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Tuesday 19 March 2024 - 03:13

 

Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.0.274.167 are:
- Adds the capability to overwrite UVW mapping with supporting Real-World map size
- Adds a capping start/end feature for Fusion mode (compatible with Max 2021 and later)
- Addresses display issues in the viewport when using Fusion mode
- Corrects the handling of the "offset begin" and "offset end" parameters

Fusion is available for Max 2014 to 2024 and costs $60. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modifiers

Changes for v3.7.0.0 are:
- Remove registration restrictions

Big thanks to Andrew for open-sourcing his Ghost Trails plugin! I will be recompiling the Max 2025 version soon.


New Plugin: Modelling

This is a commercial MAXScript that efficiently and automatically creates 3D garage door models in Max. With 6 styles of garage door, it is compatible with Corona Render and V-Ray, works with all System Units and can be applied flexibly in Archviz projects, saving a lot of time for 3D artists.

Garage Door Generator is available for Max 2018 to 2024 and costs $10.


Plugin Update: Particles / Animation

Changes for v1.100 include:
- Adds PRISM, a fully-featured boolean engine capable of completely replacing the old Carve engine
- Adds PRISM engine support to the tyBoolean modifier, for advanced boolean operations on objects
- Adds a Multifracture operator - powered by the PRISM engine - for advanced particle fracturing
- Adds a tyMultifracture modifier - powered by the PRISM engine - for advanced object fracturing
- Adds an option to allow non-manifold edges in Push modifier elements mode
- Adds an option in VDB Copy Out operator to affect either all grids, or only grids with same name
- Adds mesh adaptivity setting to tyMesher blobmesh mode
- Adds target filter options to Set Target operator's value and sibling modes
- Adds an 'Outward from gizmo' mode to the tyPush modifier element push settings
- Adds distance/falloff settings to the tyPush element push settings
- Adds an 'Inherit velocity' option to the Birth Objects operator
- Adds X/Y/Z axis spinners to the Push operator element amount parameter
- Adds an 'Ignore non-manifold edges' option to the tySelect grow/shrink parameters
- Adds a 'From birth ID' mode to the Material ID operator
- tyCache's PRT loader will now load all 32-bit float/vector channels as custom properties
- Adds new relative distance parameters to the Spread operator
- Adds convex hull display to the Display operator and tyCache display settings
- Adds an option to the tyParticleSkin modifier to use poly centers as reference search location
- Adds a hull inflation parameter to the PhysX Collision operator's sweep test setting
- Adds a 'Don't integrate velocity' operation to the PhysX Switch operator
- Adds an 'Evaluate operator after PhysX' option to the operator timing rollouts
- Adds an 'Is target' test to the Property Test operator
- Adds an option in the Display Data operator to limit displayed float values to a specified range
- Adds a 'Copy/paste noise values' options to all tyNoise 'Presets' menus
- Adds PhysX inertia override settings to the Mass operator
- Adds center options to the tyPush elements mode
- Adds a 'UVW seams' selection mode to the tySelect modifier
- Adds new explicit normals and material ID filter parameters to the tySmooth modifier
- and much more... for a complete list of new features and fixes head over to this page

tyFlow Pro is available for Max 2018 to 2024 and costs $495. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v20240125.3 are:
- Fixes morph targets to not be 0 index based


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v1.2.0.2 are:
- Fixes a Slicer issue with tiles flipped 180 degrees upside down
- The HSV window in the Slicer is now scaled to fit the screen resolution
- Adds a crosshair through the middle of a tile in the Slicer
- Improves the algorithm for moving the selected tile to the foreground in the Slicer
- Fixes the inability to select tiles in the Slicer and PE after copying
- Adds a 'Set tiling box' button that sets the repeat zone within the Pattern Editor
- The depth of displacement edge generation has been made more uniform
- Improves the shape smoothing algorithm during displacement generation
- Improves the opening of old scenes
- Improves working with Orientation in complex cases
- Removes center generation in circular layouts
- Scale of Plain texture in tiles is no longer resolution dependent
- Scale of Edge distortion effect is no longer resolution dependent
- Improvements to interface update in Max 2024 when switching between nodes
- Fixes artifacts on tile borders
- Fixes a bug with incorrect mask channel size in Corona
- Minor and major bug fixes and stability improvements

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


Site News: Happy New Year!

I just wanted to wish a happy new year to all of the visitors that still come to the site. All the best for 2024!

I have written the same thing the last two years, but this year I really do hope that I can invest a bit more time here. The last few years have been quiet here due to a number of personal and work-related reasons, which have basically pushed this website to the back of the queue of things to do. I remain optimistic that I can get it going again, let's wait and see...

Dave


Plugin Update: Particles

Changes for v1.0151 are:
- tySplineMesher trails mode now supports per-segment material IDs for subsplines
- Fixes an issue where a flow with actor IK could be set to 'static', preventing updates
- Voronoi fracture particles now inherit the parent of their source particle
- Fixes a regression where PhysX sticky penetrations weren't working after the PhysX 5 update
- Fixes a rare issue in the Particle Physics operator if groups are set and no particles match
- Fixes an issue where actor FBX bone matching wouldn't necessarily return expected results
- Fixes motion inheritance not working in the Position Object operator's 'closest point' mode
- Fixes an issue where mesh velocity calculations weren't correct in the Position Object operator

tyFlow Pro is available for Max 2018 to 2023 and costs $495. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Atmospherics / Animation

Changes for v6.0 are:
- Node based system with more than 140 ready to use nodes
- Particles with groups, clusters and custom channels
- Easy post processing of particle caches (retiming, attribute changes, geometry replacement, etc.)
- Progressive geometry fragmentation at face/polygon level
- Voronoi fragmentation
- Rope simulation
- Cloth dynamics with plastic deformations and tear
- Soft body dynamics with plastic deformations
- Inflatable soft body
- Rigid body dynamics (PhysX)
- Swarm - Collective behavior simulation
- Character animation control, event driven animation playback with smooth animation blending
- Voxel grids - loading, per-voxel manipulation, caching and direct rendering
- Custom Voxel grid forces
- FumeFX caches loading, processing and re-caching
- Node based access to FumeFX simulation process and voxels
- Direct node-based addition of sources and collision objects to FumeFX simulation
- Direct pressure addition to FumeFX simulation for better explosion control
- Extensive integration with the Arnold renderer
- New ISurf particle mesher with direct Arnold motion blur support
- New FumeFX Pyro Vorticity
- New FumeFX adaptive grid control

FumeFX is available for Max 2019 to 2023 and costs $365 per year. For a limited time you can get a license for $295 per year. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v2.30.01 are:
- Adds the ability to create new Materials from bitmaps using the new Textures category
- Adds the ability to sort all directories by name using the treeview menu item 'Sort By Name'
- Adds the ability to clear Gallery for items in selected directories
- Adds the ability to hide Categories
- Adds support for HiDPI screens
- Fixes an issue with generating a PDF on some systems
- Fixes an issue with reordering several directories at once using 'Move Above'/'Move Below'
- Fixes some minor issues with renaming multiple and single assets
- Fixes an issue with relinking relative paths to absolute in version 2.01.34
- Fixes an issue with display preview for some materials in the Asset Viewer
- Fixes an issue with drag&dropping materials to sub-material slots
- Fixes an issue with display preview thumbnails
- Fixes an issue with rendering previews for materials with missing assets using V-Ray
- Fixes a bug with running the plugin on some systems
- Fixes a bug with opening the treeview settings in version 2.01.20
- Fixes a minor issue with the Auto-Assign preview tool
- Fixes an issue with dragging materials to the Material Editor

Materials Manager is available for Max 2014 to 2023 and costs $28. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Particles

Changes for v1.012 are:
- Adds more than 20 new operators for procedural terrain generation
- Adds new noise types and many new noise parameters to all noise rollouts
- Adds a 'Convert child branches into siblings' option to the Branch operator
- Adds an option in tyVertexVelocity modifier to display velocity vectors in the viewport
- Adds Element ID, face selection and vertex selection tests to the Surface Test operator
- Adds a new 'Motion trails' deformation mode to the tyVertexVelocity modifier
- Adds ivy growth intersection options to the Grow operator (surfaces rollout)
- Adds toggles to the material ID overrides in the Grow operator ivy mode
- Adds a callback to tyFlowDeadlinePreSubmissionCallback allowing you to override any job setting
- Adds a tyFlow_found_in_scene MAXScript function
- Adds global license MAXScript functions
- Adds an addNewListItem MAXScript function to the Shape, Birth Burst and Actor operators
- Spawn operator position matID filter now takes a list of IDs as input instead of a single spinner
- Adds raycast distance settings to the Position Raycast operator
- Adds a 'Weld after slicing' option to the Voronoi Fracture operator
- Adds an improved 'CDT' algorithm option to various Slice rollouts
- Spin operator falloff settings are now available for target mode
- Adds particle TM X/Y/Z access to the Custom Properties vector parameters
- For users of newer GPUs, a newer set of CUDA DLLs have been added to the tyFlow download page
- Adds multi-op selection/enable/disable options to the editor operator right-click menu
- Adds Birth VDB operator options to convert incoming file grid names to specified tyFlow grid names
- Adds an option to select operators with missing dependencies to editor right-click utilities menu
- Adds a dropdown [v] menu button for quick grid name selections in all VDB operators
- Adds support for FumeFX 6
- Adds presets to curve control right click menus
- Adds a repel parameter to the Ivy algorithm to control how strongly ivy repels surface penetrations
- Adds a 'Seed by time' parameter to the Position Object operator
- Updates the interpolation mode added to the Speed operator
- Adds a 'Scale to size' option in Export Particles - Objects mode
- Adds coordinate settings to the Spin operator 'towards/away target' mode
- Adds an option in the editor right click Layout menu to not sort operators in the depot by category
- And much much more... a full list of updates and fixes can be found here

tyFlow Pro is available for Max 2018 to 2023 and costs $495. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: Modelling

Scatter Tools is a powerful plugin to rearrange, randomize and redistribute the objects in your scene in a very simple and intuitive way. You can scatter your objects over the entire distribution surface, by face orientation, use vertices / spline knots, place at objects pivots or auto-populate furniture.

It has full support for Max groups, both for distribution surfaces and elements to scatter, and has 3 pre-built options to use as pivot positions for placing your objects: pivot, center or base. Built-in collision detection for all scattering methods means no overlapping objects, and you can easily move, rotate and scale your elements randomly to create variation.

It uses no particle systems, and there is no binding between elements, giving you full access to your objects, at all times. There is also no plugin-dependency, so you can work freely on your objects after using this tool.

ScatterTools is available for Max 2015 to 2023 and costs $32. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v5.0.0.12927 are:
- Adds Grasshopper support for .ghuser assets with improved UX
- Add the .ghuser file format as part of the Scripts asset type
- Adds improved support of Substance materials with the implementation of the latest Substance SDK


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v5.0.2 are:
- anima user configuration has been moved from 'My Documents' to '%LOCALAPPDATA%/anima'
- The anima visual scene tree has been revamped internally to provide a much faster response time
- anima Commandline License can now get the active list of devices and export it to JSON or CSV
- You can now delete devices registered to an anima all subscription with anima Commandline License
- Adds support for Unreal Engine 5.1
- Fixes an anima crash when using the crowd generator on a table object
- Fixes an anima issue with attempting to switch to shop mode and cancelling the operation
- Fixes an anima infinite loading loop when opening a scene with baked actors with no skeletons
- Fixes an anima issue where the resource cache would not update correctly
- Fixes a rare Max crash when opening anima scenes in versions 2016 and below
- Fixes an error when using drop characters in C4D R26/2023
- Fixes an application freeze when using 4D models and Redshift in C4D R26/2023
- Fixes an Unreal error with walking 4D actors not ignoring the global virtual texture setting

Anima is available for Max 2014 to 2023 and costs €279. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v2.66 are:
- New MtlMapParams modifier lets you control any material/map parameter per pass
- You can generate a batch file for local rendering instead of using the current session
- Prop/Obj Selection dialog is now resizable and also shows the name in the tooltip
- Fixes the UI not updating when a new pmodifier was added
- rsPrv reset now properly loads saved defaults

renderStacks is available for Max 2017 to 2023 and costs $59.99 per year. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v0.9.218 are:
- Extremely speeds-up model generation
- Fixes a bug with crashing on some complex models
- Fixes some issues and bugs

Fusion is available for Max 2014 to 2023 and costs $60. A demo version is available here.


Site News: Happy New Year!

I just wanted to wish a happy new year to all of the visitors that still come to the site. All the best for 2023!

I wrote the same thing last year, but this year I really do hope that I can invest a bit more time here. The last few years were quiet here due to a number of personal reasons, which basically pushed this website to the back of the queue of things to do. I remain optimistic that I can get it going again, let's wait and see...

Dave


New Plugin: Modelling

Fusion is a new plugin for parametric modelling of repetitive geometry with varying complexity. You can effortlessly create and modify such objects as stucco mouldings, fences, bridges, etc., and almost any geometry can be distributed along a path and/or fused together to create an intricate continuous complex object. When the work is done, save your model blanks in the library so you can reuse them later in other projects. The plugin makes it very easy for you to control the size and count of your objects, the distance between them, and the way they are distributed. You can also animate most parameters and thus add life to the process of building objects. Fusion is a handy plugin with a simple interface, designed to simplify the process of building complex models by using parametric modeling, making your designs more versatile and giving you the opportunity to enjoy the creative process more.

Fusion is available for Max 2014 to 2022 and will cost $60. At the moment you can buy a pre-release version at a 20% discount of $48. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.28 are:
- Adds an 8th layer
- Some UI / usability fixes and improvements
- Some icons adjusted for future VNT version(s)
- No more material slots in use
- Now using a single material scene only to preview layers colors
- Fixes the broken backwards compatibility with old VNT setups
- Moves vnt.ini from #plugCFG to vnt install directory: getDir #userScripts + '\\vnt\vnt.ini'

Vertex Normal Toolkit is available for Max 2012 to 2022 and costs $30.


New Plugin: Modelling

VdbRemesh is a C++ multi-threaded, OpenVDB-based modifier plugin for remeshing. It comes with a procedural filter stack that has 10 filters ready to be applied in any order. Since it is a volume based modifier, it works very differently to the traditional surface modifiers. As it is a procedural modifier, you can also add more than one VdbRemesh to an object with different settings. If the adaptivity settings are set to zero, it will only produce quads.

Uses could include smoothing the edges of hard surface cad models, post-processing 3D scans for removing unwanted holes or smoothing out the surface, generating a smooth high poly model from a low-poly model, generating a nice proxy mesh for a high poly model, generating a clean low-poly mesh for a bake operation, generating closed 3D printable meshes from regular surface meshes, exploring new 3D forms without the restriction of topology, making the surface topology uniform ready for a sculpt or a simulation, and much more.

VdbRemesh is available for Max 2017 to 2022 and costs $49.