Version 1.8.1.1 is the completion of the previously-released 1.8 CTP Maxwell Render for Cinema 4D plug-in. Version 1.8.1.1 fixes some issues found in the CTP, adds some new capabilities, and implements robust support for Maxwell instances.
The plug-in now offers extensive support for working with, and exporting, Cinema geometry as Maxwell ‘instances’ in the MXS file. There are two basic ways this is accomplished:
1. Through the use of the new ‘Maxwell Instance Object’: the plug-in provides a dedicated Cinema plug-in-object which is used to explicitly create instances from source geometry. This object is capable of duplicating entire hierarchies, for example, here are two Instance objects in use:
2. Automatically: there is a new switch in the Scene object which, when enabled, will cause the plug-in to identify potential candidates for instancing based on their names and mesh-topologies. This works transparently, and is very useful when working with things like arrays or particle systems.
The Scene Object now provides an in-viewport Sun direction indicator. It operates in real-time as you adjust the date/time/location/ground rotation of the Scene:
The viewport-representation of plugin materials is much more comprehensive in the new plug-in version. Changes made to Maxwell materials result in changes to the way they are depicted in the viewport, and black/white maps used in weight channels are converted to alpha/white for viewport display:
Additionally, when converting native Cinema materials, the plug-in will convert alpha maps to black/white maps for Maxwell Render.
- Added a new ‘Disable Materials’ switch in the Scene which causes all objects to be assigned the default material
- Colors may be dragged from one material component (i.e. BSDF, Coating) to another in the Material Editor
- Added support for export of per-selection UVs
- Object render dots are now correctly interpreted, as is the visibility of an object’s layer
- Export has been greatly improved, both in terms of speed, and memory usage
- The plug-in now supports correct export of Cinema XRef objects and the materials contained in their target documents
- The Scene’s location may now be set using a .kml file
- Added a ‘Low-priority’ switch to the Scene object for starting Maxwell MXCL in low-priority mode
- A new Maxwell page has been added to Cinema’s Preferences window. Various defaults and actions are controlled here
- IMPORTANT: export now respects the ‘Basic Units’ setting in Cinema’s preferences, so make sure you check the units setting and the plug-in’s scene scale when rendering old scenes, because the scene’s scale number will now mean a different thing
- Fixed some issues with incorrect film back being exported
- Fixed an issue with Glare & Obstacle maps being switched
- Fixed lens-shift not being exported when a Maxwell Camera tag was used
- Fixed an issue with Cinema lights being exported even when they were disabled
- Fixed an issue with the default material not being written correctly
- Fixed an issue where material previews were not correctly read when importing an MXS file
- Fixed a conflict which occurred when the plug-in attempted to read Vray materials
- Fixed a failure of the Region Rectangle to draw correctly on R10.5/osx
