Chameleon

Chameleon is a new 3ds max material type that appears as a special Multi/Sub-Object material in the Material Editor. It works by basing where individual textures are placed on user defined gizmos in your scene. Chameleon is a collection of 5 3ds Max plug-ins. It contains one material, one map, and three helper objects.

Chameleon will have you animating textures in ways that you never thought possible. Chameleon takes the art of material placement to a whole new level! It works as a combination 3ds max helper gizmo and Multi\Sub\Object material/map types, allowing the user to place multiple textures based on the position and orientation of selected gizmos. These gizmos can be rectangular, cylindrical or spherical in shape, and you can add as many as you like and in any combination to achieve great results.

Imagine the difficulty you would have in creating a material that was to be applied to a matchstick as it is lit. At first the texture would appear normal, then as it burns it would turn black and charred. You could try and build an animated texture map that was timed precisely to a particle system – but if the timing changes, so would your mapping, and you’d have to start again. However, with Chameleon the hassle is eliminated. Simply adding a gizmo t the scene and animating it moving along the length of the matchstick in sync with the particle system instantly solves the material needs. Chameleon will have you animating textures in ways you never thought possible!

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Features:

• Animate textures by keyframing gizmos.
• Create impressive texture fades and transitions without mask materials.
• Quickly link texture changes to animations in the scene.
• Use any combination of rectangular, cylindrical, or spherical gizmos to get the desired effect.
  

FAQ's

Q: What is the current shipping version of this product?
A: The current shipping version of Chameleon is 1.01e

Q: What versions of 3D Studio does Chameleon support?
A: Chameleon supports all current shipping versions of 3D Studio MAX and 3D Studio VIZ.

Q: How does Chameleon control placement of materials?
A: Chameleon controls the blending between materials by means of Helper Objects, Chameleon Gizmos. The placement and parameters of these Gizmos can be animated over time.

Q: Does Chameleon work with other plug-ins?
A: Yes. In fact, it works very well with Pheonix to give materials a charred look as the fire burns across the surface. It works with particle systems to control the color of the particles as they pass through the Gizmos.