MAX Plugins.de News Archive

Archived Plugin News  –  October 2023
 

New Plugin: Modelling

Smart Extrude is a new modifier that ensures the predictable extrusion of multi-spline shapes, depending on their placement across diverse planes or orientations at varying angles. Smart Extrude also simplifies the ability to add depth to shapes created with the Spline Flow plugin. Moreover, Smart Extrude adds the capability to tune the extrusion angle and extrude from the center on both sides of the spline.

Smart Extrude is available for Max 2017 to 2024 and costs $10.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v2023.1 - 14.03 are:
- Fixes the gradient texture UI
- Fixes the volume gradient Reset button
- Fixes the 'layer group' layer order in the composite texture
- Fixes 'Any Plugin Texmap' mode from allowing you to select the incorrect Octane texture type

OctaneRender is available for Max 2013 to 2024 and costs €240 per year. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v1.2.0.0 are:
- You can now load the library directly from the plugin interface
- The size of the installation file is now about 50 MB
- Installation is now via EXE, no more unnecessary archives
- Libraries can now auto-update inside the plugin
- Adds numbering of tiles in the slicer (debug)
- Adds a new way to import a Polygonal pattern
- Fixes a bug with the node interface freezing in Max 2024
- Minor fixes and stability improvements

QuickTiles is available for Max 2018 to 2024 and costs $60 per year. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Atmospherics / Animation

Changes for v6.1.1 are:
- Adds a Quick Presets menu for faster voxel grid creation and loading, object conversion and more
- Improves disk and memory cache sizes resulting in smaller files sizes and lower memory consumption
- Adds memory caching support for points display type within the Grid Display node
- Adds a 'Create Position Helper' button to the Initialize Grid and Load Grid nodes
- ISurf node adds a Grid input pin to directly mesh FumeFX smoke, fire or temperature channels
- The Import Shape node adds an option to import an object's spin
- Adds a Get Grid node so that users can pass Voxel Grid to other grid related nodes
- Spline Force node adds a Grid input pin to apply spline force a lot faster to the entire Voxel Grid
- Spline Force adds a Blend mode for velocities
- Spline Force adds an option to use NodeWorks splines and not just Max splines
- Spline Force node adds RegEx for fast, flexible selection of multiple splines with similar naming
- FumeFX Force, Max Forces and Perlin Noise nodes now have a Grid input pin
- Adds smarter auto connection of position and velocity pins to the Write Voxel node
- The Spline Gen node adds min / max distance and particle count for Spacing and Knots mode
- The Display Grid node adds display of currently drawn grid dimensions and grid spacing
- Gen on Surface node has been renamed to Surface Gen and Voxelized Gen to Voxel Gen
- The Display Grid Volume mode no longer has the wrong display when using grid TM
- Change of NodeWorks PhysX settings or Simulation settings now invalidates the memory cache
- Various Memory Cache bug fixes and improvements
- Fixes nodes using FumeFX Simulation Ref node from not having velocities applied correctly
- Fixes the Display Grid node not displaying points and vectors when NodeWorks icon is out of view
- The Display Grid node no longer displays extra box in the scene
- In the Spline Gen node, you no longer have to select splines twice in order to show up
- Spline Force now works properly if falloff is used and input position falls beyond the last knot
- Import Particle System now gets proper particle age from pflow and tyflow
- Fixes a Part Loader crash when loading .nxd caches
- Fixes a bug with changing connected pin types which should be disabled
- Rendering splines as Arnold curves with motion blur now works properly
- FumeFX PostSim MAXScript function is now called after the simulation has ended

FumeFX is available for Max 2019 to 2024 and costs $365 per year. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v3.2o are:
- Adds new function - layout UV by material ID in UDIMs
- Fixes checker material errors in some edge cases
- Removes 'Break with offset by ID' and replaces it with 'UDIM Layout by ID'

UV Tools is available for Max 2013 to 2024 and costs $22.


Plugin Update: Global Utilities

Changes for v0.6.0 are:
- Adds support for Maya 2024
- Adds support for Max 2024
- Maya backend - fixes add missing bones
- Maya backend - fixes get skin data returning garbage
- Maya backend now handles SkinData with varying influence size, order and values
- Maya backend now adds missing bones
- Max backend - fixes a number of edge case crashes
- Adds initial io between Max and Maya