Changes for v1.3.04 are:
- Some serious bugs fixed due to internal changes in program structure

glu3D is available for Max 5 and 6, and costs $295. A demo version is available here.

This utility is similar to the plugin loader in Max, except that with this plugin you can also unload plugins. This is very useful for plugin developers who usually need to start Max every time they want to test their plugin. Now they can just load and unload the plugins whenever they want. The demo version is restricted to 2 unloads only.

The Plugin Loader is available for Max 6 and costs $9.35. A demo version is available here.

The KROPS plugin gives you the ability to perform software motion capture in Max by exchanging motion data between KROPS and Max. Keyframe information in Max can be loaded from the captured data in KROPS. In addition, changes made in Max can also be exported back to KROPS.

The plugin is available for Max 6 and costs ¥52,500.

Changes for v1.3.03 are:
- Display bug in source trajectory fixed

glu3D is available for Max 5 and 6, and costs $295. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v1.3.02 are:
- new glu3D multi-shader allows assignment of different materials to each source and mixes them smoothly in the same surface when particles coming from different sources interact
- Some bugs fixed

glu3D is available for Max 5 and 6, and costs $295. A demo version is available here.

I have updated a load of broken links on the site. If you find a broken link when searching for a plugin, just click on Email at the top of the page and let me know.

Changes for v1.03 are:
- Adds a special build and installer for Max 6
- Adds a Ray length option for Ambient occlusion map

LXS Bump-o-matic is available for Max 4 to 6 and costs €300. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v1.03 are:
- Adds a special build and installer for Max 6

LXS Viewer is available for Max 4 to 6 and costs €150. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v1.3.01 are:
- Particles and sources are now the same Max node
- Per-source animatable Level Of Detail
- Per-source thickness value
- Source color added in per-vertex color info
- Source's scale Z value used to control emission rate parameter
- Emission speed parameter value is updated while scaling source
- Watermark shown in render view for DEMO VERSION only
- IMPORTANT: Incompatibility with previous versions scenes

glu3D is available for Max 5 and 6, and costs $295. A demo version is available here.

This plugin lets you to create normal maps and ambient occlusion maps very easily, by generating them from low-detail and high-detail versions of a single mesh. The process is automatic, highly configurable, and you can preview the result directly inside Max with high quality Parallax-mapping rendering.

Using the generated normal map, your low-poly mesh will look just like the high-detail version. Provided that you use a big enough texture, you won't be able to see the difference between the two versions, except for edges, because the lighting cannot create geometry in the empty space.

LXS Bump-o-matic is available for Max 4 to 6 and costs €300. A demo version is available here.

The LXS Viewer allows you to preview your scenes directly inside a Max viewport with a fast and high-quality real-time renderer. Via the viewport menu, you only need one click to open the Elixys extended view and see what your scene will look like with a real-time renderer. Useful options for navigation and renderering are found in the pop-up menu.

The LXS Viewer relies on Irion technology and internally uses the LXS Exporter to optimally export the scene to Elixys world format in memory, so it benefits from the best of both technologies.

LXS Viewer is available for Max 4 to 6, and costs €150. A demo version is available here.

Allows Max to export the MDL4 file format used by Conitecs' A6 Game Studio.

TurboSquid have announced the release of Turbo Toolkit 2, a suite of ten Discreet Certified Plugins (DCPs) in a single product.

Turbo Toolkit 2 includes the following plugins:
- hairfx
- clothfx
- finalRender Stage-1
- AfterBurn3
- Absolute Character Tools 1.6 PRO
- Particle Flow Tools: Box 1
- DreamScape2
- Kaldera
- finalToon
- Texture Layers 2

Turbo Toolkit 2 has a suggested retail price of $1995 (The products sell for $4655 if purchased individually). Users who have purchased Turbo Toolkit 1 may upgrade to Turbo Toolkit 2 (and receive hairfx, clothfx, and Particle Flow Tools) for $495.

ThinkingParticles 2 has been released by TurboSquid as the latest Discreet Certified Plugin (DCP). It has a suggested retail price of $1295, with an introductory price of just $995 for pre-orders placed before first customer shipment in September, 2004. Existing users of ThinkingParticles may upgrade to ThinkingParticles 2 for $495 ($295 for upgrade orders placed before first customer shipment).

Changes for v6.07 are:
- Added 'setModContextTM' which sets the specified modifiers mod contexts TM
- Added 'setModContextBBox' which sets the specified modifiers mod contexts bounding box

Changes for v3.0 include:
- Full mental ray support for Max 6 and higher
- Send/Receive GI for volumetrics
- Caustic Receiving for pyrocluster volumes
- All new Effects Editor to control all parameters via curves and effects controllers
- All new Enhanced UI and Workflow
- Enhanced particle support for ThinkingParticles 2.0
- and more...

pyrocluster 3.0 will be available at the end of this month for Max 6 and 7, and will cost $345.

Changes for v3.02 are:
- I have no idea, there is no information at the website

Particle Flow Tools: Box 1 is a set of Particle Flow operators designed to extend Particle Flow's inherent capabilities. Written by the same developer who created Particle Flow, some of the PFT operators are significantly improved extensions while others are completely new and add amazing functionality to Particle Flow.

Particle Flow Tools: Box 1 is available for Max 5 and 6, and costs $395. A demo version is available here.

Changes for v2.01 are:
- No changes, this is just a recompile for Max 6

Systems in Motion AS. have announced their upcoming plugin Rational Reducer for Max. They have just started a public beta program, and the plugin should be available in September 2004.

For more information about the plugin and the beta program, go here.

hairfx (formerly known as Shag:Hair) has evolved dramatically and now offers advanced tools including a new anti-aliasing engine to help produce smooth, beautifully rendered hair and fur, a new Cloth Mesh converter to support SimCloth3 and clothfx dynamics engines for hair motion, and much more.

hairfx is available for Max 5 and 6, and for a limited time costs $495 (normal price is $595).

Changes for v2.0 are:
- Completely re-designed UI
- Fully compatible with Editable Mesh, Poly and Patch
- New UV Viewport allows users to see their maps in UV Space
- Two special map types allow mapping layers to blend seamlessly together
- Transfer and use saved selection sets of faces and edges to help control mapping boundaries

Texture Layers 2 is available for Max 4 to 6, and costs $295.

You have probably already seen the Discreet announcement for Max 7. I have been waiting to find out whether plugins will need to be recompiled for the new version. The good news is that all Max 6 plugins will work in Max 7!

Character Animation Technologies Ltd. have released some news on an upcoming plugin add-on for their Character Animation Toolkit. CATMuscle is a fully scaleable solution that allows animators to solve problems in their skin deformations without knowledge of complex anatomy. It will be released in the 4th quarter of 2004 along with a new version of CAT.

Changes for v3.01 are:
- I have no idea, there is no information at the website

Next Limit have updated their various plugins for RealWave and RealFlow. I don't know what the changes are at the moment...

BusyRay is a physically based plugin renderer for Max. It implements the basic features of a global illumination renderer. An advanced Monte Carlo algorithm is used to compute the light interreflections in a scene. Its main features are:
- accurate physically-based simulations
- deep integration with Max allows support for most effects
- elaborate memory management allows Max to process even the most complex scenes
- virtually no parameters to tune - renderer automatically adjusts to every scene
- no scene tuning is needed - just render your old Max scenes without changes