MAX Plugins.de News Archive

Archived Plugin News  –  February 2005
 

Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v6.61 are:
- Fixes bad menu initialisation which was crashing Max

Polygon Cruncher is available for Max 3 to 7 and costs $109. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: Modifiers

Landscape Tools is a landscape oriented editor and texture-painting plugin which consists of a modifier which allows you to edit landscape geometry in an editor window, and a multi-layer texture map for blending different textures together for your landscape. The plugin has a few minor restrictions, and an unrestricted commercial version will be available soon.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v1.2.1 are:
- Fixes a bug which was crashing Max


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v1.31 are:
- Fixes crashes with the latest versions of VRay
- Improves standard ShadeContext support

AF Tile is available for Max 3 to 7 and costs $24.99. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: Spacewarps

This is a modified version of the standard wind spacewarp that ships with Max. The update primarily affects how the turbulence operates, although falloff for wind has been modified too. New features include:
- Falloff on turbulence
- XYZ scale
- Frequency seems a lot more stable
- Phasing controls
- Different noise algorithms


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v0.62.01 are:
- Noise fractal in the flame shaders
- Flame shader alpha
- New select directory dialog
- Added current frame to 'Simulation status' dialog
- Fixed Aura crashing when cloning aura arrow and grid
- Fixed Aura crashing when opening a scene without closing the current one
- Gravity/velocity gizmo fixes
- Some interface fixes

AURA is currently in open beta-testing, this version will expire in a month or so.


New Plugin: MAXScript Extensions

This MAXScript extension has 3 miscellaneous tools. The following functions are included:
- IntervalArray: This creates an array from integer interval steps between two float values.
- formatf: This formats a float value to a string without casting it in scientific notation. This has an option as to how many decimal places are included.
- sprintf: A wrapper to the C / C++ function of the same name. This is an advanced function, and is similar to the MAXscript 'format' tool, only it's a little more advanced. However at this time it only takes 1 value and converts it. Future versions will take multiple values.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v1.2 are:
- New global illumination algorithm generates less noise
- Rendering speed is now less dependent on the number of light sources
- Automatic brightness adaptation has been improved
- Brightness UI control has been removed
- Refraction is temporarily disabled due to technical reasons
- All memory leaks have been removed
- Fixes a bug with artefacts on low-res objects
- Fixes a problem with normals
- Fixes a shadow problem with complex meshes


Plugin News: ClayTools system announced...

SensAble Technologies, Inc. have announced a new plugin due out in March for Max. The ClayTools system uses a virtual clay metaphor that removes the constraints of technical modeling, and offers a true 3D interface with force feedback.

You can read the whole press release here.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Bugfixes in v1.46.13 are:
- VRayMtl with fog on could cause splotches in the scene
- 'Overlapped' mode for the irradiance map lookup could cause splotches with reflective objects
- VRayToon with world units was rendering incorrectly on the background
- Color mapping could produce severe color inversion with very bright colors if Dark multiplier is larger than Bright multiplier

V-Ray is available for Max 3 to 7 and costs $299 for the Basic version, and $799 for the Advanced version. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.07 are:
- Fixes a bug which caused the modifier stack to be ignored


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.4 are:
- Adds Firefox support
- Adds new navigation modes for architectural walkthroughs
- Adds new lighting and fov controls

Hypercosm Teleporter is available for Max 5 to 7 and costs $299.99. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Render Effects

Changes for v2.0 are:
- Adds support for particle systems (inc. Particle Flow) as trail generators
- Effect can now be applied to different sets of particles based on their wireframe colour
- Noise can now be applied depending on particle age
- The 'brightness' control is now called 'multiplier' and can accept negative values


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v2.11 are:
- Adds an option to export opacity mapped objects (billboards)
- New button 'Show Max VFB' displays standard VFB for images rendered via AF

AF Export Channels is available for Max 3 to 7 and costs $99.99. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v1.46.12 are (This is going to be long!):
- Reduced memory usage with static non-motion blurred geometry
- Speed improvements
- Reduced memory usage for dynamic instanced geometry
- Reduced memory usage for VRayProxy objects
- Reduced memory usage for static motion-blurred geometry
- More robust raycasting for motion-blurred geometry
- Faster motion blur and multi-segmented motion blur
- Dome light no longer produces highlights
- The light map has been renamed to 'light cache'
- Added option 'Use light cache for glossy rays'
- Added a parameter 'Number of passes' for the light cache
- Added option 'Time independent' to the QMC Sampler
- 'Trace diffuse & glossy together' renamed to 'Treat glossy rays as GI rays' with extended values
- Caustics now have a 'Max density' parameter

Bug fixes in v1.46.12 are (This is going to be even longer):
- Flipped proxies rendered as black
- VRayMtl with fog and glossy refraction was incorrect
- VRayMtl sometimes didn't update in the Material Editor
- DOF/Moblur + irradiance map + high Global subdivs multiplier could lead to splotches
- DOF/Moblur and the irradiance map pass take the full amount of samples when the Global subdivs multiplier is more than 1.0
- VRayLightMtl did not generate a self-illumination channel for the VFB
- Mouse tracking in the VRay VFB and changing region sequence was buggy
- Crashes when the x/y regions count for the image are explicitly specified and region sequence is set to Triangulation
- 'Ink'N'Paint' material did not render correctly
- 'Adv. raytraced' and 'Area shadows' shadow types did not render correctly
- RPC moving content did not update in animation
- Spherical VRayLight could cause splotches
- VRayBmpFilter did not update the button name when a texmap is dragged onto it
- Light cache could cause flickering in animations with dual machines
- Bump maps with glossy reflections could slow down rendering a lot
- Crashes when attempting to write to an empty GBuffer
- VRay messages window was displayed in server mode
- Writing to a raw .vrimg file in animation could lead to crashes
- VRay VFB didn't overwrite files
- VRayToon did not work properly with transparent objects and VRayLights
- Falloff map as an environment override in a VRayMtl could produce indeterminate results
- Distributed rendering from MAXScript did not render the correct view or crashed
- Caustics with Max photons set to 0 and Indirect illumination off could crash

V-Ray is available for Max 3 to 7, and costs $299 for the Basic version, and $799 for the Advanced version. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v6.6 are:
- Max 7 is now supported
- Adds an 'Optimize selection' button
- Fixes bad triangulation on faces with holes
- Fixes a problem with face orientation
- Fixes a problem with selection and wireframe colours

Polygon Cruncher is available for Max 4 to 7 and costs $109. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Objects

Changes for v0.9 are:
- No changes, but the plugin has finally been recompiled for Max 6 and 7


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.06 are:
- Fixes a bug with sub materials not being exported properly


New Plugin: Import / Export

This plugin is for creating content for Richard Burns Rally. Included in this package is the Max exporter Warthog used for exporting the cars, and a .max file for a car used in the actual game (the Impreza 03). Hopefully this will help modders making cars for RBR.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v2.19 are:
- Vertex export: fixed append-to-existing feature
- Added animation data compatibility checks


Plugin News: Upcoming plugin from nPower...

nPower Software have posted a very interesting video demonstrating their upcoming plugin Power NURBS.


Plugin News: New bundles form Cebas...

cebas Computer GmbH have released two new plugin bundles for Max. The bundles are the successor of the popular ProOpticSuite.

finalFX Bundle I includes finalRender Stage-0, finalFlares, finalDOF, and pyrocluster 3 (including a 2 processor license of pyrocluster for mental ray). It costs $795.

finalFX Bundle II is the same as Bundle I but doesn't include finalRender Stage-0. It costs $745.

Existing users of ProOpticSuite may upgrade to finalF/X Bundle I or II for $345 and $315. For a limited time, until April 30th the upgrade is offered for a special price of $225 for Bundle I and $199 for Bundle II.


New Plugin: Post FX

Lensflares, glows and silhouette glows are the main effects created by finalFlares. In contrast to the built in Max equivalents, finalFlares creates a much more natural looking effect with a much deeper control of the effect itself. Besides much faster rendering and better control of the effects, finalFlares also provides full support for Particle Flow and ThinkingParticles.

finalFlares is available for Max 6 and 7, and costs $245 until April 30th, after that it will cost $299.


New Plugin: Post FX

finalDOF is a G-Buffer based render effect for Max, rendering depth of field effects at interactive frame rates. Depending on the amount of blur, the depth of field render effect may be even fine tuned in realtime with the help of an advanced curve editor that allows independent control of front and back blur.

finalDOF supports advanced out of focus effects, also called 'Bokeh', in a highly efficient way without adding so much render time at all to the main depth of field effect. finalDOF also offers a vector motion blur render effect. Motion blur effects created with finalDOF can also be rendered at interactive frame rates.

finalDOF is available for Max 6 and 7, and costs $159 until April 30th, after that it will cost $199.


Plugin Update: Modelling / Animation

Changes for v1.2 are:
- Many improvements and bug fixes in area of strand and mesh generation
- New Ornatrix hair map, shader models, full vertex colors (and mapping) support, and enchanced tools for editing hair
- Improved rendering capabilities
- Many major and minor bug fixes

Ornatrix is available for Max 6 and 7, and costs $149.99. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v1.1.6 are:
- Fixes all problems with 'Render to Texture'
- Fixes all problems with 'Render Elements'
- Improvements to the authorization utilities
- Major and minor bugfixes

Natural:shaders is available for Max 5 to 7 and costs $165. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v4.13 are:
- Real Time Clock object and Clock action now implement properties to specify the time in frames
- Fixed Render To... of session crashing the application
- Fixed helpfile not opening when Help selected
- Translator now exports RPC objects as rendered
- It is now possible to select an alternate Scene Logo

VR4MAX is available for Max 3 to 7 and pricing starts at €850. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: Import / Export

The TGXExportGA (Generally Available) allows artists using Max to export their artwork into a TGX file, the format used by the TiburonGX game engine.

The plugin allows bone exporting straight from Max without the use of Character Studio, as well as exporting in Ticks or Keyframes. Using Microsoft's DirectX file format, artists can view their artwork in a '.x' file viewer or any ASCII text file application.


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v1.3 are:
- Adds support for ActiveShade

AF Tile is available for Max 3 to 7 and costs $24.99. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v1.3 are:
- Adds support for ActiveShade

AF Material Correct is available for Max 3 to 7 and costs $14.99. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.02 are:
- Fixes a bug where Max was 'hanging' when applying modifiers to AF Loft objects

AF Loft is available for Max 3 to 7 and costs $34.99. A demo version is available here.


New Plugins: Modifiers / Utilities

Point Oven is a baking system allowing the users of LightWave, Messiah, Maya and Max to interchange animation data.

The baker modifier supports motion baking, allowing you to match lights, null objects and camera animation, and also supports multiple object simultaneous baking.

The reader utility has dynamic frame loading for maximum memory efficiency, and also has animatable frame offsets to allow for loops, pauses in playback etc.