DecalPlacer 1.5

How to Install

In the Main Menu, go to Scripting > Run Script..., select *.mzp file and click Open.

Or just drag and drop the *.mzp file into the 3ds Max viewport.

Click Install on Installer Dialog.

After 'Install Successfully' you can assign a keyboard shortcut. Found the tool in:

Customize > Customize User Interface > Keyboard > Category > MxTools > DecalPlacer

Manually Installing

Extract the *.mzp file to #UserScripts found in:

C:\Users\<UserName >\AppData\Local\Autodesk\3dsMax\<ReleaseNumber> - 64bit\ENU\scripts

Run decalplacer.mcr in 3ds Max application found in:

C:\Users\<UserName >\AppData\Local\Autodesk\3dsMax\<ReleaseNumber> - 64bit\ENU\scripts\decalplacer\decalplacer.mcr

After Installation with no errors, you can assign a keyboard shortcut. Found the tool in:

Customize > Customize User Interface > Keyboard > Category > MxTools > DecalPlacer
Customize > Customize User Interface > Toolbars > Category > MxTools > DecalPlacer

Now select DecalPlacer and drag and drop to the 3ds Max Main Toolbar.

To delete the button from 3ds Max Main Toolbar, right click on it and go to Delete Button.

To start the DecalPlacer tool, you need to click on the button. 

Node-Locked License

The type of license is Node-Locked License, that means a license is for use on one computer, and is tied to that computer Physical (MAC) Address.

When you purchase a gumroad memberships Tier, you need to add in Physical (MAC) Address field your computer Physical (MAC) Addresses in a format without spaces or special characters ("-", ".", ":", etc.).

What is Physical (MAC) Address > Wikipedia

Note: The Physical (MAC) Address field can no longer be changed after you have made the purchase.

User Interfaces

Rollout Menu

The rollout menu consists of two panels with a minimalist UI with resizable size. Panel one to store decal files in a list, view decals from file or folder and edit XML file structure, and panel two to create, view and edit layer's and create new decals using one of the engines.

Panel 1

Entries Toolbar

Add Decals from File: Add decal to Decals list from a file in one of the formats: *.tif, *.png, *.jpg, *.jpeg.

Add Decals from Folder: Add decal to Decals list from a folder. The files need to be in one of the formats: *.tif, *.png, *.jpg, *.jpeg.

Edit XML Entries: Edit selected entries from Entries list that have an associate XML file.

Delete Entries: Delete selected entries from Entries list.

Get Material from MatEditor: Assign a material to selected entries from MatEditor.

Set Material to MatEditor: Send selected entries material to MatEditor to be editable.

Entries List

Store multiple files or folders to a list which can be accessed later.

Icon (entries type) \ Filename from file \ Entries material name

Decals List

Store decal in flow layout based on entries type which can be accessed later to be used in conjunction with layers.

Adjusts the size of the decals thumbs.

Edit XML Entries file

Here, you can edit and save an XML file associated with the decal file by pressing the Edit XML Entries button.

Canvas grid (left side): To edit a cell, select the cell from the right list and then click and drag on the canvas grid to adjust the position and the size.

After you have finished editing, click Save to XML button. If the file does not exist, a new file will be created with the decal name of the file you selected to edit. 

Panel 2

Engine Toolbar

Here you can use one of the three engines: DecalMesh, DecalProjectUV, DecalCompMaps.

All tree engine uses the same layer structure.

Compatible materials are Physical Material, Standard, Standard Surface, VRayMtl, CoronaMtl using Composite and Bitmap maps.

Corner Decal Pivot: Create the new decal starting from the center or the top left corner.

Start DecalPlacer: When you have finished editing the layers, press the button to start placing the decals according to the engine you have selected.

⚙  DecalMesh M

With DecalMesh selected, you can create new decal's geometry nodes in 3d scenes using the UV offset method and having the possibility to project the new decals created on the surfaces they hit.

Conform To Surface: Activate conform by projecting the new created decal on the surfaces they hit using Subdivisions.

Real-time Conform: Projecting the decal on the surfaces they hit in real-time.

Subdivisions (SubDiv.): Subdivide the decal mesh.

⚙  Engine: DecalProjectUV P

With DecalProjectUV selected, you can create new decal's using UV channel method by projecting a new UV's channel based on decal Z direction.

⚙   DecalCompMaps C

With DecalCompMaps selected, you can create new decal's using UV composite maps method by projecting a new map on an existing UV channel.

Layers

Multi-layer decal are compounds of one or more elements. There are four layer types: Canvas, Tile, Frame, Pack that can be switched between them to construct the decal.

You can create, delete and move up or down a layer from the list, and with the slider you can control the value on the selected layer.

Canvas: with the slider, you can control the stretch. Use one decal from Decals List.

Tile: with the slider, you can control the number of tiles in rows and columns. Use one decal from Decals List.

Frame: with the slider, you can control the frame padding. Use three decals from Decals List.

Pack: with the slider, you can control the margin. Use multiple decals from Decals List.

Viewer

Show stack result of layers that construct the decal, which will be used when place the decal on the objects.


Lock Ratio: Lock layer ratio size if you have at least one layer type Canvas, and it is active on the layers list.

Show Guides: Sow or hide layer guides on the viewer.

Solo View: View only the selected layer on the viewer.

Hotkeys

Hotkeys used to start DecalPlacer Tool under button checked.

alt key + left mouse click : will delete selected decal from tool.

left mouse click + mouse drag : will create new decal and resize it.

left mouse click + mouse drag : on the selected point handle will resize the decal.

left mouse click + mouse drag: on the selected handler will rotate the decal.

left mouse click + mouse drag : on the selected center handle will translate the decal.

XML Structure

When you open a decal file in one of the formats *.tif, *.png, *.jpg, *.jpeg, and if there is a file in that location with the same name as the decal filename with the *.xml extension that store item's layout then the decal will be split according to the *.xml structure in a grid layout system else if the *.xml file dos not exists then will be added a single item to the grid.

e.g: decals.png, decals.xml

<layout Scale="0.1">

    <cell X="0" Y="0" W="1" H="1"/>

    ...

<layout>

Scale = Grid Cells Size (e.g:  Scale = "0.1" --> 1  /  0.1 = 10  cells)

X = Row Index

Y = Column Index

W = RowSpan Width

H = ColumnSpan Height