Changes for v1.55 are:
- The script is now a lot faster

Quad Chamfer is available for Max 9 to 2012 and costs €20.

Changes for RealFlow 2012 include:
- You can now simulate dripping water
- Adds automatic foam generation
- Faster simulations and lower memory use
- New emitters: Wet, Waterline, Splash&Foam, Wet&Foam
- Faster input/output operations
- Distance and velocity fields can now be exported
- Velocity and vorticity maps can now be exported
- Greater controllability of fluid surface
- Better control of the strength of interaction between objects and fluids
- Secondary splashes
- Adds a built-in, easy-to-use tool to create fractured objects
- Voronoi fracturing method
- Automatic generation of multibody node for fractured object
- Optimized fractures for Caronte
- Retimer Tool now works on any of the RealFlow 2012 elements
- Bullet time effects
- Reversed simulations
- Slow motion effects
- Dynamic simulations controlled by engines
- Servos allows the dynamics solver to animate rigid bodies physically-correct
- New Layers panel - faster workflow, easier simulation, improved visibility
- Adds some new shortcuts shelves
- Nodes list can now be filtered by name

RealFlow is available for Max 7 to 2012 and costs €2995. Upgrades are free for users on maintenance, otherwise it will cost €2000. A demo version is available here.

Smart Quads helps to make everyday modelling tasks easier. It allows you to create faces faster without a struggle, model at lightning speed, and produce better results in less time. To better understand how it does this, take a look at the video at the Remus' website.

SmartQuads is available for Max 2008 to 2012 and costs $10.

Changes for v3.3.10 are:
- Improvements to the simulation algorithm

MadCar is available for Max 2008 to 2012 and costs €200.

As you've probably noticed, things have been quiet here the past week. I'm up to my ears in work at the moment, and a combination of long days and late nights has meant that I haven't had any time at all for a lot of things, including this site...

I'll do some catching up this weekend, but I won't be able to update as often as usual for the next couple of weeks. After that everything will be back to normal :o)

Dave

Crytek have released v1.1 of the Crysis 2 Mod SDK, and the changes that relate to the Max plugins are:
- Fixes the CryMaxTools in Max not being functional
- Fixes automatic installation of LoadCryMaxTools.ms into Max
- Fixes the .bat file for CryMaxTools not installing for all Max versions
- Fixes a bug with 64-bit Max plugins getting installed to 32-bit Max
- Fixes the Max Exporter not working properly with exporting animations
- The Max 9 installation now only includes the plugins (no CryMaxTools)
- All installed Max versions now show up for automatic plugin installation
- Removed automatic 64-bit Max plugin and tools installation (requires manual installation)

Changes for v3.5.4 beta are:
- Adds alignment and scale by UV coordinates (only for UV surfaces)
- The free 3D models of HQ Plants are now included with Forest Lite/Pro
- Fixes instability issues when using empty surfaces
- Camera clipping now works properly when image aspect is less than 4/3
- Fixes minor Nitrous issues
- Adds a new Display parameter: 'Use DirectX acceleration' (on by default)

Forest Pack Pro is available for Max 7 to 2012 and costs €180. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v2.3.14 are:
- Adds separate node, object, and node animation prefix settings
- Adds object and node animation prefix checkboxes to control where the prefixes come from
- Modified the duplicate vertex removal functionality to allow for bone assignments
- Fixes a bug with occasional duplicate vertex/bone assignments

OgreMax is available for Max 8 to 2012 and costs $250. A demo version is available here.

Smooth Edges is the first and only MAXScript that gives you the freedom and control to shape your models the way you want. You are no longer forced to move vertices one by one, but now have much greater control over your mesh to create smooth curves and surfaces. Benefits include faster modelling, you can align edges from diferent meshes to another, and you can model with much greater precision.

Smooth Edges is available for Max 9 to 2012 and costs €20.

Changes for v0.3.41 beta are:
- The NOX logo has been turned off
- Adds a merge scene function
- A number of fixes to the Blender script
- This version needs a new VC++ 2005 redistributable

Autodesk have released Hotfix 2 for Max 2012 and Max Design 2012.
Changes for Hotfix 2 are:
- Fixes multiple CAT problems
- Fixes an initialRollupState Type error in MAXScript
- The MAXScript Return statement now properly migrates the return value to the heap
- Fixes sub-objects being displayed at an offset to the parent geometry
- Point Helpers can now have modifiers assigned to them once more
- Fixes a program error when opening Slate
- XRef Scene now respects the Layer visibility flag

Changes for v0.3.40 beta are:
- Adds a plugin for Max 2012
- Fixes a bug with oversaturated skies
- Fixes a bug with translucency
- Fixes a bug with listing memory usage

Changes for v8.0 are:
- Adds support for Max 2012 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Bug-fixes

I think this has been out for a while now, but I only just noticed it...

Power Body Object Toolkit is available for Max 2010 to 2012 and costs $195. A demo version is available here.

NOX Renderer is a stand-alone application that renders images using unbiased methods. Light behavior is based on laws of physics, however some simplifications occur. In the current version only the Metropolis Light Transport algorithm (MLT) is used for global illumination evaluation. This version is an early public beta, so many important features are still in development. The Max plugin that comes with NOX allows you to export geometry from Max to NOX, and brings 5 new objects: NOX Camera, NOX Material, NOX Sun Light, NOX Exporter and NOX Renderer.

NOX is currently in open-beta, and is free for private and commercial use. It looks like it is going to stay free when finished, even when used commercially.

iCube Creative Group have posted some images of their upcoming plugin SplineLand. There is virtually no information other than these images at the moment, but it seems to be a powerful mesher for spline objects. As soon as there is more information, I'll post it here.

cebas VISUAL TECHNOLOGY Inc. have recompiled 4 more of their plugins for Max 2012:
- StairMAX v2.0 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- maxVR.qt v2.0 (32-bit only)
- ScalpelMAX v1.0 SP1 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- volumeBreaker v1.0 SP3 (32-bit and 64-bit)

All of these plugins are available for Max 2008 to Max 2012, and prices range between €150 and €395.

Changes for SP4 are:
- Fixes occasional 'hanging' incidents on certain scenes

finalToon is available for Max 2009 to 2012 and costs €495 A demo version is available here.

Changes for SP4 are:
- Ocean Object has a new tool used to manage the cycle range animation
- The Ocean Object wave cycle animation functionality has been improved
- Max 2012 material viewport compatibility has been improved
- 3D Stereo Camera now lets you pick specific cameras as the left-eye or right-eye
- The fR Atmospheric Render Element now has an 'include/exclude' list option
- The MT core has been optimized and extended
- Distributed Rendering has been upgraded

These fixes also apply to the standard version of finalRender.

finalRender is available for Max 2009 to 2012 and costs €995 (Standard) / €1295 (Studio Edition). A demo version is available here.

Changes for v1.01 are:
- Adds support for Max 2012 (64-bit only)
- The preview period has been extended to December 20th, 2011

Lumatix GmbH have posted a new demo version of their upcoming plugin Atrium Designer, which is a full GI renderer that works directly in the Max viewport.

Changes for v1.0.1.0 are:
- Adds support for multiple Max instances
- Improved accuracy of high quality shadows
- Fixes a crash while initializing Open GL context
- Fixes a crash while de-initializing viewport
- Adds support for up to 64 threads
- Fixes missing default lights on scene reset
- Fixes incorrect positioning of sphere light representations
- Adds Atrium Designer Settings to viewport menu
- Adds an intro video while loading Atrium Designer viewport
- Fixes missing warnings for V-Ray sun and V-Ray ambient light
- Warnings now disabled by default
- Adds a CRC-check for the installer
- Fixes the license failing to load after a restart
- Fixes a crash if V-Ray renderer converts meshes to greater size
- The exposure on/off flags for V-Ray physical cameras are now respected

Atrium Designer is available for Max 2010 to 2012. At the moment there is no pricing information, but I assume it will be posted soon.

Studio 75ive are running a sale on their plugins Ant Traffic Simulator and Ant Stitcher until the end of July 17th. After that the plugins will cost twice their sale price, making Ant Traffic Simulator $99 instead of $49, and Ant Stitcher $49 instead of $25.

This is an extended version of the standard Matte render element, where you can use each of the color channels R, G and B to hold a different matte. finalRender and V-Ray have had this for ages, but now you can do it with just the scanliner.

Changes for v11.03 are:
- Updating the thumbnails no longer leads to a frozen application

3D Photo Browser for 3D Users is available for Max 6 to 2012 and costs $69. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v1.8.7.14625 are:
- Fixes a bug that messed up reference indices during loading of complex scenes
- Fixes error messages when using certain right click menu options

Zookeeper is available for Max 2009 to 2012 and costs $249. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v3.12.0 are:
- Updated to work with the latest version of KlayGE

Changes for v0.4 Beta 14537 are:
- Adds support for Max 2012 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Minor bug-fixes

Changes for v1.2.1 are:
- Fixes geometry issues with bevels
- The assigned spline can now be selected from the quad menu

RailClone Pro is available for Max 9 to 2012 and costs €180. A demo version is available here.

Lumatix GmbH have posted a demo version of their upcoming plugin Atrium Designer, which seems to be a full GI renderer that works directly in the Max viewport. As soon as they release more information, I'll post it here.

Atrium Designer is available for Max 2010 to 2012. At the moment there is no pricing information, but I assume it will be posted soon.

Lumonix are having a sale for the next 10 days on all of their commercial plugins. It runs until July 15th, and gives you a 20% discount on the following products:

Puppetshop License - $79 (usually $99)
Puppetshop Unlimited Users License - $399 (usually $499)

ShaderFX License - $199 (usually $249)
ShaderFX Unlimited Users License - $719 (usually $899)

SkinFX License - $139 (usually $179)
SkinFX Unlimited Users License - $399 (usually $499)

MorphX2 License - $39 (usually $49)
MorphX2 Unlimited Users License - $159 (usually $199)

Unlimited Users Licenses allow unlimited number of users to use the plugin at the same time within a company domain.

Changes for v11.02 are:
- Adds support for Max 2012 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for Maya 2012
- Sketchup support now works under 64-bit 3D Photo Browser
- Max plugins now work for both x32 and x64 bits version of 3D Photo Browser
- Maya plugins now work for both x32 and x64 bits version of 3D Photo Browser
- Adds a 'Buy application' feature and a shortcut to the registration web page
- Search feature on filename and cancelling a search has been improved
- A single dialog box is now displayed when files are missing in an album
- Fixes drag and drop sometimes leading to a crash
- Fixes an occasional freeze with Explorer thumbnails
- Fixes Explorer thumbnails causing a dialog box to display
- Removes NTFS synchronization, which sometimes caused a freeze
- Lightwave LWS meshes are now correctly positioned when reading a Lightwave scene
- Fixes a texture import problem with Sketchup files
- Fixes a Collada export problem with material names containing special characters
- Resize settings are now correctly taken into account

3D Photo Browser for 3D Users is available for Max 6 to 2012 and costs $69. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v9.01 are:
- Adds support for Max 2012 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for Lightwave 10
- Polygon Cruncher is now available as a stand alone application
- Memory optimization means you can now optimize bigger meshes
- The multiresolution mesh generation step is now faster
- Optimization is now performed on the selected object when opened from a 3D viewer
- Fixes the lock point setting sometimes getting reset

Polygon Cruncher is available for Max 6 to 2012 and costs $129. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v3.04 are:
- Changes the delayed loading settings in Max 2011 and earlier

Pencil+ is available for Max 2008 to 2012 and costs ¥52,500. A demo version is available here.

ScriptAttack are offering their facial animation system BonyFace 2.6 Complete for just $199 instead of the usual price of $399. The offer is valid until the end of July. You can find all of the details here.

BonyFace is available for Max 2008 to 2011 and normally costs $399. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v2.3 are:
- Fixes 'mesh pinching' and misalignment problems

Spline-2-Poly is available for Max 9 to 2012 and costs €5.

Changes for v1.52 are:
- I've got no information at the moment, if I find any I'll post it

Studio Clouds is available for Max 2010 to 2012 and costs €1,899. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v1.50.28 are:
- Adds the ability to save the position of the 'Object Place' tool
- Fixes a problem starting the 'Project Manager' on some computers
- Fixes issues with opening the 'Object Place' tool

Project Manager is available for Max 2008 to 2012 and costs $60. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v2.3.13 are:
- Modified the labels for shader parameter names
- Fixes a bug with default shader parameters appearing in the exported material file
- Modified bone scaling to be relative to the parent bone
- Fixes a bug with duplicate bone names being used without renaming

OgreMax is available for Max 8 to 2012 and costs $250. A demo version is available here.