Thinkinetic has announced the release of Pulldownit 5.8 for 3ds Max. This update brings improvements for users handling massive destruction scenes. The new version features a Fast Stacking & Deactivation solver that is reported to perform up to four times faster in such scenarios. Additionally, Pulldownit 5.8 introduces support for instanced shapes within its core solver, enabling the efficient handling of thousands of high-poly objects in dynamics with reduced memory usage.
Improvements in this version also extend to the processing of animated characters. These characters now compute faster when involved in collisions and fracturing other objects. A new feature, the Anim Speed Multiplier parameter, has been added to refine the impact strength between animated and dynamic objects. Furthermore, the cracker multiplier can now be synced with node visibility, allowing for the adjustment or deactivation of the crack effect at any chosen frame.
The update includes enhancements in the simulation of environmental effects as well. Wind and Gravity Fields decay are now treated as exclusion volumes, with support for animated decay. This provides more precise control over how force fields affect rigid bodies and fractures. In the realm of shattering, the update introduces a new “Asymmetric tessellation” mode to PDI Jagginess, which is claimed to produce nearly 50% fewer polygons while maintaining a rough face appearance comparable to that achieved with Uniform Tessellation.
There are also several user interface improvements. These include the ability to add jagginess to all PDI fragments in a scene with a single click and a new option to reset all dynamic values to default for selected rigid bodies. The update also addresses numerous issues from the previous version, aiming to enhance the tool’s predictability and reliability.
For more information, visit the Pulldownit website.
