RailClone 6.0.0

We're thrilled to introduce RailClone 6, the newest version of our parametric modelling and layout tool for 3ds Max, packed full of new assets, a new RC Slice modifier, innumerable style editor improvements, link nodes, password protection, easier macro creation, a rewritten library browser, better randomisation options, and many many more handy improvements to make it easier than ever to create parametric models for architecture, VFX, and games.

New Features​

Improved Library Browser​

It has been rewritten from the ground up to make it easier to develop new features in the future. This first release adds the following improvements:

• Library Items are created from scene selection.
• Material Library and Max scene is generated automatically.
• Assets can be collected to a maps folder
• Improved search that filters matching items across all libraries
• Added toolbar button to open Library Browser.
• Added Maxscript interface to load item from Library: $.railclone.loadLibraryItemByPath <item path>
• Item must be included in the Library Browser, and path is defined as the item's route in the library. Don't use disk paths! (it doesn't work in that way).
• Example: $.railclone.loadLibraryItemByPath "\RailClone Library\Architecture\Exterior\Railings\Vynil Handrail 1"
• It returns 0 if style is loaded correctly, or 1 if there's an error.
• You can get the path for a loaded item from Maxscript with $.style.

Always on top Style Editor​

• In earlier versions, the Editor was closed when RailClone object was deselected. Now you can continue editing the Style, even if RailClone object is not selected.
• To edit a different object, you must click 'Open Editor' button on the new object.
• Some actions will close Editor automatically, such as Open Library, enable Style Linking and others.

New nodes: Link and Reroute​

• Link nodes connects the input with the output. Use it to organize wiring in complex styles.
  • Type of node must be selected in properties: Segment, Spline, Surface or Numeric.
  • Node Style can be Normal or Simplified.
  • Wire Style with other Link nodes can be Normal, Dashed or Hidden.
  • Nodes can be added by dragging them onto a wire. In this case they inherit the name from the adjacent input node
• Added Reroute nodes. It lets you to modify a wire, adding intermediate nodes.
  • Add them with double click over a wire.
  • Reroute nodes has a single input and output. To derive multiple outputs from a wire, use a Link node instead.

Macro Improvements​

• Copying and pasting a Segment/Spline/Surface to a macro doesn't generate an error anymore. Instead, node is converted to a Macro Input node of the right type.
• Double click over a Macro node opens it for editing.
• Added 'Reset Parameters' option to Macro's contextual menu. It resets all parameters to their default values.
• Macro parameters can be grouped in categories. Use main menu->Macro->'Define Parameters Order' dialog to edit categories.
• Added Combo Selector as new parameter type for macros.

New modifier: RCSlicer​

• Slices a mesh to create pieces used by RailClone, both for linear and array generators: Start, End, Default, X Evenly, X Corner, Top, Bottom, Start Top, End Top, Start Bottom and End Bottom.
• Modifier output can be selected to any of these pieces, the full geometry or a mesh with all slices.
• The 'Segment' node includes a new parameter (RC Slice), to automatically get any piece of the object, when this uses an RCSlice modifier.
• When using the 'Segment->RCSlice' parameter, always place RCSlice on top of the stack modifier.
• Slice planes can be positioned using the spinners of using Slice Plane gizmos.

Password Protecting Styles​

• Styles can be protected by a password, which is requested for editing.
• Set or remove the password at Style menu ->'Protect by Password'.
• Be careful there is no way to recover the password if you forget it.

Style Editor Improvements​

• Added clone operations using 'Shift' key
  • Moving selected nodes while clicking Shift, clone them.
  • Clicking a wire output, clone it.
• Added 'Import 3DS selection' to right menu. Imports 3DS selected objects to the Editor as Segment or Spline nodes.
• Added an option to assign object to multiple Segment nodes (select Segments->Property->Assign Object).
• Added options to select wire thickness (Preferences->Wires->Thin width).
• Numeric parameters can be disabled. Also On/Off state is exportable.
  • When disabled, they behaviour as non-connected.
• Added Selection mode to the toolbar: Window/Crossing.
• Added load/save options to drop down list parameters (Selector).
• 'Align Mode' can be exported as a numeric parameter, both from Segment and Transform nodes.
  • 0: Automatic, 1: Pivot, 2: Min, 3: Middle, 4: Max.
• Randomize/Random->'Sync between Generators' is renamed to 'Reset on', and provides several modes.
  • You can choose to Reset on: 'X Spline', 'X Spline Section', 'Array Row' and 'Generator'.
  • For example, with 'Array Row' it can be used to generate same random values in all rows of an array.
  • To keep compatibility with existing scenes, default value is 'Generator'.
• Added Seed options to Randomize node. It provides the same features as Random numeric node, such as 'Reset On', 'Generate on', etc.
• Added AND/OR mode to the Conditional operator.
• Added new option to Preferences: 'Rename Segment when assign object'.
  • If disabled, segments are not renamed when a new object is assigned.
• Added View->"Hide Wires" option (Ctrl-W).
  • When enabled, only the wires of selected nodes are visible
• Segment and Transform->Deform->Flat Top/Bottom now allows negative values. To keep compatibility with existing scenes, Flat Top/Bottom is not applied when value is exactly zero.
• Added a button to select the active RailClone object.

Parameter Improvements​

• Added new type of value to Numeric/Constant nodes: String.
  • Note that Generator->"Limit by ID" can now be connected to a string parameter to define multiple values or ranges, in comma separated format.
• Added new Parameter node: 'Value List'.
  • Use it to store a list of values, and select the output by an index or condition, similar to the 'Selector' operator.
  • It accepts values of type string, number, range of values ('1-3'), and list of numbers/ranges separated by commas ('1-3,5,7').
  • For floating numbers, use point as decimal separator

Rc Spline Improvements​

• New Reference mode for RCSpline: 'Free'.
  • Free markers have not got any position in the spline, and they are not affected by Generator->Limit by ID/Padding.
  • Usually, you want to add an unique free marker by sub-spline. Only the first one is used, others are ignored.

General Improvements​

• Added support for 3DS Max 2024.

• Added support for V-Ray 5 in Max 2024

• Added support for Arnold 7.2.

  note

  Previous Arnold versions are no longer supported. You can upgrade to the latest release from here (Arnold for 3DS Max)

• Added support for rotated or scaled items in groups.

• Added support of RailClone Colour in Corona Renderer (v9 or above) using instancing.

• Added Generator->Cap->Mat.ID: defines Material ID for capping faces.

• Capping faces generated from clipping areas are mapped using parameters from 'Default Segment'->Deform->'Apply Box Mapping'.

  • Mapping parameters are taken directly from the Default Segment and are not affected by "UVW XForm" operators.

Expression Improvements​

• Added new Arithmetic attributes:
  • 'InRender': returns 1 when building for render, 0 for viewport.
  • 'XSplineClosed', 'YSplineClosed': returns 1 when spline is closed, 0 if open.
  • 'XSplinePrevMatID' returns the material ID of the preceding spline section on the X Spline
  • 'YSplinePrevMatID' returns the material ID of the preceding spline section on the Y Spline

Interoperability​

• Added new option to RailClone Tools: Export.
  • It exports the RC object in two files: a XML with the properties of the segments, and a FBX with the geometry.
  • Segments are separated by instances, in the same way as RailClone Tools.
  • Format option (Standard/Unity) defines the format of the transformation matrices in the XML.
• New Operator node: Tags.
  • It lets you to assign custom properties (in form of string) to a segment.
  • These properties can be defined statically in the node, or dynamically connecting one or more Numeric/Constant/Value List nodes to the input.
  • Currently tags are only used with RailClone Tools->Instantiate/Export, assigning them as User Properties to the instanced items, or as properties in the XML.
  • This feature was designed as a mechanism to assign and export custom properties, for custom engines or other uses.
  • RailClone Tools copies to the generated objects the User Properties of the source segments, instead the properties of the RC object.
  • Items rendered in V-Ray CPU inherit User Properties from their source geometry.
• Added Maxscript interface to RailClone Tools->Instantiate:
  • To create instances for selected RC objects: Railclone_Pro.global.Instantiate mode layerName autoDelete separatedMeshes forceInstances
  • Parameters:
    • mode (int) 0: individual, 1: group, 2: layer
    • layerName (string). Target layer (only for mode 2)
    • autoDelete (bool). If enabled, delete previous instances.
    • separatedMeshes (bool). If enabled, create separated meshes for non-instanced semgents.
    • forceInstances (bool). If enabled, generates as many instances as possible, ignoring Material and UVW operators.
    • Example: Railclone_Pro.global.Instantiate 0 "railclone_instances" true true false true
  • To delete instances of selected RC objects (same as RailClone Tools->'Delete' button): Railclone_Pro.global.InstantiateDelete()
  • To enable selected RC objects (same as RailClone Tools->'Enable' button): Railclone_Pro.global.InstantiateEnable()

Fixes​

• Fixed: object name is not updated in Style Editor when a Base Object/Segment is renamed in the scene.
• Fixed wrong segments generated in FStorm when using Interactive Render.
• Fixed: Segments are placed below the spline when using Stepped with Bevel->Extend mode.
• Fixed: when 'Extract Segments' is applied two or more times, materials are lost.
• Fixed material error loading items from Library.:
• Fixed: toolbar is not restored to its last position, when Max is loaded.
• Fixed: toolbar's RailClone creation doesn't work in Lite version.
• Fixed: Colour of Input/Output Macro nodes is not initialized correctly
• Fixed rare crash in V-Ray with VRayMultiTexmap.
• Improved result of RCSpline->Banking, when there is a single banking item at position 0.0.
  • In this case, banking angle is used as 'X Rotation', to define the initial rotation in the path.
• Fixed: Generators with exported Attributes don't generate geometry.
• Fixed: moving a RC object using Clipping Area, require 'Display->Build' to update correctly, instead an automatic rebuild.
• Fixed: Clipping Area doesn't update when spline area is animated.
• Fixed issue using VRayDecal with opacity maps and instancing engine.
• Scroll wheel over spinners and selection boxes doesn't change the value anymore. Instead, it scrolls the panel.
• Fixed bug evaluating macros with multiple numeric parameters.
• Fixed crash adding first Bank element in RCSpline.
• Fixed 'Select and Link' from splines using RCSpline when spline is selected.
• Fixed wrong mapping unchecking Segment->Deform->Mapping, if this option was enabled before.
• Fixed crash deleting items from 'Value List' node.
• Disabled scroll wheel for Macro selectors.
• Fixed: if Properties panel is expanded automatically to fit a width value, it cannot be resized down.
• Fixed: Sequence is not incremented on corners when using closed splines.
• Fixed: RailClone Color is non consistent, when applied to lights on multiple RC objects.
• Fixed memory leak in Max 2023 and before using Display->Mesh mode.
• Fixed: if Properties panel is expanded automatically to fit a width value, it cannot be resized down.

Deprecated​

• Removed support for Mental Ray.
• Removed support for V-Ray 4.0 (if you use it, please upgrade to V-Ray 4.3).