MAX Plugins.de News Archive

Archived Plugin News  –  September 2008
 

Plugin Update: Objects

Changes for v1.0 Alpha are:
- Adds support for Max 9 to 2009 (32-bit and 64-bit)


Plugin Update: Particles / Animation

Changes for v1.41.01 are:
- Adds 'Interactive Demolition System' (IDS) for NVIDIA PhysX engine
- New 'Stick Selected To Mouse' feature for NVIDIA PhysX engine
- Fixes a bug with Bomb's range visualization

This version of RayFire Tool is available for Max 9 to 2009 (32-bit only) and costs $285. Updates from v1.31 / v1.32 / v1.33 cost $75. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.0 Build 1672 are:
- Bugfixes


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.1 are:
- Adds support for Max 2009 (32-bit only)


Site News: Lack of updates recently...

Sorry about being a bit quiet recently, but I've been in production stress and haven't had any time at all for updating the site. Next week I've got to go abroad, so I won't be able to update the site again until the beginning of October.


Plugin News: Unwrella open beta-test

3d-io have started open beta-testing of their upcoming plugin Unwrella, a fast and effective texture map unwrapper. It is designed to allow 3D artists to easily deal with large numbers of objects that need to be unwrapped. With a single mouse click artists can now unfold low and high-poly objects and produce UV Maps with an exact 1:1 stretch ratio and optimal UV space utilization. This type of 'texture seam and surface stretch reduced mapping' allows for displaying of nearly seamless textures and normal maps in realtime engines or any other type of 3D production.


Plugin Update: Particles / Animation

Changes for v1.3.22 are:
- Fixes the glu3D shader which was crashing a lot

glu3D is available for Max 7 to 2009 and costs €495. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.2 are:
- Adds a dialog to show progress and cancel if necessary
- Adds direct MAXScript access to almost all parameters
- Adds polygons texture mapping
- Fixes a crash caused when cloning
- Temporary display is now visible in wireframe view
- Some memory leaks were fixed
- Selection undo fix

Roof Designer is available for Max 9 to 2009 (32-bit and 64-bit) and costs $75 for a limited time (normally $100). A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.3.4 are:
- Improved installer
- Proper export of bitangent data
- Work around degenerate triangles in UV space, if present
- Updates to the texture copy behavior
- Update to August 2008 version of the Direct3D runtime


Plugin Update: Objects

Changes for v0.91b are:
- Fixes a crash when clicking in viewport while ivy is growing


Plugin Update: Modifiers

Changes for v1.0.5 are:
- Fixes wrong simulation for scaled objects
- Polygons with 256+ faces can now be converted to physics dynamic rigid bodies
- Fixes proxy simulation error
- Adds support for collision iteration


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v1.02 are:
- Shot and pass sequences can now be viewed in the Ram Player
- Pass Drop down list and Camera Drop Down list now resize with the UI
- 'Open Max File Folder' now available in the Render file menu
- Fixes a bug with light shadow properties not being restored
- Fixes a bug with include maps not working with backburner submits

LPM Pro is available for Max 9 to 2009 and costs $75. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.3 are:
- Fixes incorrect error warnings when using non-English versions of Max
- Fixes a crash bug when a rig contained lots of mirrored parent bone/objects


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v1.0.384 include:
- Fixes to global illumination to improve sample contributions
- Fix to mi_sample to provide better samples for two dimensional requests
- Fixes NURBs approximation ensuring surface approx is applied when surface has displacement
- Fix to NURBs tesselation to respect max/min limits
- Adds support for photon exponent values for lights, allows modification of the power law
- Fix to support casting photons from area lights
- Fix to ignore incremental flag for first seen database items
- Fix to polygonal displacement to prevent potential crash with certain shaders
- Fix to ward_aniglossy allow values greater than 1.0
- Fix to mi_vector_to_light to support no light instance

Rendition is available for Max 9 to 2009 and costs $395. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: Import / Export

Infinity is a 3D internet browser, and the Infinity Professional Development Kit contains an export plugin to convert your Max scenes to the format used by Infinity. At the moment Infinity is in a public beta testing phase, and Infinity Pro will eventually be commercial, although I have no idea of pricing at the moment.


Plugin News: Import / Export

Jon Watte has put out a release candidate (v1.3.3-rc0 32-bit) for the new version of his kiloWatt X-port exporter. It fixes a problem with normals and tangent bases for certain scenes that had transforms in parent nodes followed by counter-transforms in the geometry itself.


Plugin News: QTiP 3.0 Pro to be released soon

Darin Petersen has announced that QTiP Pro v3.0 will be released soon. The new version will be available for Max 9 to Max 2009 (32-bit and 64-bit). Anyone purchasing QTiP v2.1 after August 24th will get a free upgrade to v3.0 when its ready. Otherwise, upgrade price is $6 for current users.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v9.31 are:
- Adds intelligent sorting or text information in the thumbnails view
- WIA Import now imports images from a scanner
- Error reports now contain more complete information
- Adds support for reading DDS files (DirectX)
- The 3D viewer now initializes faster when the scene has a lot of meshes
- The dialog box 'The server is busy...' no longer pops up all the time
- The 64-bit version no longer freezes when using the tree folder view
- The screen capture tool no longer crashes when starting capture
- Catalogue update no longer freezes the software
- Auto rotation features now work with non-JPEG files
- Lightwave import no longer crashes when reading UVs
- Speeds up 3DS import on scenes with a lot of meshes

3D Photo Browser for 3D Users is available for Max 4 to 2009 and costs $69. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: Global Utilities

This plugin is part of a script that simplifies the work process for a linear workflow. It applies a colour correct with a gamma of 2.2 to every material at render time i.e textures AND flat colours.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v1.0.380 include:
- Fixes autovolume to support cameras inside single volume direct to environment
- Fixes visible light geometry box structure
- Fixes loading indicator for plugin scenes
- Optimised the MI Importer binary reader
- Changes Environment Settings to increase precision of Y Rotation control
- Fixes autovolume to support cameras inside multiple volumes

Rendition is available for Max 9 to 2009 and costs $395. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v3.03 beta are:
- - Adds a new full editor for the Library Browser
- Improves support of paging keys and scroll bars for the Library Browser
- Fixes the Mental Ray shader to work with IES Sun lights
- Fixes a bug when loading scenes that use 'Following Spline'
- Forest Tools instancing now uses random transformations
- Adds new options for self-shadowing detection
- Adds a button to reset trees to their default size
- 'Use Mesh Dimensions' parameter is now used for custom objects
- Random mirror now works properly
- Adds a new button to select trees by ID
- Network licensing protocol improved to avoid firewall issues
- License Manager now works with bigger fonts
- Fixes licensing error with workstation names longer than 15 characters
- 'Change License Mode' utility remembers the last mode configured
- Microsoft Runtime libraries are installed when needed
- Adds support for network render nodes installation

Forest Pack Pro is available for Max 7 to 2009 and costs €250. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v0.2.17.7 are:
- Adds support for Max 2009 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Fixes project so Max 2008 is properly supported
- Updates license to reflect that it's a BSD license
- Updated to latest version of niflib
- Adds initial support for Freedom Force animation import
- Adds support for importing Collision as Packed TriStrip when appropriate
- Fixes Binormal and Tangent export calculations
- Adds support for exporting Collision as Packed TriStrips when appropriate
- Packed TriStrips will now also export bhkMoppBvTreeShape (32-bit only)
- Adds more support for grouped nodes referenced in a bhkRigidBody
- Adds additional settings to bhkRigidBodyModifier for bhkPackedTriShapes


Plugin Update: Modifiers

Changes for v1.1 are:
- Adds support for Max 2009 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- The plugin is now freeware

This version came out a while ago, but I only just noticed it...


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v1.0.376 include:
- Fix to Environment Settings panel to improve support for max shaders

Rendition is available for Max 9 to 2009 and costs $395. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.6.22 are:
- Fixes a bug in the calculation of animation lengths
- Adds a dialog to handle merging of OgreMax scene settings
- Fixes material export reversing shadow receiver vertex / fragment program parameters
- Fixes a bug in the generation of animation key frame times
- Adds logic to handle cloning of OgreMax object settings
- Adds logic to handle merging of other scenes and their OgreMax object settings
- Fixes a bug in the export of shapes that have multiple segments


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v1.06 are:
- Open URL action has a new option: open in new window
- Click-VR now comes with a software emulation for missing DirectX features
- Adds a compatibility fallback that enables rendering on systems with no pixelshader 2.0 support
- The renderer now supports depth channel effects using destination alpha
- Adds suppport for general purpose vertex animations like mesh morphing
- The application editor now has an option to disable automatic viewport updating
- High resolution shadow maps now get blurred correctly
- Several minor bug fixes

Click-VR Visualizer is available for Max 5 to 2009 and costs €1,180. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v1.01 are:
- Common Properties override now has an aspect lock
- Common Properties override can now save and load presets
- Adds Deadline support, using Settings->Max File Render Type
- Adds a new video tutorial: '3rd Party Network Managers / Render Strips'
- Renaming passes / shots now automatically filters out windows filename characters

LPM Pro is available for Max 9 to 2009 and costs $75. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.6.19 are:
- Fixes a bug with the object render queue setting not being exported properly
- Fixes a bug with OgreMax materials not exporting to separate files
- Fixes a bug with the 'Convert to OgreMax Materials' feature