RailClone Opens Its Graphs to MaxScript

For those who don’t know the tool: RailClone is ITOOSOFT’s parametric modelling and assembly plug-in for Autodesk 3ds Max. It builds reusable procedural structures from splines, source geometry and visual rules, mainly for architecture, environments and other jobs where manually placing the same thing 800 times has lost its charm.

The graph gets an API

The important part of RailClone 7.3.5 is simple: scripts can finally get at the graph. ITOOSOFT has added three new MaxScript functions that expose RailClone styles and generated results as XML. railclone.getXMLStyle returns the current style graph. railclone.setXMLStyle <xml> writes XML back into a RailClone object. railclone.getXMLOutput returns generated items including source segments, transformation matrices, bounding boxes and tags.

For procedural modelling, that is rather more useful than another shiny button. A pipeline tool can now retrieve a RailClone setup, inspect it, modify it and transfer it between objects without rebuilding the graph manually. Output can also be examined without first converting the RailClone result into ordinary scene geometry. This does not turn XML into a new scene interchange format. For converting generated RailClone geometry into standard 3ds Max instances, RailClone Tools remains the appropriate route.

And yes, somebody mentioned AI

ITOOSOFT explicitly points to LLM-based workflows. An external tool could hand a style graph to an LLM, ask it to inspect or modify the XML and then pass the result back through setXMLStyle. RailClone itself has not suddenly become an AI modeller. There is no built-in model, cloud service or prompt box. What has changed is the interface: an external AI tool can now reach the same graph that ordinary scripting and pipeline tools can. Reading a graph is fairly harmless. Writing one back deserves the usual production precautions. Version control remains unfashionably effective.

RC Slice becomes less cryptic

The RC Slice modifier also gets a useful UI cleanup. Slice gizmos are now colour-coded and remain visible while the modifier is being edited. Previously, they disappeared unless the corresponding sub-object mode was active. For a modifier whose main purpose is dividing geometry into sections, being able to see the sections is a surprisingly solid feature.

Evenly becomes more even

The Evenly distribution system has received another pass. Its Divide by Sections mode already considers geometry placed at the start, end and corners of an array instead of blindly dividing the complete spline. ITOOSOFT says some configurations could still produce uneven spacing. The revised algorithm addresses more of those cases. Styles using special corner pieces, caps or other geometry that consumes part of the available length are the obvious candidates for checking.

Offsets, wires and corners

Simple Y Offset now also works with the Offset operator in 3D mode. The option avoids RailClone’s normal attempt to repair overlapping spline offsets, which can be unwanted on forms such as switchback roads or stairs. There is also a small but welcome graph-editor fix: invisible Link wires can no longer be selected while hidden. Apparently invisible things being clickable was not considered a long-term user-interface strategy. Compose gets a corner-alignment correction too. With an even number of input segments there is no single middle segment, which could previously shift the corner alignment to one side. Users sometimes inserted a Null segment simply to make the input count odd. That workaround is no longer required. Animated spline banking has also been fixed so changing banking values update in both viewport and final render.

Still very much a 3ds Max tool

RailClone remains a Windows plug-in for Autodesk 3ds Max. The current official requirements list support for 3ds Max 2023 through 2027 on 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11. Installers also contain builds for older 3ds Max releases, but ITOOSOFT classifies those as unofficially supported because it cannot test them under Autodesk’s licensing policy. Renderer support varies by renderer and feature, so studios should use ITOOSOFT’s current compatibility matrix rather than assuming that every renderer capable of seeing a RailClone object supports every RailClone feature.

Perpetual, with maintenance

RailClone Pro currently costs 250 € as a single payment, excluding VAT. It is a perpetual licence and includes a one-year extendable Maintenance Plan covering updates, beta access and technical support. If maintenance expires, the licensed version continues to work. Access to newer releases requires renewed maintenance.

RailClone Lite remains free and may be used commercially, with feature limitations compared with Pro. The important change in 7.3.5 is therefore not AI. It is access. The RailClone graph is now structured data that automation, MaxScript tools and experimental AI systems can read and write. The clever part comes later.

https://www.itoosoft.com/blog/railclone-735-exposing-railclone-graphs-to-scripts-and-llms