MAX Plugins.de News Archive

Archived Plugin News  –  January 2014
 

Plugin Update: Modelling / Animation

Changes for v2.5.0.0 are:
- Finishes Alembic support implementation
- Adds an Options dialog for the Alembic exporter
- Alembic exporter now supports export of animated hair range
- Adds MAXScript commands for the Alembic exporter
- Fixes sporadic 'Error allocating mesh' error when rendering Ornatrix hair and guides
- Fixes a hang when adding 'Ox Edit Guides' modifier on top of 'Ox Guides on Spline'

Ornatrix is available for Max 2009 to 2014 and costs $499. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.43 are:
- Fixed Top/Bottom UV bugs with various combinations of Vector From and Coordsys settings
- Bake to Geometry function now bakes the correct top/bottom UVs

CorVex is available for Max 2010 to 2014 and normally costs $10. Until February 15th, a license can be purchased for $4.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.02 are:
- Fixes incorrect 3D position of the tweak brush when hovering over an object
- Brush orientation line no longer causes smearing artifacts

Alles Im Fluss is available for Max 2009 to 2014 and normally costs €65. Until the end of January 2014, you can purchase a license at a special 15% launch discount for €55.25. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modifiers

Changes for v1.0a are:
- Adds support for Max 2013 and Max 2014


Plugin Update: Objects

Changes for v1.02b are:
- I originally uploaded the wrong version without PFlow support, this is now the correct version


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v1.0172 are:
- Adds 'Flippin' Flaps': one-click animate the unfolding of your mesh faces

Animators Tool Kit is available for Max 2010 to 2014 and costs $25. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v2.1.0.1 are:
- Custom streak maps now work in V-Ray
- 'Use Same Object Only' flag now works in V-Ray
- Windmaps are now enabled for both V-Ray and mental ray

Rich Dirt is available for Max 2011 to 2014 and costs €79 (Standard Edition) / €179 (Extreme Edition). A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v2.0.7 are:
- Adds a new option for Top View
- Fixes some shader issues

AXE Pro is available for Max 7 to 2014. At the moment I have no information on pricing. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v2.3 are:
- 'Drop On' has been updated to version 1.2

miauu's Script Pack Volume 2 is available for Max 9 to 2014 and costs €17.


New Plugin: Modelling

miauu's Spline Deformer allows you to manipulate rows of edges as if they were splines. The plugin supports soft selection and allows you to align edges with existing splines as well as those generated by the script from the current edge selection.

miauu's Spline Deformer is available for Max 2009 to 2014 and costs €7.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.4 are:
- Adds a Stack Selection rollout
- 'Create Multi Material' now adds default Checker Maps to visualize the UVs

CorVex is available for Max 2010 to 2014 and normally costs $10. Until February 15th 2014, you can purchase a license for $4.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v2.2 are:
- New 'Align Working Pivot' function aligns the working pivot either to a subselection or between two points

miauu's Script Pack Volume 2 is available for Max 9 to 2014 and costs €17.


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v2.51 are:
- Fixes a bug with Speed and StartFrame

PolyFX is available for Max 9 to 2014 and costs $49.99. A demo version is available here.


Plugin News: Alles im Fluss starts open beta testing

Christoph Kubisch has started open beta testing on a modelling plugin that will be released at the end of the month.

Alles Im Fluss (German for 'Everything flows') is a Max plugin to aid poly modelling. It provides the ability to quickly and easily draw polygon strips, connections or extrusions, and cap holes while maintaining clean, mostly quad-based topology. One single tool provides you with all functionality depending on the sub-object type you are in, or keyboard modifiers used.

The beta version of the plugin can be downloaded here. At the moment there is no information on what the plugin will cost.


Plugin News: Laubwerk offers a 20% discount

Up to January 31st 2014, Laubwerk GmbH are offering a 20% discount on all three of their Plants Kits (Kit 1, Kit 2, Kit 3) to celebrate the Chinese New Year, which brings the price from €149 down to €119. More information can be found here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.37 are:
- Adds control for Bottom UV Method
- Adds control for top/bottom UV to control the coord system used for top/bottom global coords
- Fixes CorVex geometry getting offset when the pivot of the CorVex is moved

CorVex is available for Max 9 to 2014 and costs $4.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v2.6.1 are:
- Adds support for the bump map of a standard Max material
- Adds support for the OpenGL render system when using OpenGL viewports
- Modified the screenshot file types, reducing / simplifying available formats
- Modified all the mouse controls in the OgreMax scene viewports
- Modified the 'Reset Viewport Camera' setting in the OgreMax scene viewports

OgreMax is available for Max 8 to 2014 and costs $250. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v5.1.0.3 are:
- Fixes an issue with the virtual memory handling when painting
- Fixes an issue importing OBJ files with material names containing a colon (:)
- Improved auto-locating of OBJ files when loading a CR2 file
- Fixes issues with buttons in the main interface keeping the keyboard focus
- Fixes an issue with using the mouse wheel to control the zoom level
- The reserved hotkey 'R' now toggles the Quick Renderer
- Fixes an issue with rendering vertex normals after welding
- Fixes navigating/zooming when the scale of an object was changed dramatically

Blacksmith3D Pro is available for Max 9 to 2014 and costs $199.95. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v8.0.1 are:
- Bug-fixes

Muster is available for Max 8 to 2014 and costs $85 per node. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v3.18.6 are:
- The result from the base texture bake is now linearly filtered (better quality)
- Modified the dilation filter's algorithm to consume much less memory
- Modified the internal image structs to be more SIMD-friendly
- Increased the maximum render size to 32k
- The Max SBM exporter now saves data from the current frame instead of the first frame
- Adds a translucency map for simulating semitransparent objects and SSS
- Recompiled with the latest libraries (FBXSDK 2014.2, JRE 1.7u45, libpng-1.6.7, lua 5.2.3, OpenEXR 2.1.0)


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for Build 12001961 are:
- Fixes a potential crash after copying all texture maps to a folder
- Fixes a potential crash in the Light Editor
- Fixes too dark EcoSystem billboards in Photometric lighting
- Fixes Render Scene Preview refresh when showing/hiding a layer from render
- Fixed plant editor display refresh after modifying some settings
- Fixes a potential crash when ungrouping a boolean operation holding an EcoSystem
- Fixes the Python SelectByLayer function
- Fixes rendering using the Standalone Renderer in MacOS
- Fixes the loading of IES profiles that use a comma as a field separator
- Fixes saving advanced effects quality render settings as custom User Render Preset
- Fixes potentially inconsistent loading of Vue 4 objects

Vue 2014 xStream is available for Max 2008 to 2014 and costs $1695. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.36 are:
- Fixes UVW on top/bottom to work with negative height and widths in Wall Mode

CorVex is available for Max 9 to 2014 and costs $4.


Plugin Update: Modelling / Animation

Changes for v2.4.0.0 are:
- Adds a basic Alembic exporter to export current frame's selected scene hair (WIP)
- Fixes 'Mesh from strands' modifier sometimes only using material ID scatter map
- Fixes 'Mesh from strands' modifier 'Num. Mat Ids' option counting from 0 and not 1
- 'Mesh from strands' modifier now respects render settings-specified hair width
- Fixes a crash when setting mapping coord. mode to per-strand in 'Ox Mesh From Strands'
- Fixes 'Ox Mesh From Strands' not assigning mapping coordinates correctly
- The Max 2014 installer now puts MR shaders into the correct directory
- Documentation updates

Ornatrix is available for Max 2009 to 2014 and costs $499. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v1.2 are:
- Improved performance
- Make Preview no longer ignores the last frame
- Tooltips no longer show incorrect lengths
- ProSequencer no longer starts if the system is a render server
- Fixes a license bug
- Improved workflow when using other cameras in other viewports
- Adds new 'Send clip's cam to active viewport' feature
- Adds new 'Link active viewport camera' option
- Preview files are no longer deleted on preview cancel
- Cameras now switch immediately on link
- Fixes a bug with zebra striping for bright themes
- Navigation now starts 100% zoomed out
- ProSequencer now starts minimized for less flickering
- Scenes animation ranges are now respected on start up

ProSequencer is available for Max 2013 to 2014 and costs €10. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: Animation

The MassFX Toolkit is a scripted plugin that extends the capabilities of MassFX for Max. MassFX in Max can be cumbersome and difficult to art direct and manage. This toolkit automates a lot of the processes and makes using MassFX in production easy and fun.

Features include:
- Joints - including breakable settings
- Ropes - pinned or free ropes
- Kinematic timing controls
- TimeScale 'Bullet Time'
- Multiple baking options
- Toycar
- Selection filters
- Object manager - with color coding
- Collision scale controls
- Solver presets
- Sleeping dead objects
- Gravity controls
- Quickly add forces

MassFX Toolkit is available for Max 2014 and costs $69.95.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v2.1 are:
- Inset Pro has been updated to version 1.1
- Drop On can now project vertices onto the same object

miauu's Script Pack Volume 2 is available for Max 9 to 2014 and costs €17.


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v2.5 are:
- Adds the ability to set the name of the object/group
- Adds the ability to set the color and material of objects
- Adds a curve editor to fine-tune the behavior of objects
- Adds a Normal modifier
- Increased the speed of many parameters

PolyFX is available for Max 9 to 2014 and costs $49.99. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling

Changes for v1.2 are:
- Negative Height now creates geometry with correct normals
- Adds new checkbox called Export as World Geometry
- Adds Spline Base button to Delete spline
- Adds Spline Base button to select all splines
- New Spline pivots now align to CorVex position
- Exposed the cutter objects in the UI

CorVex is available for Max 9 to 2014 and costs $4.


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v1.017 are:
- New 'PathRig' utility: animate objects along paths using a waypoint system
- New 'Flippin' Flaps' utility: one click animate the unfolding of mesh faces
- Adds CamRig support for Octane cameras

Animators Tool Kit is available for Max 2010 to 2014 and costs $25. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for Build 1828 are:
- Adds custom shadow mapping (from first scene spotlight for now)
- Adds an animation trigger example


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v3.18.5a are:
- The base texture bake result is now linearly filtered (better quality)
- Modified the dilation filter's algorithm to consume much less memory
- Modified the internal image structs to be more SIMD-friendly
- Increased the maximum render size to 16k x 16k
- The Max SBM exporter now saves data from the current frame instead of the first frame
- Adds a translucency map for simulating semi-transparent objects and SSS
- Recompiled using the latest libraries (FBXSDK 2014.2, JRE 1.7u45, libpng-1.6.7, lua 5.2.3, OpenEXR 2.1.0)
- Fixes a problem with the background color of the translucency map
- Fixes a possible crash in the OS/TS convert tool


Site News: Happy New Year!

I'd like to wish all visitors to MAX Plugins.de a very happy and successful new year!

I haven't been updating the site as often as usual recently, but by the end of the week things should return to normal, hopefully.

Dave