Forest Pack 9.0 Brings Powerful New Tools to 3ds Max

iToo Software has released Forest Pack 9.0 for 3ds Max, marking one of its biggest updates in recent years. This latest version of the popular scattering plugin brings a range of new features and improvements aimed at making scene creation faster and more intuitive.

The standout addition is ForestIvy, a new tool for generating 3D ivy and climbing plants. Users can now create complex vegetation directly on surfaces or generate it automatically using a mix of manual and procedural workflows. You can even make bushes and shrubs without needing an underlying surface. ForestIvy includes 30 presets based on real-world leaf scans, helping users recreate various types of climbing plants with ease. The tool also offers parametric controls for things like branching patterns, gravity effects, and the distribution of leaves and flowers.

To keep things running smoothly, ForestIvy uses instancing to improve performance during both viewport previews and final renders. Currently, it’s supported in Arnold and V-Ray CPU, with more renderers expected to follow.

In addition to ForestIvy, Forest Pack 9.0 includes several workflow and performance updates. Distribution maps now support multiple mapping channels, giving users more flexibility in object placement. The Randomize Stacked feature has also been improved to work with stacked splines, and the ForestSet helper, introduced in version 8, has been updated to allow users to move items more easily between the Geometry List and ForestSet objects.

Other changes include improvements to the user interface, library browser, camera clipping, memory management, and better support for V-Ray Proxies.

Overall, Forest Pack 9.0 delivers a solid set of new tools and refinements, making it easier than ever to create detailed, complex environments in 3ds Max. For more information, visit iToo Software's website.