Kees Rijnen (maker of Puppetshop) has released a free plugin called "MorphX2". It has most of the same functionality of the normal Morpher modifier, but lets you add morphs on top of the stack while respecting any deformation modifiers (like Bend or Skin) below it. Very useful for adding corrective shapes to an animated character.
I am trying to do a little script (Max) that does the following, basically converts the objects that i have selected in the viewport to EdPoly and then sets one smoothing group per object.
For example, obj1 would have smoothgroup 1, obj2 would have smoothing group 2 and so on and so forth.
The problem is that its not working has i want.
Anyone can help me out?
Here is the code:
sel = selection as array;
for obj in sel do
(
convertTo obj PolyMeshObject
)
try (
for i = 1 to (sel.count) do
polyOp.setFaceSmoothGroup sel sel.faces i add:false
)
catch(print "Error")
Im not sure why yours does not work... possibly you dont have any faces selected?
I just wrote one that does what you want... though Im not sure how you want to handle it if you have more than 32 objects... right now it pops up a message box telling you that it ran out of smoothing groups
<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>
(
smthBits = #(1,2,4,8,16,32,64,128,256,512,1024,2048,4096,8192,16384,32768,65536,131072,262144,524288,1048576,2097152,4194304,8388608,16777216,33554432,67108864,134217728,268435456,536870912,1073741824,-2147483648)
smthGrp = 1
for i in 1 to selection.count do
(
addmodifier selection (smooth())
if smthGrp <=32 then
(
selection.smooth.smoothingBits = smthBits[smthGrp]
smthGrp = smthGrp+1
)
convertTo selection Editable_Poly
)
) </pre><hr />
edit: i took out the error messaage b/c the way it was implemented was wrong and it would display it everytime it looped through the rest of the objects... not good when there are hundreds
Anyone remember a plugin or script that changed an object's color based on collision with another object? I remember seeing it awhile back, but now I can't find it.
Hey Guys, Does anybody know what happend to that nifty little Max Plug in, that would generate a low poly head?
It was free. The heads weren't that great but they were all quads and made great bases for zbrush or mudbox. Ive searched all over the forms and can't find it. Anybody Know what Im talking about?
I recently stumbled across JJTools. Ironically I recognize some of the art in his portfolio and I found that he actually posted links to early versions of these tools in 2004 (before this thread started). It's nice to see he has kept up with it and is still in the industry and still making great tools.
I highly recommend: Biped Selection tools Asks if you want to load the most recent file, when Max opens.
Josh, make sure to set it to triangle count, if that's what you want, because it defaults to polys. Customize menu > Viewport Config > Statistics tab. A couple other goodies in there too.
UnwrapTools 1.50, originally by Steve Johnson, updated for Max 9 by Diego Garcia.
The Good:
<ul type="square">[*]Tested using Max 6.0, Max 7.0, Max 8.0 , max 9.0.
[*]Restored the Stitch, Sketch, Pack, and Relax menus in the Quads.
[*]Added: fit relax, relax 2, soft selection, edge loop, paint mode options from max7, expand/compact uvs.[/list]The Ugly:
<ul type="square">[*]Doesnt remember changes like turning off the checkbox for Soft Selection Edge Distance, or changing which rollouts are open or closed.
[*]Always defaults to Vertex sub-object mode. When you change the modifiers sub-object, the script doesnt change its sub-object to match.
[*]Avoid the Dump rollout completely, it uses super-slow code. The new Render UVW Template in the Tools menu is soooo much faster (and better options too).[/list]
does anyone know of a plugin or script that will automatically apply a default gray material to a primitive object when you create it instead of having to change it manually?
Built into Max, sorta. In the Object Color palette, click on the color you want, then uncheck Assign Random Colors. Not really a material, but at least it's a single color.
I use that for the wire color, its just a pet peeve I have that max doesn't default to black wire with a gray material, like most other 3d packages and was hopin there was some script that would fix it.
is there a way to make max behave like modo and the tab key?
i would like to press the tab key and activate the smoth nurbs result and pressing it again deactivate it. any tool to do dat?
I can't find a way to change the value of the softselection, i can change the falloff type and esgedistance but not the range of the softselection, its just grey
Anyone know of a script for max that would work similarly to polyboosts surface move tool? It makes it so that verts/edges/polys when selected will snap to the surface of an underlying high poly mesh and can can be moved along the highpolys surface. It's the only reason I really used polyboost, but I only own 1 license (laptop) and would prefer not to have to buy a second (desktop) if theirs something else out their that'll do the job for less or free.
Thanks for that Eric (though I realize my response is reeeealy late), could've sworn I'd tried that before but with glitch-tastic resuls. Maybe that was back in max 7...
Anyhow, theirs another feature I'd like to know if any plugins have. I'd like to be able to select edge loops like in modo or nex (just double click for loops), and maybe something similar for rings. Is their anything out their which would do the trick?
You'll be wanting Roger Hyde's LSD. Does loops only, but it's pretty slick. When you hover over an edge it shows you the loop, and you can click to select/deselect the loop. It's encrypted though, so can't edit it to do Rings. You could contact him though, ask nicely.
Oops, it DOES do rings too. Just hold the Shift key!
Pier Jansson's scripts are awesome.
Maya-style "Outliner" for Max (only works on Max 9 or above), and Hard/Soft Edge script, which I now use quite a lot.
Tried out the LSD plugin. Was neat for a few minutes (though would've prefered if it integrated into maxs defaults instead of having to be enabled for each use), but then it killed/locked all maxs shortcuts so now I have to reinstall
Yep, sure did. Tried a bunch of stuff, determined for sure it's a vista issue. Don't know how (if?) a plugin triggered it but oh well, at least now I have enough incentive to finaly switch back to xp (ben meaning to for a while).
Hey guys, sorry to be a complete doofus for asking but where can I find that spiffy new obj import/export plugin that should be used in place of max's built in one? I hear even autodesk is recommending it until they fix theirs.
Hey guys, does anyone know if a script exists like shrink wrap / conform wrap or expand wrap to work with the projection modifier (specifically the cage) adjusted properly. This would save a tone of time in some instances and I would really love to have something like this.
Hey Vik, thanks for the replay, but it doesn't work for what I am trying to do. If I have a projection modifier on the stack and when I try to run any of the wrap scripts (including shrink wrap) it deletes the projection modifier and replaces it with a Mesh select and relax modifier. Therefore, currently these scripts cannot be used to edit the cage in any way.
To clarify, I am looking for a script that will pretty much get my cage (the cage on the projection modifier, used for baking normals and other elements) right where it needs to be automatically. That is, completly surrounding the high and low poly meshes without either of the meshes poking through the cage.
It seems like it would be possible to use the same methods with wrap for this purpose, but presently it remains impossible as far as I know. I am surprised that no one has created a superior modifier to the default projection as of right now. It seems that it would save a ton of people quite a bit of time and currently the projection modifier could use more options than it has. Then again, I have no idea how difficult a task it would be writing this script; but one has to wonder.
Brad, you can play with the Auto-Wrap tolerance, might get you closer to what you want. Or instead of trying to tweak the cage you might try the sub-object controls, like hitting matching material IDs or setting up specific high-res meshes to only be captured by specific low-res mesh face-selections.
You could look into Kaldera, it lets you specify a separate mesh object as the cage, which you could use Conform on. I doubt it would be worth the extra time though (or cost), Conform is not very accurate, especially when one mesh is much lower-res than the other. Better to limit intersections via material IDs or face/element selections, IMO.
Replies
http://www.lumonix.net/
http://www.footools.com/3dsmax_plugins.html
http://www.lastjedioutpost.ru/Plug-ins/Trail/Description.htm
The last one's in Russion, but I've used the Max 8 version and it's pretty easy to figure out. It basically adds motion trails as a render effect.
I am trying to do a little script (Max) that does the following, basically converts the objects that i have selected in the viewport to EdPoly and then sets one smoothing group per object.
For example, obj1 would have smoothgroup 1, obj2 would have smoothing group 2 and so on and so forth.
The problem is that its not working has i want.
Anyone can help me out?
Here is the code:
sel = selection as array;
for obj in sel do
(
convertTo obj PolyMeshObject
)
try (
for i = 1 to (sel.count) do
polyOp.setFaceSmoothGroup sel sel.faces i add:false
)
catch(print "Error")
I just wrote one that does what you want... though Im not sure how you want to handle it if you have more than 32 objects... right now it pops up a message box telling you that it ran out of smoothing groups
<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>
(
smthBits = #(1,2,4,8,16,32,64,128,256,512,1024,2048,4096,8192,16384,32768,65536,131072,262144,524288,1048576,2097152,4194304,8388608,16777216,33554432,67108864,134217728,268435456,536870912,1073741824,-2147483648)
smthGrp = 1
for i in 1 to selection.count do
(
addmodifier selection (smooth())
if smthGrp <=32 then
(
selection.smooth.smoothingBits = smthBits[smthGrp]
smthGrp = smthGrp+1
)
convertTo selection Editable_Poly
)
) </pre><hr />
edit: i took out the error messaage b/c the way it was implemented was wrong and it would display it everytime it looped through the rest of the objects... not good when there are hundreds
its working perfectly!
thanks man, really appreciated!
Found it! Maxim Capra's Touch Texture Maker. Pretty cool.
NodeJoe ($298)
Jerry Ylilammi's SME (free)
Kees Rijnen's Helium (free, but just a framework, not a finished sme)
It was free. The heads weren't that great but they were all quads and made great bases for zbrush or mudbox. Ive searched all over the forms and can't find it. Anybody Know what Im talking about?
http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/face-maker
There ya' go
I highly recommend:
cheers,
Rom
snowblindstudios.com
i think you press 7 and he appears. and you can configure it on the viewport settings.
is there some script that can reset the ids of a mesh?
clean the ids that are on the mesh, so i can apply new ones.
bitmap, sub-object Face isn't doing it for ya? A script option...
http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/material-id-dashboard
Hmm maybe saving a max scene?
The Good:
<ul type="square">[*]Tested using Max 6.0, Max 7.0, Max 8.0 , max 9.0.
[*]Restored the Stitch, Sketch, Pack, and Relax menus in the Quads.
[*]Added: fit relax, relax 2, soft selection, edge loop, paint mode options from max7, expand/compact uvs.[/list]The Ugly:
<ul type="square">[*]Doesnt remember changes like turning off the checkbox for Soft Selection Edge Distance, or changing which rollouts are open or closed.
[*]Always defaults to Vertex sub-object mode. When you change the modifiers sub-object, the script doesnt change its sub-object to match.
[*]Avoid the Dump rollout completely, it uses super-slow code. The new Render UVW Template in the Tools menu is soooo much faster (and better options too).[/list]
Edit...
Hotkeying unwraptools
http://boards.polycount.net/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=136963&an=&page=0&vc=1
FatAssasin also has hotkeyable UV scripts: aligning (7 ways), relaxing (4 ways), and welding. Awesomeness.
http://jhaywood.com/maxScripts.htm
http://paulneale.com/scripts/autoMaterial/autoMaterial.htm
http://www.jimjagger.com/Pages/Tools/index.htm
/edit scratch that, I suck. Found it
i would like to press the tab key and activate the smoth nurbs result and pressing it again deactivate it. any tool to do dat?
I can't find a way to change the value of the softselection, i can change the falloff type and esgedistance but not the range of the softselection, its just grey
bitmap, Tab key is hardwired AFAIK, but you could set the tilde key (just above it) to any keyboard hotkey you want.
now. i only need to know how to default setup the nurms toogle to be at 3 iterations .olol
Anyhow, theirs another feature I'd like to know if any plugins have. I'd like to be able to select edge loops like in modo or nex (just double click for loops), and maybe something similar for rings. Is their anything out their which would do the trick?
Oops, it DOES do rings too. Just hold the Shift key!
Pier Jansson's scripts are awesome.
Maya-style "Outliner" for Max (only works on Max 9 or above), and Hard/Soft Edge script, which I now use quite a lot.
Feedback/bug report thread here, please post any issues there, not here.
To clarify, I am looking for a script that will pretty much get my cage (the cage on the projection modifier, used for baking normals and other elements) right where it needs to be automatically. That is, completly surrounding the high and low poly meshes without either of the meshes poking through the cage.
It seems like it would be possible to use the same methods with wrap for this purpose, but presently it remains impossible as far as I know. I am surprised that no one has created a superior modifier to the default projection as of right now. It seems that it would save a ton of people quite a bit of time and currently the projection modifier could use more options than it has. Then again, I have no idea how difficult a task it would be writing this script; but one has to wonder.
You could look into Kaldera, it lets you specify a separate mesh object as the cage, which you could use Conform on. I doubt it would be worth the extra time though (or cost), Conform is not very accurate, especially when one mesh is much lower-res than the other. Better to limit intersections via material IDs or face/element selections, IMO.