UV Unfoldr brings Maya's UV workflow to 3ds Max

3D artist Sargis Ter-Grigoryan has released UV Unfoldr, a $39 plugin for 3ds Max 2022–2027 that replaces the native UV editor with Maya's proven interface. The tool brings component modes, marking menus, selection rules, and hotkeys directly into Max, eliminating the friction of learning two UV workflows or fighting Unwrap UVW for complex geometry.

UV Unfoldr runs on top of 3ds Max's standard Unwrap UVW modifier, keeping all edits fully undoable within the host application. The feature set includes fast edge-run selection via Shift+click, Unfold and Optimize brushes, a Similar Islands tool, UV packer, freeform editing, soft selection, align and distribute functions, texel density tools, Relax with locked borders, and UV sets support. Additional tools include a Move brush, edge-straightening options, FFD lattice deformation, multi-object UV sets, and UV-to-smoothing features.

The plugin costs $39, with a 25% launch discount available until November 3 using code LAUNCH25.

Video: CGPress

Why archviz studios should care

For 3ds Max–based archviz pipelines, UV work on trim, trim sheets, and complex props has meant either mastering the native Unwrap UVW modifier or switching to Maya's UV tools and managing separate workflows. UV Unfoldr closes that gap by bringing Maya's familiar interface—component modes and marking menus—into Max without leaving your scene or renderer.

According to Ter-Grigoryan, the goal is straightforward:

Sources

• Polycount
• CGPress
• Gumroad
• YouTube

Lead image: CGPress