TP Debugger helps you debug 3ds Max/thinkingParticles sims

Former Scanline VFX TD Alexander Urik has released TP Debugger, a new utility designed to help artists debug simulations created in 3ds Max and thinkingParticles, cebas’s popular physics add-on.

The scripted operator displays user-selected properties for each particle directly in the viewport in real time, making it easier to troubleshoot complex simulations.

Display key particle properties on screen as numerical values or visual cues
TP Debugger displays numerical values for a range of key particle properties directly on screen, either next to the particles themselves, or in a dedicated HUD at the top of the viewport.

As well as standard inputs – including values like ID, velocity, age, size and mass, and conditions like IsAlive, IsBorn, IsDie and IsEnterGroup – users can visualise a number of custom inputs.

Some properties can also be shown graphically on screen: inputs like velocity and direction, and axes of spin as lines; colours as filled rectangles.

It’s possible to display multiple values per particle, to turn off or solo individual operators to see the result, and to automatically disable TP Debugger when a given particle limit is passed to prevent system slowdown.

You can find full list of features via the link at the foot of the story.

Pricing and availability
TP Debugger is available for 3ds Max 2012+ and thinkingParticles 5+.

A Freelance licence, intended for a single user, costs $39.90; a Studio licence, intended for up to five users and including the MAXScript source code, costs $99.90.

Read a full list of features in TP Debugger on Alexander Urik’s Gumroad store
(The Studio version can be found here.)