Wednesday, December 16th, 2015 Posted by Jim Thacker

Code-Artists releases AutoModeller Pro for Max

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Originally posted on 10 December. Scroll down for updates.

Code-Artists has released AutoModeller Pro, a new 3ds Max plugin that enables artists to paint groups of objects onto the surface of existing geometry to create ultra-detailed scenes.

Unlike traditional greebling techniques, the results are customisable manually, and both the form and distribution of surface meshes can be updated dynamically after painting is complete.

The tool is the successor to the developer’s existing SciFi Pattern Generator script.

Paint bricks or detail meshes across the surfaces of a base object
In the demo videos, AutoModeller Pro comes across rather like a 3ds Max counterpart to ZBrush’s NanoMesh system, enabling an artist to paint surface details like bricks or machine parts across an existing mesh.

The software automatically deforms the meshes being painted to match the curvature of the underlying surface.

Painting over a surface that has already been populated with models lets you erase individual meshes, randomise their size and orientation, or even replace them with different models.

There are also separate brushes for stacking layers of surface models on top of one another, or painting them as staircases rather than placing them flat against a surface.

Adjustable via UV maps
The system is based on UV maps, which means that the surface meshes automatically update when the geometry of the base object is modified; and that their placement can be changed by editing the UV map.

The software provides options to make surface meshes scale to fit UV borders, overlap them, or simply get sliced off; and also includes a tool to fill entire UV islands automatically.

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Works on multi-million-poly scenes
The plugin is multi-threaded, and includes a Preview mode for painting very large scenes: a video on the homepage of the website shows it in action on a 27-million-polygon scene with no instancing.

Scenes created using AutoModeller Pro can also be opened on machines without the software installed.

Pricing and availability
AutoModeller Pro is available for 3ds Max 2010 and above.

Updated 16 December: Code-Artists has cut the price of a single workstation licence of AutoModeller Pro from €469 to €249 (around $270). There are studio licences covering use on two, four or eight workstations.

Read more about AutoModeller Pro on the product’s website