IC.Shape 2.0 beta 12 released - 2010.08.13

Fixes

• Select Span Action for shortcut association didn't work any more because of a block of testing code slipped into the released version.

What was new in beta 11 - 2010.08.07

Fixes

• Edit Poly Modifier didn't support most of the tools any more because of a mishandled case in NURMS display functions.

What was new in beta 10 - 2010.07.20

Fixes

• Fixed a bug in uninstallation functions. The accessory compression and encryption script damaged the code used by script uninstallation and used by installation too. It now works and cleans the system from any file installed and created by IC.Shape.

What was new in beta 9 - 2010.07.19

Fixes

• Fixed a bug in Editable Poly Object with active NURMS Display. NURMS subdivision is now turned off on instruments start and restored on stop. Even if NURMS works as is meant, it is highly recommended to use Turbo Smooth, which is way faster.
• Fixed UI issues in 3ds Max 2010 and 2011. Due to changes in user interface handling in latest 3ds Max releases, IC.Shape UI docking and floating caused elements misalignment. Dark UI weren't properly loaded by default and on interface switching.

Additions

• Ring / Loop tools now select spans as well. If selection is made of two separate elements laying on a Ring or Loop, the included span is selected.

Changes

• Quick switching to Relax mode by pressing SHIFT in Paint Deformation instruments now keeps the painting gizmo radius fixed and gets stored pressure multiplier from Relax setting.

Known Issues

• IC.Shape can cause incompatibility issues with .dds image format in DirectX shaders. The problem is still under investigation.

What was new in beta 8 - 2010.04.23

Fixes

• Fixed a bug in actions for "T/M Smooth" and "Symmetry". The shortcut versions were enabled only if current selection was an Editable Poly or an Edit Poly Modifier. They are now enabled for any kind of node, and disabled when IC.Shape interface is shut down or selection is empty.
• Removed some debugging code left that printed object status on selection change.

Additions

• Added missing actions to associate shortcuts to "T/M Smooth" and "Symmetry" to set all modifiers On or Off.

What was new in beta 7 - 2010.04.21

Fixes

• Deleting Edit Poly Modifier threw errors because the callbacks ran a function with illegal parameters. It is now fixed.
• Sometimes popped up the error message: '-- Unknown property: "tessTension" in undefined', when selecting an object or changing active modifier in the stack. Several new checks have been added to prevent this issue.
• Select tools didn't store an undo step. When undo was performed after using them, the object state was reverted to two steps before the selection command. It is now fixed.
• IC.Shape user interface didn't properly refresh when switching from a modifier directly to an Editable Poly Object or Edit Poly Modifier sub object level. It is now partially fixed, it still doesn't work when current Tool Mode is set to Select.
• Fixed an issue in Geo Loop introduced in beta 6. The instrument didn't work on Edit Poly Modifier when used preserving the position of a reference vertex.
• Fixed an issue with "Invert Sub-Object selection visibility" introduced in beta 6. The action for shortcut association didn't work due to a bad function call.
• Fixed an issue with "Clear Sub-Selection Held" introduced in beta 6. The action for shortcut association didn't work due to a bad function call.
• Fixed an issue with "UnHide Sub-Selection" when in Edge Sub Object Level. Unhidden edges were not selected when faces formed a quad strip.
• Fixed an issue with "Lock Borders". The action for shortcut association didn't work due to a bad function call.

Additions

• Added a missing action to associate shortcuts for Axis Project.

Thank you for your support. Enjoy!

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Hi guys, after some months of full day (and several sleepless night) dedication, the fully recoded IC.Shape 2.0 is ready to rock. Get it freely from IllusionCatalyst web site. It features a lot of new instruments to discover.

Right now a full documentation is not available, to avoid delaying this release, but each instrument has a detailed tooltip, and is quite intuitive to use. Just play with it.

Current release is a beta. It means it could have bugs, even if I thoroughly tested it. I don't have access to any 3ds Max version paired with any OS, so please report any bug you find on Bug Report page. Bear in mind IC.Shape is more than twenty two *twenty five* thousand code lines, it's physiological it could have bugs and I'll be happy to wipe them out.

Exclusively for you fellow polycounters, the dark user interface.




Q: How to move IC.Shape UI?
A: Click with left mouse button on header image and drag.

Q: How to collapse/expand IC.Shape UI?
A: Double click with left mouse button on header image.

Q: How to dock/float IC.Shape UI?
A: Click with right mouse button on header image and choose Dock/Float.

Q: How to shut down IC.Shape?
A: Click with right mouse button on header image and choose Exit.

Q: How to uninstall IC.Shape?
A: Click with right mouse button on header image and choose Uninstall...

Q: How to add/remove Extra Actions?
A: Click with right mouse button on header image and choose Add/Remove Actions.

Q: Shortcuts work only when IC.Shape UI is open, why?
A: IC.Shape detects a lot of system events, through callback functions. I want to leave the system clean when IC.Shape is not in use, so its instruments are available and use their (quite low) system share only when needed. The advice is to open UI, collapse it to minimum and leave it wherever doesn't bothers, like alongside 3ds Max pulldown menus.

Q: My model has become black and white, why? What do I do?
A: That's a random issue I'm still tracking. It has something to do with viewport visualization and surface smoothing. Don't panic. Sometimes starting or restarting an instrument fix it. Almost always changing topology, like adding or removing a vertex fix the issue. In the worst case scenario, convert to Editable Mesh and back to Editable Poly.

Q: When I use some intruments the Manipulator Mode becomes active, why?
A: Instruments based on mouseTrack MaxScript component make use of simpleManipulator plugin graphic function. They are more reliable and stable than their GraphicWindow (gw) counterpart. The Manipulator state is reverted as it was before the instrument activation as soon as it is turned off.

Q: When some instruments show a preview and I pan the viewport, the drawings don't follow geometry, why?
A: It is a side effect of using simpleManipulator plugin graphic functions. Viewport is not redrawn on pan. This solution anyway looks better than seeing all previews with heavy flickering on mouse move.

Q: Some instruments can be turned off by right clicking a few times, other can't, why?
A: Instruments based on thePainterInterface MaxScript component like Draw, Inflate, Relax, cannot detect right clicks. The only way to turn them off is to run them a second time, like a switch. Instruments based on mouseTrack MaxScript component like Tweak, SplitRing, AxisProject, can detect right clicks, but ignore keyboard keypresses.

Q: Some instruments allow to undo while active, other don't, why?
A: Instruments based on thePainterInterface MaxScript component like Draw, Inflate, Relax, can detect keyboard keypresses, and allow to undo while in use. Instruments based on mouseTrack MaxScript component ignore keyboard keypresses. The only way to undo is to use the Main toolbar Undo button or exit the instrument and press ctrl+Z.

Q: I made wonky settings or the IC.Shape UI is out of reach. How do I reset everything?
A: Close 3ds Max and delete IC_Shape.ini file located in "..\Autodesk\<3ds Max version>\scripts\IllusionCatalyst\IC_Shape\"

Q: I'm on 3ds Max 9, Pivot instrument leaves a tripod Point Helper, why?
A: 3ds Max 9 doesn't support Working Pivot. The idea behind leaving the tripod Point Helper is to have a pivot to snap to to make local transformations. The steps are as follow:
1. Select sub objects to transform
2. Lock the selection
3. Activate Snap in 3D and set it to Pivot
4. Choose the transformation type: Move, Rotate, Scale
5. Set from Use Center flyout: "Use Transform Coordinate Center"
6. Set from Reference System: "Pick" and pick the tripod Point Helper
7. Perform the transformation
These are standard steps to accomplish such task in 3ds Max 9. Quite messy, but better than nothing if you need it.

Q: I'm on 3ds Max 9, Frame Geo is always grayed out, why?
A: 3ds Max 9 doesn't support direct viewport matrix transformations. Frame Geo is available on 3ds Max 2008+ only.

Q: Sometimes an instrument doesn't start on button pressed, why?
A: It is an issue still under investigation. If anything doesn't behave as expected, please close the script and restart it. If the issue is still there, please submit a bug on IllusionCatalyst web site.

Enjoy!

/squeal with joy!

>cough< I mean, well done good sir. Nice site redesign too.

You, sir, are awesome.
All this, professionally created and expertly presented - for free! Amazing work.

I'm honored to read your replies, I tried my best along with your help during the development process of some instruments you can recognize for sure like Geo Loop and Frame Geo. Without your ideas and support they won't be what they are, so thank you! I hope it's up to the expectations.

I recently started using IC for the Ngon selection and I've started to explore the other functions and I want to say thanks so much, this stuff is awesome and all for free. You rule!

Hey Jakelear, thank you. Right now nGon selection is still quite basic, like it was in previous version, but I already got code for many different selection criteria. It will be gradually expanded.

Just one tip, when you activate < (less than) and > (more than) at the same time, is like activating the ! (not, different than) in previous version.

Very nice, thanks!

Would there be a way to make the newly split edge ring follow the curvature of an object?

sweet!!!!

Hey Bram, I hope IC.Shape will help you in your new job. Congratulations!

@ JMYoung: I'll add that feature to the wish list

Excellent work! Thanks for making this available.

Thanks for this! Can't wait to give it a spin!

Yo buddy, clicking the ic.Shape link from your mainpage gives me "http://www.illusioncatalyst.com/ic_shape_intro.html"

I've always liked your tools and it's great to see how you support the community here. Top props!

Thank you guys, as the documentation is on its way (the real boring side of this work), feel free to ask here whatever you want to know. I'll try to put together some videos to show main as well as less obvious features. After a little rest.

@ Perna: Thanks very much, links are fixed now. I totally forgot to change the extension in those links as those page were previously plain html.

The features I like best are those where you got something to "click and drag", like Pick instrument: adding shift key you'll get rings and loops :D

I forgot to mention that by activating "Name" and "Info" there's an instant visual feedback to understand what's the instrument is expecting, or what's going to do. It could be useful in the learning process.

awesome dude , been waiting for this

thank you

I've only been using this a few months but I literally can't work without it now, plus I didn't realise you were releasing an update, pleasant surprise good work mate!

3dsMax is kind of awesome with these kind of scripts and contributions. Even though I hate max at times stuff like this makes up for it.
Thx a lot for this awesome scripts, will give it a shot in the next few days

Thank you very much!
Hope Final version without time limitation comes out soon!

Nice work Enrico, much appreciated!

Thank you for the nice feedback, it's much appreciated. I hope IC.Shape will help in your daily artistic work, to get it faster and with more pleasure.

@ renderhjs: I feel the same toward 3ds Max, sometimes I hate it, sometimes I love it, but when I see it doing exactly what I wanted, it's the best. I didn't have the occasion to thank you for your awesome TexTools, I mostly coded in latest months and didn't have the chance to put them into action. I had got something in mind on UVW Mapping for quite a long time, but you have already made an excellent work. Keep it up!

Hi! some instant reactions :

- When using the insert loop tool (maya style) and press shift to get the alternate 'parallel' option, I cannot commit the loop because of ... DRaster switcher. It seems to have priority over the shift key. Now I understand that this case is a minority but! If somehow there was a way to access the alternate loop insert differently, that would be very nice ....

- On your website you mention there is two ways to use GeoLoop : regular (by clicking on a vert) and average. But I couldn't find the way to use the average method. My geolooped loops always ended up being shifted to the location of a vert. I would suggest the average behavior as default, I think it makes more sense?

Hi Pior, thanks for jumping in!

I'm quite sure Switcher is a compiled C++ plugin, probably as a GUP. Because of that it has precedence in key pressed detection, working at a lower level than MaxScript. I could bind the SplitRing option to "alt", but I doubt it would solve the issue, and "shift" is extensively used in many other instruments, like Pick, to select Loops and Rings. It is a displeasure to know about this issue. I'll try to figure out a solution.

I've just retested the GeoLoop and it works as expected on my machine. You can activate the "Info" to see what the tool is going to do.
- Select a closed edge loop
- Activate GeoLoop and go over the object surface
- If you are over a vertex of selected edge loop, the Info says "Vertex" and its position is preserved.
- If you are anywhere else, even away from object, the Info says "Average" and every vertex shifts to fit a regular polygon.

You can also run another test for comparison. "Average" is the only method you got when GeoLoop is run with two or more closed loop selected.

Try it on a simple cylinder with a vertex pulled far away. If it still seems wrong, please give me instruction to reproduce the issue, and I'll start investigating it. Thank you.

Yay! Been waiting for this release sense you mentioned it was in the works a while back.

Looks like it didn't get the mass-bridge or extended dot-loop selector I mentioned, but oh well. Will put it through its paces later tonight and post some feedback next time I hop online.

Hey PolyHertz, IC.Shape doesn't have those tools yet. I cannot make promises, but I haven't forgot your ideas. I haven't given a twist to them because in this new release I got two major goals. First, to make every instrument reliable and get rid of anything which caused instabilities. Second, to add main tools for hard surface modeling. In the process put together a framework easily upgradeable. I plan to add new tools and improve older ones, so keep an eye on this!

oh something I forgot to mention:
I love the compressed Vertical aligned GUI- most tools these days are bloated big with to much space between the buttons (Maya stylish) or very hard to read because of just icons (max2010 ribbon alike).

We think alike! And to be completely honest your TexTools title image highly inspired mine, I'm quite sure you spotted it.

I don't like meaningless icons at all costs, and I was a little shocked by roundish XSI general look. (Just to be crystal clear this is not a complaint about that software but a personal feel). Text can be meaningless too if a button has a three characters acronym of something obscure...

Your interface is very good with meaningful icons AND text and I thought about the idea to group instruments by a pale tinted background color too, but it never looked right, so I ditched it for this release.

My only concern about IC.Shape current interface is that text and buttons could look too small, in particular on those "insane" full HD resolution monitors. But the real daily use relays on shortcuts and quad menus, so I guess it is acceptable. Thank you for the appreciation!