by rauquenrol·Simulation
Illustrative cover generated by AnyPlugins — no product screenshot available.
PhysX Painter earns its spot in the scriptspot library by swapping manual asset placement for brush strokes settled with rigid body physics. Version 2.0's automatic optimization, the added Drop Brush and the new Colliders list are the standout updates.
PhysX Painter lets you populate 3ds Max scenes by painting assets with a brush and letting a rigid body simulation settle them into place naturally. It's aimed at work where scenes need added detail: architecture, game cinematics and commercials. Rather than positioning objects by hand or wrestling with MassFX and particle setups, the plugin handles placement and collisions for you.
Version 2.0 focuses on performance and control. Assets are optimized for simulation automatically and non-destructively, with the option to adjust optimization from a custom modifier or the Source Objects tab. The UI carries new icons, a reset-to-defaults button, and stores its settings in a PhysX Painter Helper so brush settings return each time you reopen it. A Colliders list joins the Assets list, both with shortcuts for mass property editing and a select-from-scene button.
Painting supports undo, works across multiple collider and ground meshes, and includes a Drop Brush alongside the standard Paint Brush. Three forces (Gravity, Attract and Explode) shape results, and assets can be turned to instances or copies with easy switching between high and low resolution meshes.
PhysX Painter is best for artists in architecture, game cinematics and commercials who need to scatter assets into scenes naturally without placing each one by hand.
PhysX Painter is completely free to download and use.
PhysX Painter is listed as compatible with 3ds Max 2013 to 2021, while the developer's page indicates support reaching more recent releases. Because it's a 3ds Max plugin, the version you run matters for compatibility. If you're near either end of that range, confirm on the developer's page at kinematiclab.com before buying so the release you use lines up with what's supported.
PhysX Painter is listed as free in this catalog, so there's no cost shown here. The developer offers it under either a Node Locked or Float license, and you don't need a license to open or render existing scenes. Licensing terms and current pricing can change, so check the developer's page at kinematiclab.com and read the license requirements before you buy.
PhysX Painter works with any asset you supply, whether it's from your own library or models you've purchased elsewhere. You can set a percentage per asset when painting, paint and delete multiple assets, or place them one by one. Assets can be turned into instances or copies, and you can switch between high-definition and low-definition versions or replace an asset with a specific mesh.
PhysX Painter can prevent collisions between assets even when you don't run a simulation, so overlapping placement is avoided during painting. When you do want physics, it uses rigid body simulation to settle assets, and you can re-simulate everything, only selected objects, or locally after more painting. You can also apply a specific gravity, such as a directional or spherical one, to steer how assets fall.
PhysX Painter 2.0 brings better overall performance and automatic, non-destructive asset optimization, removing the need to prepare assets manually. It adds undo to painting, removes the earlier editable-mesh limitation, and lets you paint across multiple collider and ground meshes. A new Drop Brush joins the Paint Brush, and a Colliders list appears alongside the Assets list with shortcuts for editing mass properties. The UI gained new icons, a reset-to-defaults button, and stores settings in a PhysX Painter Helper.
Also in Simulation for 3ds Max.
by Craft Animations
Craft Director Studio is an animation plug-in for 3ds Max that lets you hook up to a model and drive vehicles and aircraft through 3D environments, adjusting variables like suspension and adding camera effects.
by Chuggnut
Particle test code is a script-based particle system for 3ds Max from developer Chuggnut, shared as test code. It generates particles of different types and includes gravity and wind resistance.
by cmjohncheng
ArborSway is a utility MaxScript for 3ds Max that automates wind setup on GrowFX trees. Select a tree, click Apply Wind, and it creates a Wind Helper, adds Wind Modifiers, and links everything.
by Tyson Ibele
A next-generation particle and dynamics system for advanced simulations in 3ds Max.
by Craft Animations
Craft Director Studio is an animation plug-in for 3ds Max that lets you hook up to a model and drive vehicles and aircraft through 3D environments, adjusting variables like suspension and adding camera effects.
by Chuggnut
Particle test code is a script-based particle system for 3ds Max from developer Chuggnut, shared as test code. It generates particles of different types and includes gravity and wind resistance.
by cmjohncheng
ArborSway is a utility MaxScript for 3ds Max that automates wind setup on GrowFX trees. Select a tree, click Apply Wind, and it creates a Wind Helper, adds Wind Modifiers, and links everything.
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 JTB World Inc.
JTB FlexReport LT is a freeware add-in from JTB World for 3ds Max that creates HTML reports on current usage of FlexNet/FLEXlm network licenses. Autodesk Network License Manager and other FlexNet vendors are supported.
