We have published a new long-form editorial article exploring how AI is beginning to reshape real Architectural Visualization production workflows beyond the social media hype.

Titled “AI-Assisted ArchViz: Beyond the Hype”, the article examines the rise of hybrid production pipelines, AI-assisted workflow automation, realtime rendering ecosystems, technical artists, image-to-3D tools, and the growing role of AI-enhanced production layers inside modern ArchViz workflows.

Rather than focusing on tool lists or exaggerated predictions, the article takes a grounded and production-oriented perspective on how AI is actually integrating into real-world CG pipelines — including both its current strengths and its practical limitations.

The article also explores emerging trends around 3ds Max workflows, ComfyUI experimentation, AI-assisted scripting, custom tool development, and the evolving relationship between artists, automation and realtime production technologies.

Read the full article here.

For years, Photoshop + Exr-IO became the standard workflow for working with Cryptomatte masks in ArchViz and VFX production.

But many artists today use alternative image editors, lightweight workflows, or simply prefer standalone tools over subscription-based ecosystems.

That’s what makes this new utility especially interesting.

What is Cryptomatte Mask Extractor?

Cryptomatte Mask Extractor is a standalone Windows application that extracts Cryptomatte masks directly from EXR files and exports them as clean PNG masks ready to use in virtually any image editor.

That includes: Photopea, GIMP, Krita, Pixlr, Darktable, Affinity, Photoshop, and many others.

The workflow is intentionally simple:
drag & drop your EXR, select the Cryptomatte layers you want, and export the masks instantly.

Key Features

• Drag & drop workflow
• Fast object/material mask extraction
• Automatic Cryptomatte manifest scanning
• Clean anti-aliased PNG masks
• Batch extraction
• Organized subfolder output
• Smart versioning system
• Optimized for large EXR files
• Artist-friendly interface

If you work with Corona Renderer, V-Ray, Blender, Arnold, Redshift, Octane, or Unreal Engine, this tool gives you a fast and flexible way to bring Cryptomatte workflows into almost any compositing or image-editing pipeline.

What started as a personal workaround by a 3D artist turned into a practical production tool for the broader CG community.

The software includes a free trial with 10 extractions available before activation.

Get it on Gumroad: Cryptomatte Mask Extractor

Working with heavy scenes in 3ds Max often means dealing with slow viewports, high memory usage, and long rendering times. These issues can interrupt your workflow and limit productivity, especially in projects with dense geometry, large textures, or multiple scenes to render.

To address these challenges, we’re introducing the Scene Optimization Toolkit — a bundle of three specialized plugins designed to optimize performance across the entire workflow.

Instead of focusing on a single bottleneck, this toolkit provides a complete optimization pipeline:

Q-Proxies
Convert high-poly geometry into lightweight, renderer-independent proxies. This allows you to keep your scenes responsive while working, without affecting final render quality.

Proxy Textures
Create lower-resolution versions of your textures to reduce memory usage and improve viewport performance, especially in scenes with large environments or extensive material libraries.

Overnight Batch Render
Automate the rendering of multiple scenes, cameras, or states. Set up your render queue and let your machine process everything sequentially, saving time and avoiding manual intervention.

Together, these tools target the three main sources of slowdowns in 3ds Max:
geometry complexity, memory consumption, and rendering workflow inefficiencies.

The result is a smoother, more efficient workflow that allows you to handle complex scenes with greater control and stability — without compromising output quality.

The Scene Optimization Toolkit is currently available with a 30% discount compared to purchasing each plugin individually, making it a practical solution for artists and studios looking to streamline their production process.

Learn more and get the toolkit: https://www.splinedynamics.com/scene-optimization-toolkit/

We’re excited to announce that free trials for all SplineDynamics 3ds Max plugins are now available on Gumroad.

This makes it easier than ever to explore and test our tools through a new platform, with a simple download experience and quick access to updates.

The following plugins – and also some free scripts – are now available for you to try:

3D Measure Master, Hierarchy Guardian, Spline Cleaner, Spline Combiner, SuperHelix, TurboSplines, RandoMixer, Scatter Tools, Q-Proxies, Proxy Textures, Overnight Batch Render, and Showcaser.

Each trial allows you to evaluate the workflow improvements and performance benefits before purchasing.

Download trials (Gumroad)