3D Render Plugins List

Autodesk’s 3ds Max is a very powerful 3D modelling tool in its own right. But what really makes it a powerhouse is its ability to use Maxscripts to make simple macros to speed up your workflow.

Also due to its popularity, a lot of third party companies build complete plugins from the ground up that are compatible with most versions of 3ds Max.

This article will list 20 of the best free and premium scripts/plugins from around the web that people have created to speed up their workflow, make the UI more accessible, or add entirely new features to the program.

Free Plugins/Scripts

Free is everybody’s favorite word.

In general these scripts are not as powerful as some of the premium ones, having been made by an individual usually to solve their own problem which they then shared from the kindness of their heart.

Still, these scripts are all very useful to have access to, I personally use almost all of these.


Fracture Voronoi

v1.0: The object is broken in a number of chunks equal to 'Nb Parts' to the power of 'Iterations', using Voronoi cells. The final number appears on the 'Break' button.

The creation process is visible in the viewport.
For a similar result, it is faster to use several iterations with a small number of parts than creating all the parts in one iteration.
Note that the original object is just hidden, not deleted.

v1.1: In this version, the code has been improved and runs much faster. But there is no viewport feedback any more.
Materials:
- the outer faces keep their original material IDs and the new faces are assigned a unique ID. The value that appears by default is the highest ID in use (by the original object) + 1.
- mapping coordinates (if any) are preserved and somehow 'projected' onto the new faces.
- an extra planar mapping is applied to all the pieces at once and set on its own channel, typically for use with 3D procedural maps, so the pattern flows continuously from piece to piece but sticks to them when they are moved apart.
Hierarchy:
- when using several iterations, it is possible to keep the intermediate generations of parts.
- when linked, each part is parented to the one it is derived from.
- generations are set on their own layers, which are hidden except for the last one.



Sweep Profile

This plugin allows you to make banisters and trims for interior and exterior building shots by using Max’s sweep modifier.


It comes with a library of pre-set sweep shapes and you can add your own for future projects.

It is a huge timesaver as it avoids you having to painstaking draw out the cross-section of your trims every time.


New features and fixes for Sweep Profile version 1.00.28

  • Adds an ability to setup profile before rendering preview
  • Adds Simplified Chinese and French localizations
  • Fixes a bug with using plugin when 3Ds Max uses non-English localization
  • Fixes a bug with crashing when Corona Interactive rendering is running
  • Fixes other some issues

New features and fixes for Sweep Profile version 1.00.20

  • Adds an ability to rename profiles
  • Adds the ability to merge shape to the scene using the context menu
  • Move to directory and category "Kstudio"
  • Fixes an issue with correct display the maximized plugin window on some monitors

Sweep Profile - Plugin for quick and convenient applying profiles to shape with a modifier Sweep.
PRO version contains 37 prepared for using architectural profiles.

Additional Info: 
  • Creation/updating of architectural profiles in one click
  • Set profile dimensions
  • Favorites profiles
  • Adding user profiles to library
  • Studio for rendering profiles [PRO]
  • Profile’s pivot alignment [PRO]
  • Contains 37 prepared to using architectural profiles [PRO]
Version Requirement: 
 3ds Max 2014 and above

   

Merge by Layer

Layers are an important part of the workflow in 3ds Max allowing you to keep sections of your model apart and easily categorize them.


If your scene is starting to run a little bit sluggish, or if you want to export it into some other software and lower the mesh count to make it easier to keep track of, you may want to start merging objects.


This merge by layer tool allows you to quickly and easily merge sections of your scene into one mesh while keeping the order that you have laid out in your layers.


    

Rock Generator

This script quickly generates rocks that you can use in your scene.


It has several different rock types such as boulders or eroded settings. It even has a built-in feature to make a low poly version that is already UV unwrapped with baked in maps that you can then use in a game engine.


The rocks can be easily resized and deformed after generation so you can make plenty of rock types to spread about your scene.

available here: http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/rock-generator

Features:
-rock presets
-tweak-able parameters
-automatic low poly mesh generation, with bake-ready UVs
-normal and AO map generation

If you like it and found it useful, just let me know and let me see
some results



Stone Placement Tool

From the same developer who made the rock generator is this excellent tool for generating stone walls or flooring.
It has lots of parameters, like changing the walls size, the size variation between bricks and their offsets to make it look more natural.
Like the Rock generator this script’s UV’s are generated with the geometry and the maps automatically baked in so it comes ready-to-use in most game engines.



Weave Mesh


this  is a simple script that can generate woven fabric quickly and easily.

Modelling this manually would take a long time, but this plugin makes it almost instantaneous.

If you have any need to make a woven fabric mesh I cannot recommend this plugin enough.

It has settings to change the density of the weave, and even the shape of the thread (round for cloth or flat for a weave basket texture).



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