MAX Plugins.de News Archive

Archived Plugin News  –  December 2017
 

Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v2.5.51 are:
- Fixes a Max bug where user data and shader subtrees didn't work with Custom AOV default shader
- Fixes a Max bug where lens distortion and bokeh effects were applied to shader balls
- Fixes a Max bug where shader ball renders didn't work if map channel was not set to 1
- Max UI tweak for StoreColorToAOV - refresh available AOV names when opening combo box
- Fixes a Maya bug that caused RV keyboard shortcuts from masking native Maya keyboard shortcuts
- Fixes a Maya bug that resulted in the RV stealing focus on every IPR update (Maya 2017+)
- Adds C4D support for UserData access to Default Materials in Custom AOVs
- Addresses a C4D issue where some objects could lose their UVs when motion blur was enabled
- Changes the C4D behaviour of Proxy Objects which now make their preview meshes available
- The Houdini RS ROP node IPR camera is now optional and disabled by default
- Adds a 'Render' button to the Houdini RSRenderView that fully loads and renders the scene
- The Houdini RSRenderView is available now as a Houdini pane (Houdini Qt5 builds only)
- The Houdini RSRenderView is now always on top
- Fixes wrong results for shadow / photon shaders using custom AOV 'StoreToColor' pass-through nodes

Redshift is available for Max 2013 to 2018 and costs $500. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v0.541 alpha are:
- Fixes various cntlLight bugs
- Fixes crashing bugs in cntlProxy when input non '.cntlproxy' files
- Fixes some export bugs for instancing and Max Compound Scatter objects
- Fixes IPR bugs not receiving keyboard input for post processing controls


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v0.33.0 are:
- Fixes non-target camera rotation
- Adds export of camera and light rotation for gltf
- Hidden cameras and lights are no longer exported
- Fixes 'only selected' option, initializing all nodes but exporting only selected ones
- Fixes material not found error when babylon material export failed
- Fixes material not found error for nested multimaterials
- Fixes animations optimization
- Updates skeleton export to re-use similar ones instead of duplicating them
- Updates gltf inverseBindMatrices computation to handle skinned mesh transforms
- Beautifies gltf sample files
- Updates export when 'Copy textures to output' feature is disabled
- Updates logs to be less verbose
- Flips faces for simple meshes (rigged ones are unaffected)
- Updates gltf samples
- Updates DLLs


New Plugin: Modelling

This commercial MAXScript is a must have for medium polygon modelling. Weighted Vertex Normals or Face Weighted Normals use the area of the face to tune the vertex normals. This script does it for you with just one click. Unlike other FWN scripts, this one considers coplanar faces as if they were a unique big face. You can disable this feature to get a standard FWN result, or tune the threshold for not completely flat surfaces.

Improved Face Weighted Normals is available for Max 2008 to 2018 and costs $5.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v0.540 alpha are:
- Adds support for nested transmissive refractive objects with different IOR
- Adds a procedural Dirt shader with different colors / properties for crevices (convex and concave)
- Fixes bump mapping artifacts that were visible on lowpoly objects lit by small area lights
- Fixes reflection artifacts on lowpoly geometry where smooth normals differ a lot from real normals
- Fixes reflection loss of energy when mixed with other material properties such as diffuse or SSS
- Fixes SSS color and weight automatic normalization
- In cntlBitmap you no longer need to select texture type 'image', 'b/w bump' or 'normal map'
- Adds an 'Output Alpha channel' option to cntlBitmap


New Plugin: MCG

An MCG modifier for transforming meshes which can also be instanced to control multiple meshes at once.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v0.7.1 are:
- Updates SDK to 4.0.64
- Fixes multi materials not working in active shade
- Fixes active shade not working in Max 2015 and 2016


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v2.31 are:
- Adds Redshift 3D texture baking support

Flatiron is available for Max 2010 to 2018 and costs €299. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Updates: Peter Watje plugins recompiled for Max 2018

I finally got around to recompiling the Peter Watje plugins for Max 2018! There are still a couple missing, but most of them are now done. You can find them here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v2018 are:
- Adds Selectors, a new workflow perfect for product configurators and more
- Adds new nodes: RedshiftPropertiesNode, FilterNode, PFlowNode
- Adds a V-Ray VFB option
- Adds submit scripts for RebusFarm, Deadline and RenderBuzz
- Adds more script presets
- Adds more callback options
- Various bug fixes and quality enhancements

Reindeer is available for Max 2014 to 2018 and costs €45 per year.


Plugin Update: Materials

Changes for v1.3 are:
- Adds support for Max 2018
- Removes support for mental ray


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v5.5 are:
- Adds Auto Roof - an automatic tool for generating complex roofs on planar polygons
- Adds Extend Roof - a tool for generating an extension mesh on existing roof objects
- Adds Rect Stair - a tool for creating stairs based on a rectangular shape
- Adds Line Stair - a line-based stair tool with platform/landing support
- Adds Arc Stair - a tool for creating arc staircases
- Adds Spiral Stair - a tool for creating spiral staircases

LwCad is available for Max 2013 to 2018 and costs €199. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.5 are:
- Adds support for Max 2018
- Removes GPU support because Autodesk hasn't released an API for GPU in viewport preview
- Removes support for Max 2012 and Max 2013


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v2.5.49 are:
- Fixes bugs that caused crashes when rendering shader balls
- Fixes a rare bug that could trigger ray counting errors during SSS computation
- Adds Maya VP2.0 fragment shader for RedshiftColorCorrection node
- Adds custom AOV shader nodes to Houdini
- Adds a new option in the Houdini RS OBJ spare parameters to disable the UV's smoothing
- Addresses a Houdini limitation related to the global scene custom AOVs attributes data
- Fixes a Houdini IPR crash while editing SOP nodes
- Fixes a critical Houdini crash related to automatic volume primitives extraction
- Adds a new option in the Katana RedshiftObjectSettings node to disable the UV's smoothing
- Adds custom AOV shader nodes to C4D
- Initial release of the Redshift AOV Manager for C4D
- Changes AOV behaviour in C4D, they now default to enabled and render as Multi-Passes
- Adds AOV QuickAdd button in the AOV section of the Redshift Render Settings in C4D
- Adds a performance optimization during scene scanning in C4D
- Addresses a few cases of unecessary IPR refreshes in C4D
- Addresses an issue in the C4D Sky Object that prevented the Sky from rendering

Redshift is available for Max 2013 to 2018 and costs $500. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v0.6.9 are:
- Adds basic standard material support
- Now always use gamma one for colour picker values because Max's colour picker is linear
- When active shade reaches halt, updates are now still processed
- Fixes IM_Light 'on' switch
- Other IM_Light fixes
- Fixes a crash exporting lights
- Now always rendering with low priority to prevent indigo from slowing down Max
- Updates SDK to 4.0.63


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v3.07-4.44 are:
- Fixes an issue with User Instance IDs not being updated
- Improves object selection from Object properties list to Max scene ('to Max' button)
- Made the object properties dialog non blocking

OctaneRender is available for Max 2013 to 2018 and costs $619. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v10.0.8.4 are:
- Fixes an error when connecting to the Deadline database using a certificate with no password

Deadline is available for Max 2010 to 2018 and costs $48 per node per year. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for Beta 1.06 are:
- Transparent materials no longer cause noisy shadows


Plugin Update: Modelling / Animation

Changes for v5.2.7.13336 are:
- Fixes sinks disappearing in reloaded scenes when the SC modifier is off
- Fixes installer problem 'Error code 127 - The specified procedure could not be found'
- Importing Ox hair into a scene with different system units no longer breaks the hair
- Fixes a crash when switching to polar interpolation in HFG
- Fixes a crash clicking in an empty spot in viewport while inside rotate strands mode in EG
- Right clicking on brush diagram in EG no longer creates an assertion about storage == nullptr

Ornatrix is available for Max 2012 to 2018 and costs $499. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v1.7 Hotfix 2 are:
- Fixes black dots and black VFB screen when using the new experimental light solver
- Fixes a crash when changing a CoronaCamera tonemapping parameter
- Fixes the camera target moving when changing the shift parameters
- Fixes occasional crashes when using textured lens distortion
- Fixes DR master not collecting slave results when only one supports the F16C instruction set
- Fixes Hair & Fur simulation .stat file not being loaded correctly on DR slave
- Fixes occasional Max slave crashes when DR starts
- Fixes DR issues when using older CPUs
- Fixes Vizpark plugins not being listed as compatible
- Updates the Corona Converter script to v1.39 (adds VRayHairMtl conversion)

Corona Renderer is available for Max 2012 to 2018 and costs €24.99 per month. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: Texturing

VRayVegetalMtl is a V-Ray material which can reproduce translucency effects in foliage. All parameters are on one panel, and the approach is simpler than the VRay2SidedMtl. The plugin is also able to generate translucency while maintaining a good level of contrast.

VRayVegetalMtl is available for Max 2014 to 2018 and costs €20.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v0.530 alpha are:
- Subsurface Scattering is now correct and has 10x faster noise reduction due to improved maths
- Adds GGX anisotropic reflections and refractions for better looking and faster highlights
- Faster (less noisy) rough glass and shadows under rough glass due to better maths
- Fixes absorption parameters to affect transmissive and translucent objects and their shadows
- Improves quality of the GI Clamp params
- New 'Expected Exposure' parameter that should be close to the planned post production exposure


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for Beta 1.05 are:
- Motion blur is now supported with the Physical Camera
- Meshes now render with the normals provided by Max
- Exposure control is no longer applied when it is disabled
- Orthographic cameras can now be used to render


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.65 are:
- Adds 2 buttons for changing spline direction CC / CCW

Spline Cleaner is available for Max 2012 to 2018 and costs $30.


New Plugin: Modelling

FastCutter is an artistic mesh-cutting tool originally developed in 2006 and 2007 to help the hand-cutting of thousands of pieces of geometry in the road destruction sequence for '2012'. Since then it has been used in dozens of Hollywood films and other independent projects.

The beauty of FastCutter is its speed and artistic control - the cuts are applied exactly as you draw them and there is an 'auto-cut' mode to quickly apply the cut after drawing. It works by hand-drawing and extruding 'cutting splines' and applying noise modifiers, and includes various other options and an Undo function. You can also pick specific objects as the Cutter or Source and apply the cuts.

It can cut multiple objects at once and includes the option to update the noise parameter per cut-object for a nice staggered offset cut appearance. FastCutter works especially well to prepare geometry for Thinking Particles destruction shots, and can also be used for creative mesh modeling.

FastCutter Pro is available for Max 2017 to 2018 and costs $50. A demo version is available here.