Ephere Inc. has announced the release of Ornatrix 3ds Max 8, the latest update to their hair and fur plugin for 3ds Max.
The update includes changes in the Grooms feature, such as the introduction of box and unbox capabilities for both whole or partial stacks. Grooms have transitioned from an XML-based .oxgroom format to a YAML-based format, which better captures operators and their data. The Groom modifier now contains multiple internal operators, and users can expose custom parameters. Additionally, the release includes new graft grooms like Mohawk Hair, Short Afro, and Short Pixie, which facilitate the creation of complete grooms on any character model.
General enhancements in Ornatrix 3dsmax V8 involve automatic change tracking for select operators, a switch to Texture Coordinate generation method for vertex tangents by default, and the adoption of geodesic distance for calculating strand group blending effects. The GUI has been upgraded, replacing the majority of Win32 operator GUI with Qt for better performance and scalability. Performance improvements also include the switch to Embree 3 for enhanced efficiency and the use of SIMD optimizations.
New features in Alembic Export include the addition of an MXS flag, specifically for exporting to Unreal Engine’s groom import process. The Surface Comb modifier has been updated with new per-sink parameter support, including rotation adjustments and flow. The Normalize, Curling, and Filter modifiers have received significant updates, such as the introduction of a “By group” option in the Normalize modifier and added parameters in the Filter modifier for more control.
Other notable updates include improvements in the Edit Guides modifier, allowing more precise control over strand movement, and the introduction of a “Hidden Guide Behavior” option in Hair from Guides. The Alembic Importer now features an “Export Surface Positions” option, and the Mesh from Strands modifier includes a Conform to Surface option for smoother blending. The update also brings dynamic clumping capabilities in the Clump modifier and enhanced mesh evaluation in the Ground Strands modifier.
To learn more about the full range of features and enhancements, visit Ephere Inc.’s website.
