[JTB]

....but let's wait and test the new plugin for 2-3 days.
I think we'll find what we like and what we don't

The following list will be updated soon.

What I don't like :
1. The removal of "SYSTEM" panel where I was able to simply export the MXS file... I guess the new way is exactly the same so why did you change it?
2. The material preview should be better or at least adjustable.
3. I don't like having maxwell and other MAX dialogs and menus mixed.
4. The fact that only maxwell standard mats are translated. MAX has many other categories, the second most important is I think Architectural Materials... Hope we see this too.
5. Too much up and down when editing materials because I have to change the tabs (layers) and then go down again to change properties.
6. I really don't understand why everything happens so fast and without warning and always incomplete... Either you update the plugin with a new fully working one or you don't let something go and say that updates will be again in a few days... It doesn't seem right... Also, WHERE is the documentation of the new plugin? I believe that a 4-5 pages word file is not so difficult !?!

What I like :
1. The material preview, which will be soon improved. The material editor is much better and fully capable of handling materials
2. The material conversion even if it is only for standart mats (Edit 7/12:The fact that multisubobj. mats are translated too, is great).
3. The Multilight, HardDisk etc... options as a checkbox, not command line options.
4. The fact that I can render directly from Perspective view
5. The fact that we don't scale the scene now, I had to change the scale factor everytime because there was no permanent setting for it.
6. The fact that motion blur is getting better although I don't really need it.
7. The options for partial rendering as we did with scanline.


What I don't understand :

1. From the features description "Maxwell-specific attributes are added to Standard materials when they are applied into the scene:
- Light dispersion controls
- Index of refraction (Nd) "
What means when they are applied into the scene? The standard mats are already there and we just want them to be translated automatically to MXMs and then we just tweak some of the properties. When are we going to use these two params? I don't apply standard mats to the scene, I just find them there and change them to MXMs.

[Mihnea Balta]

Hi.

There are plans to convert many more material types including Architectural, we just haven't had time to do it in one month. We focused on getting the basic stuff up and running, now we're building upon this foundation.

We changed the MXS export thing because if Max offers Export and Export Selected menus, we felt it would be nice to use it. :)

Motion blur is disabled in the current build, but we're trying to get a new build out with animation and motion blur early next week. The features document is a bit ahead of time. :)

By "applied into the scene" we meant when you assign the material to an object. We can't add the Maxwell rollup on materials that are in the Material Editor, but not assigned to any object in the scene - this is a limitation in the Max SDK. You'll encounter the same limitation when creating cameras, the Maxwell rollup doesn't show up until you click in the viewport and the camera is created.

EDIT: I removed the Multilight and HD issue, I read your question backwards... this has been a long day. :)

[michaelplogue]

Hmm.... So, for all of these months we were being told and reassured that the plug-ins were being worked on, we were actually getting smoke blown up our rear ends.... (at least regarding the 3dsMax plugin).......

Only one month of coding a new plugin.......

Somehow, I'm not in the least bit surprised.

Thanks guys! You're the greatest!

(I need a drink...... )

[Mihnea Balta]

The plug-ins were being developed before that as well, but we decided to try a fresh start a couple of months ago. We've restarted both plug-ins from scratch and saw that it works out well writing completely new code based on the experience gathered on the previous plug-ins. We tried it on Maya first - this is why Maya is more polished, it had 2 months of "new" development time.

You weren't getting that much smoke blown up your rear ends. :)

[Maxer]

Mihnea, let me offer you and the NL team some friendly advice.....don't release a plugin or an application anymore unless you are sure it is rock solid. I have never understood NL's actions in this regard; you continually release software that seems to have the most obvious bugs that pop up in the first few seconds of use. It's almost like these things have never been tested by the "A-Team" or anyone for that matter. A simple update each week as to how the development of the plugins is going would be enough to satisfy 99% of the people, when you rush out an unfinished and untested beta plugin all your going to do is anger everyone.

[michaelplogue]

The plug-ins were being developed before that as well, but we decided to try a fresh start a couple of months ago. We've restarted both plug-ins from scratch.........

Gosh... Never heard that one before.......... Isn't that how we ended up with that whole "Beta/RC" fiasco? That one put us about a year behind schedule.

That's it. I'm scraping this whole computer thingie, and going back to scratching stick figures on cave walls with a burnt stick......

[Mihnea Balta]

Gosh... Never heard that one before

Well, it worked for Maya, hasn't it? Maya is rock-solid right now because it had one more month of development time. I can't discuss release schedule issues, but I can guarantee that Max will be at least as solid one month from now.

[pluMmet]

Mihnea, let me offer you and the NL team some friendly advice.....don't release a plugin or an application anymore unless you are sure it is rock solid.

Mihnea Balta you and everyone else at NL NEED TO LISTEN TO THAT STATMENT!!!

[JTB]

I can't discuss release schedule issues, but I can guarantee that Max will be at least as solid one month from now.

I am very curious about two things...
1. Wasn't Nicole responsible of such communication?
2. Why don't you have the "Next Limit Team" writen with blue letters as everyone else?

Sorry, don't mean anything, just curious

[Yog]

....but I can guarantee that Max will be at least as solid one month from now.

Alright, then give me a call in a months time, and I MIGHT try it.

I haven't used Maxwell in a long time, I come back to the board and find the exact same NL mess as when I left.

After past release disasters you would have thought NL would have learnt this simple lesson .... guess not

[JTB]

After 2-3 tests I find the last plugin very nice...
I still don't like all this up and down with the material editor but I 'll get used to it.
Anyway, this looks better now, good work guys...
Hope for more improvements soon...

[Flatciccio]

....but let's wait and test the new plugin for 2-3 days.
I think we'll find what we like and what we don't

The following list will be updated soon.

What I don't like :
1. The removal of "SYSTEM" panel where I was able to simply export the MXS file... I guess the new way is exactly the same so why did you change it?
2. The material preview should be better or at least adjustable.
3. I don't like having maxwell and other MAX dialogs and menus mixed.
4. The fact that only maxwell standard mats are translated. MAX has many other categories, the second most important is I think Architectural Materials... Hope we see this too.
5. Too much up and down when editing materials because I have to change the tabs (layers) and then go down again to change properties.
6. I really don't understand why everything happens so fast and without warning and always incomplete... Either you update the plugin with a new fully working one or you don't let something go and say that updates will be again in a few days... It doesn't seem right... Also, WHERE is the documentation of the new plugin? I believe that a 4-5 pages word file is not so difficult !?!

What I like :
1. The material preview, which will be soon improved. The material editor is much better and fully capable of handling materials
2. The material conversion even if it is only for standart mats
3. The Multilight, HardDisk etc... options as a checkbox, not command line options.
4. The fact that I can render directly from Perspective view
5. The fact that we don't scale the scene now, I had to change the scale factor everytime because there was no permanent setting for it.
6. The fact that motion blur is getting better although I don't really need it.
7. The options for partial rendering as we did with scanline.


What I don't understand :

1. From the features description "Maxwell-specific attributes are added to Standard materials when they are applied into the scene:
- Light dispersion controls
- Index of refraction (Nd) "
What means when they are applied into the scene? The standard mats are already there and we just want them to be translated automatically to MXMs and then we just tweak some of the properties. When are we going to use these two params? I don't apply standard mats to the scene, I just find them there and change them to MXMs.

+++++ when use remove material of 3ds this me crash the program

[ludi]

but......THANK YOU!