MAX Plugins.de News Archive

Archived Plugin News  –  September 2009
 

Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v1.1 are:
- Recomposed the interface
- Rewrote most of the code
- Fixes 'Ceramics Type' and 'Ceramics Presets' state on repeated opening
- Changed licensing (license locked to the computer hardware)
- Adds support for V-Ray SP3/SP3a
- Adds support for Max 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for the Blend material (VRayBlendMtl not supported)
- Adds support for the Multi/Sub-Object material
- Adds Help & Samples rollout

SigerShaders VCeramics is available for Max 2009 and 2010, and costs €22.


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v1.2 are:
- All presets have been tweaked
- Changed licensing (license locked to the computer hardware)
- Adds support for V-Ray SP3/SP3a
- Adds support for Max 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for the Blend material (VRayBlendMtl not supported)
- Adds support for the Multi/Sub-Object material
- Adds Help & Samples rollout

SigerShaders VLeather is available for Max 2009 and 2010, and costs €22.


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v1.1 are:
- Fixes some presets
- Recomposed the interface
- Changed licensing (license locked to the computer hardware)
- Adds support for V-Ray SP3/SP3a
- Adds support for Max 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for the Blend material (VRayBlendMtl not supported)
- Adds support for the Multi/Sub-Object material
- Adds Help & Samples rollout
- Adds 'Advanced Parameters' rollout
- Adds 'Affect Shadows' parameter
- Adds 'Reflection Max Trace Depth' parameter
- Adds 'Refraction Max Trace Depth' parameter

SigerShaders VLiquid is available for Max 2009 and 2010, and costs €22.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v2.1.2 are:
- Skeleton animations can now be exported to a separate file
- Skeleton animations can now be auto-linked to the mesh if they're exported to a separate file
- Mesh animation settings are now inherited from the corresponding object settings
- Modified the layout of the Mesh Animations page of the Object Settings dialog
- Fixes a bug with exporting separate skeleton animations
- Fixes a bug with mesh and node animations not being copied with multiple selections
- Fixes a crash bug when exporting OgreMax materials with incompatible passes
- The progress dialog status window now scrolls all the way to the bottom


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v1.3 are:
- Major speed improvements
- All presets have been tweaked
- Changed licensing (license locked to the computer hardware)
- Adds support for V-Ray SP3/SP3a
- Adds support for Max 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for the Blend material (VRayBlendMtl not supported)
- Adds support for the Multi/Sub-Object material
- Adds Help & Samples rollout

SigerShaders VMetal is available for Max 2009 and 2010, and costs €22.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v2.8.25.0 are:
- granny_allocate_callback arguments changed to granny_uintaddrx
- Max exporter puts selection sets / layers into granny_file_info::ArtToolInfo::ExtendedData member
- Fixes a fixed size allocation in GrannyBeginFileDataTreeWriting
- Fixes the material attribute walker in the Maya exporter
- Fixes a problem in the granny_world_pose building routines
- Brought back GrannyBuildWorldPoseNoComposite and GrannyBuildWorldPoseNoCompositeLOD
- Adds capabilities to the right-click menu of the texture listing
- Adds subshape attribute extraction to the Maya exporter
- Simplifies the Animation LOD calculation routines
- You should check for texture alpha manually in the Max exporter
- The 'Tutorials' project now ships as a Visual Studio 2005 solution
- Updates the PS3 sample solutions
- The Granny source now compiles correctly under the S/N PS3 compiler
- 'BonesPerMesh' will now respond to a '-modname 1' parameter on the command line
- Max plugins filenames now match the external, rather than internal versions
- granny_vector_tracks that exceed GrannyMaximumBSplineDimension no longer crash the exporter
- Fixes a parameter list error in the ANSI version of granny_file_reader
- Adds three new convenience functions
- Adds new GrannyMemoryArenaPushConcat function
- PSP Platform now ships with a default malloc allocator
- Removed (ancient) test art from the 'media' directory of the distribution

Granny Exporter is available for Max 6 to 2010, and is part of the Granny Toolkit which costs $12500.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v4.0 are:
- Adds support for Max 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for Softimage 2010
- Adds support for Maya 2010
- Softimage FBX plugin now uses the latest FBX library (2010.0)
- Enables COLLADA customization with the Crosswalk SDK
- Adds Crosswalk version to FileInfo of .xsi file exported from Max
- Removes support for Max 8 and 9
- Adds a FaceRobot Animation Rig Importer for Win64
- Maya can now use Crosswalk plugins in batch mode
- Adds Crosswalk version to FileInfo of .xsi file exported from Maya
- Removes support for Maya 7 and 8
- Fixes a Collada crash when an index of -1 is present in the array of joints
- FBX Export no longer forgets last path
- Fixes a crash when the FBX 2006.11 importer loads an FBX from the 2009.1 Maya plugin
- FBX: Materials are now exported if there's no texture connected
- Fixes a Max, Maya and Motion Builder crash when importing certain Softimage FBX files
- Crosswalk now uses / triggers the siOnCustomFileImport/Export and siOnEndFileImport/Export events
- Softimage can now export only associated image clips when exporting Material Libraries


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v1.1 are:
- Rewrote most of the code
- Recomposed all presets
- Changed licensing (license locked to the computer hardware)
- Adds support for V-Ray SP3/SP3a
- Adds support for Max 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for the Blend material (VRayBlendMtl not supported)
- Adds support for the Multi/Sub-Object material
- Adds Help & Samples rollout
- Adds 'Affect Shadows' parameter

SigerShaders VPlastic is available for Max 2009 and 2010, and costs €22.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v6.0.0.5315 are:
- Adds support for Max 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for Deep Exploration CAD Edition v6.0
- Various bug-fixes


Plugin Update: Objects

Changes for v1.12 are:
- Use Particle Size with a mesh as source object now respects soft selections
- Using a mesh as a source object with motion blur on no longer crashes


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for Beta VI are:
- ASC and 64-bit support in Cinema 4D
- Fixes the message 'Polys without materials'
- Fixes problems importing some ASC models into Blender and Max
- Fixes material export from Max, gmax, and Blender


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v2.0 are:
- Major improvements in speed and noise reduction
- Significant quality improvements
- Materials can now be stacked on top of each other
- Subsurface scattering now has a special mode which can handle single-sided geometry
- An easier to use, more robust, and customizable network system
- Support for IES and EULUMDAT files
- It is now possible to edit the color of emitters in real-time
- Built-in compatibility with RealFlow
- A new plugin for Modo
- And much more...

Maxwell Render is available for Max 7 to 2010 and costs €895.


New Plugin: Animation

volumeBreaker allows you to fracture your mesh objects for use with particle systems such as Thinking Particles or Particle Flow. The output created by volumeBreaker is a standard Max mesh with properly defined mesh elements in it, which can be processed by any Max compatible physics engine or particle system. Further modification of the volume broken mesh with standard Max tools is possible as well.

volumeBreaker is available for Max 2008 to 2010 and costs $195 until October 31st 2009. After that it will cost $395.


Plugin Update: Connection

Changes for v6.0.0.5909 are:
- Adds support for Max 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Enhanced CAD loaders to import solids for spline based vector export
- 'Solid Import' method for all CAD files
- Solid Tool: now in the Tool Assistant
- Unigraphics visibility/reference set support
- Support for transparency in Solid Edge files
- SolidWorks can import PMI and Model Views (requires a copy of SolidWorks)
- RH Maya 2009 Import/Export plugin
- Adobe Illustrator enhancements
- Microsoft Windows Enhanced Metafile (.emf) support
- Ability to import UV mapping coordinates
- Optimized tessellation settings
- CATIA v5 Import Construction Geometry option added
- CATIA v5 Part naming option added
- CATIA Point Style support
- JTPMI Version 9 support (import and export)
- Textured JT file (import and export)
- Pro/ENGINEER Neutral file format support with WF4
- Pro/ENGINEER WF4 support
- Unigraphics Model View for part files (initial development)
- Unigraphics texture support (initial development)
- Mental Images (.mi) support
- ...and much mcuh more. A full list of changes can be found here

Deep Exploration CAD Edition is available for Max 5 to 2010 and costs $2995. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Render Effects

Changes for v1.04 are:
- Adds support for Max 2009 and 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)


Plugin Update: Render Effects

Changes for v1.01 are:
- Adds support for Max 2009 and 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)


Plugin Update: Materials

Changes for v1.01 are:
- Adds support for Max 2009 and 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.2.2 are:
- Adds an option in export dialog to export user defined properties of Max nodes
- Fixes bug in export of new lines in user defined properties
- Adds an option in export dialog to copy texture images
- Adds an option in export dialog to use relative paths for images
- Options in export dialog are now saved and loaded
- No export of wire frame materials of none mesh nodes
- Corrects mis-spelled extra parameter 'ambient_diffuse_texture_lock'
- Adds policy merge module to fix bug with 32-bit Max on 64-bit Windows


Plugin Update: Particles

Changes for v1.5.1.37814 are:
- Fixes loading of Age and LifeSpan channels back into Particle Flow
- Fixes the crash caused using a Krakatoa PRT Loader Update without a Krakatoa PRT Loader Birth
- Fixes Krakatoa causing Max to leave its process hanging on closing
- Krakatoa PFlow Operators now expose all default interfaces and properties
- The order of deformation modifier evaluation is now correct
- Fixes position updates when rendering with Krakatoa PRT Loader Update operator
- Adds a Configure License Servers button and dialog to Preferences rollout
- Changes Krakatoa to allow overwriting of sequences that are listed in a PRT Loader
- Replaces the >> buttons with arrow icons
- Fixes right clicking which was not implemented correctly
- Adds the ability to paste particle file paths from Windows Clipboard into a PRT Loader
- Replaces the local partitioning code with a new, TP-friendly one
- Reworked the Partitions On Deadline script code to use a single call to the renderer
- The >Skip Existing Frames option is now a core feature
- Fixes a slowdown caused by Undo Record creation changing the current Preset to 'Custom'
- The installer now creates a 'Standard' sub-folder (with content) in the BlackOps folder
- Fixes some issues with the VFB Extensions when the Krakatoa GUI was not opened/initialized
- Changes the Save History checkbox to be saveable in the renderer
- Krakatoa MacroScript icons are now grayed out if Krakatoa was removed or did not start correctly

Krakatoa is available for Max 8 to 2010 and costs $995 plus support ($248.75) for the standard bundle (1 workstation license and 2 rendering licenses). A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Renderers

Changes for v1.0.437 include:
- Fixes possible threading issue with geometric tessellation

Rendition is available for Max 9 to 2010 and costs $395. A demo version is available here.


Shader Updates: mental ray Shaders

Changes for v24.0 are:
- The fractal shader has a new 'detail fade-off' to reduce far-away flickering
- The cell shader now has the same settings as the fractal shader
- Adds the new BA_antiNaN lens shader
- Adds a new DOF setting to BA_Raylength
- Adds support for 3ds Max, so you don't need my old Include files any more


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.2.1 are:
- Adds support for loading COLLADA files that reference other files
- User defined properties of Max nodes are now exported to an extra element of the COLLADA node
- No longer exports the unused black effect of the root node


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v1.1 are:
- Minor code corrections
- Changed licensing (license locked to the computer hardware)
- Adds support for Vray SP3/SP3a (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for Max 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds 'Affect Shadows' parameter
- Adds 'Environment' map slot
- Adds Help & Samples rollout

SigerShaders VGemstones is available for Max 2009 and 2010, and costs €28.50.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v3.16.12 RC2 are:
- Adds an option to AO rendering to skip backface hits
- Changes the lowpoly/highpoly 'Clear all' button's font color
- Fixes a problem importing the normals in the Max importer
- Temporarily removed the option to flip the maps vertically
- Recompiled using the lastest libraries


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.2.0 are:
- Big speed increase: up to 5x faster than exporting to a binary FBX file
- More than 10x faster than using the FBX/COLLADA


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v1.1 are:
- Rewrote most of the code
- Recomposed all presets
- Changed licensing (license locked to the computer hardware)
- Adds support for V-Ray SP3/SP3a
- Adds support for Max 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for the Blend material (VRayBlendMtl not supported)
- Adds support for the Multi/Sub-Object material
- Adds Environment map slot
- Adds Help & Samples rollout
- Adds 'Affect Shadows' parameter

SigerShaders VGlass is available for Max 2009 and 2010, and costs €22.


Plugin Update: Texturing

Changes for v1.1 are:
- Rewrote most of the code
- Recomposed all presets and added new ones
- Changed licensing (license locked to the computer hardware)
- Adds support for V-Ray SP3/SP3a
- Adds support for Max 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Adds support for the Blend material (VRayBlendMtl not supported)
- Adds support for the Multi/Sub-Object material
- Adds the possibility to use bitmaps and procedural maps
- Adds Help & Samples rollout

SigerShaders VCarpaint is available for Max 2009 and 2010, and costs €22.


Plugin Update: Particles

Changes for v1.5.1.37520 are:
- Fixes voxel rendering error when voxels were behind the camera but in front of a light
- Fixes PRT Loader Viewport Percentage update
- Fixes Krakatoa PRT Loader Birth/Update on frame 0
- Fixes Krakatoa PRT Loader Update operator Channels List resetting on file load
- Fixes clearing of the Save Path when set to empty string
- Fixes updating of the Main Controls rollout after picking a Save Path from History
- Fixes the Save Preset feature at Rollout Level
- Fixes the display of Partitioning flags
- The PRT Volume Macro now sets viewport Spacing to 1/50 of the largest world space Bounding Box
- Fixes auto-connecting of ToVector when one Float Channel Input is selected
- Fixed copying of KCMs with Exposed Inputs
- Changes the handling of the Shift key when creating a ToFloat using Shift+F
- Adds ViewTM, ViewType and Camera entries to Render History records
- Adds History icons/menu items to BG Color, Color, Emission, Absorption and Density overrides
- Replaced [H], [E], [...], [+] and [X] buttons throughout the UI
- Improves performance of History buttons everywhere in the UI
- Changes the default of Age and LifeSpan channels to int32[1]

Krakatoa is available for Max 8 to 2010 and costs $995 plus support ($248.75) for the standard bundle (1 workstation license and 2 rendering licenses). A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Materials

Changes for v1.5.1 are:
- You can now render immediately after assigning the TexPaint3D material (leads to speed increase)


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v5.5 are:
- Adds new RoadNetwork object
- Adds new FollowRoad behavior
- Vehicle dynamics have been improved to provide more realistic behaviors
- You can now load and unload parts of the world at runtime thanks to Terrain Streaming
- The LUA scripts have been updated to support new objects and features
- Improved integration with other Presagis products

AI.implant is available for Max 9 to 2009 (I think. If you know better, please let me know), and costs $4995.


Plugin Update: Animation

Changes for v1.3 are:
- Adds support for Max 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Now includes all the current plugin versions
- New pricing of $999 (was $1990) including one year VIP support

Character Pack is available for Max 6 to 2010 and costs $999. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v2.1.1 are:
- Adds submesh naming to the Mesh page of the Object Settings dialog
- Adds support for WASD/arrow controls in the OgreMax Scene viewports
- Adds mesh animation setting to export skeleton animations to separate files
- Fixes a problem with before/after export commands not showing programs that have UIs
- Fixes a bug with 'None' cull mode setting not being exported
- Fixes a bug that caused scaled mesh instances to not be detected as instances
- Fixes a problem with some characters being removed from mesh and material names


Plugin Update: Modelling / Animation

Changes for v3.2.7 beta are:
- Adds support for all types of maps, not only bitmaps
- New Distribution Map parameters: pixels X/Y (use to adjust the density)
- Adds support for animated maps in the Tint Map
- Adds new parameter for Tint Map: 'Get UVW from Surface'
- Fixes rendering artifacts when using the Tint Map in VRay

Forest Pack Pro is available for Max 7 to 2010 and normally costs €250. For a limited time it is on sale for €200. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v2.5.00 are:
- Adds ability to collect external files in multiple Max files with 'Batch Mode'
- Fixes some interface issues
- Fixes some issues with the demo version

FilePathFinder Pro is available for Max 9 to 2010 and costs $25. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Particles

Changes for v1.5.1.37369 are:
- Fixes a crash in Max 9/2010 when selecting multiple Culling objects
- Fixes a crash in Max 9/2010 when moving one of the multiple Culling objects
- Fixes support for Depth Map Sequences as Mattes in Voxel Mode
- Fixes a crash in Load Single Frame Only mode when Krakatoa is not the renderer
- Fixes severe slowdown with animated Noise map caused by threading issues
- Fixes Custom Channel Arity not being loaded correctly from Custom Channel definitions
- Adds Input Exposure support for Black Op controls
- Fixes the ToSpace and FromSpace node to show <No Node> when no node has been picked
- Fixes the event handler of the Clamp entry in the Operators RCMenu which was missing
- Fixes ERROR display from nested Black Ops
- Fixes processing of empty Black Ops
- Fixes auto-connecting of ToVector when one Float input is selected
- Adds the ability to disconnect two selected nodes by pressing Ctrl+Spacebar
- Adds 'Save Particles...' and 'Explore Save Particles Path...' to the Render Button Right Click menu
- Adds Custom Channel Name filtering to the Channels rollout
- Switched all Help links to the new Prime Focus Software URL
- Adds a new Select Partitions To Load dialog
- Absorption and Emission channels now get added to the Channels In Memory list

Updated 09.09.2009: I put the old prices in the original post, since v1.5 the price has more than doubled.

Krakatoa is available for Max 8 to 2010 and costs $995 plus support ($248.75) for the standard bundle (1 workstation license and 2 rendering licenses). A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Render Effects

Changes for v3.7.2.1 are:
- Fixes a problem when loading the plugin in 64-bit Max 2009


Plugin Update: Render Effects

Changes for v3.7.2 are:
- Adds support for Max 9 and 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit)


Plugin Update: Utilities

Changes for v1.07 include:
- Fixes a problem where the exposure control was being turned off
- Fixes having to hit enter to save changes to the Nth Frame in the Common Properties dialog
- Render Presets can now be imported when editing a Renderer Override
- Fixes a problem with Script Operators
- Right Click submission of only selected passes now works
- Fixes a problem with deleting a camera already plugged into a Common Properties Override

LPM Pro is available for Max 9 to 2010 and costs $75. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Materials

Changes for v1.5 are:
- Adds a new 'bitmap-print' function which lets you print images onto your mesh


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v4.0 are:
- Adds support for the the new XVL v10 file format

XVL Converter is available for Max 2008 to 2010. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Objects

Changes for v1.11 are:
- New optimizations make things slightly faster, noticably on high particle counts (> 1 million)
- Simple particle systems are supported again (with motion blur and all)
- Texture in Multiply mode now supports Strength values above 1.0
- When 'Use Particle Size' is on, the Leaf Size is now ignored


New Plugin: Utilities

Doit! is a commercial MAXScript that automates the setup and processing of meshes in Max to export to the Torque *.DTS file format.

Doit! is available for Max 7 to 2009 and costs $25 (indy license) or $50 (commercial license).


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.2 are:
- Adds a lot of new information to the handbook
- Changes the maximum value of 'Shininess' in eruption Material


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v3.16.12 RC1 are:
- Improves the sampling quality of AO, bent normals and radiosity normal maps


New Plugin: Modelling

This modifier allow you to create a sweep between selected edges of an editable poly using custom profile shapes, similar to NURBS. You can also create a blend between two contours (edge selections) automatically or using a custom shape. In addition, you can automatically clean up meshes after using the ShapeMerge modifier.

PolyProfile is available for Max 9 to 2010 and costs $40. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Modelling / Animation

Changes for v3.2.6 beta are:
- Adds Tint Color maps
- Fixes a bug when randomizing samples from Geometry List
- You no longer need to reselect objects to create a new distribution
- Area mode now uses density values (items per area)
- You can now see the estimated number of items before creating
- Fixes error message 'parameter geomtex has invalid type 15' when loading presets
- Fixes a crash when rendering invalid Forest objects and using Forest Material
- Gamma is now properly applied in the Library Browser
- Tint Override in Forest material now works correctly in Mental Ray
- Exclude spline now works even if it is not Z-aligned with include spline
- 'Surface->Follow Animation' parameter renamed to 'Surface->Auto Update'
- 'Surface->Follow Animation->Only on Rendering' parameter removed

Forest Pack Pro is available for Max 7 to 2010 and normally costs €250. For a limited time it is on sale for €200. A demo version is available here.


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v1.6.6a are:
- Adds support for Max 2010 (32-bit only)


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v2.1 are:
- The source code is now available for licensing in the OgreMax store
- Adds a utility in OgreMax menu to show objects that have duplicate names
- Modified pose export to ignore offsets that have no effect
- Fixes the pose export so that the 'index' references the appropriate submesh
- Fixes the download archive file
- Fixes a bug with material names containing spaces


Plugin Update: Render Effects

Changes for v3.7.2 are:
- Fixes a bug that was causing problems with the trail display


Plugin Update: Import / Export

Changes for v3.0 are:
- Adds support for Max 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit)

QTiP Pro is available for Max 9 to 2010 and costs $25. Updates from v2.1 cost $6. A demo version is available here.


New Plugin: Utilities

Changes for v0.8 Beta are:
- You can now queue the thumbnail renders of objects and materials
- Adds transparent colors behind item names
- Adds support for using lights from the model scene file
- Adds support for using cameras from the model file
- Adds custom scene material option
- Adds support for using lights from the material scene file
- Adds support for using cameras from the material scene file
- You can now configure the default light intensity in the custom material scene
- Adds support for custom models for material thumbnail render
- Adds support for custom scenes for material thumbnail render
- The search function is now only enabled for simple model name based searchs
- You can now launch a Max file in another window
- You can now have lists of materials from selected objects
- Adds a function to easily replace materials from selected objects
- You can now remove model items
- You can now remove model categories
- Fixes wrong camera positions when using the render thumbnail functions
- Fixes an error when changing the item preview size
- Fixes a bug where the offset was being computed twice
- You can now add models and categorys on the first run of the script
- Changes the limits for some settings
- Fixes other minor bugs

HCG Asset Browser PRO is available for Max 2009 to 2010 and costs $50. A demo version is available here.


Site News: Advertising space...

As soon as I get a chance this month, I'm going to be making some changes to the site so that I can put in a leaderboard banner at the top of the page. The changes have got to be made to the backend of the site to enable statistics for the banner.

If you would be interested in advertising here, just drop me a line at the email address above.


Site News: Tweet tweet

Just a reminder that all of the headlines from here now get fed to Twitter, so if that's your thing head over there and start following.