Hi guys,

am i ok in saying that any plugin like vray , ACT, afterburn etc can be installed and/or copied to the 3dmax pugin dir , newbie here, cheers/

3d all the way

I know for sure you can replace files for plugins already installed with updated versions
as long as everything else is compatible (licensing software and anything else the program requires, files in windows folder if necessary)
and some plugins from the same company can be “installed” by copying files once needed licensing software is installed.
You will need to edit the plugin.ini file to point to the files and they must be in the proper folder structure.
However, just saying it can all be copied may in many cases be an oversimplification.
If you do have the installer, some will point only to the Max root folder and some or parts of some may also point to the Max plugins directory.

Max 2012
Windows 7 64 SP1

Many thanks Don,

i guessed as much that it wasnt going to be all that easy, obviously will see where and what should belong, cheers.

are there any decent free pluigins out there which work for interiors.

how about 4d for the near future

You might try any forums for a specific plugin to see how the users there install or move their files.
What is it about interiors you are wishing a plugin to do?
By 4D I assume you are talking about real time game like environments?
Not sure about anything free, seems this can be a costly arena to enter, but I have done little research on the subject
in the last few years having bought into Quest 3D a couple of versions back.
In most cases some programming knowledge of a specific package is required to get any real depth of use out of the package.
This can be a bit discouraging to some artist types, though most of them talk about how user friendly they are,
it’s usually the programmers who build them who make the claims. :)
Time spent in one or more of these packages will yield some progress though, usually with much help from the community who uses them.

Max 2012
Windows 7 64 SP1

Cheers Don,

was thinking of lighting and shading for interior designs, with something like vray, seen some cool designs out there with all the lighting etc spot on, making the whole scene believeable and ready to walk in andl look around.

have a look see at the attachment

many thanks

	Attachment

Nice render.
Mental Ray is built in to Max so it’s already provided and shouldn’t be discounted.
Here are some images found with a quick Google search.

Max 2012
Windows 7 64 SP1

not bad Don,

so who wins vray or mental ray for the interiors, have an old copy of Brazil somewhere you tried that?

maya or max or lightwave and cinema 3d, all close i guess, cheers

Mostly it the user’s settings and talent with their software package.
I bought into FinalRender way back when it first came out so I’ve stayed with it.

Max 2012
Windows 7 64 SP1