MAX Plugins.de News Archive

Archived Plugin News  –  May 2010
 

Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v1.0 Build 20100526 are:
- Solid Glass now works properly
- Fixes the mr_raytype_switcher bug

Shader Utilities Pro is available for Max 2009 to 2011 and costs €149. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v3.17.1 are:
- Fixes a problem exporting TGA images
- Fixes a crash bug loading dotXSI/Collada files
- Fixes a bug in the Optix renderer with the 'Ignore this device' option


Plugin Update: Lighting

Changes for v1.0.5b are:
- New script-generated object 'Base Walls'
- New script-generated softboxes
- Adds 'Reflectors Assemblies' section
- Removed section 'Preset Scenes' (will be in final 1.0 version)
- Changes licensing and installation order

V-Ray Studio Setup Pro is available for Max 2010 and 2011, and costs €40. At the moment, the plugin is still in beta, but if you purchase it now you will receive free updates up to the final version 1.0


Plugin News: Sneak peek at XRayUnwrap v1.5

Raylight S.r.l. have posted a sneak peek at the upcoming version 1.5 of their XRayUnwrap plugin.
They have also added a list of new features:
- Redesigned interface, fully integrated inside UVWunwrap modifier
- Speed increases
- Live Unwrap: select your edges and see the result in realtime
- Works on any primitive, no more editable poly restriction
- Packing functionality added
- Seams can be edited inside UVWunwrap modifier
- Subobject unwrapping
- Multiple UVWunwrap modifiers can be added and keep history
- Map seam flags are preserved within instanced unwrap
- Instanced unwrap over multiple objects
- Backwards compatibility with v1.0


New Plugin: Objects

This is a beta version of an upcoming commercial plugin for creating ocean waves based on the Tessendorf equations. It is an on-going development which started with the MAXScript version you can find here, and which will include presets, special shaders, foam maps and more.

More information on progress as well as images and videos can be found over at this ScriptSpot page.

This free version doesn't allow you to render animated waves, you can only see the animation in the viewport. At the moment the plugin is still in development, and there is no information on pricing or release date.


Plugin Update: Modifiers

Changes for v0.11 beta are:
- Adds static projections (camera / object transformations can be calculated at a specific frame)
- This lets you 'freeze' projections without having to link the camera to the object


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v5.5.3 are:
- Adds support for Max 2011 to the interface
- Adds support for Maya 2011 to the interface
- Adds support for Softimage 2011 to the interface
- Adds a frame timeout option for XSI
- Adds V-Ray Distributed Render (DR) support for Max
- The Shake submit interface has been adjusted to allow for chunking
- Modified the Softimage QubeGUI submission dialog to use easier version names
- Adds forward compatibility to load the human readable qube_guiPreferences.conf format
- Modified the Submit simplecmd 'combobox' widgets 'SetValues' routine

Qube! is available for Max 7 to 2011 and costs $250 for a worker license and $500 for a supervisor license. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v2.2 are:
- Adds support for Max 2011 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds an additional alternate lower resolution head
- Improved custom sub-object
- Adds animation support in custom sub-object
- Adds the ability to directly import files from Facial Studio (Windows Edition)
- Fixes up/down and left/right inconsistencies in all sub-objects
- Fixes the Hanrahan-Krueger shader failing in Max 2010
- Fixes the FS Eyes modifier failing

Facial Studio is available for Max 6 to 2011 and costs $699. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modifiers

Changes for v0.1 beta are:
- Adds support for Max 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for Build 1736 are:
- Bug-fixes


Plugin Update: Renderers

Cubicspace have released a new version of Plugin3D (previously known as rtre), and among other things they have radically changed the licensing options for the plugin (see below).

Changes for v2.5.18 are:
- Greatly increased performance for large and complex scenes in both authoring and publishing
- Enhanced support for built-in Max materials
- New and improved navigation features such as orbit and fly modes
- New customizable gravity for walk mode
- Automatic basic lighting to get users scenes up and running quickly
- Commonly used menus are now accessible through modeless dialogs and right-click menus
- New customizable ground and sky gradients
- Up to 50% saving in size of standalone published scenes
- Expanded publishing controls to easily order and switch between multiple cameras
- The plugin is now free to download

The new licensing scheme means that you can download the plugin for free, and as long as you are working locally you get watermarked content. As soon as you are ready to publish something, you can buy a license for that one publishing job directly through the plugin or from the Plugin3D website. Pricing is between $49 and $99, depending on the quantity you need at time of purchase.


New Plugin: Materials

3Point Shader is a toolset for creation and presentation of high-quality real-time rendered materials in the Max viewport. For a full overview of features, take a look at this page.

3Point Shader Lite contains the full shader capability set of of 3Point Shader, along with Quality Mode normal map rendering. It does not include the GUI controls found in the commercial version (soon to be released), instead providing access to parameters through an auto-generated interface.

The plugin is free for non-commercial use.


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for 2010 include:
- Adds support for Max 2011 and Max Design 2011 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds the ability to import morphs and combiner nodes
- Adds audio analysis, newtake and change analysisactor functionality
- Adds a number of new script functions
- Fixes a machine-specific bug that would occur when setting keys with Max exporter
- And much more... a full list of changes can be found here

FaceFX Plugin is available for Max 9 to 2011 and costs $199. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Particles / Animation

Changes for v1.0.12 are:
- Adds a new user control that lets you control how age affects particle size

PWrapper is available for Max 7 to 2011 and costs €295. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Atmospherics / Animation

Changes for v2.0 are:
- Adds Wavelet Turbulence mode for adding extra detail to low-res simulations
- You can now shrink the FumeFX grid around smoke and fire to limit memory consumption
- Retiming lets you slow down and speed up your simulation caches
- Adds a fuel-specific weight parameter so that it can be directly affected by gravity
- Temperature can now control where fire creates smoke
- Adds a new FumeFX_Burn WSM so you can affect a meshes vertex color based on FumeFX values
- Turbulence and Forces are now visible inside the viewport even if grid is not simulated
- Adds a new Void Source to erase all fields inside or outside of it
- The FumeFX Object Source helper now can handle multiple objects
- The FumeFX Particle Source helper now uses AfterBurn style controls
- You can now use one FumeFX source as the source for another FumeFX simulation
- Auto Synchronize Paths option has been added to the Global FumeFX Preferences
- You can now change the Presets folder in the Preferences dialog
- The FumeFX Preview Window now updates if you rotate the active viewport
- You can now change the Preview path from within the FumeFX UI
- You now have the option to choose the codec for the FumeFX Preview Window
- The Velocity channel has been added to the list of FusionWorks Render Elements
- Additional MAXScript commands have been added for superior scripting control

FumeFX is available for Max 9 to 2011 and costs $845. If you purchased a copy of FumeFX v1.2 after February 1st, 2010 the upgrade is free. Purchasers before that date can upgrade for $195.


Plugin News: iCube Creative Group reveals VraySpeedLight

iCube Creative Group have posted some images and information on their next development project VraySpeedLight. It seems to be a modifier plugin that can optimise rendering scenes with large amounts of lights.

They mention speed increases of up to 5-6 times when rendering complicated scenes such as town visualisation at night time or large interiors with many light sources. It doesn't just speed up rendering, it also makes a difference to how fast GI is calculated.

Beta testing is due to start next week.


Plugin Update: Objects

Changes for v0.94b are:
- More animatable parameters: BranchSize / Aspect, LeafChaos / Size, TextureHeight, Rotate, Twist
- Ivy material uses MR-materials if default materials are 'Arch&Design'
- Newly created ivys are now scaled correctly with any sytem unit scale
- Adds scaling of parameters which have world-units
- Adds a button to reset scale to default values
- You can now extract the grow splines (single or multiple shapes)
- You can now create Quicksilver-compatible materials (Max 2011 only)


New Plugin: Modifiers

This is a new camera map modifier that makes your Max projection work more flexible, more stable and easier to manage. It overcomes the limitations of all currently available camera projection modifiers and finally allows you to use projections that no longer rely on having the same resolution and/or image aspect ratio as the rendered output image.

Features include:
- Supports up to 10 individual projections in 1 modifier
- Projection resolution settings are independent from render resolution
- All projections can be toggled on / off individually within the modifier
- Projection camera names are clearly visible in separate scrolling text field
- Projection cameras are directly selectable in the modifier panel
- Acts like a WorldSpace Camera Map modifier (takes object and camera transformation into account)
- Being a regular ObjectSpace modifier, other modifiers still can go on top
- More stable than the Max default Camera Map object space and world space modifiers
- Works properly as an instanced modifier
- All parameters exposed and controllable via MAXScript


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for SP2 are:
- Adds options to turn on/off rendering of proxy objects, X-Ref scenes and particles
- Adds support for stereoscopic rendering (anaglyph, interlaced, checker, dual-window)
- Adds adaptive sampling support
- Adds support for the offset parameters of the physical camera
- Adds support for mesh lights
- Adds support for VRayAmbientLight
- Adds support for bitmaps in the Gradient Ramp texture
- Adds a MAXScript callback when a frame is complete
- Fixes differing results with missing maps in the enviroment slot
- Fixes errors with bitmap textures without a specified file name
- Horizontal shift for physical camera now works properly
- Fixes differences to the production renderer with texture filtering off and 'Blur' other than 1.0
- Animation of materials and textures is now updated in the ActiveShade window
- Animation of physical camera properties is now updated in the ActiveShade window

V-Ray RT is available for Max 9 to 2011 and costs $299. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v9.0.5 are:
- Fixes several potential memory leaks in the TCPComBridge
- This patch contains all of the fixes from the patches 9.0.1 and 9.0.2

Alienbrain is available for Max 8 to 2009 and pricing starts at $12,000. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Particles / Animation

Changes for v5.0 are:
- RealFlow RenderKit v2 is now included in the package
- Adds a license manager
- Adds the RealFlow job manager to control simulation jobs
- New Hybrido fluid technology (more information in the Hybrido white paper PDF)
- Grid-based liquids
- Liquids, soft and rigid body dynamics are now multi-threaded
- Caronte, a new cutting-edge body dynamics solver
- A highly accelerated particle-based solver (up to 20x faster)
- And much much more... a full list of new features can be found here (PDF)

RealFlow is available for Max 7 to 2011 and costs €2995. An upgrade from RealFlow4 costs €1495, and an upgrade from RealFlow3 and earlier costs €2000.


New Plugin: Modelling / Texturing

MultiScatter is based on VRayScatter technology, but it's designed to work not only with V-Ray but also with Mental Ray. New to MultiScatter is multi-core processing support. It can use 4 CPU cores and runs almost 4 times quicker than VRayScatter, which uses only one core.

MultiScatter allows V-Ray and Mentalray to generate huge amount of objects in an array. 64-bit support allows MultiScatter to create huge scenes (eg. a forest or a city) and submit them for render in the blink of an eye. Fast render-time generation of objects with optimized RAM management makes the creation of large scenes extremely easy.

MultiScatter is available for Max 2008 to 2011 and costs €300.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v2.8.37.0 are:
- Corrects a UI problem with Max 2009/2008 x64
- Adds new GrannyLinearBlend/GrannyLinearBlendRanged functions
- GrannyCopyLocalPoseBoneCount now has a 'BoneStart' parameter
- Changes the way that compound array attributes are exported from Maya

Granny Exporter is available for Max 6 to 2011, and is part of the Granny Toolkit which costs $12500.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for Build 1734 are:
- A number of bug-fixes


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v1.0 are:
- Adds support for Max 2011 and Max Design 2011 (32-bit and 64-bit)


Plugin Update: Particles / Animation

Changes for v1.0.11 are:
- Adds control tooltips to help in understanding its use

PWrapper is available for Max 7 to 2011 and costs €295. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Controllers

Changes for v1.0.3 are:
- IKFKBlend, SwivelAngle, ScaleMultiplier and IKStretch controller are now MAXScript accessible
- 'SwiveAngle' MAXScript property is now called 'SwivelAngle'


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v2010.05.16 are:
- Fixes an error with glass IOR and architectural glass setting


Plugin News: Pencil+ 3 beta...

P SOFTHOUSE Co., LTD. has released a load of information about the new version of their NPR renderer Pencil+, which is due to start open beta-testing in June.

New and improved features already announced include:
- Faster material computation
- Integration with line additions
- New highlights calculator
- Improved gradient operations
- The number of zones can be set arbitrarily
- Adds an ID management zone
- Adds a preset zone
- General mapping of strokes
- Maps can be set to any number of strokes
- Adds support for multi/sub materials
- Improved line speed calculation
- Improved line ID management
- Independent settings for outlines
- Adds a non-photorealistic camera
- Adds a normal copy modifier
- Adds render elements
- Improved synthetic helper line
- Pencil+ 3 can co-exist with Pencil+ 2


Plugin News: Free RPCs for Max 2011 users

Archvision, Inc. are offering 10 free RPCs and a free trial of RPC All Access to users of Max 2011 and Max Design 2011. Find out how to get your free RPCs here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v3.2.33 are:
- Adds support for Max 9 SP1 (32-bit and 64-bit)

FilePathFinder Pro is available for Max 9 to 2011 and costs $30. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.4.5 are:
- Adds support for Max 2011 and Max Design 2011 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Shingles crossing edges can now be capped after slicing them
- Shingles can now be completely removed when crossing chosen edges
- Fixes a problem with edge cover direction in large scale scenes
- Fixes the 14001 error from missing MS VC 2005 Redistributable Package

Roof Designer is available for Max 9 to 2011 and costs $55. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.8 are:
- Adds support for DirectX 6 (beta)
- Adds support for Max 2011 and Max Design 2011 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for Max 2009 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for 64-bit Max 2010 and Max Design 2010


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.5.0 are:
- Adds support for Max 2011 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Improved implementation of KWFunctions scripting interface
- Adds a workaround for the '1 second animation bug' in XNA Game Studio
- Removed the confusing 'export shader' checkbox, now it just does the right thing
- Removed the confusing 'static frame' label, now it uses the timeline


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v1.5 are:
- Improved force field support, force per object
- New radial shatter for beaking glass-like effect
- Multipath shattering
- New fracture local propagation scheme for well-defined cracks
- New stresses view for fine tunning of fractures
- New batch mode computing for large scale scenes
- All bugs from v1.1 have been fixed

Pull Down It Pro is available for Max 2008 to 2011. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling / Texturing

Changes for v2.5.9 are:
- Adds support for Max 2011 and Max Design 2011 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for V-Ray 1.5 SP5
- New easy installation process

VRayScatter is available for Max 9 to 2011 and costs €200. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v1.0.452 are:
- Fix to photon mapping to handle multiple samples at the same location

Rendition is available for Max 9 to 2011 and costs $395. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v4.525 are:
- Adds support for V-Ray 1.5 SP5
- Adds support for Deadline 4
- Stereo preview no longer errors if cancelled

This version of RPManager is available for Max 9 to 2011 and costs $300. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Materials

This is the beta of the new version of the brilliant Bercon Maps. This will not replace the old maps, you can have both installed at the same time and old scenes will NOT start using these new maps.

Changes in v3.0 Beta 1 are:
- Fixes distortion directions in all maps
- Replaces old coordinate rollouts with new 'Mapping' rollout
- Optimized Worley noise, it is slightly faster now
- Perlin and Simplex noises are now filtered so the noise blends out with distance
- Removes legacy noises from Noise
- Adds 2D, 3D and 4D versions of Perlin and Simplex noise
- Fixes a bug in Worley Noise with 3 feature points
- Fixes bump being inverted in Noise and Wood
- Adds bump map support for Gradient map in UVW mode
- Adds support for randomizing Tile colors
- Removed UVW loop controls from Gradient
- Fixes a crash with Max Composite map
- Fixes Gradients key map slot names so they'll show up in node editor
- Fixes not being able to wire Gradients keys in Slate material editor
- Adds supersampling to the Wood map
- The Tile map has been completely rebuilt
- Distortion now works on one channel at a time
- Distortion now has a mapping rollout for randomization per object/matID/particle
- Adds MultiTexture to the package and adds support for Tile map
- MultiTexture is not part of BerconMaps and belongs to Thomas Suurland
- Known bug #1: 'Key texture' is visible in Slate Material Editor
- Known bug #2: Using 'Mirror' in the Mapping rollout renders wrong if used as a bump map
- Known bug #3: Some parameter names are still incorrect


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v2010.05.10 are:
- Adds the matte translucent shader (no texture support yet, color only)
- Adds the rough glass shader (no texture support yet, color only)
- Carpaint has been added again
- Adds U/V setting to the metal material


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for Build 20100406 are:
- Adds support for Max 2011 and Max Design 2011 (32-bit and 64-bit)

Photo Studio Pro is available for Max 2008 to 2011 and costs €199. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: Lighting

V-Ray Studio Setup Pro is a plugin for automating studio lighting setups for use with the V-Ray rendering engine. Key features include:
- Live creation of studio setups
- Quick access to all of the items properties
- Pre-built studio lighting and camera setups
- Preset scenes based on object scale
- Completely customizeable backdrops (length, height, width, color, etc.)
- Adapts V-Ray settings depending on chosen resolution
- Switch between 'Low' and 'Production' settings with one click
- User rendering presets manager / editor
- Compatible with Max 2010 and 2011
- Compatible with V-Ray SP4/SP5
- Simple user-friendly interface

V-Ray Studio Setup Pro is available for Max 2010 and 2011, and costs €40. At the moment, the plugin is still in beta, but if you purchase it now you will receive free updates up to the final version 1.0


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for Build 20100508 are:
- The Sample Curve algorithm has been improved
- Adds 'reflective AO' to all TH-Materials for dimming reflections in ambient areas

Shader Utilities Pro is available for Max 2009 to 2011 and costs €149. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v5.24 are:
- Adds support for Max 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Pathfinding from multiple start positions
- Graph search optimisations
- Curved path generation improvements

groundExport is part of the PathEngine SDK, and is available for Max 9 to 2010. A basic license for the SDK costs €4000.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v3.2.28 are:
- Adds support for Max 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds the ability to change the path for cache files
- Some interface changes
- Fixes some issues when creating new materials in Max 2011
- Fixes a few minor issues

FilePathFinder Pro is available for Max 2008 to 2011 and costs $30. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v2.0.30 are:
- Adds support for Max 2011 and Max Design 2011 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for enabling and disabling displacements, emitters and coatings
- Changes SimuLens ranges to match Maxwell Studio
- Fixes a MAXScript error when trying to render scenes on a machine which doesn't have the plugin
- The RFRK object now updates in the viewport when the axis parameter is changed

The Maxwell 3ds Max plugins come with Maxwell Render, which is available for Max 7 to 2011 and costs €895. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v1.4.7.15485 are:
- Fixes nested state sets being applied in reverse order when using 'render all' option
- Fixes 'render all' not applying the parent state when not using master state to render
- State sets now track active render elements, display elements and combustion output properties
- Adds right-click menu options to create and load state set templates
- State set templates are now in a functional state
- Most of a scene's animation properties are now tracked by state sets
- Schematic state set nodes now have record and current button (WIP)

Zookeeper is available for Max 2009 to 2011 and costs $249. A demo version is available here.


Plugin News: More info on MultiScatter...

The iCube Creative Group have released some information on MultiScatter licensing / upgrades for users of VRayScatter:

There are no new features planned for VRayScatter, but it will be supported and updated for all new versions of Max and V-Ray.

If you purchased VRayScatter in 2010, you can migrate to MultiScatter for free. If you purchased VRayScatter before 2010, you can migrate to MultiScatter for 50% of the MultiScatter price.

You will be able to use VRayScatter and MultiScatter at the same time in one project.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v1.2.0.0 are:
- Fixes a linking symbol mismatch issue which prevented certain methods from being exposed
- IPlugin-derived abstract classes are no longer instantiated to prevent an error
- If the configured remoting port is already open or not available the next available port will be used
- IScanRenderer2 interface is now properly upcast
- Max.NET now supports versioning to allow users to download previous versions / revert back
- Minor fixes and refactoring

MaxDotNet is available for Max 9 to 2011 and costs $675 for commercial use. For non-commercial use the plugin is free. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: Import / Export

InstantExport is the InstantReality X3D exporter for Max and not only exports XML-based X3D as well as VRML, its classic encoding, but it can also now directly export to HTML/ XHTML.

X3DOM (pronounced X-Freedom) is an experimental open source framework and runtime to support the ongoing discussion in the Web3D and W3C communities of how an integration of HTML5 and declarative 3D content could look like. It tries to fulfill the current HTML5 specification for declarative 3D content and allows including X3D elements as part of any HTML5 DOM tree.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v0.01 are:
- Adds support for Max 2010 and Max 2011 (32-bit and 64-bit)

The link above is for the 32-bit version of the plugin. You can get the 64-bit version here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v3.17.0 are:
- Adds support for OpenCTM (compressed meshes) file format
- Due to being recompiled with VS2008, the program is now 10% faster
- Adds support for Max 2011 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for vertex colors in the OBJ, dotXSI and Ply mesh importers
- You can now render-to-texture a new map type: highpoly's vertex colors
- Adds an experimental GPGPU map renderer based on NVIDIA's CUDA/Optix technology
- Improved compatibility/performance with NVIDIA Quadro cards
- Fixes a lot of bugs


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v3.0.0 are:
- The code has been completely restructured
- Lots of improvements
- Optimized for Octaga Player 3.0

Octaga Exporter is available for Max 2009 and 2010, and costs €49. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling / Animation

Changes for v8.5 include:
- Global gamma control
- Interactive cloud control
- Animated planetary cloud density maps
- Diagnosis render passes
- Unlimited material painting
- Terrain zone extraction
- New terrain sculpting tools
- Advanced EcoSystem control
- Improved OpenGL engine and viewport display
- And much more...

Vue 8 xStream is available for Max 7 to 2011 and costs $1495. A demo version is available here.


Plugin News: RPManager website down at the moment...

Just in case you've been trying to get onto the RPManager website today, there was a problem with the domain name renewal which has now been sorted out. It'll take 24 hours or so until the site is as reachable as usual.


Plugin Update: Lighting

Changes for v1.02 are:
- Adds support for Max 2011 (32-bit and 64-bit)

GTools MultiLight is available for Max 2009 to 2011 and costs $30.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.2.0 are:
- Adds support for Max 2011 (32-bit only)


Plugin Update: Modifiers

Changes for v1.6 are:
- Fixes a bug that first appeared in Max 2010
- Adds support for Max 2011 and Max Design 2011 (32-bit and 64-bit)


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for SP5 are:
- Adds full support for Max 2011 and Max Design 2011 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds the VRaySamplerInfoTex texture and VRaySamplerInfo render element
- Adds the VRayObjectSelect render element
- Adds an option to the VRayPhysicalCamera to perform image distortion based on a texture map
- You can now specify texture bounds for 3D displacement
- Adds a displacement slot to the VRayFastSSS2 material
- Adds a 'prepass id' parameter to the VRayFastSSS2 material
- Adds a displacement slot to the VRayLightMtl material
- The color parameter of VRayIES lights is now animatable
- The min/max z-depth values for the VRayZDepth render element are now animatable
- Adds support for reflection occlusion in VRayDirt
- Adds support for environment sampling in VRayDirt
- Adds support for Particle Flow vertex color mapping and particle visibility
- Adds support for the 'Use transparent shadows' option in Arch&Design materials
- The clipping planes of the VRayPhysicalCamera are now displayed in the viewport
- Adds an option 'show cone' to the VRayPhysicalCamera to control viewport display
- You can now save/load color correction curves for the VFB in PhotoShop .acv format
- Adds support for pixel aspect ratio display in the V-Ray VFB
- Adds support for anaglyph stereo preview in the V-Ray VFB
- Adds support for LUT color correction in the V-Ray VFB from .cube files
- You can now display the value of corrected colors in the V-Ray VFB pixel info dialog
- The 'Dynamic memory limit' parameter can be set to zero to remove any limit
- Motion blur for Hair&Fur in 'mr prim' mode now matches the 'buffer' mode
- Fixes occasional random crashes in Max 2010 due to progress bar updates
- Fixes invalid smoothed normals causing issues with displacement
- Fixes AA artifacts with thin bright lines when using Adaptive DMC image sampler
- Fixes stuck buckets with perfectly transparent surfaces and GI
- Fixes incorrect vignetting in VRayPhysicalCamera when using horizontal/vertical offset
- setVRaySilentMode() now disables the dialog for overwriting raw .vrimg files
- Fixes missing reflections in VRayFastSSS2 when a coat material is inside a VRayBlendMtl
- Fixes incorrect bump mapping for GI when using time-interpolated irradiance maps
- Fixes artifacts in VRayFastSSS2 when one of the scatter color components is zero
- Fixes incorrect normal map with VRayNormalMap on VRayProxy objects
- Fixes a crash with animated irradiance maps and objects with zero scale
- VRayIES lights now produce photon-mapped caustics
- Fixes invalid normals with VRayEdgesTex in the bump slot

V-Ray is available for Max 6 to 2011 and costs $999. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Connection

Changes for v6.05 are:
- Fixes a bug in the wakeup on lan feature
- Fixes a Console crash bug when selecting a job belonging to a template you do not own
- Fixes a potential lock condition in the Dispatcher
- Fixes a bug in the pool rename feature
- It is now possible to right-click on a log and see its details
- It is now possible to export the logs list
- Unix maximum command line length has been increased from 512 bytes to 8K
- Changes the way the logon test is performed under Windows 7

Muster is available for Max 8 to 2011 and costs $85. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v2010.04.30 are:
- This version adds support for Max 2008 and 2009 (32-bit and 64-bit)

The plugin for Max 2010 (see below) has a newer version number than this one, but I assume that by the next release they will be at the same stage of development.


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v5.6 are:
- A new person character represents humans in your AI environment
- A new wheeled object represents ground wheeled vehicles in your AI environment
- The wander behaviour has been rewritten

AI.implant is available for Max 9 to 2009 and costs $4995. (I'm not actually sure about the available Max versions. If anyone knows better, please let me know.)


New Plugin: Objects / mental ray Shaders

Volume Node brings volume modelling/rendering capabilities to Max by introducing a new object node called volume node in which the 3D volume data is stored. Volume node enables the display of arbitrary 3D volume data interactively in the Max viewport using GPU hardware rendering alongside traditional surface models. It also contains render backends for mental ray and the scanline renderer. It has its own volume material that controls the display of the volume in all of these different renderers.

The viewport hardware rendering allows interactive feedback when changing display properties like transfer function or changing to different display methods. At the moment Volume Node supports these following different display modes via the volume ray casting algorithm (more will follow in the future):
- Direct Volume Rendering (DVR)
- Isosurface rendering
- Maximum Intensity Projection (MIP)

The plugin includes a mental ray shader to handle the volume rendering when using mental ray.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v2010.05.04 are:
- You can now set the material group for the LR Light
- Fixes errors when creating a LuxLight material
- Adds a bit more feedback in the render dialog while exporting
- Removed the render output window in Max while exporting scenes
- Fixes the default value for the Mirror shader 'Film Index' spinner


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for SP1 are:
- The line render engine now supports detecting line styles for any Multi-Sub material
- The hatching map now has increased precision to avoid possible instabilities
- Fixes a problem with several line styles flickering
- The line renderer algorithm no longer shows missing or broken lines
- fT-Outline material now supports Multi-Sub material trees
- Fixes a few instabilities in the advanced hatching algorithm
- The advanced hatching algorithm no longer shows incorrect alpha values
- The advanced hatching texture map now supports all tiling options available in Max

finalToon is available for Max 2008 to 2011 and costs €495.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for SP1 are:
- Fixes the Physical Sky Texture map being offset in some cases
- Fixes some issues with fR-Scatter being offset from its base surface
- Fixes a rare crash with fR-Scatter
- Fixes possible intersection problems in the core accelerator engine (MSP)
- The core accelerator engine (MSP) now has improved precision and greater stability
- Fixes a crash problem in the MTD core with complex displacement setups
- Fixes a problem with the Scanline rendering accelerator and complex Multi-Sub materials
- Fixes a problem with the Scanline rendering accelerator and motion blur
- fR-Wire material with the Scanline renderer accelerator is now Multi-Sub material aware
- Instanced geometry now works properly with Sub Surface Scattering
- Fixes an artifact problem with the fR-Light material
- Extremely long object names no longer result in a crash
- Fixes a few problems with the advanced Render Elements
- Fixes a problem with the fR-Material Render Element
- Dome light viewport material is now updated for reflections
- fR-Wire now works with Scanline rendering accelerator and GI
- fR-Wire now supports Scanline rendering accelerator together with fR-Layer
- fR-Light material and animated meshes now work as expected
- The AQMC GI engine no longer has problems with instanced objects and solution files

finalRender is available for Max 2008 to 2011 and costs €995 (Standard) / €1295 (Studio Edition).


New Plugin: Renderers

This a wrapper plugin for the Indigo renderer that exports your scene and renders it using indigo_console.exe. At the moment, material handling is minimal and will be expanded on in future versions. The only advantages over the Maxigo plugin for Indigo is animation rendering and renderfarm usage, which this plugin handles better.


Plugin Update: Modelling / Texturing

Changes for v2.5.8 are:
- Adds support for Max 2011 and Max Design 2011 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- New simple installation utility

VRayScatter is available for Max 9 to 2011 and costs €200. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.4.1.7 are:
- Fixes an export bug on certain types of Max animation files


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v2.12 are:
- Fixes a problem which caused certain kinds of mesh to not unwrap properly

Unwrella is available for Max 9 to 2011 and costs €149. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v4.21 are:
- Fixes a file corruption that occured in specific situations

BonesPro is available for Max 9 to 2011 and costs €299. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v2.3 are:
- Adds support for Max 2011 and Max Design 2011 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds a scene setting to force meshes to be exported immediately
- Adds scene camera near/far clip settings to the global settings dialog
- Adds documentation with details on which material types and settings are exported
- Updated Ogre 1.7.x release to use Ogre 1.7.1
- Updated DirectX runtimes to February 2010
- Modified the material and file name fixer functions to work better with non-Latin characters
- Modified user data types to support both 'default' and 'defaultValue' attributes
- Modified tangent/binormal data so it is at the end of a vertex definition
- Fixes a bug with material LOD distances being squared with the Ogre 1.7.x release
- Fixes a rare crash when Max fails to return an export interface for Physique-based mesh animations

OgreMax is available for Max 8 to 2011 and costs $250. A demo version is available here.


Plugin News: Special offer from Siger Studios

Until May 10th, Siger Studios are running a special offer on their V-Ray Material Presets Pro plugin. Instead of the normal price of €100, you can purchase it for €50. More details here.


Plugin Update: nPower Software updates available

Changes for v6.30 are:
- Fixes SolidWorks importing for SW 2009 and 2010 models
- Improved importing of SAT and SolidWorks models (especially fillets and blends)
- Fixes filleting bugs
- Fixes importing some assemblies
- Fixes some Catia import problems
- IGES import improvements for sewing trimmed surfaces in a semi intelligent way
- General import improvements for SAT, STEP, and Rhino

Power NURBS / Solids / Translators are available for Max 9 to 2011. Information on pricing can be found at the Turbosquid ACAP site. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v1.4.4.25614 are:
- The installer now uses versioning
- Removed license server versioning from install
- Fixes Zookeeper window dissapearing off screen if saved on a bigger monitor
- Fixes errors happening when nodes held inside state sets get deleted and scene is reloaded
- When object group filter is applied both group and its member objects are filtered
- Selecting group head in tree view updates its member selection
- A group is automatically opened if its member is selected inside tree view
- Fixes an error when recording state sets with MR as current renderer in Max 2009
- Fixes a bug in the reset confirm dialog

Zookeeper is available for Max 2009 to 2011 and costs $249. A demo version is available here.