The RailClone 4 release is the result of several months of hard work that added a host of brand new features and fixes, introducing new workflows, extending the plugin and make it easier to use.

For this release, iToo Software focused on making RailClone a more straightforward and more powerful tool for scene layout.

 

For example, the ability to automatically use materials applied to the source geometry makes it easier than ever to use RailClone to distribute pre-built models, including stock entourage that uses complex multi-sub object materials.

To aid with precise placement, a new RC Spline Modifier lets you add markers to a path that can be used to position geometry and control nearly any aspect of a graph.

Markers can be used on the Y Spline, fulfilling a frequently requested feature to be able to add arbitrarily spaced divisions on the vertical axis of a two-dimensional array. Great for architecture!

It doesn’t stop there, RailClone 4 allows you to nest the output of one generator inside another. This means users can create one parametric model and then use it as an input in an entirely different array. Best of all, it does this while retaining full instancing to generate enormous potential scenes with minimal effort. This fundamentally changes what is possible with RailClone, allowing users to approach creating styles in entirely new ways.

Massive objects are of limited use if you can’t represent them in the viewports. That’s why iToo Software added a fourth display mode called Quick Mesh. In this mode, geometry is instantiated in the viewports, making it possible to preview massive polycounts as well as speeding up interactivity when using high-poly assets that you might find when using RailClone as a layout tool.

There are also several improvements to make everyday operators and features more intuitive and easy to use. Of particular note are changes to Boolean Clipping, which can now cap open edges and UV Map them real-world map coordinates. RailClone 4 is probably iToo’s most significant update since the major rewrite back in 2013. With so many new features and improvements added, here’s a list of just the highlights.

Please visit the RailClone 4 – In Detail page.

About iToo Software:

Founded in 1999 in Cádiz, southern Spain, iToosoft is a 3D software developing company, and creators of Forest Pack and RailClone, top ranked plugins for Autodesk 3ds Max with a wide range of applications in Archviz, VFX and games.

About RailClone:

RailClone is the artist-friendly parametric modeling and spline-cloning plugin for 3ds Max that’s fast, efficient, and easy-to-learn. RailClone is unlike any other tool on the market. Objects are created simply by assembling and repeating existing geometry using an easy-to-define set of rules. If you can model in Max, you can create procedural objects with RailClone.