by SiNi Software·Modeling
Illustrative cover generated by AnyPlugins — no product screenshot available.
Scatter earns its place in the autodesk_apps library as a free 3ds Max scattering tool that stays licence-free on render farms and handles both native geometry and proxies. Its focus on V-Ray and Corona, plus a paintbrush workflow and export to edit mesh, keep it practical for populating large surfaces.
Scatter is a free plugin from SiNi Software for scattering 3D geometry over large surfaces in 3ds Max. You select the surface object to scatter onto, then add the 3D objects, proxies or cache files you want distributed. A distribution map randomly places those objects across the surface, up to one million points if required.
Once objects are placed, you can transform, add, replace and erase them by type without regenerating the distribution. A built-in paintbrush handles adding 3D geometry and erasing, while colour and texture variation, spline clipping and camera clipping add further control. When you're finished, the result can be exported to edit mesh.
Scatter works with 3D geometry, ProxSi and third-party proxies, including external ProxSi files. It's optimised for V-Ray and Corona, with support extending to Arnold, Maxwell, Octane, finalRender and Iray, and it's licence-free for render farms.
Scatter is best for 3ds Max artists distributing large numbers of objects across surfaces while working with V-Ray or Corona.
Scatter is completely free to download and use.
Scatter supports Autodesk 3ds Max 2017 through 2024. The version listed here is 1.26.1, updated on 16 November 2023, and its changelog notes support across the 2017 to 2024 range. If you're on a release outside that window, check the SiNi Software developer page before installing to confirm current compatibility, since supported versions can change with newer builds. Reading the SiNi Help Docs first can help confirm version-specific details.
Scatter is optimised for V-Ray and Corona, with the developer recommending V-Ray build 3.60.04 or later and Corona 5 or above. Beyond those two, it also supports Arnold, Maxwell, Octane, finalRender and Iray. It works with 3D geometry, ProxSi and third-party proxies, including external ProxSi files. Because the optimisation focus is on V-Ray and Corona, it's worth checking the SiNi Help Docs for any renderer-specific notes before you start.
Scatter uses a custom installer rather than the standard App Store installer. Because of that, follow the developer's own installation steps instead of expecting the usual Autodesk App Store flow. The SiNi Help Docs cover setup and detailed usage, so it's worth reading those before you begin. Confirm your 3ds Max version falls within the supported 2017 to 2024 range first.
Scatter is listed as free here, and its description highlights that it's free to use. It's also licence-free for render farms, meaning farm nodes don't consume extra licences. Pricing and licensing terms can change over time, so for the current details check the SiNi Software developer page. The SiNi Help Docs, referenced by the developer, cover detailed information on how the tool works.
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