Dynamic Reflections with Nitrous

The ability to see dynamic, real-time reflections in the viewport has been in Nitrous for a while but not exposed to the user interface. A simple maxscript can enable this feature. I have uploaded a pair of macros to enable or disable it You'll find them on the "Maxscripts" page of the DAS web site. Just copy the 2 macros to your Macroscripts folder (wherever that may be), restart Max and follow the instructions for activating and using the macros as described in the screen capture images in the zip download. A sample of the dynamic reflections in use is included and shown below. This is just a quick feature enhancement to the viewports. More powerful scripts are out there to help wrangle Nitrous to your liking.

Backburner running as service

If you're using Autodesk Backburner to control your network rendering and you have backburner set up to run as a service across your network, you've probably noted in Windows 7 that if you're using a local domain for your network, you need to use a login account for the service that has top level domain privileges. Otherwise, the service will have trouble talking to the manager.
What you may not have known is exactly which account 3ds max is using when it starts as a render service. You might have thought it was the login credentials you used to authorize the service or perhaps even the current user, but you'd be wrong. Backburner is using the account of the user who installed the software. Now if you have a well organized studio or even a small one of your own in which all this has been taken care of by a single individual, this probably hasn't been a problem. But when backburner rears its head and the log starts telling you about missing configurations this is a real difficult problem to nail down, especially with plugins, startup variables or map paths to network locations.
Happy Rendering! (OK, with backburner that's probably a lot to wish for...)

Custom Build Graphics Workstation

If you're thinking about a new workstation for the new year, take a look at the configuration options from Hardware-Revolution: http://www.hardware-revolution.com/high-end-workstation-dual-cpu-ssd-nvidia-quadro-tesla-esi-julia-xte/. The same computer from Dell or HP will run you twice as much as buying the parts and assembling the computer yourself. The task isn't quite as daunting as in years past, especially with a good recommendation of parts that work together, sometimes the hardest thing to figure out on your own.

Vray 3.0 Licensing

Chaos Group has caused a bit of a stir over the last few months with the announcement that Vray users will now have to pay a fee for render nodes with official release of ver. 3.0.
The licensing policy can be found here: Vray 3.0 licensing
There is of course a lot of chatter on the forums with comparisons to the downfall of the Brazil render engine and an interesting note that this was similar to old Mental Ray before it was fully integrated into the Max core package. Hadn't really thought of that one. I don't think this policy will have a big impact on the larger production houses that already have a commitment to a Vray pipeline, but could affect some of the decisions made by smaller firms and enthusiasts. In addition, many users may stick with their Vray 2 licenses for a little (or a lot) longer to avoid the additional costs of rendering with 3.0. Vray 3.0 is still in beta, but that should be ending very soon.

Autodesk Material Converter updated

Near the end of November the "Autodesk Material Converter" (AMC) maxscript from 3dstudio.nl was updated to 3.0 build 3. A great script for converting entire scene materials quickly from/to Mental Ray Arch & Design, V-Ray, and Standard. Cost is about $70 but totally worth it if you work in these different render engines. The purchase process can be a bit clunky and time consuming with their office in the Netherlands. Best not to wait until the moment you need it on a project. Registered users should have received the announcement and the updated script in their email. I also noted that Joep van der Steen, the long time mental ray guru, is now the contact.

MaxScripts update

Several of the DAS MaxScripts have been updated. Most notably, each download now contains a help file. Also the "Scene Notes" script has been updated with some new features including the ability to quickly insert a time/date/user stamp (Thanks J) as well as output your notes to an external text file. These are available at the DAS web site http://www.digitalanimation.net as well as scriptspot but I haven't had a chance to update all my scripts at scriptspot yet. If you haven't looked for my free scripts there, just search for Digital Animation Services in the search bar at scriptspot and you'll find 'em (amongst others).

An additional script for selecting objects based on their path constraint is offered for download at the DAS web site and is not yet available at scriptspot.

mr Materials: Alpha Color Values

Be careful when copying and pasting color values between swatches in Max Standard Materials and Mental Ray Materials. The Mental Ray materials are expecting colors with  an "Alpha" value as well. This option is not in the color picker for swatches in Standard Materials and when a value is copied and then pasted into a swatch for a mr material, it sets the value at "1.0"

That's fine in most cases but if you paste this color value into the "Camera Mapped Background" setting of a mr Matte/Shadow/Reflection material you'll be wondering why the object with this material keeps showing in your alpha channel! Gotta set the color value's "Alpha" setting to 0.0 in this case.