Archive republication: This article was originally published on 13 January 2021. It has been translated into English and lightly updated for clarity while preserving the original reporting and context.
This article originally appeared in DP 02 : 2019:
Autodesk’s 3ds Max is equipped with a wide range of productive tools out of the box. However, if the existing tools are not sufficient, users with an affinity for programming can use the Max Creation Graph to visually programme new tools. The software developer Sini Software has dedicated itself to 3ds Max and is developing numerous helpers so that users can get straight to work and focus on the project. Sini Software’s flagship product is called Ignite and contains over 2OO helpers, clearly presented and combinable with other Sini software packages.
Sini Software offers users of 3ds Max a range of professional plug-in solutions, led by the Ignite production accelerators, which could be described as follows: Take the 3ds Max tools that users use more often than average, which are hidden in countless menus, move them all into a separate window and give the tools virtual steroids to maximise user productivity.
A look inside Ignite
Ignite can be purchased as a stand-alone plug-in and contains over 200 tools, divided into ten modules. In addition to important scene settings that are immediately visible and adjustable in a menu, such as units for the system and view or gamma settings along with frame rate, camera locks and viewport display settings, there are other helpers that Sini Software has developed from scratch.
There are optimised viewport playblast functions for a quick preview. A series of existing presets and the option to enter fixed proportions up to 4K in addition to the size of the render output allow the user to render the viewport without upscaling, but in the set resolution. There is a tool for measuring the dimensions of objects and their sub-elements live. The values are displayed as an oversized gizmo along with information about the volume. There are functions for intelligent object search and selection as well as name changes.
There is also a selection of over twenty special object tools. These include six different view modes and the aforementioned measuring tool. There is also a measuring rod in the form of a human body to check the size of objects within a scene. All objects within a scene can be assigned random colours for a better overview. There is also a script loader. Max script files can be fed in within the configuration settings and given a name. The name of the script appears as a button in the main window. This allows numerous scripts to be integrated into Ignite relatively quickly.
Among the basic tools, there is also the option of outputting the Max Script properties of the selected object to the Max Script Listener at the touch of a button to make scripting easier. There are polygon and mesh tools for finding and deleting isolated points and duplicate areas at the touch of a button, as well as numerous other mesh organisation and optimisation aids.
Another module works like a kind of MOT for 3ds Max scenes. We are talking about Sini Software’s utility plug-in called Forensic, which is not only intended for checking a scene, but also for repairing it. A virus scanner is also integrated, which can be activated in the background via the Sini Tools menu. If an infected file is loaded via the Import or Merge functions, the script automatically cleans the file. If a file is saved, the script also checks whether there is an infection and deletes it. In addition to Ignite, Sini Software also offers other helpers. These include Dispers, a 3D drawing tool that surpasses standard 3D painting in 3ds Max in terms of functionality. Users can create a list of objects that are inserted into the scene by painting.
There are virtually no limits to the customisation of painting. Objects can be painted in one direction, with different – random – values for position, rotation and scaling along with material assignments, which can also be subject to the random principle. The painted 3D objects are assigned to a main object (single mesh) and are displayed either as a proxy or as an actual mesh. Objects can be replaced, only certain objects can be deleted, the series of functions continues. The collision of the drawn objects is also interesting. There is a collision distance that can be set to solve the problem of overlaps.
If you look at the Disperse plug-in from a different perspective, similar functionalities are already known from plug-ins such as Forest Pack. One plus point that must be attributed to Sini Software is in the area of user-friendliness. Sini Software remains true to itself and restricts itself to a few menus and a reduction to the most important parameters. The existing visual feedback for users should also be emphasised. In addition to Disperse, there is also the option of using the Siclone plug-in to procedurally create objects based on splines and sweep functions. In addition, 3D objects can be integrated, which can be assigned to the respective Ignite, a window that provides the most important tools. Forensic analyses small and large scenes fully automatically and identifies defects. Scribe is the counterpart to Sculpt and provides users with the most important tools for working with splines. siclone objects and adapts to the object based on its procedural nature.
A functionality known from SideFX Houdini does not need to be developed in 3ds Max. Sini software offers the ability to sweep different splines via a control spline while procedurally adjusting the underlying geometry. Users can visualise a road network whose road layout is based on splines. The contours of the tarmac, pavement and other details follow the road splines and create geometry. This approach is also suitable for creating detailed corridors, tunnels and other complex assets.
Help for Unreal Datasmith
Epic has developed the Datasmith toolkit as part of the Unreal Studio programme and is enabling users to use and extensively test the toolkit free of charge as part of a beta until September 2019 in order to transfer 3ds Max scenes to the real-time framework. Despite FBX and Datasmith, transferring data from 3ds Max to the Unreal Engine is not as trivial as it may seem. Hurdles have to be overcome by users and, in the best case, prior knowledge of the Unreal Engine and the asset workflows should be available.
However, Sini Software has equipped Ignite with an additional module called Preflight to bring light into the darkness. Preflight is a stand-alone window that helps users to prepare and transfer optimised 3D geometry specifically for Unreal. In principle, only geometry is processed, but as Datasmith supports far more assets, lights and proxies can also be selected in the first stage. The second step automatically checks the 3D geometry for missing textures and checks the texture mapping. The advantage is that the underlying data is also checked for redundancy. Objects that are constantly repeated are replaced by instances as part of the analysis. Users remain informed during processing. Error messages are displayed in the info area after each stage and can be rectified with just a few clicks.
Sini Software has implemented the necessary functions and alternative help windows for troubleshooting. After an update, the error-rejecting stage is run through again to verify the change. Stage three is optional and runs through the data again, merging all objects with the same material into one – but not the instances – and subjecting them to welding with a minimum tolerance. Stage four checks the data for double faces and decouples the results or solves the problem directly. Stage five enables an additional visual inspection of the data. The surface normals can be checked using a DirectX material. Users do not have to do anything except activate the respective mode at the touch of a button. The surface normals can be checked with a two-sided material, the objects within the framework of the Smoothing Groups. If necessary, the Ignite tools can be used and the respective region or faces can be corrected with just a few clicks. Sini Software’s Sculpt also offers further diagnostic options for more in-depth analyses of complex objects.
Step six allows the texture formats to be converted into a user-defined texture format. Step seven, the last step, writes the Datasmith file with the optimised data sets. Preflight also focusses on user-friendliness and the most important functions are located in a window with a manageable number of functions and feedback below the steps. This allows users to track exactly whether each stage has been successfully completed.
Sini Software remains true to itself with Preflight. A closer look at the Ignite tools reveals that they are primarily designed to quickly visualise data from CAD applications in 3ds Max. It is therefore only natural to offer an additional helper for transferring data to the Unreal Engine.
Use Sini software yourself
All plug-ins from Sini Software are designed for 3ds Max. As a rule, versions 2015 to the current version 2019 are supported. In terms of pricing, Sini Software relies on subscriptions. Either monthly or annual payments are due. If users only want to purchase certain plug-ins, payments start at £5 per month or £50 per year. The good news is that the plug-in for scene checking (Forensic) is even offered free of charge.
The scattering tool for the distribution of objects is currently in beta and can also be used free of charge until the final release. For the main attraction Ignite, users have to budget £12.50 per month or £150 per year. As it is quite a numbers game depending on the production, Sini Software has put together a package for users, similar to Allegorithmic. For £180 per year, users can use all the tools. Also very pleasing is the possibility of receiving an edu-bonus for educational and teaching institutions. However, before users start to think about the prices, we recommend that they try out the various tools for themselves. After successful registration via the official homepage (www.sinisoftware.net), users can test the paid products for 30 days.
