Metaballs v3 is the latest version of the metaball animation and simulation plug-in for Autodesk Softimage.

In Video Gallery you can watch some movieclips of the plug-ins in action.
In this page you can download the evaluation version of the plug-ins, the manual and the example scenes, or purchase a License Key.



The zip archive contains:

• the Softimage 7.5 xsiaddons (Windows x86/x64);
• the Softimage 2010 xsiaddons (Windows x86/x64);
• the PDF manual;
• the example scenes.

INSTALL NOTE - Due to changes in Softimage 2010:
- If you use Softimage 7.5 please install the 7.5 xsiaddon.
- If you use Softimage 2010 please install the 2010 xsiaddon.

The evaluation version locks the maximum number of triangles to ~8192. For more details, check the PDF manual manual in "Evaluation version limitations" chapter.




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Metaballs are a representation used in computer graphics to efficiently model organic or soft objects, i.e. objects that can be deformed.

Metapaint (included in the xsiaddon) is based on the same technique, but metaball-brushes are sampled at different frames inside a closed region of space (similar to a 3D lattice), then recombined using different rules to simulate viscosity or painting.
Metapaint can be used to create simple liquid-like effects, using key-frame animation instead of having to go through complex fluid dynamics simulations.

Example movieclips made with XSI Metaballs v3.

Click thumbnails to view examples.
Click the small arrows under the thumbnails for more videos.

Version 3 introduces many new features and enhancements:

• Completely rewritten to improve performance, stability and workflow

• Added support for ICE point clouds
• Metaballs supports vertex color blending

• Metapaint (formerly called "grid mode") creates simple ink and liquid-like effects, simulates viscosity and painting, using keyframe animation instead of complex fluid dynamic simulations
• Metapaint supports simulation oversampling to greatly reduce animation artifacts

• Added volumetric noise and volumetric blur
• Added geometry normals smoothing to generate smooth surfaces

• Added geometry instancing › any polygon object can be used as a "building block" instead of triangles or cubes
• Every control object now has a separate settings property
• Other new features include a welding threshold, a geometry push option, a 2D mode for metapaint and many stability fixes
• This version includes a detailed PDF manual with tutorials and many example scenes
• The activation mechanism is very simple
• Supported platform › windows x32/x64

The PDF manual shows the new features with pictures in the "What's new" chapter.

Contact info & feedback

Michele Sandroni
www.threesixty3d.com
Milan, Italy


Feel free to drop me a line about suggestions, comments, etc.

In case you find a software bug, please email me:

• a description of the problem;
• an explanation about how to reproduce the problem or a small scene containing a simplified reproduction of the problem;
• your system configuration including operating system, architecture (x86/x64), CPU, graphics card, graphics card drivers version, ram, regional language.

Thanks!

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