NVidia has just released a new version of the PhysX physics simulation plugin for Autodesk 3dsMax with support for the newest versions of the product, and much tighter integration into the system. This new plug-in has been rewritten from the ground up. A few highlights of the new release:
- Support for Max 2008, 2009, 2010, 32-bit and 64-bit.
- A first-class toolbar and menu for creating and controlling the simulation.
- A modifier-based approach to match workflow in 3ds Max, with greatly improved artist interface to the options.
- A physical material system for using and adjusting physics properties on many objects at once.
- Convenient constraint presets for common workflows.
- Improved constraint visualization and performance.
- Convenient ragdolls, deriving collision volumes from a skinned mesh.
- Bake simulation results to keyframes for offline rendering.
- Super simple samples
Sadly, tho, not all is rosy in the new version:
This great progress comes at a slight cost, however. Some PhysX features available in the previous plug-in are not (yet) exposed on the new version. Fluids, cloth, force fields, and soft bodies are not supported with this release. As demanded and deemed important, we will be adding features and improving the plug-in for the next releases. (Look in particular for the inclusion of awesome APEX Clothing in an upcoming release.)
So if you were using CUDA-accelerated fluid and cloth simulations, you might want to wait before upgrading.
via [ANN] PhysX Plug-in for 3ds Max v2.01 now available! – NVIDIA Developer Forums.
