MAX Plugins.de News Archive

Archived Plugin News  –  June 2015
 

Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v3.4 are:
- Adds an 'Instance Texture' function
- Adds a 'Put' function for creating Multi/Sub materials from the selected objects' materials

MaterialMultiSlots Pro is available for Max 2009 to 2016 and costs ¥1500. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: MCG

Changes for v2.03.00 are:
- Adds a Ring parameter
- Adds a Gap parameter
- Adds a Sides parameter
- Adds a Rotation parameter
- As you make adjustments it now centres itself instead of using the bottom left corner


New Plugin: Connections

Nyx Voltron provides a very powerful and efficient workflow between Max and After Effects with interactive capabilities. You can link anything between Max and AE with as little baking as possible. For instance you can link a Bezier Controller from Max to a property in AE, this will transfer the keys and tangents and recreates the exact same non-baked curve in AE.

Nyx Voltron is available for Max 2014 to 2016 and normally costs €99. Up to the end of July you can get a free trial to test it out. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v2.1.0.0 are:
- Adds support for Max 2015 and 2016

WebGL Exporter is available for Max 2014 to 2016 and costs $149. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: MCG

This MCG object allows you to create woven patterns, and has controls to make it seamless in case you want to make a tube out of it.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v2.23.2-2.1 are:
- Assignment of complex Octane node parameters from MAXScript now works
- Fixes the render-settings dialog spinners bug
- Fixes an issue when some materials did not load from LiveDB
- The Octane image textures filepath buttons now use the standard assets menu
- Minor fixes and improvements

OctaneRender for 3ds Max is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs €459. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v1.1.1 are:
- Fixes crashes on startup with some AMD CPUs
- Fixes a crash when ID render pass + global volume mtl is used
- Fixes screen projection issues when camera offset from origin is too large
- Changes version numbering to something hopefully less confusing
- Updates installer: 2015 daily build is now properly removed from Max 2016 during install
- Updates Corona Convertor to version 1.13

Corona Renderer is available for Max 2011 to 2016 and costs €24.99 per month. A demo version is available here.


Plugin News: Pro Trajectory Handles now freeware

After making all of his other plugins freeware, Jonathan de Blok has now released his formerly commercial Pro Trajectory Handles scripted plugin as freeware. Full details can be found here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v6.7-1 are:
- Fixes an issue where the supervisor can preempt more instances than necessary
- Fixes an issue where global time-based callbacks were sometimes not triggering

Qube! is available for Max 7 to 2016 and costs $3,500 for one supervisor, five workers, MySQL and subscription for one year. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v3.05 are:
- Fixes a bug caused by date format differing in different language environments
- Adds an error report system which displays a messagebox when an exception happens
- SweepEdge now updates the sides when the width spinner changes

TerrainAxe is available for Max 2008 to 2016 and costs $220. A demo version is available here.


Site News: Off to the EndUserEvent!

Things are going to be quiet here for a few days, because I'm leaving for this year's End User Event in Utrecht. Things will be back to normal here next week.

If you are also going to be there, come and say hallo if you see me, and if you're not going to be there, just be told that you are missing one of the best 3D events of the year!


Plugin Update: MCG

Changes for v2.06.00 are:
- Adds an 'Invert Selection on Emitter' setting
- Adds an 'Invert Clone Step' setting


New Plugin: MCG

This MCG modifier allows you to loft a spline along another spline, ie. extrude.


New Plugin: MCG

This MCG object creates a honeycomb structure.


New Plugin: Modelling

TerrainAxe is a 3D landscape modelling toolkit for Max, written in MAXScript and consisting of a lot of polygon tools and some other common functions.

Features include:
- Quick selection tools for poly objects
- Various polygon creation tools
- An advanced Array tool
- Super weld tools supporting welding between verts to edges
- Smooth Road tool for eliminating noise and making your road smooth
- Fast auto rounding verts tools, similar to filleting spline vertices
- Fast but powerful cutting tools
- UV tools for road-like models
- And many other tools...

TerrainAxe is available for Max 2008 to 2016 and costs $220. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: Animation

BulletFX is a full GPU-accelerated physics engine which uses a highly customized and optimized version of Bullet Physics designed specifically for Max. Features include: rigid bodies, GPU-accelerated pipeline and an in-depth MAXScript API.

BulletFX is available for Max 2013 to 2016 and costs $260.


Plugin Update: MCG

Changes for v1.02 are:
- Fixes a bug where the operator doesn't return a vector if the normal is pointing straight down (-Z)


Plugin Update: MCG

Changes for v2.05.00 are:
- Adds an Emitter Step function
- Fixes a bug with Surface Offsets
- All modes now work properly
- Adds WTF settings
- Fixes the -Z normal bug


New Plugin: Utilities

This commercial MAXScript allows you to copy/paste a DWG selection from AutoCAD or DraftSight into Max. As it only copies the selection, it's easy to split a DWG into separate objects. It also offers options for removing materials, unlinking blocks, deleting empty layers, flattening splines and more.

Copy Paste DWG is available for Max 2009 to 2015 and costs $4.50. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: Utilities

This utility gives you one-click access to the 3D printing portal 3D-button.com, a free service for comparing different 3D print companies. Using the plugin, you can check and repair your model, scale it and choose which material you want to print it with. Simultaneously you are shown prices from a selection of 3D printing services which are updated in real-time, depending on the size and material you have selected.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v2.16.30 are:
- Fixes a speed issue in first use after starting the utility
- Fixes an issue with keeping Target Light settings after relinking the IES file
- Fixes an issue with rendering thumbnails for materials
- Fixes minor issues when the user renames or deletes a directory
- Fixes a bug after using the 'Reset Settings' option
- Fixes some minor issues with updating the plugin
- Fixes an issue with using custom menus
- Fixes an issue where the interface freezes when searching for files in the Explorer tab
- Fixes some minor issues with setting the search directory for 'Batch Render&Relink' tool
- Fixes some minor interface issues in the 'Batch Render&Relink' tool

Project Manager is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $75. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.74 are:
- Fixes normals on Wall Mode when the height is negative
- Fixes UVS on top/bottom of Wall Mode when height is negative
- Fixes a bug in Wall Mode when UVs are set to Normalized
- Minor code optimizations

CorVex is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $10.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v2.0.6 are:
- Fixes displacement of Blend and Standard materials


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v1.02.23 are:
- Fixes a speed issue in first use after starting the utility
- Fixes minor issues when the user renames or deletes the directory
- Fixes some minor issues with updating the plugin
- Fixes an issue with using custom menus
- Fixes an issue with the interface freezing when searching for files
- Fixes an issue with adding a directory to the favorites from the menu
- Fixes an issue with lost 'Attribute Holder' modifier settings on merging
- Adds the ability to rotate objects by moving the mouse
- Minor redesign for the 'Object Place' tool
- Fixes an issue with starting on x32 systems

Models Manager is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $30. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.05 are:
- Adds support for Max 2016

Terrain is available for Max 2008 to 2016 and costs $199. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v3.50.24 are:
- Fixes an issue with keeping Target Light settings after relinking the IES file
- Fixes a bug after using the 'Reset Settings' option
- Fixes some minor issues with updating the plugin
- Fixes some issues setting the search directory for 'Batch Render&Relink' tool
- Fixes some minor interface issues in the 'Batch Render&Relink' tool
- Fixes an issue with winApi what occurs on some computers
- Adds the ability to set the intensity multiplier for rendering IES files
- Fixes an issue with starting on x32 systems
- Fixes some issues with generating previews for HDR, EXR and PSD files
- Fixes a potential issues with translating paths to/from local/network

FilePathFinder Pro is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $30. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.3.0 are:
- Adds support for Max 2016
- Adds an option to export background maps (cube, sphere, and screen)
- Cubemap textures now support compression
- The Mix map solid color texture is now computed correctly
- Materials are now applied to particle systems
- Duplicate material names are now modified during export to be unique


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v1.51.17 are:
- Fixes an issue with keeping Target Light settings after relinking the IES file
- Fixes some minor issues with setting the directory for searching
- Fixes some minor issues with updating the plugin
- Fixes an issue with winApi which occurs on some computers
- Adds the ability to set the intensity multiplier for rendering IES files
- Fixes an issue with starting on x32 systems
- Fixes some issues with setting custom gamma for rendering thumbnails

Batch Render&Relink is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $15. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.1.151 are:
- Increases the open cache files limit from 512 to 2048


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v0.47 are:
- Adds 'Show amount of Assets' and 'Missing Assets' to the main MaxFiles window
- Adds automatic search and relink for missing assets in multiple Max files
- Fixes repathing for the same file name in multiple Max files
- Fixes refresh problems to keep windows in the foreground

Library Track and Relink is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $9. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.21 are:
- Fixes a critical bug when reloading a scene with a ShellVex node already present
- Fixes a bug in the Force Convex Polygon function
- Fixes a bug in the Concave Faces stack selection function

ShellVex is available for Max 2008 to 2016 and costs $10.


Plugin Update: MCG

Changes for v1.01 are:
- Adds an OffsetFirstTri flag


Plugin Update: Connections

Changes for Build 007060 are:
- Fixes a possible crash when saving a HyperBlob
- Fixes potential xStream issues with actions that trigger a progress bar
- Fixes RenderNode returning a non-zero code when a render fails

Vue xStream is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $1695. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v1.01.00 are:
- Max 2016 is now directly supported in the installer
- New Corona Bitmap shader works similarly to the one in Max but faster
- Corona Renderer now supports instancing
- Particle flow can now be used with Corona as a scatter system
- The Particle age map and true motion blur now work with any particle flow system
- Error reporting is now non-obtrusive, non-blocking, with an option to supress further messages
- Adds the ability to specify the licensing server IP on render nodes
- Corona dialogs (VFB, licensing, etc.) are now HiDPI-compatible
- Glossy reflections are no longer darker on object outlines
- Adds a displacement switch to RayswitchMtl
- Render passes now correctly output negative values
- Fixes random parsing crashes when using some specific Max features in the scene
- Fixes freezes when using more than 1 interactive window
- Fixes crashes when X-Ref-ing a CoronaLight
- Fixes crashes when adding/removing render elements during rendering
- Fixes interactive rendering not starting when using Greeble
- Fixes a bug where Corona randomly saves black images
- Fixes CoronaSun rendering black at 0° angle

Corona Renderer is available for Max 2011 to 2016 and costs €24.99 per month. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v2.5.0 are:
- Adds support for Max 2016 and V-Ray 3.2
- Fixes a crash using Out-of-Range curves with exported parameters limited by a range
- Fixes a random rendering crash with V-Ray 3.0 (not 3.1) and Max 2015
- Scene Explorers are now closed before rendering with mr and restored once done
- RailClone objects can now be converted directly to Editable Polys or Editable Patches
- Fixes a memory leak in Mental Ray
- Fixes a Library Browser crash when clicking 'Import' with no selected item

RailClone Pro is available for Max 9 to 2016 and costs €200 A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling / Texturing

Changes for v4.4.0 are:
- Adds support for Max 2016 and V-Ray 3.2
- Areas->Edge/Size modes are now properly affected by Geometry->Scale/Global Scale
- Animation->time parameters are now defined as a number of frames
- Animation->time parameters are now converted correctly in PAL mode
- Forest Seed parameter and Forest Color map percentages are now animatable
- Scene Explorers are now closed before rendering with mr and restored once done
- Forest Material->Tint now works with V-Ray 3.x
- Fixes a memory leak in Mental Ray
- Fixes a potential crash using animated objects
- Fixes a rare crash with network licenses
- Fixes version checking in the MR shader

Forest Pack Pro is available for Max 9 to 2016 and costs €200. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v7.1.2.1 are:
- Fixes a bug where Limits with a Machine usage level could max out permanently
- Updates the Repository Repair option to fix Limits that get permanently maxed out
- Fixes a housecleaning bug that could prevent completed jobs from being automatically cleaned up
- Fixes a bug when importing a completed job that set it's completed timestamp to the current time
- Fixes a case sensitivity bug in the Monitor when generating a Slaves Overview statistics report
- Fixes a bug in the ConnectWithAppleRemoteDesktop.py script
- Fixes warning messages that appeared when a Slave tried to get I/O read and write information
- The Balancer now handles jobs with empty whitelists properly
- Read/write share permissions are now used when reading in the 3ds Max log file
- 3dsCmd plugin now enforces backslashes in the scene file path, output file, and path config file
- Read/write share permissions are now used when reading in the Fusion log file
- Fixes a MayaBatch plugin bug that stopped renderer-specific stdout handlers from being set properly
- The Azure API and Azure Plugin now support listing and creating VM images and listing all hardware

Deadline is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $185 per node. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for 1.4.07.135.1318 are:
- Bug-fixes
- Probably a lot more, but there is no information anywhere...

Thea for 3dsMax is available for Max 2009 to 2016 and costs €395. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: MCG

Changes for v2.03.00 are:
- You can now pick another object as an unwrapper/shapeshifter
- Adds a setting to show cloning on quad faces
- Adds an OffsetFirstTri flag
- Adds surface offset / rotation adjustments / clone step settings


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for Build 20150614 are:
- Adds new camera and video presets
- Adds hyperfocal distance and hyperfocal F-stop settings to v5.0
- The panorama camera shader now works with both standard and physical cameras

These versions of Photo Studio Pro are available for Max 2013 to 2016 and cost €199. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v1.15 are:
- Adds an option to search for missing bitmaps in the object's material
- Other small bug-fixes

A2Dimage is available for Max 7 to 2016 and costs €25. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v2.0 are:
- The UI has been redesigned
- Adds a new materials manager
- You can now save/load presets for different texel densities
- The ratios for geometry/pixels and geometry/UVs can now be modified
- Adds a new texture advisor tool
- You can now normalize geometry/pixels values
- Adds licensing and an EULA
- Improves the normalization algorithms

Advanced UV Normalizer is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $24.99.


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v1.66 are:
- New Brick modifier converts geometry into bricks with loads of layout options

RayFire is available for Max 2011 to 2016 and costs $385. A demo version is available here.


Shader Update: mental ray Shaders

Changes for v1.7.4 are:
- Installer updates for the Max shader, all other updates are for Maya


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.1 are:
- Fixes a bug when applied to some objects (like a node with a Rayfire Brick Modifier)

Snap Verts To Grid Modifier is available for Max 2008 to 2016 and costs $2.95.


New Plugin: MCG

This MCG compound returns an array of integers in the Fibonacci Sequence.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.2 are:
- Adds a new 'Sew Outer Verts' parameter
- Adds a new button to print notices/errors to the MAXScript listener
- Fixes a bug that occurred with overlapping vertices in the same polygon
- Fixes a bug when using the Clean Geometry button
- If SnapVertsToGrid is installed, adds it to the Source Geometry when pressing Clean Geometry

ShellVex is available for Max 2008 to 2016 and costs $10.


Plugin Update: MCG

Changes for v2.00.00 are:
- Adds a sine wave to path function for 'snaking' effects
- Adds controls for vibrations


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v1.8.2 are:
- Adds support for Max 2016
- Adds support for V-Ray 3.2
- Presets have been optimized, so SolidRocks now render faster and better
- Improves the glossy subdivs algorithm
- Adds a new 'NO GI' method for exterior dome (+sun) + VrayAmbientlight anim setup
- The SRGB button (V-Ray VFB) is now managed automatically
- Adds a new DOF/motion blur preset based on the interior preset (experimental)
- Adds debugging to avoid unwanted keyframes when using Animation Wizards
- Probabilistic lights are now OFF by default
- SolidRocks new default: brute force/lightcache (good quality mode)
- SolidRocks is now more compact at startup (can be changed by right click)

SolidRocks is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs €75. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v3.6.2.0 are:
- You can now have different settings for segments/frame and spline steps in viewport and render
- Debug logging now works again (broken since 3.6.0.0)

Ghost Trails is available for Max 6 to 2016 and costs $100. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Connections

Changes for Build 007030 are:
- Improves compatibility with PlantFactory 2014 plants
- Fixes support of FBX files larger than 2.1 GB
- Fixes a potential crash when writing an image
- Fixes the options 'Keep existing preview' and 'Use custom image' when saving a .vob file
- Fixes import of geo-located terrains using non-metric units for elevation
- Adds Synchro plugins for Max and Maya 2016
- Fixes a failure reading ISO-latin1 IES profiles on a Mac where the default encoding is UTF8
- Fixes broken layout after resizing the terrain editor dialog
- Fixes resizing the OpenGL preview in the dockable terrain editor when moving vertical separators
- Fixes the empty list of recent files in the File menu upon launch
- Adds a RenderNode error message when an unknown command line argument is found
- You can now render an AO pass with VUE standalone RenderNodes and Standalone Renderer
- Fixes a potential crash in RenderCow when rendering a scene using Python nodes
- Changes the default multi-pass name for EcoSystems layers
- Displayed layers are now sorted in the Multi-pass Options dialog

Vue xStream is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $1695. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for Build 007048 are:
- Fixes interaction with ZBrush when going back and forth using the GoZ bridge
- Improves overall stability

Plant Factory Studio is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $995. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.7.1 are:
- Bug-fixes


New Plugin: MCG

This extremely simple MCG will parse though the quads (or tris) of your geometry. You can parse 1 face/quad at a time or grow from the start.


Plugin Update: MCG

Changes for v1.01.01 are:
- Minor update / cleanup


Plugin News: Maxwell Render dollar prices reduced

Next Limit have announced that because their dollar pricing for Maxwell Render hasn't been such a good deal lately compared to the Euro, they have decided to drop their dollar price for a while to even things out.

New prices are up to 24% off their standard pricing based on current exchange rates. The offer ends July 31st and more information can be found here.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v1.2 are:
- Adds a Kepler-Maxwell kernel option
- The optimal GPU-kernel combination for the existing hardware is now installed automatically
- The Kepler-Maxwell kernel removes the limit of 64 textures

moskitoRender is available for Max 2013 to 2016 and costs €295. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v2.4.0.0 are:
- Adds support for Max 2016
- Internal fixes and updates

Zookeeper is available for Max 2009 to 2016 and costs $249. A demo version is available here.


Plugin News: Pro Bezier Assist now freeware

Jonathan de Blok has released his formerly commercial Pro Bezier Assist scripted plugin as freeware. Full details can be found here.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v2.0.5 are:
- Adds support for back-face culling
- Adds a new 3Delight Metal material using the GGX BRDF
- Fixes texture coordinates in noise node


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for Build 20150609 are:
- Adds Hyperfocal distance / Hyperfocal F-Stop settings for landscape shots
- Adds the video camera preset from the Max UI to the Photo Studio V6+ UI
- Bug-fixes

This version of Photo Studio Pro is available for Max 2016 and costs €199. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.33 are:
- Code optimizations

Wall Worm Carver is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $4.95.


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v3.5 are:
- Adds support for Max 2016
- Adds congruent vertex normals after shattering
- The uniform shatter pattern can now be offset/squeezed
- Uniform\Local\Radial now extends to selected shards only on reshattering
- Adds the ability to do transition animation-dynamics for group of fragments
- Adds a 'Force convex shapes' option for fracture bodies creation
- Fixes invalid stresses created between isolated fragments and the rest
- Fixes clusters outstresses being lost after loading the scene
- Fixes a Max crash when an object has a multimaterial with empty slots
- Fixes the shatter progress bar when used on several objects
- Fixes cancelling shatter not reverting to the original node
- Fixes Shatterit skipping some objects when shattering in an orthographic view
- Fixes transition anim-dynamics failing in 2 step sims
- Fixes update of the crackers list when a cracker is deleted by the user in viewport
- Fixes modifying clusterize parameter in a frame other than the start frame

Pull Down It Pro is available for Max 2012 to 2016 and costs €395. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Miscellaneous

Changes for v1.2.1 are:
- Adds support for post-1.0 daily builds
- Adds support for the 'SelfIllumination' material property
- Minor changes to the UI
- Removes the Menu action (you can add this manually)
- Fixes some bugs


New Plugin: MCG

This MCG modifier allows you to do marching ants / traffic light / direction effects. It can also be used for things like tank tracks.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v3.20.02 are:
- Adds a Cubic 6x1 camera type to V-Ray
- Adds support for the Cubic 6x1 cameras to VRayStereoscopic
- Adds V-Ray RT GPU support for texture baking with dynamic and displaced geometry
- Adds a #savemultiimage keyword to the vfbControl() MaxScript function
- The light cache's Retrace parameter is now controlled by the GI Quality slider in Quick settings
- V-Ray RT now exports animated parameters of standard Max lights to .vrscene files
- Fixes animated displacement export in V-Ray RT when rendering with ActiveShade
- Fixes a V-Ray RT crash when a VRayLight has VRayCompTex with no texmap assigned to Source B
- Fixes a V-Ray RT crash when a Hair Farm Renderer atmospheric effect is present
- Adds a workaround to V-Ray RT GPU CUDA for an issue with nVidia driver versions 352.86 / 353.06
- Fixes a crash in VRayVolumeGrid when browsing for simulation caches

V-Ray is available for Max 9 to 2016 and costs $1040. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v3.1.9 are:
- Adds support for Max 2016
- If time output mode is set to single, Export MXS now always writes a single frame
- Pack'n'go now resolves missing file paths in the same way the renderer does
- The exporter now looks for missing IOR files and MXM files in the same way it does for textures
- Fixes pack'n'go crashing with some types of material
- The hue adjustment parameter is no longer inverted in the bitmap preview window
- Fixes a crash on export when the Maxwell extensions cannot be loaded
- Both the export MXS dialog and maxwellExportMXS command now respect the animation setting
- Renamed the 'appendFrameNrToImg' flag in the maxwellExportMXS command to 'appendFrameNr'
- Adds support for extra sampling
- Updates the range of the devignetting parameter to match Studio
- Adds MAXScript functions for manipulating visibility flags
- Adds support for UDIM (tiled textures)
- The MXS extension is now always appended to the name of the output scene files
- Adds a frame offset parameter for the volumetric object
- Fixes a problem with clicking the 'hide to camera in shadow pass' checkbox
- The environment intensity multiplier is now exported to Maxwell
- Renamed the default item in the FIRE window camera menu to make its purpose clearer
- The material displacement component is now exported even when it is disabled
- The density parameter for the scatter modifier now allows decimals
- Fixes incorrect file names for custom alpha channels
- Fixes a crash in Max 2012 when changing a viewport to ActiveShade
- Fixes a crash when closing the object properties dialog when Maxwell is not the active renderer
- Fixes a viewport slowdown when using many MxLights set to correlated color emission
- The ranges of the emitter correlated color and coating thickness parameters now match Studio
- Adds support for multiple selection in the light linking UI
- Adds support for per-material custom alphas
- The object properties dialog now opens faster in scenes with many referenced materials
- The 'use global settings' texture parameter is now set correctly when importing an MXM file
- Constant density volumetric objects are now exported correctly
- Floating reflections/shadows are now working when rendering in draft mode
- Visibility flags are now exported correctly for Max instances
- Fixes incorrect names being exported for Max instances

The Maxwell 3ds Max plugins come with Maxwell Render, which is available for Max 2011 to 2016 and costs €595. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: MCG

This MCG modifier lets you access common object properties so you don't have to right-click to go into the Obj Properties Dialogue then come back to your object. It is of course global and not per object based, and also gives easy access to other properties such as material removal and xView settings.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for Build 20150604 are:
- Adds new per-Camera exposure control
- Adds control over whitepoint by color
- Adds ISO, F-stop and shutter settings to the camera

This version of Photo Studio Pro is available for Max 2016 and costs €199. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.73 are:
- Fixes triangulation on Wall ends when wall height/width are negative or Flip Normal is on

CorVex is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $10.


Plugin Update: MCG

Changes for v2.0 are:
- As the electron jumps to different levels it now takes on different colours depending on MultiMatIDs


Plugin Update: MCG

Changes for v0.3 are:
- Fixes a welding problem
- Code optimisation


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v1.0 are:
- Adds support for Max 2016


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for Build 20150604 are:
- Adds support for Max 2016
- Adds support for the new Physical camera

Photo Studio Pro is available for Max 2009 to 2016 and costs €199. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for Build 20150602 are:
- Adds support for Max 2016

Shader Utilities Pro is available for Max 2009 to 2016 and costs €149. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v2.8 are:
- Adds support for Max 2014 and 2015


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.1 are:
- Adds new 'Capped' parameter to the Override Original UVs group
- The 'Override Mapping' parameter has been renamed to 'Extruded'
- Updates the smoothing on the extruded sides

ShellVex is available for Max 2008 to 2016 and costs $10.


Plugin Update: Particles / Animation

Changes for v2.4.0.58782 are:
- Adds support for Max 2016
- Adds support for fast particle redrawing in Nitrous running Direct3D 9.0 in Max 2015 and 2016
- Implements a custom Max SDK Interface to allow 3rd party developers to retrieve particles
- All Krakatoa particle nodes are supported (PRT Loader, PRT Volumes, etc.) by the API
- Allows API access to custom particles channels that are non-standard
- Includes a sample project allowing 3rd party developers to quickly learn how to use the API
- Normal/Color/TextureCoord/Age/Density channels are now interpolated when retiming the PRT Loader
- Adds the ability to access the scene node of an InputGeometry object in Magma
- Adds the ability in Magma to expose Noise and VecNoise params to the Modifier Panel
- Pressing SHIFT+CTRL+Letter in Magma will now create Output nodes like in Stoke and Genome
- Pressing SHIFT+CTRL+O in Magma will toggle floating vs. docked Output nodes
- Loading a preset now renames the Magma modifier and disables Auto-Rename
- The Modifier Name is now shown in the Magma Editor's title bar
- The 'MaterialID' channel is now renamed to 'MtlIndex' when sampling other objects' channels
- Adds a 'Preset Folder Options...' button to the Magma Editor
- 'EXPLORE Presets Folder [...]' opens a Windows Explorer at the current Presets folder location
- 'SET Presets Folder Location...' lets you specify a custom Presets folder location
- 'RESET Presets Folder Location To Factory Default' sets the folder location to the default path
- Exposes the loading of Presets to MAXScript similar to how Genome does it
- Adds a new Add Magma Preset MacroScript to the 'Krakatoa' category
- Adds a new [>Rel.] checkbutton to the Lighting Pass Density controls
- Adds a read-only 'Resulting Value:' field to both Lighting Pass and Final Pass Density
- Adds two new options to the [>>] menu of the 'Particles Channels To Save To Disk' lists
- Krakatoa now automatically adjusts the number of threads used to render multiple frame buffers
- Krakatoa now works out of the box with all TP 6.x builds that are TP6 SDK-compatible
- Adds the 'One CPU Per Task' option to the Partitioning rollout
- The location of the Deadline binaries is now resolved from the DEADLINE_PATH environment variable
- The PRT custom channel name length restriction is now less than 2 characters instead of less than 4
- Fixes the Krakatoa PRT Update PFlow Operator's Channel List display which was broken in 2.3.1
- Fixes the Env. Reflection Strength control in the VFB extension which was not hooked up properly
- Fixes a missing function required by input channels inside a Loop node
- Fixes the channel names displayed when using the '>Available Only' option in a ParticleQuery node
- Fixes Partitioning which would have failed if SMTD was set to Use Original Scene Path
- MultiRegion render mode is now disabled temporarily when submitting Partitions from Krakatoa
- Fixes the Matte Named Selection Set creation to accept XRef Objects containing geometry

Krakatoa MX is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and pricing starts at $1000. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v7.1.1.4 include:
- Adds support for using colons in Deadline's frame list formatting style
- Whitespace is now supported around separator characters in frame lists
- Cleans up submission errors occurring when a job's frame list isn't formatted properly
- Fixes a bug that prevented Deadline's popup notifications from staying on top of other windows
- Fixes a number of installer problems
- Significantly improves the performance of the Manage Pools and Manage Groups dialogs
- Fixes a bug in Pulse that prevented it from using the port override in the Pulse settings
- Fixes a bug in the default balancing algorithm
- Adds StdoutRedirection property to the ManagedProcess class
- Adds AsynchronousStdout property to the ManagedProcess class
- Adds popup ignorers to the 3dsCmd plugin
- Fixes the Repository installer overwriting the .ini files in the Max integrated submitter folder
- Fixes a bug that prevented RPManager from loading the Deadline submission script for Max
- Fixes a bug that prevented RPManager from loading the correct SMTD defaults
- Job batch names in Max now evaluate the custom tokens in the _NameFormats.ini file
- The After Effects submitter installer now installs the script to the correct location on OSX
- Increases the hardcoded frames per task setting for After Effects movie renders
- Adds popup ignorers to the CoronaDR plugin
- Fixes an error in the CoronaDR plugin when using the Kill On Existing Process mode
- The CoronaDR.options file is now shipped with the Repository installer
- Adds support for Nuke 9.x to the Hiero submitter
- Fixes a problem submitting multiple ROPs at the same time from the integrated Houdini submitter
- Fixes an error in the LuxSlave plugin when using the Kill On Existing Process mode
- The correct version of the Microstation submitter now ships with the Repository installer
- The correct version of the Microstation render plugin now ships with the Repository installer
- The integrated modo submitter now properly handles the <none> tag in output paths
- Multiple pass groups can now be submitted from modo when doing Tile rendering
- Fixes a bunch of modo issues when doing Tile rendering with multiple pass groups
- The Nuke plugin now properly ignores all errors when 'Continue On Error' is enabled
- Fixes an error in the VRay Spawner plugin when using the Kill On Existing Process mode
- Adds warning message to VRED and VREDCluster plugins when the slave is running as a service
- The VRED plugin now includes default executable paths for Linux
- Fixes a bug that prevented VRED sequencer jobs from running properly
- And more... a full list of changes can be found here

Deadline is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $185 per node. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.71 are:
- Fixes a bug where the acos() function falsely returned a value of (-1.#IND)
- Fixes a bug introduced recently where some spline types could crash CorVex

CorVex is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $10.


Plugin News: ProSequencer now free

Jonathan de Blok has released his formerly commercial ProSequencer scripted plugin as freeware. Full details can be found here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.6 are:
- Adds new Object Snap Tracking (OTRACK)
- The FROM command plus the SHIFT key now goes to Ortho mode using the base point
- Fixes a bug when an ARC is drawn

miauu's Polyline is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs €15.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v8.5.7 are:
- Fixes a permission issue that prevented some actions from being available
- Fixes an issue with overridden chunk timeouts not being considered
- Fixes an issue with the close() function on Unix platforms
- Fixes an issue with stopping services on the Windows platform
- Fixes an issue where the old jobs cache was used giving incorrect feedback
- Fixes the selection logic sometimes not being synchronized on highest priority machines
- Fixes an issue with stopping the renderclient on the Mac platform

Muster is available for Max 6 to 2016 and costs $85 per node. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v2.23.2-1.9 are:
- Adds support for Max 2016
- Adds a stereo mode parameter to the Octane camera
- Octane viewport now eats less resources if paused
- Minor fixes and improvements

OctaneRender for 3ds Max is available for Max 2012 to 2016 and costs €459. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v3.20.01 include:
- Adds support for Max 2016, including the new Physical Camera and Physical Camera Exposure Control
- Adds support to VRayVolumeGrid for rendering fluid simulation data
- Adds ability to add/remove DR servers on the fly from the Render Progress window
- The DR servers list is now re-read whenever the vray_dr.cfg file is modified during rendering
- Adds a button to open the V-Ray messages log window
- Adds camera object properties to control transformation samples for camera motion blur
- Adds a MAXScript parameter to control the DMC random seed
- The V-Ray object properties now let you specify a given map channel as velocity channel
- Adds tooltip descriptions for most of the renderer settings
- Adds V-Ray RT CPU support for VRayEnvironmentFog
- Adds V-Ray RT GPU support for Composite map rendering
- Adds V-Ray RT GPU support for displacement
- Adds V-Ray RT GPU support for VRayMtl anisotropy
- Adds V-Ray RT GPU UDIM tag support
- Implements QMC sampling for the V-Ray RT GPU CUDA engine
- Adds initial V-Ray RT GPU support for texture baking
- Adds V-Ray RT GPU support for spherical panorama cameras
- Adds V-Ray RT GPU support for Max Spot/Omni lights Decay and Near/Far Attenuation parameters
- Adds V-Ray RT GPU support for textures output Bezier curve color correction
- Adds better methods to VRayProxy for generating preview meshes based on mesh simplification
- Adds Show whole mesh viewport display option to VRayProxy
- Adds VRayProxy support for exporting the VRayInstancer as a .vrmesh file preserving the instancing
- Adds support to VRayStereoscopic for stereo spherical/cylindrical panorama cameras
- Adds the ability to load the render settings for an image from the history window in the VFB
- The VFB can now be zoomed in/out with the regular +/-/* keys
- Adds new VRayCurvatureMap texture for detecting mesh curvature
- VRayFur now renders faster and can be accelerated by Embree
- Hair&Fur now renders faster and can be accelerated by Embree
- VRayInstancer can now override node and V-Ray object properties of the source objects
- Adds parameters to VRayInstancer to control the random seed, render percentage
- Adds an experimental option to VRayInstancer for multithreaded instance generation
- VRayLight now has a line that shows the orientation of the dome light in the viewport
- VRayLight now shows the center of VRayHDRI wrapping
- Adds support to VRayOSLMtl for vray_subsurface() closure
- Adds support to VRayOSLMtl for vray_hair() closure
- Adds support to VRayOSLMtl/VRayOSLTex for drop-down controls
- VRayHDRI can now load PNG grayscale with alpha images
- Adds VRayMtlReflectIORBake and VRayReflectionFilterMap bake elements to render to texture
- Adds initial support of Corona materials and lights to the V-Ray scene converter
- ply2vrmesh now supports conversion of particles from .geo and .bgeo files
- vrayspawner.exe can now assign separate DR nodes to different processor groups

And those are just the new features! A full list including modified features and bug-fixes can be found over at VRay.info

V-Ray is available for Max 9 to 2016 and costs $1040. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling / Animation

Changes for v1.020 include:
- Adds custom linkworks, with many new types supported and an unlimited number of wheels
- You can now have treads as single objects

Gearing is available for Max 2009 to 2016 and costs $28. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v6.047 are:
- Updates the installer to include Max 2016
- Preview overrides now handle V-Ray bitmap properties where the bitmap path is invalid
- Improves support for Deadline custom/sticky settings
- V-Ray RT can now be selected from the renderer RC menu
- 3rd party renderers without a UI in Max now have their render elements restored per pass
- rpmdata.getoutputinfo now supports the global output checkbox
- The addition of 'Design' to BB submission for the Design version of Max has been backed out
- The speed of layerset restoration when Layer Vis Controlled by Head Only is much improved

RPManager is available for Max 9 to 2016 and costs $300. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: MAXScript Extensions

Changes for v0.9.0.118 are:
- Adds support for Max 2015 and 2016


Plugin Update: Miscellaneous

Changes for v1.0.1 are:
- Adds manual backup of Max settings
- Adds associated filetypes (*.ms, *.mse) for Windows Explorer


New Plugin: Modelling

This commercial MAXScript modifier snaps all the vertices in the object to the world grid based on the grid spacing settings in the modifier.

Snap Verts To Grid Modifier is available for Max 2008 to 2016 and costs $2.95.


Plugin Update: Connections

Changes for Build 006865 are:
- Adds support for Max 2016 and Maya 2016
- Fixes compatibility issues with PlantFactory 2014 plants
- Improves PlantFactory/VUE association mechanism
- Fixes an infinite loop in the Content Browser when adding a category while changing its icon
- Fixes duplicated icons in the Content Browser after purchasing Cornucopia3D content
- Fixes a crash when closing the Terrain Editor immediately after deleting a terrain zone
- Improves stability when applying 2D effects
- Significantly improves MacOS performance in the Terrain Editor's OpenGL preview
- Fixes 'Replace by Plant...' command when selecting a PlantFactory species
- Fixes a potential Material Editor crash when both Spline Editor and Material Summary are open
- Fixes Resume Render and Re-use Indirect Lighting in AVX version
- Fixes Distributed Rendering (RenderCow used within VUE interface)

Vue xStream is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $1695. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for Build 006870 are:
- Improves GOZ interaction
- Fixes FBX, LW and C4D exports (animation, orientation)
- Fixes a potential crash when starting a new scene or loading a scene
- Vastly improved overall stability

Plant Factory Studio is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $995. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Atmospherics

Changes for Build 7019528 are:
- Adds support for Max 2016 and Maya 2016
- Adds V-Ray 3 support for Maya
- Fixes gamma application to renders
- Adds a C4D error message when launching Render Queue while another scene is open
- Fixes a potential C4D render issue when using Team Render

Ozone is available for Max 2009 to 2016 and costs $295. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v2.9.34.0 are:
- Adds the Granny Animation Studio Reference Guide
- O3 optimizations are now turned on in PS4 builds
- Adds a 'Fallback' mode for custom remap node

Granny Exporter is available for Max 2009 to 2016, and is part of the Granny Toolkit which costs $17,500.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.1.150 Beta are:
- Adds support for Max 2016 and Maya 2016
- Removes all licensing calls
- Fixes an error when attaching on curves in Maya
- Fixes incorrect translation being used when Maya units are not set to cm
- Fixes missing prefix declarations
- Fixes string parsing so ending the job with ';' no longer causes a crash


New Plugin: Modelling

ShellVex is a scripted geometry plugin for Max that allows you to create convex geometry blocks from the polygons (or tris) of other objects in the scene. This plugin is perfect for scenarios where you need to create convex geometry to seal areas around complex models or layout.

ShellVex is available for Max 2008 to 2016 and costs $10.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for Build 18003 include:
- Custom materials are now supported via OCTAdesignCustom.MTL
- Wall: definitions for OCTArig are now available
- Wall: adds additional functions for opening / closing all wall segments
- Wall: new automatic update of connected segments after moving extrusions
- Wall: adds first steps to support hinged walls
- Wall: adds mitre cut for panels
- Wall: adds a 3D offset for panels
- Wall: adds new 'Lightline' wall definition
- Wall: adds new 'Cladding 5P' wall definition
- Easy Floor: you can now create a floor using a polyline
- OLS: adds new area 'Edit mode' on the 'Edit' tab
- OLS: adds new 'Default measure style' settings options
- OLS: adds an optional transparent background for rendered images
- OLS: adds an angular restriction for ObjectMovies (on iPad) of 360, 180 and 90 degrees
- OLS: adds a new dialog for editing projects properties (e.g. keywords for iPad-Export)
- Part master data: adds price import (new part master dialog)
- Part master data: adds a web link from the new article master data dialog
- Project wizard: adds a new 'Mentalray daylight system' light type
- Project wizard: adds selectable render presets
- Project wizard: adds support for photometric lights
- Project wizard: adds support for final render and mentalray materials
- Scene info: opening scene info with the shift key pressed removes unused materials from the MatEd
- Publication wizard: adds new 'red green glasses' / 'red cyan glasses' designs
- Publication wizard: adds an option for background music
- Publication wizard: you can now set a default order for ODR slides in the PubWizard options
- SmartPoly: adds a new close polygon ('c') option
- Installation / Setup: adds an automatic newsletter for new builds
- Parts list: weights are now exported
- Software protection: USB dongle will now be reinitialised if the usb drive letter changes
- Software protection: a backup copy will now be restored if a .lic file is corrupted (0 kKB size)
- ODR-Viewer: adds new video playback option in ODR
- ODR-Viewer: adds a sound manager
- Misc: adds a parameter for neon lights in wall definition elements
- Pack'n'Go: library elements that are referenced in used wall definitions are now exported
- ODR-Exporter: you can now create an executable (with the Pack'n'Go wizard)
- And much more... a full list of changes can be found here

OCTAdesign is available for Max 2014 to 2016 and costs €4500. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: Miscellaneous

MacroScript Maker is a small Visual Basic tool that creates an .mcr file link to your .mse or .ms script files and saves it to your MacroScript folder. It also does batch jobs, so you can point it at a folder full of scripts and it will create all of the macroscripts for you.

It also comes with the Visual Basic source code.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.69 are:
- Fixes a bug in Wall Mode where the last wall block would have poor triangulation

CorVex is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $10.


New Plugin: Utilities

This is a simple renaming tool that uses C# syntax to iterate through objects in a selection and rename them based on a line of C# code which determines how the objects are to be renamed. The actions are undoable, and syntax errors are shown in a popup for fixing the input string.

Dynamic C# ReNamer is available for Max 2014 to 2016 and costs $20.