This »blast from the past« (2006) is an operator that constrains the points of a polygon mesh to move only along the line-of-sight of a camera. This has the effect of the points not moving inside the view of that camera, making it a good helper for image based modeling - especially when having two cameras that are precisely matched to their rotoscope images.

local backup: Point_CAM_CNS.xsiaddon

For those of you working with large scenes, or doing your best to squeeze every last cycle out of your CPU performance, I present the following tool set to aid you in your efforts: Sanity Check Self Installing Plugin Sanity Check Documentation

The basic idea behind these tools is they hunt down nodes in your scene that have live operators and place the found nodes into a Group. The Group also gets a Text property that lists all the nodes, their operators, and where they sit in the Construction History [..]

This is useful for a number of things. For one, you can quickly list weight maps, shapes, envelopes, UV maps, etc., that were edited but never frozen, and thus improve scene performance. You can check all the Modeling Stacks on your scene nodes prior to running the Freeze M operation, to make sure there weren't specific operators you needed to stay live.

The Custom Operator Search function allows you to hunt down and filter operators by Name, Type, and location in the Construction History. For example, you could find all scene nodes with ICE operators assigned to Secondary Shape Animation [..] contd. on the Mailing List link below

local backup: BG_SanityCheck.zip

myRig is a rig generating plugin. Have a look at the introduction video (part 1, part 2).

local backup: si_myRig_plugin.zip

Little-Man Rig with Synoptic and Heads-up display, Character Keyset + fullbody IK Controllers.

local backup: Adib.rar (zipped project)

Mini car rigged with synoptic view and heads-up display controllers.

Mini Rig and NanoMan Rig are plugins from 2007 that were recently spotted on CreativeCrash by HiraziBlue.

local backup: Adib_Car.rar (zipped project)

(Formerly known as RimLight) Here is my experiment shader on how to create a rim light without using lights as a way to optimize the render and the process for the compositing step. It can be very useful to create a rimlight pass. You can create different rim lights: left, right, top, bottom, back, front and you can set different options like rotation, spread, smooth, fg contribution ... The shader works with the vector of the mesh and follows the camera movement.

local backup: ExtraLight_JulienS.xsirtcompound RimLight_JulienS.xsirtcompound (old version)

Mia Expression Manager provides a number of features that allow batch-assisted application of expressions to multiple objects/parameters.

Requires the XPOP plugin

Features: Apply, Remove expression batch, on parameter(s)'s object(s) Validate current expression with Validate button and before apply expression Auto-Complete and Keyword Highlighting Multi line & Tab Comments » /* -- */ « Search & Replace in Current Expression Registration of the layout and comment in the Expression commentary Menu Function with evolutive User category (store user expression in a .txt) Custom Plugin Activity Log zone Right click menu in explorer and Object parameter

Related plugins: Expression Manager, Edit multiple parameters

local backup: Mia_ExpressionManager.zip

This very fast fluid/cloud rendering shader can read directly from EMfluid volume grids, Maya and Blender Cache files.

Here's a video created by Oliver Weingarten using this shader.

local backup: baVolume_v4alpha_0.03.zip

'Shader Collection - Volumes' is a collection of 18 Mental Ray Shaders for different kinds of volumetric renderings. Create volumes like Clouds, Dust, Smoke, Explosions, Fire, Water, Nebulae... The main shader is the »Volume Cloud« Shader, a highly speed-optimized volumetric raymarcher.

It is the fastest volume shader you can get for Mental Ray. Production-proven in many commercials, feature films (Alien Versus Predator 2, Poseidon, The Mist), game cinematics (Prince of Persia 3)...

The »Volume Cloud« shader is included as the default particle shader in all Softimage versions that have ICE. Nevertheless this is a very mature package and remains very interesting for all the other shaders it contains (For example Geometry_Mesh, an adaptive solid volume shader, the mesh_distance shader, Maya versions of the shaders etc...)

Price Tag is EUR 125 for 1 seat/Softimage, EUR 375 for 1 seat/Softimage+Maya, or EUR 250 upgrade to the newest SI+Maya Package.

LightDome is a standalone application that reads HDRI light probe images and creates a light rig from that image. The idea behind A_LightDome is to analyse the picture and create only lights if it is necessary. It starts with about 650 light points on the image and reduces them to less than 75. Then it exports all lights in a script file. You have to load and execute that script file into your 3D Application (At the moment only XSI is supported, but if anyone would like to write a simple script example of his preferred 3d software, I could implement this script language). It creates area lights with shadow and the bright lights with specularity enabled. After you have loaded it into your 3D application you can fine-tune the intensity, saturation, distance to origin...

Related plugins: Banty's Lightrig Import, Ambient Light Rig

local backup: BA_LightDome_1.3.05.zip

Royal Render is the powerful application to organize your render jobs for your render farm. It's more than a tool to start frames on your farm, it's an advanced application to manage, control and check your renders.

Royal Render has been shaped by the harsh realities of projects small and large. We constantly pursue improved workflow, meaningful features and better performance. We put ease of use up front, keeping innovative algorithms and complex architecture under the hood.

Price is EUR 295 for a 4-client package, EUR 1250 for a 12-client package, other pricing options available (1 client includes all cores/CPUs of the workstation)

Feature-rich DX viewport shader, for XSI 7.5 only. New Version (GDT realtime shader) available now. Developed by Laurens Corijn, converted to Softimage by Manticor. See the author site for feature details.

local backup: Xoliul_shader_XSI.rar

Dominici Marco's Motion Capture plugin for Softimage based on the Microsoft Kinect technology.

Price is €99 for a standalone license. Kinect device required, but no XBox 360 required.

Rémy Alexandrian's set of python measuring tools. Measures angle, area, boundary length, curve length, distance, summed distance.

local backup: RA_MeasureTools.zip

Circularize a selection of polygons or edges using a variety of methods, including a stick to surface option. Workflow video on youtube. Further usage instructions on author's page.

Related plugins: Circularize

local backup: mx_roundish_v10.xsiaddon

Custom Loft is a simplified version of MX_Loft that uses a circle for the profile. An added feature is that it can be used with multiple subcurves instead of a single curve.

For the auto UV generation feature to work, the MX_UVW_node (archive) plugin must be installed (Download from the author site, or from the local backup if down).

Related plugins: Power Extrude, TinyCurveExtrude, MX Loft, KP CurveTools, keyvis Curve Tools, ICE Rope Rig

local backup: customloft1_v15_xsi75.xsiaddon mx_uvw_node_v05.xsiaddon

In Softimage XSI there is the integrated procedural mesh-object: Four-Sided. The four closed-splines constructed polygonal object, dependent on these curves. I create an object similar to, but has a different algorithm for creating the grid. The result is a more uniform grid.

Have a look at an introductory video on youtube. For the auto UV generation feature to work, the MX_UVW_node (archive) plugin must be installed (Download from the author site, or from local backup if down).

local backup: mx_4sided_v10.xsiaddon mx_uvw_node_v05.xsiaddon

It is a tool for working with Final Gathering, when rendering with MentalRay. It allows you to remove or minimize the noise in the image for animation. (Flicker-free). The work tool is based on the shader mip_fgshooter. The tool allows you to create a system of cameras that are used to calculate ray Final Gathering for rendering. The link between cameras and shading by using ICE. [..] contd. on the author's site

Have a look at a quick start video on youtube. (Tool is in development)

local backup: mx_fgshooter_system_v0_7_beta.xsiaddon

This is a simple utility that allows you to accelerate work with Spot - standard light source in XSI. The basic principle of operation - is the creation of the light source, oriented along the normal to the previously created the polygon, and enabled Area Light. The size of the plane of the Area Light is created equal to the polygon on which to create sources of light. [..] contd. on the author's site

Have a look at a quick start video on youtube.

local backup: get_mx_spot_v1_3.xsiaddon

This is a very small addon. It adds a toolbar with two commands. The first command enables you to connect the splines on the object level, allowing you to create a spline consisting of several subsplines — The second command performs the opposite operation. It removes the selected subSpline of a set of splines in the object.

Have a look at an introductory video on youtube.

local backup: mx_curvetools_10_xsi75.xsiaddon

Ivo Tree is a software package designed to create trees and other similar vegetation, and their use in Softimage XSI. Ivo Tree consists of a program generator: Ivo Tree Builder, and a connector for XSI, the Ivo Tree Addon. See the author's site for more details.

Related plugins: StrandTree

local backup: ivotree.zip

JP_Separate provides XSI the same functionality as the Maya Separate command. It will break a mesh with multiple disconnected mesh islands in the same mesh. The result will generate separate meshes for each island in the original mesh.

Related plugins: DafengIslandSeperation, Islands To Clusters

local backup: JP_Separate.zip

A collection of compiled custom commands and operators, mostly for rigging. Comes with 4 demo sample scenes. Introductory video.

es_CreateOrderedMesh - Create an ordered polygon mesh from the selected geometry points. Only works for clean quad topology, means no tris, star, pole, etc.
es_SkinOp - Applies tension based deformations on a polygon mesh object. Includes init command
es_ConnectSubD - Drive subdivided mesh with lower resolution mesh. The driven hi res mesh is the Catmull-Clark subdivision version of the driving mesh
es_CreateEye - Create an Eyeball geometry with es_EyeballOp assigned. Also create a Custom property for easier control.
es_LinkThigh - Link and setup provided leg elements. Apply the es_ThighOp and adjust the operator parameters value — See es_Create3BLeg script for more ideas about how to use this command.
es_Create3BLeg - A demonstration script about how to create a simple 3B leg setup from guide and call es_LinkThigh Command.
es_RelativePose - Constraint object transform locally by reading the driving object transform relative to a reference root object. The reference root object doesn't have to be the direct parent of the driving object.
es_SubdivideOp - Bulge and smooth geometry based on geometry tension.

local backup: es_ToolPackS.zip

A mental ray geometry shader that lets you set options like IBL (Image Based Lighting) and progressive rendering which are currently unsupported by the Softimage UI.

Related plugins: mr 3.8 Options Geoshader

local backup: ctrlGhostSettings.xsiaddon

GEAR is an open source project to provide a complete and production quality toolset for rigging and animation inside Autodesk® Softimage®. It includes a lot of tools to ease the rigging and animation process. The main focus of version 1.1 is the rigging part. We wanted to be able to create and maintain production quality rigs easily. A couple of tools also been created to ease the rigging process, helping the manipulation of envelopes, shapes, weightmaps. Anyone should be able to build custom rigs using GEAR. It has been designed to be flexible and easy to use. Even non-riggers can create advanced rigging and animate them easily. But the system is also open to further development so TDs can create their own components and use them inside of the GEAR Rigging System. Also everything is accessible through scripting with a complete API to automate as much as possible.

Please visit the author's page. Note that Jeremie has created three comprehensive video tutorial/feature showcases that are available here (archive) on his GEARS videos page.

local backup: gear_1.1.0.zip

This allows the user to set a gradient background within the Softimage Viewport. Through the Preferences the gradient colours can be altered and the effect can be enabled and disabled.

Most of Mike's tools require the VC++ 2010 runtime libraries installed, which are available here (archive).

local backup: xsigradient.zip

This plug-in allows the user to see a 'tic-tac-toe' grid over their camera. By default the lines are drawn evenly but this is user controllable. It also gives the ability to block out any of the grid squares to help the user focus on a particular area of the render/shot.

Most of Mike's tools require the VC++ 2010 runtime libraries installed, which are available here (archive).

local backup: xsiruleofthirds.zip

This is a suite of tools aimed at making the enveloping process a bit easier. This allows the user to easily copy/paste point weights, cull affected points by distance as various other options outlined in more detail in the info pdf.

Most of Mike's tools require the VC++ 2010 runtime libraries installed, which are available here (archive).

local backup: xsienvelope.zip

A quick and convenient way to store and access selections. This also handles objects within Model space as well as having a 'Mirror Selection' option.

Most of Mike's tools require the VC++ 2010 runtime libraries installed, which are available here (archive).

local backup: xsiselectionsets.zip