
- Added new Trigger Helper
- Added jamlander.chm to 'Additional Help' menu in Max
- Added gridpoint snap for vertices of Brushes and Zones
- Fixed saving of settings for all modifiers
- Rewrote transformation calculations
- jamlander now adjusts for differences between Unreal and Max pivot points
- Fixed bug with lights not exporting all properties
- New alternative brush export method
- Removed prefix naming convention
- Bitmaps already added to .EXEC by a previous object are not exported again
- Save/Reload package option added
- New Mover modifier properties
- Improved checking for material instances
- Added support for multiple export packages and groups
- Fixed export of smoothing groups
- Included 'Actor Builder' utility for making new .JLAs for jamlander's Actor Object
- Fixed memory leak in ExportActor class
- Non 'myLevel' now have '_S' and '_T' postfix so package names aren't the same
- Added collision option for StaticMeshes


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v1.1.61 are:
- Some minor bugs fixed
- PWrapper plugin demo added to create mesh surfaces for other particle systems
- glu3D birth operator works with glu3D particles inside ParticleFlow
- glu3D viewport logo changed

glu3D is available for Max 5 and 6, and costs $295. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: Connection

PaxRendus is a plugin that gives you an interface to many RenderMan-compliant renderers. You can use a free renderer like 3Delight, or Pixar's PhotoRealistic RenderMan, or one of many other RenderMan-compliant renderers.

Features include:
- motion blur
- area, spot, point, distant lights
- user-defined RIB statements inserted into RIB file
- choose to raytrace or shadowmap shadows
- subdivision surfaces
- ReadArchive, DelayedReadArchive
- per-renderer options can be grouped into sets for later use
- use RenderMan shaders directly from within Max, animate shader parameters

PaxRendus is available for Max 4 to 6, and costs $249. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: Materials

This plugin is similar to CompositeMode created by Michael Spaw. It implements all of the modes the original does except the HSV types. If you need a version for Max 4/5 go to http://www.morphographic.com.


New Plugin: Objects

This is a modified version of the PositionObject operator for ParticleFlow. It can position one particle per vertex on the emitter object.


New Plugin: Objects

Ornatrix is a plugin that performs hair simulation for multi-purpose assignments. It provides a general framework that handles hair modeling, animation, and rendering to complete an independent package for both realistic and stylistic fiber synthesis.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v2.5 are:
- Faster image window interaction
- Interactive image rotation
- Direct GIS or real-time vis sim export
- New modeling tools
- Model from aerial or satellite photos
- Model the ground
- Lots of datums and projections are supported


Site News: Lack of updates...

Sorry about the lack of updates at the moment, but I am just finishing up a job, and have a huge amount to do. Everything will be back to normal by the end of the week. Dave