January 16

Updated MaxScript in Tutorials/MaxScript
World Grabber 0.40b (MaxScript Encrypted)
Added RadioRay VRML 1.0 radiosity solution import.
BETA TEST DOWNLOAD
Download UPDATE WorldGrabber Beta 0.40 - Script Only (52K)

Download WorldGrabber Beta 0.40 - incl. Radiosity Demos (505K)

Download WorldGrabber Beta 0.24 - incl. Docs and Demos (334K)

Digimation Released another Patch
Maxmatter v.1.0 (MAX2) mm2_patch.exe 152 K 14-JAN-97



Script to convert R1 files to R2? Bug FIX
From:Larry Minton (avguard@jadeinc.com)
Date:Wednesday, January 14, 1998 02:10 PM

Quick fix to the convert R1 files to R2? script.

If you are loading R1 files and saving them as R2 files to create the thumbnails for
Asset Manager, the thumbnails created with the script aren't any good. The fix:

In block "on Convert", look for the line reading:

status_ok=saveMaxFile fout

Right before this line add a line reading:

max views redraw

That will force MAX to redraw the screen before saving the file. Before, MAX never
had time to do it before the save.

Larry Minton
Avguard Animations



 

January 17

NEW Info released on Pandora by Digimation:

"Pandora allows you to create particles that get thier coloration and transparency over time from a user-defined LenZFX-style gradient. You can easily have a particle change it's color based on its age; from white to yellow to orange to red and so on until the particle dies. Plus, you can also have your particles emit not only
from flat planes, but also spheres and splines if you choose for killer effects. Add to that the ability to have particles spawn other particles based on collisions or
death and you can quickly create impressive fireworks, explosions, meteor trails and much more. Lastly, Pandora also comes bundled with several space warps
including FAN, a new controllable, directional wind! " 

List: $150 
For more info click here. 

To see some avis made with Pandora click here. 



Cult3D
Source: John Dennis - Cykar

Cult3D is a new product from Cykar for the internet that displays objects in
real time over the web. This is not VRML, but a completely new product. It
handles phong shading, bump mapping, 24bit colors and lots more. There's a
demo of their exporter plugin for 3D Studio Max on their webpage. Check out
the Cult3D page for more information.

Supported Platforms:
Windows 95
Windows NT
MacOS (PPC)
HP-UX 10.10 or later
Sun OS 2.4 or later
AIX 4 or later
BeOS PR2 or later

About the exporter
The exporter is the component of Cult3D® which converts
objects created in 3D Studio Max® by Kinetix into the
Cult3D® format. This component is for web page
designers, graphics designers and anyone else who
would like to put 3D objects on the web.
Download c3dedemo.exe trial version of the Cult3D® exporter. (Saving disabled.)

Or make your order here $99 us



 

January 18

LenzFX MAX (MAX2) lz2_patch.zip 260 K 16-JAN-98



Hypermatter 1.1 update for Max2
Source: Brandon Davis

The update for Hypermatter to make it work with Max2 has been released on
2nd Nature's webpage. This update fixes bugs, and also adds new features
such as the ability to scale the overall effect of HyperMatter's action on
geometry. Check out the features list and download the patch at 2nd Nature's
website.
for a list of features in this new release go here:

Download the upgrade here:


HyperMatter 1.1 is finally ready. This is a free upgrade for registered users of version 1.0
There are two versions of HyperMatter 1.1 available, one for
MAX1.2  Get it here

and one for
MAX2.0  get it here

MAX 1.2 Scenes
Chapter 2 (0.5MB)
Chapter 3 (0.1MB)
Chapter 4 (0.4MB)
Chapter 5 (0.2MB)
Chapter 6 (1.2MB)
Chapter 7 (0.8MB)
Appendix (2.8MB)
                                                                    
MAX 2.0 Scenes
Chapter 2 (0.5MB)
Chapter 3 (0.1MB)
Chapter 4 (0.5MB)
Chapter 5 (0.2MB)
Chapter 6 (1.3MB)
Chapter 7 (0.9MB)
Appendix  (2.8MB)


You can also download zip files of the complete HyperMatter file set from the CD...all the procedure scenes,
all the tutorials, all the avis, now available free.

Click on the links below to download the CD files.

HyperMatter for MAX 1.2 Manual Files

HyperMatter for MAX 2.0 Manual Files




WorldGrabber Beta 0.42 - incl. Linked Animation Demo (84K)

FEATURES

Beta 0.42 (1/17/98) Additions:

Implemented Position Animation import.
The keys are imported as they are. Will add a key reducer later.

New Rollout for Animation control.
It will let you toggle animation import on/off and set the animation segment. By default the current scene segment is used.
NOTE: The current scene segment will be set when starting the utility, resetting it, or clicking on the "Get ..." button in the Animation
rollout.

Fixed a severe bug with Hierarchies.
I actually rewrote the entire code for linking to parents. The included demo scene shows a set of objects that are animated and linked
together.
NOTE: This applies to geometry nodes only, Cameras and Lights will be fixed soon.

Last but not least, I added a new logo bitmap...


Time Center 1.3

FEATURES

Version 1.3 (1/16/98)

Rearranged the controls (once again)

New Buttons added: Set Start and Set End. You can enter any time value in TIME CENTER and use it to set the start or end of the
Animation Segment without opening "Time Config."

New Buttons added: Go to Start and Go to End ( |<| and |>| ) do the same as the respective MAX buttons.

Replaced the Update checkbox with a checkbutton with the states Nav (Navigate) and Calc (Calculate)

DOWNLOAD Time Center 1.3



3D Studio Max
Turn your PC into a graphics workstation with the latest version of
3D Studio. Daniel Booth enters another dimension.

animation tutorial
This animation took under 30 minutes
To create and demonstrates the increadible flexibility and power of 3D Studio Max.

January 19

Finally got around to recompiling Bomb2 for Max R2.
Bomb2 v2.0b1
is a recompilation of  Bomb2 v1.0b1.
Lots of requests for this one, but I do suggest that you check out the PBomb
+ PArray combination in R2 as it is much more flexible and powerful.

Bomb2 v1.0b1 is a modification of the bomb space warp which ships with Max. This version creates exploded chunks rather than
faces. You can control stuff like the size of the chunks and chunk rotation. If you want to make something explode, you've got to have this.




sPatch is a FREE spline-based 3D modeling program for Windows 95/NT.
It's perfectly suited for a wide range of applications, from
building models for VRML browsers to POV-Ray.


Current Version: 1.3
OK, you want sPatch and I've got it to give away. Click here to
download sPatch 1.3:
spatch.zip (766KB) posted 1/7/98

What's new in sPatch 1.3?
This is mainly a bug fix release. The most serious bugs people have encountered
should now be fixed.
When turning preview rendering on/off, sPatch sometimes locked up. This is
fixed.
Fixed a bug that could corrupt the model. When this happened, it might only
show up later in the form of a crash or the model suddenly changing shape
unexpectedly. Although this bug is fixed, it does not apply to existing models
that were saved with an older version - these models may still be corrupt and bad
results could show up later (new models should be fine).
Sometimes, a valid 4-sided patch that was next to a valid 3-sided patch
wouldn't be recognized (drawn in preview or exported). Now it is, but this is done
conservatively and may lead to extra patches being generated. The best thing to
do is to avoid using 3-sided patches when possible.
In preview rendering mode, patches are rendered adaptively. When the frame
rate is high enough, patches will be drawn more smoothly, and with a more
complex model, the preview will use fewer polygons per patch, although the
preview will never become too coarse.
 

January 20

2 New Images from Tetsuya Takee check e´m out!
#37 Made in VISTAPRO4.0 http://home.att.ne.jp/gold/takee/grafx/mars.jpg
#36 Made inVISTAPRO4.0 http://home.att.ne.jp/gold/takee/grafx/midori.jpg


New Tutorial!
Materials: what is a material, again? 
That's a very good question, Buford.  Materials determine what the surface of an object looks like,
things like its color, shininess, bumpiness, reflectivity, and whatnot.......

by:
mattei@bergen.org
AAST
200 Hackensack Ave.
Hackensack, NJ 07601


3D Cafe Newsletter (01.20.98)
Just a short note to answer all of your emails about submissions.  3D
Cafe's submissions have been closed due to our relocation into a larger
office.  We had planned for the submission department to open in mid
January, however, construction of the new office building fell behind
schedule (surprise, surprise).  =)  

In any event, we'll be opening up our submission pages shortly, hopefully
by the end of January.  We would like to apologize for this inconvenience.

We did accomplish to keep our job search database open.  So if you're
looking for a job, you should visit the following URL to find postings from
major corporations like Mindflex, Sierra On-Line, Activision, 3D Realms,
Accolade, etc.

http://www.3dcafe.com/asp/jobs.asp 


3D Studio MAX Training Online

Greetings!

We have posted two new exercises on the Complete
Support for 3D Studio MAX site, and have important information
regarding our Training CD offer.


-----------------------------------------------------------
Last Chance to Order the 3D Studio MAX Training CD
-----------------------------------------------------------

The Complete Support for 3D Studio MAX CD is now
shipping.  The CD contains 67 projects and more
than 70 models for use in your own images and
animations.  Sixty of the projects support Release
1, and 7 were designed for 3D Studio MAX Release 2.
This is the perfect CD for you if your are a Release
1 user considering an upgrade.

If you purchase our Complete Support for 3D Studio
MAX Training CD before Midnight PST on January 15, you
receive a substantial discount off the purchase price.

Subscribers can purchase the CD for $29.95 until
January 15. After that, the price increases to
$49.95. Non-subscribers can purchase the CD for $49.95
until January 15th when the price will increase to $60.00.
You can purchase both the CD and a subscription to
the site for $89.95 until midnight January 15th.
For full details and the order form go to
http://opencad.complete-support.com.  In the US, call
1-888-558-1117 to order your Training CD and site today!

If you have already purchased the CD and have
not yet received it, you should have it within 7 days.
We received several hundred orders, and it's taken
longer to ship than we anticipated.  Remember
that everything on the CD is already on the site.

-------------------------------------------------------------
New Lesson-  Paper Trail
-------------------------------------------------------------

In this exercise, you learn how to make a flat object
bend and twist around a complex path, and you learn
how to animate materials. You'll find this exercise
interesting if you need to any kind of paper handling
mechanism or are having trouble making materials
change over the course of an animation.

-----------------------------------------------------------
New Lesson-  Rendering Solid Models with 3D Studio VIZ
-----------------------------------------------------------

3D Studio VIZ is an excellent tool for mechanical
designers who need to be able to render their solid
models without time-consuming conversions. In this
project, you import an AutoCAD drawing containing
a solid model of a gas gauge into VIZ. You use some
3D Studio VIZ modeling tools to add a new component
to the gauge, then apply materials and mapping
coordinates to the elements of the model. Finally, you
animate some of the components of the model.
This project can also be completed by 3D Studio
MAX Release 1.2 and 2.0 users.

This brings the total number of projects on the site to
72.  We currently have nine in-depth Release 2 projects
61 3D Studio MAX 1.0 projects, and two 3D
Studio VIZ projects.  Actually, most of the R1 projects
are completely compatible with 3D Studio Release 2.0,
as are the two VIZ products. The content currently
on the site represents more than 150 hours of practical
hands-on instruction and delivers more than 70
models for use in your own images and animations.
There is no more comprehensive training and
support solution for 3D Studio MAX available in any
media.


----------------------------------------------
Intensive Lab
----------------------------------------------

During the month of February, OpenCAD International will be offering
intensive lab training at our Santa Monica office for the following
courses:

Course topics will include:
 
  Photorealistic Lighting and Materials
  NURBS Modeling Techniques
  3D Studio MAX for Architects
  3D Studio MAX for Mechanical Visualization
  3D Studio VIZ Jump Start

The classes will be taught by our experienced instructors, who have also done
training in Max at the Autodesk "Design Your World" conference, along
with courses offered through UCLA extension.
We suggest that any one interested respond promptly by either sending an
e-mail (support@complete-support.com) or by phone ({888}558-1117) to reserve your space.  If you are interested, but
cannot make it to the Los Angeles area, please send an e-mail to
Chris@opencad.com and if  we receive enough responses, we will offer a
class in your area.  Class sizes will remain small (less than 10 users).

The pricing structure will be as follows:

   Current site subscribers- $199 per class.

   Non site subscribers $299 per class(includes a one year
   subscription to the site and a copy of our "Complete Support Training
   CD).

We'll be posting new content within the week.

Sincerely,
Nancy Fulton
OpenCAD International Inc.


 

January 21

Review!                                                                                                          Another 3D MAX 2.0 Review check it out here:


If u live in sweden and want to buy a book so check this out:
3D Studio MAX 2 Fundamentals

or outside sweden contact New Riders
New Riders ISBN 1562058398
Book by Michael Todd Peterson with Larry Minton
ISBN 1-56205-839-8, 529 pp., CD-ROM
Quoting: Uses fully illustrated examples, easy-to-follow exercises, time-saving tips, and helpful notes to teach 3DS Max fundamentals and give a solid foundation in the basics for 3D graphics.

$ 44.99. May be in bookstores now.
Published by New Riders Publishing.



New Free Plugin From Blur Studios
LightBoy Utility from Blur Studio
From: Scott Kirvan ADN# 2981 (cptvideo@blur.com)
Date: Tuesday, January 20, 1998 04:45 PM


Greetings,

Somebody was asking for a light management plugin - here. Compliments of Blur
Studio.
It runs in the utility panel and lets you handle some of the basic lighting parameters of a large group of lights quickly. Also lets you see which light is picked and helps you to quickly navigate through the light setup by allowing you to pick the lights directly from the utility.

The usual disclaimers apply:-)

Enjoy. later. sk...

Download the LIGHTBOY.DLU 
LightBoy Utiltiy
 

Understanding Flares and AVI's / James Coulter
From: Kate Pike (76703.4204@compuserve.com)
Date: Wednesday, December 24, 1997 06:55 AM


Hi folks,

I've noticed several people are experiencing difficulty getting Lens Flares to render in
their AVI files.

Typically this is caused by an incorrectly structured Video Post Queue. This has been explained verbally a number of times here on the forum, but I think a picture is what's needed.

Please see the attachment.

-- James --
 
      AVI_FLARE(1).GIF
      AVI's and Flares solution/James Coulter




MAX R2 On-line Reference Manuals
From: Kate Pike (76703.4204@compuserve.com)
Date: Saturday, January 17, 1998 07:12 AM


Attached are the MAX R2 On-Line Reference Manuals, provided in two formats:

1) Word for Windows (version 7) *.doc format
2) Generic .rtf format

      MAXR2DOC(1).ZIP 
      MAX R2 On-Line Ref. - Word for Win v7
      MAXR2RTF(1).ZIP
      MAX R2 On-Line Reference in .rtf format


Light Manager v1.0 utility
From: Kate Pike (76703.4204@compuserve.com)
Date: Wednesday, January 21, 1998 06:04 AM

MAX Light Manager v1.0 utility... This is an update to v0.7 of
this tool, which shipped with MAX 2.0. this version has many
new features, enhancements and bug fixes. There is a doc
included in the zip file with notes/instructions on it's use.

provided by Kyle McKisic 75542,363

      LIGHTMN1.ZIP
      MAX Light Manager v1.0 utility

January 23

4 New Tutorials
BY:
Travis@Dreamsoft.com
Modelling with Metareyes
Facial animation with Morph Magic
Facial Wrinkles
BAby
Enviroment and Atmosphere

Read:
The Baby Chronicles


The REAL Baby Story


The Official Dancing Baby page


The Unofficial Dancing Baby page


Some new baby avi´s
The bees 971 kb
posted 1.20.98
Broad jump 534 kb
posted 1.20.98



The Straight Dope on a New Plug-In Product for 3D Studio Max! Spiritwalk
Visioneering/Shameless Plug's announces release date for company's first
software plug-in, Straight Dope.

"The process is simple," according to Raymond Stewart, (Spiritwalk
Visioneering's Art Director, and one of the programmers responsible for Straight
Dope.) "You load the audio file that accompanies your animation into Max. Then
'Time Slider' allows you to select an arbitrary interval of time using your mouse,
and playback just that segment. Using our efficient interface you can quickly and
easily select new time and replay until you have isolated the exact interval you
need. An interval that matches a particular feature of the audio that you need to
sync to. Perhaps a phoneme in a dialog track. Time Slider then allows you to
name that interval. Thus you can easily assign an identifying phrase to every
significant interval of your animation, matching your audio throughout.

For more information in the full press release, click here.



Animator wanted:

Job Title:
Staff Animator

Job Description:
Desired individual must be thoroughly experienced in the use of 3D studio Max,
Character Studio and Max plug-in software products as it applies to film/video
high-resolution production. A thorough understanding of the production process
and the role of the animator in that process are essential. This position will
require a complete understanding of the staging process including storyboards,
model creation, texturing, motion creation, finished sets and lighting, as well as
the ability to interface and take instruction from the Art Director, Animation
Director, and the Film Director. Creativity and Technical know-how are required in
equal measure. Salary commensurate with experience.

Contact:
Frank Bonniwell
Animation Director
frank@spiritwalkvisioneering.com



Spiritwalk Visioneering - New CG movie, animator wanted and new plugins
Source: Robert F. Stewart - CEO Spiritwalk Visioneering

About Spiritwalk Visioneering's upcoming movie:

Spiritwalk Visioneering announces production of company's first film, entitled
PSYCHOTROPE, to commence in Austin, Texas in January of 98. Technology
creates a more level playing field for independent filmmakers.

For Immediate Release
1.16.98
Contact:Robert F. Stewart, CEO
Spiritwalk Visioneering
512.331.9154 FAX 512.331.8428
www.spiritwalkvisioneering.com


'If you've kept up with the film scene in central Texas this past year, you may
have heard about a certain group of headstrong animators selling the idea of an
animated feature film conceived and produced entirely in Austin. Now the
question is what do you get when you mix four young filmmakers, one dark script,
a few million dollars, and a healthy dose of technology? You'll have to wait several
months for the answer to that question, but if Spiritwalk Visioneering CEO Robert
Stewart has his way, the end result may point to a trend that could have serious
implications for Hollywood and the film industry itself. If you give Robert five
minutes he seems to relish explaining that "big picture" assessment. "A year
ago," Robert points out, "George Lucas said that, in the next decade, two guys in
a garage somewhere would be making digital movies comparable to high end
Hollywood productions. I thought that was pretty ironic because our company was
operating out of a garage at the time. He was only off in his prognostications by
how many people would be involved, and how soon it would actually happen."
With the unparalleled advancement of imaging software, and the continuing
growth of the local film industry, it appears to be a case of perfect timing for
Spiritwalk Visioneering.'



150 free bip motion capture files!!!!
Source: Brandon Davis & Joao P. Santos

Here's a late christmas gift for you all; 150 free motion capture files to use with
Character Studio is available for free over at Viewpoint.

These files include running, kicking, falling etc. Some of them are even loopable. Very cool stuff.
Thanks goes to BioVision  http://www.biovision.com
for capturing the motion, and to Kinetix and Viewpoint
for releasing them for free.
Click here to go to there

January 25

dont know if i meantioned this already but hey now i have :)
ColorCorrect v2.0 (for MAX2.0)
Color Correct (CC) is a map type that lets you change the colors of a map by using image processing techniques. You can modify the colors of your map by changing its hue, saturation, value, brightness, contrast or RGB channel values. Obviously all the values are animatable.
Download ColorCorrect v2.0 (for MAX2.0)

Another Free Plugin (for MAX 1.2)
BRICK TEXTURE
by: Daniel Yu.
This is just a simple little 2d procedural texture plug-in for 3D Studio MAX 1.2
that creates a repeating brick-wall-like texture.
Handy for virtual masonry.
Download here (66kb)


DEM2MAX V2.2

DEM2MAX is used to import Digital Elevation Maps to 3DStudio MAX. It
creates an elevation object, which allows you to define the detailing. You can
also set materials depending on the elevation. This version allows you to read 7.5
min USGS DEM files and (some/many) VistaPro DEM files.

Download:
Plugin (15K zip)
Help file (26K zip)


MOEBIUS V2,0,0,1
MOEBIUS is a plugin, that generates moebius tapes for you.

Download:
Plugin (33K zip)
Help file (15K zip)
MaxScript (2K zip)

SGILOGO V2,0,0,1
SGILOGO generates meshes, looking like a workstation vendor logo.

Download:
Plugin (9K zip)
Help file (19K zip)
MaxScript (2K zip)

CEbas                                                                                                                     has put up 6 PyroCluster AVI's  at the PyroCluster download section
please go there and have a look



Lumens Studios

Lumens is looking for TALENTs.
We're not into whether or not you've got a BA
from Sheridan college or have worked for 10
years in film and broadcast, what truly
speaks to us is your work, PERIOD!

Think you have what it  takes? if go there


NEW TUTORIAL
Organic Modeling: Creating a Scorpion
By Sanford Kennedy
The author outlines how to use 3D Studio Max to sculpt a scorpion.
You can request the Natural Meshes CD sample Roach Model from Sanford Kennedy Design at <sanken@concentric.net>
 

January 26

4DVISION's Free Nursery tree models
Pussy Willow Tree #1
Tree#1 includes a 3DS file, 3DS Max file and materials ( Size 2.8Mb )

Flowering Dogwood Tree #2
Flowering Dogwood Total Size 2.8 Mb

Pussy Willow Alternate Tree #3
Pussy Willow Alternate Total Size 2.8 Mb

Black Maple Tree #4
Black Maple Total Size 2.8 Mb
 

Freeware Plug-Ins for MAX 2.0

Xout.dlu - DirectX Object Output (0.1 Alpha)

Counter.flt - Frame Counter 2.5


Peter Watje is back with another free plugin
Particle Displace 1.0 for Max 2.0
which is a dispacement modifier controlled by a particle system.

NEW MaxScript

PenPal 0.3b (MaxScript Encrypted)

Animation Painting System for simulating all kinds of writings on flat surfaces.
Spray options with pressure control, Parametric and Custom Brushes, Pen Up/Down, lots of options, and
much more to come!
My favorite MAXScript so far...
DOWNLOAD PENPAL Beta 0.30 Encrypted


 

January 28

MIX Script 1.0 Source code

From: Harry Denholm (ktx_int@ktx.com)
Date: Monday, January 26, 1998 04:45 AM

As per the request in the channel, this is the main worker code for the MIX Script
plugin to MAXScript. It shows how to build a MXS plugin to interface into a
MAX plugin that uses uncommon parameter block handling and references. Also
could be used to add any other sort of interface to the MIX Morphing modifier.

Harry Denholm
Developer Consulting Group
Kinetix

MIXSCRIPT.CPP
Download MIX Script CPP File  here

Polygon Counter v2.0b1 by Johnny Ow

counts the number of polygons you have in your selection or scene. Unlike the built-in counter, this
one considers quads and ngons. Great for game developers.                                             Download it Here

January 30

Kinetix releases yet another tutorial

Contains the Fireplace Tutorial which shows you how to
create Multi/Sub-Object materials for the fireplace, and
combusion atmospheric gizmos to create the effect of
flames. The Fireplace Tutorial has a MAX scene file for
each lesson so you can immediately view the result.

Download the File: tutsetup2.exe
Size: 6.3 Mb  Date:1-28-98


CGIX report
Source: Geert Van der Poorten

Very recently, a show was held in Amsterdam similiar to SIGGRAPH (in
purpose, not size). Several big companies were there, including Kinetix. Geert
Van der Poorten was kind enough to write up a
report on what he saw there,
and I hope I will have a second report from another person by tomorrow. To
read what Geert had to say about CGIX,
click here.




Clothreyes 2.0 demo
Source: William Lee

A Clothreyes 2.0 demo
has been released on Infografica's webpage. This new
version features many new features such as the ability to tear the cloth object.
This demo weighs in at a hefty 12 megs.
Click here to download the demo



Tetsuya Takee updated again
Galaxy System Beta.1.6-3dsMAX MaxScriptUpDate1/28/98

Cloud Maker Beta.1.3-3dsMAX MaxScriptUpDate1/28/98