MAX Plugins.de News Archive

Archived Plugin News  –  April 2001
 

New Plugin: Modifiers

This modifier lets you deform one object with another. Apply the Object Deform modifier to the object that you want to be deformed. Create another object and animate it cross the surface the object. Then pick that object as your deform object. This will allow you to do effects like footprints in the snow, or dragging your finger in the sand.


New Plugin: Modifiers

Interpolate Spline allows you to set the steps of a spline, and change the optimization and adaptive settings after it has been collapsed.


New Plugin: Controllers

The Attachment2 controller is a derivative of the Attachment controller. It maintains the orientation of the node it is applied to as the control node is rotated.

There is a new checkbox under 'Align To Surface' called 'Version 1 Compatible'. When you load a file with an existing Attachment2 controller, this checkbox is checked. If you uncheck it, save the file, and load the file, or if you create a new Attachment2 controller, this checkbox is unchecked and deactivated. I found there is a problem with non-uniform scaling on the control node, and unchecking this checkbox handles this scaling properly.

However, unchecking the checkbox can also result in a different orientation of the controlled object. So the first thing you should do is go through the nodes using the Attachment2 controller, and uncheck the checkbox. If the rotation of the node changes, either turn the checkbox back on, or adjust the rotation.


Plugin Update: Modifiers

This fixes a bug where it would only udpate when the camera was animated.


Plugin Update: Modifiers

This fixes a bug where it would only udpate when the camera was animated.


New Plugin: Import / Export

This is an exporter that allows tight integration with Director 8.5 Shockwave Studio. The exporter includes support for Multi-resolution mesh technology, providing streaming previews and levels of detail within Max, character studio biped and physique character animation, and the preview options to view a scene as it will be rendered as Shockwave 3D content.


New Plugin: Objects

This is an advanced version of the standard Max text shape primitive. It has the ability to include dynamic numbers that changes over time, within the text body.

Changes for v4.0:
- Max 4 style text controls.
- More than one format specifier usage in the same text is now possible.
- *.CHM help format accessible within Counter Text user interface.
- Compatible only with Max 4.x.
- %e for engineering type floating point display.
- %t (standing for time) alias for %s.
- %g format for more compact number display.


New Plugin: Modifiers

This plugin provides the ability to adjust the number of knots in an existing group of line segments. The user can then, optionally, create a new spline with the desired number of knots. Typically, excellent results can be obtained with as little as a third or fourth of the original number of knots.


New Plugin: Materials

This plugin material uses the Smoothing Groups associated with a mesh to assign a sub-material. A useful addition/alternative to Multi/Sub Object Selection.


New Plugin: Render Effects

This Render Effect plugin provides the ability to adjust the saturation level of the image and optionally specify the saturation level of objects based on their G-Buffer ID.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v0.1.4 Alpha include:

New Features
- New bucket ordering options.
- Eval Diffuse Map option added to Quick Shade.
- Sample Rate Adaptation Controls added to the Luma Server Params.

Bug Fixes
- Several bugs were fixed in the Blind Monte carlo samplers.
- The pure skylight sampler has been updated to fix banding problems.
- Skylight map will now work correctly when files are loaded.
- Glossy Test shader type will now stick when files are save and loaded.
- Alpha channel is working correctly, but isn't pre-multiplied yet.


New Plugin: Modifiers

This plugin provides the ability to adjust the number of knots in an existing group of line segments. The user can then, optionally, create a new spline with the desired number of knots. Typically, excellent results can be obtained with as little as a third or fourth of the original number of knots.


New Plugin: Utilities

This is a plugin that enables you to create high-end computer generated Web content for viewing on Intel and Macintosh platforms over a standard dial-up connection. The RichFX Encoder outputs files in the VPEG format, a new and exciting streaming internet media. VPEG uses award winning compression algorithms to effectively compress 3D animations 20 to 100 times better than MPEG media.


New Plugin: Import / Export

Enables you to export DXF files to ReelMotion. ReelMotion is a physics-based simulation and animation tool.


New Plugin: Import / Export

Enables the import of ReelMotion motion files. ReelMotion is a physics-based simulation and animation tool.


New Plugin: Materials

This texture generates a height/normal map from an object in the scene. It is useful for turning geometry in the scene into a bump map without having to render out a height map file or drawing it in a paint package.


Site News: Updates

I'm back, and still waiting for SplutterFish to release the new alpha!


New Plugins: And more Peter Watje recompiles

Peter Watje has recompiled more of his plugins for Max 4. They are:
- Particle Combustion v1.61 - A Combustion that uses particle systems as gizmos.
- Object Combustion v1.1 - A Combustion that uses objects as gizmos.
- Vertex Combustion v1.1 - A Combustion that uses vertex selections as gizmos.
- Mesh to Spline v0.4b - A modifier that takes a mesh and turns it into splines.
- CAlpha v1.0 - Crops the alpha channel of an image in Videopost.
- GAlpha v1.0 - Dithers the alpha channel of an image in Videopost.
- See Buffer v1.0 - Dumps various channels such as ZBuffer, Normal, etc. to a bitmap.
- Edge to Spline v1.0 - Turns edge selections in a tri-mesh object to spline segments.
- Particle Control v1.01 - Similar to the Path Controller, except it follows a particle.


Site News: Updates

I'm going to be on the road for the next week, so I won't be able to update the site until Saturday 14th. Sites to keep an eye on are: the SplutterFish site (there should be new alpha release in the next couple of days), and the BlurBeta site, as the recompiled Max 4 plugins should be turning up soon.


Plugin Update: Modifiers

The plugin itself hasn't been updated, but the Installer with all the scene files, the plugin itself, and a recompiled version of the ClothMesh plugin is now available


New Plugin: Import / Export

The Shout3D Export plugin lets you the exploit the full power of max when producing content for Shout3D. The plugin supports a wide range of Max's modeling, texturing and animation toolset and exports a Shout3D file (*.s3d).

Shout3D uses Java technology to deliver interactive 3D on the Web. When a user visits a page with Shout3D content, both the 3D content and the player that displays that content are downloaded. The player is a Java applet embedded in the Web page.


New Plugins: More Peter Watje recompiles

Peter Watje just doesn't stop recompiling his plugins for Max 4. Here's some more:
- Wave 2D v1.0b - A sine wave material generator.
- Particle Paint v1.1 - Turns a particle system into a spray can.
- Noise 2D v1.1b - Noise implemented as a 2D map.
- Texture Map Blender v1.0 - A simple additive blender.
- Cellular 2D v1.0 - A 2D implementation of Cellular.


New Plugin: Modifiers

This is just a bug fixed version of the Normal modifier that ships with Max 3.x. The shipping Normal modifier will scramble any mapping channels that are greater than 1 that a mesh may be using. This one won't.


New Plugins: SnotMonster recompiles

SnotMonster / Andrew Reid has recompiled a number of his plugins for Max 4. Here's the list:
- TrueGrit v0.22 - A dirt simulation plugin.
- GhostTrails v1.04 - Creates a trail behind a moving object.
- ZDeSat v1.01 - Desaturates colours based on their distance from the camera.
- ZTint v1.01 - Tints the colour of an image based on a pixels distance from the camera.


Plugin Update: Materials

Changes for v4.01.2001 are: Added support for per-vertex illumination and alpha in Max 4.


New Plugin: Objects

A bit like a (much) enhanced Dummy object, with options including shape, wirecolor, size, and viewport labels, etc. IMPORTANT: If you have the jbHelpers.dlo plugin installed, please delete it (otherwise you will get plugin conflicts at startup). jbHelpers has been superceded by this plugin.


New Plugin: Materials

This is a great texture for doing fast post-process distortion and refraction fakes.


New Plugins: Peter Watje recompiles

Peter Watje has recompiled a load more plugins for Max 4. Here's the list:
- Vertex to UVW v1.0 - Locks down 3d textures.
- UVW Unwrap+ v1.2 - Improved for high poly models.
- Tesselate+ v1.0 - Offers more control over tesselation.
- Remove Dead UVs v1.0 - Strips unused texture vertices from a mesh or patch.
- Reverse Spline v1.0 - Reverses the order of vertices in a spline.
- Radial Object Select v1.0 - Similar to the Volume Select modifier.
- Gravity Plus v1.0 - Cylindrical, Planar, Spherical and Spiral Gravity spacewarps.
- Particle Displace v1.1 - Displace objects using a particle system.
- Particle Gravity v1.0 - Causes particles to attract or repel each other.


Site News: Downtime

Apologies to everyone who has tried to access this site in the last 4 days, but Germany had a big problem this week, losing around 1.6 million Domains (including this one). Everything now seems to be working OK, so keep your fingers crossed. Dave.