[Mike Scola]

This was on Rob's blog from SWW2007

Question: What type of upgrade (major 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 or minor 1.1, 1.2, 1.3) release schedule is Maxwell render on? Can SolidWorks users expect new releases of the Maxwell Render SolidWorks plug-in to coincide with SolidWorks upgrade release dates?


Answer: We have short to medium term release plans, but we´re also thinking about the long term at the same time.


We will be announcing an improved Maxwell plug-in for SW2007 prior to SWWorld, and yes SW users can expect the Maxwell plug-in development to closely follow the SW upgrade release path.


Early 2007 should also see some interesting news about minor Maxwell Render upgrade releases. I can´t discuss major releases but when we have them the objective will be to push the boundaries even further and strengthen our position as innovators in the rendering market.

Did a new plugin release occur? I did not see it on the download site. Can someone tell me where to find it?

[juan]

Hi Mike,

We are showing the new plugin here in SSW (right now in am writing it from the exhibitors pavillion). After that, when we come back to spain we will release it.

Kind regards,

Juan

[rockguy]

I'll be attending the Maxwell session later today but I did have a chance to see the some of the SW 2007 plug-in earlier in the partner pavilion.

At first glance the interface seems much more streamlined and easier to work with. I'm waiting to see everything at the session to make a final judgement.

[Mike Scola]

Thanks guys. Looking forward to using it.

[Eric Lagman]

I am interested to hear from you guys that go to the session how the new plug-in looks. Im hoping to hear it has a more integrated method of material application and support of texture mapping that does not involve workarounds. I use studio 100% of the time now becuase the plugin is just too clunky as is right now. Keep us posted I have grown to like stuido quite a bit especially the focus dof indicator and things like auto focus and focous to. These are things that will probably never make it to the plug-in.

[superbad]

Does it have a real texture mapping system now? If it doesn't, all this effort is pretty much a waste of time I'm sorry to say.

[juan]

I have said many times that unfortunately the texturing mapping relies on the modeller. Until SW opens the decals sdk there is not su much that we can do here, apart from improving the connection with studio to help you to texture it there (studio has been rewritten from the scratch too and the connection with SW is so much better)
There are many reasons that make it almost impossible to create texturing tools within the plugin. The main one is that Maxwell (as almost all the renders) needs a triangle mesh to store UV data per vertex and SW is a parametric modeler, the number of triangles of each part is a variable that changes easily. Even in the case we could create basic texturing tools inside the plugin, it would be useless. However I am sure that you will like the new plugin so much than the previous one and the connection with the new Studio that will be released with Maxwell 1.2.

Kind regards,

Juan

[superbad]

Thanks for the candid response. I guess I was hoping that the big announcement at Soildworks World was going to involve access to the texturing SDK. Without that, the plugin really can't be much more than a geometry translator. I'm looking forward to trying out the new plugin all the same, but it sounds like most of us will still be using Studio. This sounds encouraging though:

studio has been rewritten from the scratch

Your UV / vertex explanation finally makes sense to me now. I can see how that would be difficult to work around. Anyway, thanks for the update.

[Eric Lagman]

Thats good and bad news like you said superbad. You would think SW would have opened up the decal sdk if they want NL as a certified partner. Oh well. Its not like this is stopping me from getting renders that blow our clients minds. The realisim that maxwell is cable of for product visuilization has customers always coming back. Looking forward to the new plugin and a revamped studio. Should be some excitement back in the forums once all these new upadates come out.

On a side note I have some really cool stuff I would like to show, but have to wait awhile because of NDA.

[w i l l]

The plugin should just be designed for fast pre-Studio setup and that's it. Unless textures can be used all the other functions in the plugin are pointless. Why use second best when you can use Studio. Someone should pressure Solidworks.. it would be brilliant if textures could be used.