[Technical Talk] - Max Plugins
polycounter lvl 18
Hey guys, I was just wondering if we could get a thread featuring all those cool max scripts and plug-ins we lost from the old poly count. The ones I can think of off the top of my head:
Chuggnutt's uv tools
texporter
Juan martinez's polycounter and u.v. mirroring script
u.v. help (works like relax in deep u.v.)
That one tool that spits out a .psd from your u.v editor
If you guys know the links to these great tools Please post them!!! and If you know of any others please share!
Chuggnutt's uv tools
texporter
Juan martinez's polycounter and u.v. mirroring script
u.v. help (works like relax in deep u.v.)
That one tool that spits out a .psd from your u.v editor
If you guys know the links to these great tools Please post them!!! and If you know of any others please share!
Replies
http://www.chuggnut.com/scripts/unwraptools/unwraptools.htm
Texporter:
http://www.cuneytozdas.com/software/3dsmax/
Martinez's Maxscripts:
http://www.juantwo.com/scripts.htm
UVHelp script (a must-have, imho!)
http://www.microcan.nl/uvHelp/uvHelpVS.htm
UVW Map exporter as PSD vector paths:
http://www.rpmanager.com/freeTools.htm
Any more you need?
MoP
http://www.flamefx.com/
3ds max Plugins
http://www.maxplugins.de
and a giant script library is here
http://www.scriptspot.com
UV Help
For those that don't know what it is, it's usually used to add a lot of extra detail to things like spaceships and death stars. Here's some examples of how someone has used it:
Greeble Stuff
And here's a tutorial on how to use it to create a city:
Greeble City
SimCloth
Use this link for Max 6 and 7 version
Ornatrix Hair Plugin
Skin Or Die
http://www.scriptspot.com/andrehotz/
Tons of tools for working with Skin weights. Free.
CompositeMode
http://www.morphographic.com/Diversions/MaxPlugins/Diversions_3DMAXPluginsCompositeMode.htm
A mix map that duplicates many of the Photoshop layers blending modes. Free.
Texture Layers 2
http://www.mankua.com/
The cream of the UVW tools. Not free, but worth every penny.
UVPaint
http://w3.enternet.hu/godzola/ScriptSide/
Funky workflow but super-useful for UV-ing architectural models. Free.
all max 6 plug ins are said to work in max 7.
http://www.darksim.com/html/download_simbiont2.html
http://www.redfieldplugins.com/filterSeamlessWorkshop.htm
It's a Photoshop plugin so it should work with other paint programs that allow .8BF plugins as well. Basiclly it tiles textures that dont tile. It doesnt come with much documentation - here's a tutorial I made that uses it:
http://www.thickshake.com/chrome_foam/tutorials_and_docs/How_To_Make_Tileable_Textures.html
It's helpful that they included tooltips for everything. Quite intuitive.
Thanks a lot for sharing this.
But it's a bit fiddly anyhow. I asked Zola about it, and it turns out the pointing algorithm that's being used requires a Perspective viewport.
You also have to use a viewing angle that keeps the top of the grid behind the surface you're painting. If you look upwards at the surface, or nearly parallel with the horizon, then it won't work, there's no available projection point. The viewport has to be looking downwards.
Another tip. Since the script requires all the UV vertices to be "broken," you'll want to re-weld them when you're done. When I use UVPaint, I add a UVW Unwrap, select all the UVs, Break them, collapse to Editable Mesh, use the tool, add a UVW Unwrap, re-weld the UVs, then collapse back to Editable Poly.
It's worth the extra effort, saves me a ton of time, at least with mechanical/architectural models. I found it's much faster than using planars and Stitch. But YMMV...
-R
Can someone please tell me how to make the psd path exporter work in any version of max?
thanks
http://www.scriptspot.com/download.asp?ID=2339&inf=1
I've used this one, but there's no UI.
http://www.scriptspot.com/Main_Scripts.a...opied%20objects
Thanks again.
And teh smd exporter here http://www.hl2world.com/wiki/index.php/Max_To_HL2_Animated or here http://www.hl2world.com/wiki/index.php/Static_Models
Here's a script to get rid of everything bellow the viewports... it hides the timeslider, trackbar, and statusbar (the bar containing the animation and viewport buttons)... and the great part is that you don't have to enter export mode and it keeps everything else you had showing on the screen, like the main toolbar, command panel, and floating toolbars. If you're like me, a non-animator who uses hotkeys instead of the zoom buttons then this is great and gives you more space to work.
To do this go to MAXScript > New Script
type in the following:
(
trackbar.visible = false
timeSlider.setVisible false
statusPanel.visible = false
)
Then save the script with any name you want but make sure you save it in the folder: scripts > startup
that way the script automatically runs everytime you open max. If you don't put it in that folder then the statusbar will show again next time you open max. This means you'll have to manually run the script everytime you open max... which can be annoying if you're lazy like I am.
Hope this helps
(
val = trackbar.visible
trackbar.visible = not val
timeSlider.setVisible (not val)
statusPanel.visible = not val
)
Copy and paste the text into a new script window (MAXScript > New Script), highlight all the text, drag and drop onto a toolbar. You've just made a button you can click whenver you want to show or hide the timline area.
And about having to run it everytime you start Max, if you set the UI just like you like it, and save a max file called MaxStart.max in the Scenes folder, it will load that file every time Max starts ups and you'll start with that instead of the default layout. This include units setting, render settings, viewport configuration, material editor settings, etc.. You could even set it up to always start with a light and camera in the scene, or a ground plane, or whatever.
I just did a test and the Status Panel will always show up when you restart Max, whether or not it was hidden when you save the MaxStart.max file. If you always want it hidden, do what skruggles said. But personally I like to keep it showing so I can type in short scripts and manually change the PRS values of objects without bringing up the Transform dialogue. If you want to keep it open, but still hide the timeline, just delete the statusPanel line from the script.
http://www.afterworks.com/DSBfirst.htm
On the otherhand if you have the time to waste and are fine with being stressed out by it screwing you when you think you have something then by all means go for it.
My biggest beef with it is that the wave displacement tiles too much... for renders I wish it had some randomness. Although for texture use I did get the tile to work in my advantage, to bake out a nice looping tiled height map.
http://www.ericchadwick.com/examples/movies/dreamscape_waterbump.mov
Sorry about my rant, every time i would turn on the coulds then go back up and change some value outside of the could controls it would randomly reset back to default. The same went for all other functions of the plugin. I would get the water looking great just in time for it to reset the sky. After redueing the sky the water would then reset and id be back working on it. It looked so nice, but atlast it didnt want to work.
Well this is getting pretty OT. If you're still willing to give it another go (it's pretty good), try posting a query in the Discreet Certified section, there are some power users in there that like to help out. In know that Don Gray is really responsive...
http://support.discreet.com/webboard/wbpx.dll/~discreetcertifiedplugins
There are other water shader/mesh solutions out there too.
http://www.maxplugins.de/comm.php?search=ocean
http://tgz3d.com/images/sea-outpost.jpg
Id like to try it out again, but not for a bit. I'm using max 7, that might be it, but as i said, i'll come back to it another day when i have less to do in such a short time.
one thing I'm hoping is possible is to bind the figure/bip mode button in max 5.1 to a key.
I've been using the Skin modifier at work and it would be mighty useful if there was a mean of testing how verts are being moved about without the ballache of coming out of skin and then clicking on the button to get the character animating- is this possible or am I just being a lazy git?
Ta for that MoP