tyFlow 1.111 integrates Stable Diffusion into 3ds Max
Animator and game developer Tyson Ibele has released tyFlow 1.111, the latest version of his popular particle and multiphysics add-on for 3ds Max.
It’s a significant update, with the new tyDiffusion module integrating Stable Diffusion into 3ds Max, making it possible to use generative AI models to create detailed imagery and animation matching simple guide geometry.
A versatile particle-based multiphysics system for VFX and motion graphics work
tyFlow began life as a “complete rewrite” of Particle Flow: a next-generation replacement for 3ds Max’s ageing native particle system.
Over time, it evolved into a multiphysics system, making it possible to simulate granular fluids like sand, rigid bodies, soft bodies and cloth, and even crowds.
More recent updates have also added a terrain-generation system.
tyFlow can also import and manipulate data in OpenVDB format, with volumes able to interact with particle systems, and integrates directly with key 3ds Max production tools.
The simulation core is CPU-based, while individual solvers are GPU-based.
tyFlow 1.111: generate AI images and animation in 3ds Max using Stable Diffusion
Despite the small change in version number, tyFlow 1.111 adds a major new feature: the tyDiffusion module.
An “advanced implementation” of Stable Diffusion, tyDiffusion makes it possible to use the generative AI model within 3ds Max via the ComfyUI GUI.
The module relays viewport information like color and depth to the AI engine, making it possible for the 3ds Max scene to direct the AI-generated output.
In the video above, you can see tyDiffusion being used to generate images matching the pose of a low-res 3D character, and animations matching simple guide geometry.
Ibele describes it as a “full scene renderer, not just a random image generator”.
It is also possible to project an AI-generated image onto a 3D model for a more conventional AI-based texturing workflow.
The implementation supports “all [of the] checkpoints and Stable Diffusion 1.5 and LoRAs” for Stable Diffusion XL, plus ControlNet and AnimateDiff.
tyDiffusion is available in both the Free and Pro editions of tyFlow, with users of the Free edition getting support for GPU acceleration, unlike with tyFlow’s native toolsets.
Other new features
Other changes in tyFlow 1.111 include improvement to export of particle caches and Alembic point clouds, and “Unreal Engine-compatible resample resolutions” when exporting terrain.
Since we last wrote about tyFlow, other updates have added a Pathfinding operator, and the option to cap the bottom of terrain meshes.
Pricing and system requirements
tyFlow 1.111 is compatible with 3ds Max 2018+. Some of its GPU-accelerated features are hardware-agnostic; others are CUDA-based and require a compatible NVIDIA GPU.
tyFlow Free, the free edition, includes all of the simulation tools, and can be used commercially, but lacks CPU multithreading, GPU acceleration, or cache export.
tyFlow Pro costs $495 for a perpetual node-locked license; $645 for a floating license.
Read a full list of new features in tyFlow in the online documentation
Read the online FAQs for tyDiffusion (Includes GPU requirements)
Visit the tyFlow product website
Download the free edition of tyFlow (Does not require registration)
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