Software developer Josef Wienerroither has released updated builds of the full Thinkbox plugin suite for Max 2027 for free. The package includes Krakatoa MX, Stoke MX, Frost MX (with V-Ray support), XMesh MX Loader, and XMesh MX Saver. These builds are compatible with 3ds Max versions from 2018 through 2026.
The updated plugins were reconstructed from source code made publicly available by AWS Thinkbox on GitHub. According to the developer, the build process required replicating Thinkbox’s Conan-based pipeline and implementing numerous compatibility fixes to ensure the plugins function with newer 3ds Max SDKs.
The Thinkbox plugin suite was originally developed by Thinkbox Software, a company founded by Chris Bond, known for high-performance tools used in visual effects workflows. These tools were widely adopted in production environments, particularly Krakatoa for particle rendering and XMesh for efficient geometry caching. AWS acquired Thinkbox in 2017, primarily for the Deadline render management system, and later released EOLed the other plugins and released the source code to enable developers to maintain and build upon them independently
For more information or to download the plugins, visit the developer’s website, you can reward his hard work by donating on Buymeacoffee.com.
