MAX Plugins.de News Archive

Archived Plugin News  –  January 2016
 

Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v0.4 are:
- Adds support for poseMatrix


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.0.19 are:
- Adds Max support for Otoy OctaneRender
- Adds Cinema4D support for Otoy OctaneRender
- Adds support for Cinema 4D R17 Team Render
- Adds Cinema4D support for Thea Render 1.5.x

Laubwerk Plants Kit 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are available for Max 2010 to 2016 and cost €149 each. A demo version is available here.


Plugin News: Redshift 3ds Max demo now available

Redshift Rendering Technologies, Inc. have announced that they have made a demo version of their Redshift renderer for Max available for download. The demo is based on the current Alpha version v0.1.56, and is functionally identical to the non-demo builds, but renders with a watermark.

It is also possible to join the closed alpha, which would give you access to a version without the watermark. Full details can be found in this blog post.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for Build 1949 are:
- Bug-fixes


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v3.30.04 are:
- Adds initial V-Ray RT GPU support for VRayTriplanarTex
- Optimizes bitmap memory management in V-Ray RT GPU
- The VRayMtl 'Opacity mode' option default is now set to 'Stochastic'
- Enables pure Volumetric render mode with VRayVolumeGrid in V-Ray RT
- Implements VRayVolumeGrid support for nameless VDB channels
- Probabilistic volume sampling now overrides the GI particle mode shading in VRayVolumeGrid
- Adds a prompt to setvrlservice for administrative credentials
- Reduces V-Ray memory usage for light cache preview with high resolution images
- Closing the MAXScript DR settings window no longer opens the V-Ray Message Log window
- Fixes V-Ray crashes with animation and light cache with distributed rendering
- Fixes V-Ray hanging with tiled textures and very small texture memory limit
- VRayBlendMtl with a blank base mat in a Multi/Sub-Object material now casts transparent shadows
- The %os keyword in the V-Ray frame stamp now recognizes Windows 10
- Reduces V-Ray noise with Adaptive sampling and 'Sub-pixel mapping' enabled
- Reverts to V-Ray's render messages window in Max 2016
- Fixes incorrect VFB loading of compressed .vrimg files with compression ratios higher than 100%
- Fixes the VFB incorrectly receiving mouse clicks from other windows
- Adds V-Ray RT support for the ColorCorrection map 'Printer lights per' and exposure mode options
- Fixes dynamic geometry disappearing in V-Ray RT when rendering animations
- Fixes V-Ray RT clipping texture colors with environment and VRayLight dome lights
- Fixes a V-Ray RT crash if VRayExtraTex texmap changes during ActiveShade
- Fixes a V-Ray RT crash with Progressive sampler when the region is out of the image dimensions
- Shader linking in V-Ray RT now updates in Slate Material Editor during ActiveShade rendering
- Fixes V-Ray RT CPU memory usage in layered materials with opacity maps / fully transparent areas
- Optimizes V-Ray RT GPU memory usage for geometry instances' user attributes
- Portal lights no longer block shadows from other lights in V-Ray RT GPU
- Fixes V-Ray RT GPU ColorCorrection map HSL-RGB / RGB-HSL conversion to match production renders
- Texture mapping size and offset with 'Use real-world scale' enabled now work in V-Ray RT GPU
- Fixes overbright pixels with 'Inscattered light intensity' less than 1 in VRayAerialPerspective
- Fixes dark edges with rounded corners and Blinn/Ward/GGX BRDFs in VRayEdgesTex
- Fixes crash in V-Ray RT GPU when no input file is attached to VRayGLSLMtl/VRayGLSLTex
- VRayLensEffects bloom mode with 'Render element only' option no longer produces darker images
- Fixes changing VRayLensEffects params through MAXScript
- Fixes animated rendering of V-Ray proxies in 'Show full mesh' mode with applied modifiers
- Fixes VRayScannedMtl rendering transparent
- Fixes the VRayTriplanarTex Material Editor preview
- Fixes self-shadowing export of VRayVolumeGrid in V-Ray RT causing rendering slowdown
- Fixes incorrect position changes of VRayVolumeGrid with animated .vdb caches
- Fixes incorrect frame smoothing in VRayVolumeGrid
- Fixes Max hanging when rendering VRayVolumeGrid with render cutter
- Fixes VRayVolumeGrid cache files loading after completing a V-Ray RT / Standalone render
- Fixes a VRayVolumeGrid crash after repeated adding and removing of color gradient points
- Fixes a VRayVolumeGrid crash during GPU preview of fire in RGB mode with own opacity graph
- Fixes differences between GPU viewport preview and rendering of fire using VRayVolumeGrid
- Fixes flipped VRayVolumeGrid meshing with .vdb caches from Houdini
- Fixes VRayVolumeGrid 'Object XYZ' texture mapping / preview in mesh mode for the Surface texmap
- Removes noise on flat iso-surfaces produced by texmaps in VRayVolumeGrid
- Fixes rendering of speed channel from .f3d/.vdb caches in VRayVolumeGrid
- Fixes artifacts with grid-based self-illumination with DR in VRayVolumeGrid
- Mesh transformations are no longer ignored in ply2vrmesh with the -mergeVoxels option
- ply2vrmesh instancing reverted to disabled by default when converting Alembic files
- Fixes V-Ray scene converter script errors on converting Standard material with Strauss BRDF
- Fixes .vrmesh export of VRayProxy objects in 'Show full mesh' mode with modifiers
- The 'AA Quality' slider in V-Ray Quick settings now changes the 'Color threshold' of AA settings

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


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v3.11.00 are:
- Adds support for Octane renderer version 2.XX
- Fixes a bug in the Demo version when searching the asset files
- Fixes issues with creating and relinking Maxwell lights
- Adds support to relink Indigo Mesh objects
- Fixes a minor issue with updating
- Fixes a bug when opening the 'Customize' menu in version 3.10.17
- Fixes a bug when used with 'Batch Render&Relink', 'Models Manager' and 'Materials Manager'
- The license key is now immediately updated and applied when using the 'Move license' button
- Fixes a bug when applying the license key from the plugin menu

FilePathFinder Lite is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs $18.50. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v1.07.00 are:
- Adds the ability to import 3D models as Octane Proxies
- Adds support for Octane renderer version 2.XX
- Fixes an issue with renaming Catalogs
- Fixes some other minor issues

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


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v3.53.00 are:
- Adds support for Octane renderer version 2.XX
- Fixes a bug in the Demo version when searching for asset files
- Fixes an issues with creating and relinking Maxwell lights
- Fixes a minor issue with updating
- Fixes some other minor issues

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


New Plugin: MCG

This MCG object creates a spline in the form of a Druid cross which can then be extruded or bevelled.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v2.26.15 are:
- Adds the ability to import 3D models as Octane Proxy
- Adds support for Octane renderer version 2.XX
- Now uses CoronaBitmap instead of Bitmaptexture when Corona is the current renderer
- Now uses RGB image texture instead of Bitmaptexture when Octane is the current renderer
- Fixes a bug with creating an Octane diffuse material from texture
- Fixes a bug in the Demo version when trying to search the asset files
- Fixes an issue with renaming Catalogs
- Fixes issues with creating and relinking Maxwell lights
- Fixes some minor issues with the material tree

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


New Plugin: MCG

This is a simple combination of ACloneModifier and ARingClone but modified for splines.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v8.6.0 are:
- The Windows render client now supports UTF-16 output from process logs
- Max 2016 is now working as expected
- Fixes a Renderclient bug where the logged users check wasn't working properly under Linux
- Broadcast notifications versus Notificators is no longer supported
- Fixes a Dispatcher issue where disconnected render clients weren't tracked as intended
- Fixes a Dispatcher issue where packets were not being requeued after a disconnection
- Fixes a Linux Dispatcher issue where the system became unstable after a client disconnects
- Adds a new Maya Krakatoa template to the Dispatcher
- A double-click on the Console user editor view now opens the user's details
- The pool editor window in the Console now reports the number of hosts inside a pool
- Fixes wrong TAB navigation into the Console Login window
- Sorting instances using elapsed time now works as intended in the Console
- Deleting a job in the Console no longer resets the submission window
- You can now specify a custom location for the Console help
- Views filters in the Console now use a flow layout with better windows resizing and usability
- Pools filtering in the Console now supports multiple selections
- Adds a couple of new filters to the logs views in the Console

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


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v1.0.4 are:
- Fixes a potential crash when loading Circle Mosaic Style VRay material
- Reduces overall memory usage by 50%
- Fixes a potential crash when loading a pattern or preset right at the beginning
- Decreases pattern loading, tiling and preset loading times
- Fixes a couple of memory leaks
- Fixes a localization problem switching Max to English locale affecting numeric input

OmniTiles is available for Max 2012 to 2016 and costs €99. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v1.4.3 are:
- Fixes mental ray shaders not being found in Max 2012
- Fixes a mental ray crash in Max 2015 Design
- Fixes a problem with maps sometimes disappearing after loading a directory
- Fixes a potential crash when sorting the bitmap list in different manners
- Fixes a potential Max crash during rendering with nodelocked licenses
- Fixes a potential crash when bringing up the about dialog
- Fixes incorrect update message when loading a preset from an older version of the plugin

Crossmap is available for Max 2010 to 2016 and costs €49. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Atmospherics

Changes for v4.0.2 are:
- Fixes a Wavelet Turbulence crash with enormous velocities in the grid
- Fixes a problem with incorrect ObjectSource Normal velocities
- Successive N-Sim runs no longer causes errors
- Fixes a bug with the Black-body shader (reds are now slightly more pronounced)
- The mental ray shader no longer creates zero length .fim files with Illumination Map caching disabled

FumeFX is available for Max 2012 to 2016 and costs $845.


Plugin Update: mental ray Shaders

Changes for v1.9.2 are:
- Adds automatic correction for poles distortion
- Adds a parallel cameras option (infinite parallax)
- Adds full neck support (with force horizontal option)
- Fixes the Zenith Mode Poles Correction bug in the Latlong shader
- Improves dialog layout

The V-Ray Domemaster Stereo and LatLong Stereo shaders included in the Zip file have also been updated.


Plugin Update: MCG

Changes for v1.02 are:
- Adds gravity control for spans


Plugin Update: MCG

Changes for v1.02.00 are:
- Fixes a bug when used with Max Extension 2, the previous version should be used with Extension 1


Plugin Update: Modelling / Texturing

Changes for v5.0.3 beta are:
- Adds new Forest Lister tool to simplify scene management with multiple Forest Pack objects
- Drops support for Max 9 to 2009
- Adds support for V-Ray motion blur and velocity channel with animated objects
- Fixes Forest Color map names in Slate Editor
- ForestEdge's opacity texture is now applied correctly in Corona Renderer
- Fixes distribution on Cluster using multiple items with the same Color ID
- The 'F' icon can now be selected from the viewport
- Adds 'copyMaterialFromObjects' parameter to the forestpack.ini

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


Plugin Update: Objects

Changes for v0.4 alpha are:
- Materials from shader .vrscene now take precedence over materials assigned in the Max scene
- Updates the readme with new information about the python script


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v2.5.3 are:
- Reverts glsles fp shader to highp for float as it was buggy on some devices


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v2.24.2-2.16 are:
- Improves non-linear workflow gamma processing
- Material editor should now have correct colors if Max gamma is enabled

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


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for Extension 2 are:
- Adds a BulletFX Ribbon toolbar
- Adds VDB Velocity simulations
- Adds VDB Collisions
- Improves ease of use
- Fixes a problem with .VDB export grid names
- Fixes unstable granular simulations
- Fixes the BulletFX Explorer not updating during simulation

BulletFX is available for Max 2013 to 2016 and costs $260. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: MCG

This is an MCG object for creating simple spiderwebs with splines, including options for how to weave the web.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.81 are:
- Adds a Presets Rollout for saving CorVex nodes as presets for use in other scenes

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


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v2.0.1 are:
- Fixes a bug when opening the Materials Manager in Max 2010
- Fixes a bug in the Texture Advisor when processing nodes in Max 2010

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


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.4 are:
- Adds support for Perspective, Orthographic and Grid viewports

Polyline Pro is available for Max 2010 to 2011 and Max 2013 to 2016 and costs €20.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for Build 20160123 are:
- Adds a 'Golden Ratio' image composition helper

Both versions of Photo Studio Pro for mental ray and V-Ray have been updated.

Photo Studio Pro is available for Max 2016 and costs €99. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v0.1.3 alpha are:
- UI dialogs have been tweaked
- Disables shadows in material preview
- Adds a 'Background Emits Light' option
- Code cleanup
- Fixes a color space issue in standard material
- Enables and improves material preview
- Now using sliders instead of spinners for scalar values in standard material
- Base color is now used for appleseed standard material preview in viewport
- Fixes material plugin file extension


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.05 are:
- Adds a Stagger option
- Caps Angle at -80/80 for safety reasons as it approaches 90

MCG Stitches is available for Max 2016 and costs $5.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v3.8.0 are:
- Adds preliminary Fallout 4 support


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.24 are:
- Fixes a bug in using faces by material IDs
- Fixes bugs in the Face selection settings

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


Plugin News: A&G Tool Company closed

The A&G Tool Company, makers of plugins such as The Bevel Works, Domelight Pro and various collections of V-Ray materials, has End of Lifed (EOL) all of its software, textures, and shader packs as of January 01, 2016. Effective immediately, no further product development will be done on these products and no purchases will be accepted. Support has also been retired as of January 1st.

Licensing matters, such as requests to transfer a license from one computer to another will be supported until February 1, 2016. If you are a commercial licensee of A&G Tools and need assistance with installation or licensing, you may email support@agtoolcompany.com with a description of the problem. The website will also be shut down on February 1st, 2016.

It's such a pity to see another plugin developer close its doors, and I personally think it is a great shame that they didn't decide to open-source the plugins so that there was a possibility that someone would carry on with development...


Plugin Update: Modelling / Animation

Changes for v4.1.6.6186 are:
- Adds new Auto-unhide MR object when rendering and don't render hidden hair functionality
- Adds updated icons to the hair from strands modifier
- Fixes proxy meshes not orienting properly when using the strand rotate modifier
- Fixes an error on Max exit
- Fixes a crash when adding a collision object to the strand gravity modifier
- Internal fixes and improvements

Ornatrix is available for Max 2009 to 2016 and costs $499. A demo version is available here.


Site News: Happy New Year!

I'd like to wish all visitors to the site a Happy New Year, and all the best for 2016!

Dave