by hesham elshipli·Modeling
Images © hesham elshipli. Used for product review; image policy.
Earns its place in the ScriptSpot library for the breadth of its pattern controls, combining over 40 shapes, four effect types, and more than 200 presets in a single 3ds Max tool.
Pattern Engine is a scripted tool for 3ds Max that generates and edits a range of 3D geometry types, including parametric patterns, 3D tiles, partitions, shelves, wall art, and upholstery. Pattern objects can be generated and adapted to any 2D flat, closed shape, and arranged using Grid, Radial, or Random array modes. The tool ships with over 40 primitive shapes to use as pattern items.
Items can be distributed by Weight, Random, or Expression, while X and Y expressions control the percentage of each item along the axes. Per-item parameters adjust depth, angle, scale, slope, visibility, and more. Concave and Outline modes create hollow or framed items, and a Bumpy Convex option applies a pillow effect useful for upholstery forms. The Effects feature maps eligible values across the pattern with Gradient, Random, Expression, and Shape types, which can be combined using blending modes.
Over 200 built-in presets are included, and changes to a pattern object are saved immediately for later editing. Version 1.4 adds custom shapes, characters extracted from text objects, picking from another pattern, Rows Y Offset, and toggles to lock X or Y dimensions. It is compatible with 3ds Max 2018 and later.
Pattern Engine is best for generating and editing parametric patterns, 3D tiles, partitions, shelves, wall art, and upholstery in 3ds Max.
Pattern Engine is completely free to download and use.
Pattern Engine is compatible with 3ds Max 2018 and later, so anyone running that release or a newer version can use it. It is a scripted tool for 3ds Max that generates and edits 3D geometry such as parametric patterns, 3D tiles, partitions, shelves, wall art, and upholstery. Requirements and installation details are covered on the developer's page, so check there to confirm your setup meets the specifics before adding it to your workflow.
Pattern Engine is listed as free in this catalog. It is a scripted tool for 3ds Max offering array modes, distribution modes, per-item parameters, an Effects system, and a library of built-in presets. Licensing terms can change over time, so for current license details and any conditions of use, refer to the developer's page. That page also hosts requirements, installation notes, and demo videos to help you decide whether it fits your projects.
Pattern Engine version 1.4 introduces several additions. You can use any closed, flat custom shape as a pattern item, and extract all characters from a text object to embed them as custom shapes and control each one individually. It also lets you pick a previously created pattern and embed it as a custom shape to build compound patterns. Other additions include Rows Y Offset, which offsets rows in the negative Y direction for hexagonal grids and staggered layouts, and a toggle to lock or unlock item dimensions in the X or Y direction.
Pattern Engine offers three array modes, Grid, Radial, and Random, along with three distribution modes: Weight, Random, and Expression. X and Y expressions let you control the percentage of each item along the X and Y axes, and per-item parameters cover depth, angle, scale, slope, visibility, and more for fine-tuning. Its Effects feature maps eligible values across the pattern using Gradient, Random, Expression, and Shape types, and those effects can be blended together using various blending modes for additional control.
by Atelier Bump
DesignToolBox is a collection of modeling tools for 3ds Max, built to accelerate and simplify basic modeling tasks for architectural models, furniture design, and other work where accurate modeling is needed.
by KSTUDIO
Sweep Profile is a 3ds Max tool from KSTUDIO for building architectural profiles with the Sweep modifier. It ships with pre-made profiles and lets you add your own from the scene or a folder.
by ITOOSOFT
SplineOffset is a modifier for Autodesk 3ds Max that clones and offsets splines, creating multiple clones with incremental offset, translation, and rotation. It works fully non-destructively and can heal overlapping splines.
by Christophe Blattmann
FAST ARCHITECTURE Trial is a procedural mesh object for 3ds Max that generates architectural structures with parameters you can adjust in real time. It creates an FA_Building object usable like any standard 3ds Max object.
by SiNi Software
Scatter by SiNi Software is a free 3ds Max tool for distributing 3D geometry across large surfaces. Add objects, proxies and cache files, then use a distribution map that can place up to one million points.
by Autodesk, Inc.
Explode Geometry is a 3ds Max plug-in that breaks one or more selected scene nodes into individual three- or four-sided faces, with options to add modifiers and refine the resulting geometry.
