PSD-Manager VS. Autodesk's new PSD export/save feature?

[Morne]

Hi all

As of 3ds Max 2012, the Autodesk Subscription Advantage Pack, you can apparantly save/export to PSD directly from max including layers and channels etc. and this will only get better with future versions as Autodesk is heavily investing in interoperability of Photoshop and also AE.

I've heard good things about PSD-Manager, however as a NON-user of neither PSD-Manager or the Subscription Advantage pack, I'm considering my future workflow and would like to hear your views/thoughts on these 2 things.
Also, will there still be a need for PSD manager if Autodesk is pushing the way they are?

[wxyz]

Does the Autodesk exporter allow easy masking?

[dans]

The whole idea of psd-manager is about saving you tons of time and the hassle of those many additional files. State Sets from the SAP have a completely different goal (it is a render pass manger). Buts since you wanted a comparison, this is what a straight comparison of PSD features would look like.

PSD Feature	psd-manager 3.1	State Sets PSD export
8-bit PSD export	Yes	Yes
16-bit PSD export	Yes	-
32-bit (HDR) PSD export	Yes	-
PSD Layer Masks	Yes (e.g. Render Alpha, RE Alpha)	-
PSD Channels	Yes (e.g. Z-Depth RE, Multimatte REs, Masks)	-
Easy Mask Generation	Yes (Objects, Object IDs, Material IDs, 3ds max Layers)	-
Saving Masks as Channels	Yes	-
Render Elements export	Yes	Yes
RE Presets	Yes (Blending Mode, PSD Layer/Channel, Save Alpha as Mask/Transparaency, Premultiplied Alpha)	-
Automatic RE Sorting	Yes (optional)	-
V-Ray Framebuffer Channels export (e.g. Lens Effects Bloom & Glare)	Yes	-
Save as PSD only (no additional files)	Yes (optional)	-
Gamma Control	Yes	-
Set DPI	Yes	-

RE = Render Elements, HDR = High Dynamic Range

As of 3ds Max 2012, the Autodesk Subscription Advantage Pack, you can apparantly save/export to PSD directly from max including layers and channels etc. and this will only get better with future versions as Autodesk is heavily investing in interoperability of Photoshop and also AE.

There is no support for channels, etc. and I have already been investing heavily since 10 years into psd-manager.

I've heard good things about PSD-Manager, however as a NON-user of neither PSD-Manager or the Subscription Advantage pack, I'm considering my future workflow and would like to hear your views/thoughts on these 2 things.
Also, will there still be a need for PSD manager if Autodesk is pushing the way they are?

psd-manager will integrate with each and every feature that 3ds max provides if users want it. So in sum, I will push harder .

It's not about Sate Sets vs. psd-manager - it's about what fits your workflow (if you have not seen it, a trial download of psd-manager is available).

Best Regards,
Daniel Schmidt

PS: Since this is the Take5 section - psd-manager fits like a glove and gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling. The State Sets PSD export is more like needle and thread - you can make a glove but you may end up with cold fingers on the way. However, it doesn't hurt to have both in house.

[crazy homeless guy]

Really... Only 8bit support for the state set? That is pathetic.