Alias|Wavefront has introduced the fourth version of its Bonus Tools Pack, a free collection of scripts and plug-ins for Maya, a 3D rendering and animation package.
The Bonus Tools Pack, formerly known as the Bonus Games Pack, now combines a consolidated tool set that contains games tools, unsupported plug-ins and development kit tools. It’s compatible with Mac OS X, Windows, Irix and Linux.
When you install it, the Bonus Pack adds a new pull down menu to the standard Maya 5 user interface. The menu gives you access to tools that facilitate routine tasks including polygonal modeling, texture mapping and animation. New additions include an automated foot setup, paint geometry tool, test render node and a vertex normal manipulator tool.
The Bonus Tools are currently standalone plug-ins. Several tools from the earlier iteration of the Bonus Game Pack are now included with Maya 5, including extrude vertex, texture editor toolbar, blend channels and copy UV between UV sets. The tools are unsupported; if you use them, you’re encouraged to submit suggestions to Alias|Wavefront for their improvement. All scripts and plug-ins can also function as sample code for developers wanting to create their own custom tools.