Changelog

Release notes and version history for MAX2C4D. Every update, fix, and new feature documented.

v1.2.2

2026-06-01Latest
Fixed3 changes
  • The Cinema 4D importer could report "3ds Max not found" even when 3ds Max was installed correctly. This happened after upgrading to a newer 3ds Max release (such as 2027), and on network or repaired installs where the registry entry was incomplete. The importer now recognises 3ds Max 2020 through 2030 and falls back to scanning the default Autodesk install folder.
  • Cinema 4D 2026: importing large scenes no longer freezes or crashes at "Importing into Cinema 4D...". A material preview step that crashed inside Cinema 4D 2026 on big scenes has been removed. Imports are also faster on large scenes, with no visible change to the materials.
  • Corona Legacy materials using the "Fresnel IOR 999" trick with a light diffuse colour and a near-black reflection (for example a white plastic bottle) no longer come out black in C4D. They are now treated as a dielectric that keeps its diffuse colour, instead of being forced into a near-black metal.
Changed1 change
  • The import logs and the import interface are now in English.

v1.2.1

2026-05-24
Fixed1 change
  • Scenes with certain non-standard spline objects no longer break the export. Problematic splines are now skipped so the rest of the scene transfers normally.

v1.2.0

2026-05-23
Known limitations1 change
  • 3ds Max Color Correction (native) in Advanced Lift/Gamma/Gain mode: the `Pivot` and `Lift/Offset` values are not yet converted to C4D. The exact Max formula for these two parameters is undocumented and would need empirical reverse-engineering before we can reproduce it precisely. On materials that use non-default values for Pivot or Lift/Offset (uncommon), this may produce a slight tint shift in C4D compared to the Max render.
Fixed5 changes
  • 3ds Max Color Correction in Advanced (Lift/Gamma/Gain) mode now transfers the per-channel gamma values to C4D. Previously only the master RGB gamma was applied, so colour-graded textures relying on per-channel gamma to add a warm/cool tint came out grey or off-tint in C4D.
  • 3ds Max Gradient Ramp shaders now transfer their colour stops correctly to C4D. Previously the stops were always lost on export, so any material relying on a Gradient Ramp (directly or nested through Color Correction / Falloff) came out plain black in C4D.
  • Corona Legacy metals (the "Fresnel IOR 999" pattern with black diffuse and a Falloff on Reflection) no longer come out fully black in C4D. The material now converts to a proper Corona Physical metal with the Falloff driving the front/side colour variation, matching the Max render.
  • Materials with a self-illumination texture but the Multiplier left at 0 no longer come out glowing in C4D. Previously a Falloff (or any texmap) connected to Self-Illumination would be applied at full strength even when the artist had set the Multiplier to 0 to neutralize it — most visibly turning clear glass into lit/glowing glass. The Multiplier value is also now correctly transferred to C4D for Corona Legacy materials (previously it stayed at 0).
  • Corona Legacy materials now convert with subsurface scattering, volumetric absorption and scattering, anisotropy (amount + rotation), dispersion, caustics, thin shell, single-bounce, volumetric caustics and binary opacity (cutout). These were previously silently dropped on export — tinted glass came out clear, waxy candles looked plastic, brushed chrome lost its anisotropic streaks. Conversion is now at parity with Corona Physical for every feature the legacy material actually supports.

v1.1.9

2026-05-09
Fixed3 changes
  • License error messages are now context-aware — Deactivate no longer shows "Activation limit reached" when the real issue is something else, and the error surfaced reflects what actually happened on the server.
  • License activation from Cinema 4D no longer fails with "Activation limit reached" on machines that have free slots — the plugin's HTTP client was being blocked by Cloudflare in front of the license server.
  • License activation no longer consumes a new slot when the license is already active on the same machine (e.g. when activating in C4D after 3ds Max). Both plugins now share the existing activation transparently.

v1.1.8

2026-05-08
Added3 changes
  • Open `.zip` and `.rar` archives directly from the `IMPORT .MAX FILE` button — they're extracted automatically next to the archive on the way in, no need to unpack manually.
  • Multi-file batch import — Ctrl-click several `.max` files and/or archives in one go and they'll be queued and imported one after the other. With **Keep Max alive** on, the queue reuses the same 3ds Max instance between imports.
  • New picker shown when an archive contains several `.max` variants (e.g. `scene_corona.max` + `scene_vray.max`) — pick what to import via checkboxes; the variant matching the chosen renderer is pre-selected.
Fixed2 changes
  • Composite map base layer no longer darkens the imported material — the bottom layer's blend mode (Multiply, Screen, etc.) is now correctly treated as inoperative as it is in Max, and the layer reads as Normal.
  • Composite map layers using `Average` blend mode now produce the correct averaged result in C4D (previously imported as plain `Normal` and ignored the Average math).

v1.1.7

2026-05-02
Fixed3 changes
  • Camera White Balance now imports correctly from the Corona VFB pipeline (was previously stuck at 6500 K).
  • Falloff Front/Side amounts now keep their original values on import (could previously balloon to thousands of percent).
  • Colors now stay accurate when 3ds Max uses ACEScg color management (OCIO) — materials, lights, white balance, environments and atmospherics are converted to linear sRGB so picks match between Max and C4D. Scenes without OCIO are unaffected.
Added1 change
  • 3ds Max Color Map shader (Color / Gamma / Gain) is now supported, including nested usage inside Falloff and other color slots.

v1.1.6

2026-05-01
Fixed1 change
  • Additional fix for the `IMPORT .MAX FILE` button on installs where v1.1.5 wasn't enough (notably some 3ds Max 2026 setups).

v1.1.5

2026-05-01
Fixed3 changes
  • `IMPORT .MAX FILE` button failing on some installs — the headless 3ds Max launch is now stable.
  • Export errors now show a popup with the full message and a one-click button to open the log folder, making it easier to report issues.
  • The error log file is kept on disk after a failed export so it can be attached to bug reports.

v1.1.4

2026-05-01
Fixed3 changes
  • Corona and V-Ray proxies with offset pivots (curtains, vegetation, Archicad assets, etc.) now land at the correct position.
  • Corona lights now respect the Max settings for **Occlude other lights** and **Generate caustics** at import.
  • Scenes with multiple objects sharing the same name (typical of Archicad exports) now get the correct materials on each object — fixes issues like missing glass on windows using a Multi/Sub material.
Added4 changes
  • Scenes now arrive at the correct real-world scale regardless of the 3ds Max System Unit Scale (mm, cm, m, inches, feet).
  • OBJ import settings are now forced to the correct configuration before each import, so your personal C4D OBJ preferences can't break the importer.
  • Failed exports now write a diagnostic log file in the export folder to make issues easier to report.
  • Main Export button no longer freezes the dialog if the export fails — error is shown and the button is re-enabled.

v1.1.3

2026-04-12
Fixed3 changes
  • Batch import no longer crashes c4dpy in headless mode (skip shader InitRender preview)
  • C4D file save on network paths no longer fails silently (saves to local temp first, then copies)
  • UNC paths now always use extended prefix (avoids failures when filename pushes total past 260 chars)
Changed1 change
  • New plugin icons and banners (v2 design)

v1.1.2

2026-04-04
Added1 change
  • **Batch Exporter** — Standalone app to convert entire folders of `.max` files to `.c4d` in one click. Recursive folder scanning, filename filters, parallel C4D imports, skip existing files, chunked 3ds Max sessions to avoid memory issues, and real-time progress log.
Fixed2 changes
  • Batch import no longer fails on long network paths (>260 characters) — common with deep folder structures on NAS servers
  • Auto-detect mode no longer creates VRay elements (Dome Light, split splines) in Corona scenes when VRay C4D is installed

v1.1.1

2026-03-29
Added1 change
  • License expiration support for time-limited licenses. **Existing lifetime licenses are not affected.**

v1.1.0

2026-03-29
Added3 changes
  • **V-Ray scene support** — Full V-Ray 3ds Max to Cinema 4D conversion with two pipelines: **V-Ray → V-Ray C4D** (native 1:1 transfer) or **V-Ray → Corona** (automatic fallback when V-Ray C4D is not installed). 30+ material types, 25+ texture types, lights, sun, proxies, fur, clippers, decals, environment fog, aerial perspective, render settings (~130 params), VFB2 post-processing, and physical cameras.
  • Renderer selection dropdown in import dialog (Auto / Corona / V-Ray) to choose the target pipeline
  • Corona Decal mask texture and include/exclude list support
Fixed9 changes
  • Camera clipping planes ("Clip Manually") not applied for standard Max cameras
  • OBJ import crash ("Invalid file operation") on scenes with n-gon faces
  • OBJ import material assignment finding 0 objects in large scenes
  • Corona MultiMap rendering gray with empty layers
  • Chaos Scatter compound include splines ignored at render
  • Chaos Scatter "Distribute On" list missing instances
  • Chaos Scatter area splines not exported
  • Physical Camera shutter speed and focus distance export
  • Color Correction brightness too dark in Advanced lightness mode

v1.0.8

2026-03-10
Added5 changes
  • Cellular texturemap support
  • Forest Color (iToo) texturemap support
  • **ForestPack to Chaos Scatter conversion** — automatic conversion with density, transforms, areas, clusters, camera clipping, and more
  • "Keep original texture paths" option in export dialog
  • Vertex Color map support
Fixed2 changes
  • ForestPack distribution map scale not applied
  • Standard Gradient map not exported

v1.0.7

2026-03-10
Fixed4 changes
  • License now shared between 3ds Max and Cinema 4D (single activation per machine)
  • Added deactivate button to 3ds Max license dialog
  • Harmonized offline grace period to 7 days on both sides
  • User-friendly license error messages

v1.0.6

2026-03-08
Fixed2 changes
  • Corona Bitmap cropping/placement parameters not transferred
  • Chaos Scatter scale randomization Y/Z axes swapped

v1.0.5

2026-03-04
Added3 changes
  • "Keep Max alive" option (reuse 3ds Max instance for faster subsequent imports)
  • "Override render settings" checkbox in import dialog
  • MultiTexture (CG-Source) plugin → Corona MultiMap conversion
Fixed25 changes

Materials

  • Corona Ray Switcher and Slicer materials arrived empty
  • Corona Legacy Material translucency not transferred
  • Corona Legacy metallic materials imported with black base color
  • Corona Physical Material advanced options not transferred (IOR mode, complex IOR)
  • Corona Skin, Toon, Fabric, Hair Material missing textures
  • Corona Select Material sub-materials missing
  • Corona MultiMap per-layer colors and frequency weights not exported
  • Texture map amounts (mix strength) not exported for all material channels
  • Glossiness slider acting as unintended multiplier with texture map
  • Thin Shell handling fixed for glass/opalescent materials
  • Merge import no longer destroys pre-existing scene materials

Textures & Shaders

  • Texture name collision between scenes now resolved with per-scene subfolders
  • Stale texture on re-export now correctly overwritten
  • Corona Bitmap gamma override now respected
  • Double tiling on import (tiling applied twice)
  • Normal maps in Triplanar shader now use linear color profile
  • Bitmap invert now uses Corona Color Correct

Falloff

  • Perpendicular/Parallel mode now uses accurate Dot product method
  • Fresnel type now uses Physical Fresnel with correct IOR
  • map1On/map2On and map1Amount/map2Amount now respected

Cameras

  • Focus/target distance now imported
  • White Balance now applied to Corona Camera tag

Scatter

  • Chaos Scatter texture maps (density, scale, rotation) now functional

Performance

  • JSON export 1100x faster on large scenes
  • SSL/TLS errors on restricted networks handled gracefully

v1.0.4

2026-03-02
Fixed6 changes
  • Objects with special characters now import with correct materials
  • Corona Layered Material inside Multi/Sub no longer dropped
  • Corona Legacy chrome/mirror materials no longer black
  • Falloff in opacity slot no longer enables clip mode
  • Script Manager dev mode import errors fixed
  • Export path in Max no longer resets on launch

v1.0.3

2026-02-28
Added1 change
  • Automatic update check on dialog open (Max + C4D)
Fixed3 changes
  • Fixed syntax error on Max export dialog open
  • JSON parser handles compact format from update API
  • Normal maps in bump slot auto-detected and wrapped with linear color profile

v1.0.2

2026-02-26
Added5 changes
  • macOS support for C4D importer
  • Direct .max file import from C4D (3ds Max launches in background)
  • Progress monitoring with elapsed time and cancel button
  • "Skip hidden objects" option
  • Shared export path between Max and C4D
Changed1 change
  • Max exporter button renamed "EXPORT" → "EXPORT SCENE"
Fixed5 changes
  • EXR/HDR textures now use linear color profile
  • Normal maps in Corona Bitmap forced to linear
  • Dielectric mode correctly applied for refraction materials
  • Consecutive .max imports no longer reuse stale data
  • Fixed path corruption in shared preferences

v1.0.1

2026-02-24
Fixed2 changes
  • Corona Mix blend modes correctly transferred
  • Corona Mix per-slot multipliers imported

v1.0.0

2026-02
General12 changes
  • Initial release
  • OBJ-based geometry export
  • Corona Physical & Legacy Material support
  • Multi/Sub-Object materials with selection tags
  • Corona shaders (Bitmap, Normal, Color Correct, Mix, Triplanar, AO, MultiMap, Falloff, Composite)
  • Corona Lights, Sun, Moon, Sky
  • HDRI environment with overrides
  • Camera export (physical, target, free)
  • Proxy (.cgeo) support
  • Spline, Decal, Layered Material support
  • Tone mapping and per-camera render settings
  • Inno Setup installer